Review: The Secret Sense of Wildflower

The Secret Sense of Wildflower
by Susan Gabriel
Published by Wild Lily Arts
Released April 2012
Review Copy provided by Author

From Goodreads:

Set in 1940s Appalachia, The Secret Sense of Wildflower tells the story of Louisa May “Wildflower” McAllister whose life has been shaped around the recent death of her beloved father in a sawmill accident. While her mother hardens in her grief, Wildflower and her three sisters must cope with their loss themselves, as well as with the demands of daily survival. Despite these hardships, Wildflower has a resilience that is forged with humor, a love of the land, and an endless supply of questions to God, who she isn't so sure she agrees with. When Johnny Monroe, the town’s teenage ne’er-do-well, sets his sights on Wildflower, she must draw on the strength of her relations, both living and dead, to deal with his threat. 

My Thoughts:

This was a very interesting read. I always enjoy books that are set years ago when people lived on much less and had lives that were none the less rich in ways we don't often experience today. I will say that the plot was not what I expected. The book opens one year after the death of Louisa May, Wildflower's, father and in the first 50 pages the young girl goes through a horrifying ordeal with the sinister Johnny Monroe. There is a dark cloud over the Monroe family and the tone, in my opinion is very dark. 

However, it is at that point that the book goes back to the day that Wildflower's father died in a sawmill accident and we see the fun, care-free girl that she once was. We watch that tragedy shape her family and learn something about how the character's came to be where they are today. When the author brings us back to the present, we are able to better understand how Louisa May and her family are dealing with this most recent tragedy  and as a family and town seek justice on this young man, Louisa May learns a lot about herself as well as other members of her family that she misunderstood in the past.

This was a very insightful read that touched on some very difficult topics. Mush like real-life everything isn't always happily-ever-after, and yet people still find their way to happy.