What do you think?
Rate this book
Wallflowers
Irene Temple Bailey was a popular American novelist and short story writer. Beginning around 1902, Temple Bailey was contributing stories to national magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Cavalier Magazine, Cosmopolitan, The American Magazine, McClure's, Woman's Home Companion, Good Housekeeping, McCall's and others. In 1914, Bailey wrote the screenplay for the Vitagraph Studios film Auntie, and two of her novels were filmed. She also had three of her books on the list of bestselling novels in the United States in 1918, 1922, and 1926 as determined by Publishers Weekly. Bailey never married. She died at her apartment in Washington, D.C. on July 6, 1953. Her obituary in the New York Post estimated that her novels had sold three million copies, making her among the best paid writers in the world, and that Cosmopolitan had once given her $325,000 for three serial novels and a group of short stories.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1927
About the author
Temple Bailey
104 books11 followersKnown as "Queen of the Romantic Novel", Irene Temple Bailey was born in Petersburg, Virginia. Her childhood was spent in Washington, D.C., and she attended a girls' school in Richmond, Virginia. In the early 1900s, she had her fiction published in national magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Cavalier Magazine, Cosmopolitan, American Magazine, McClure's, Woman's Home Companion, Good Housekeeping, and McCall's.
Her success with short stories inspired her to try her hand at books, and her first novel, Judy, was published in 1907. She eventually wrote over 25 best-selling books and became one of the most successful authors of her time. Later she also ventured into screenwriting; in 1914 she wrote the screenplay for the Vitagraph Studios film Auntie.
Temple Bailey is probably most famous for her short story, "A Parable of Motherhood."
Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1...
Her success with short stories inspired her to try her hand at books, and her first novel, Judy, was published in 1907. She eventually wrote over 25 best-selling books and became one of the most successful authors of her time. Later she also ventured into screenwriting; in 1914 she wrote the screenplay for the Vitagraph Studios film Auntie.
Temple Bailey is probably most famous for her short story, "A Parable of Motherhood."
Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 21, 2012
If you were to ask me, “Sarah, what is your favorite non-holiday day of the year (excluding your birthday)?” I would say, without hesitation: “The day of the Twig book sale!”
For yes, every September, one of the local Twig chapters holds a book sale wherein they sell all books for a quarter. I cannot begin to tell you how many of my 1000 books have inscribed on the flyleaf, under my name, “Twig Book Sale.”
This book, Wallflowers, is one of them. I purchased it last year, but just read it for the first time. I don’t really know how to describe this story. It’s about two sisters. It’s about a young writer. It’s about a society girl who learns a bit about humbleness. It’s about a man who learns about forgiveness and love. It’s about a mother who would do anything for her children. It’s about the importance of balancing dreams with practicality, and balancing practicality with dreams.
All in all, it just a happy little story, but one with a surprising amount of depth and thought. Published in 1927, it’s a glimpse into the post-WWI society of frivolity and fun, and the pointlessness of it all. I liked it: this book has earned the right to stay on my shelf. :-)
For yes, every September, one of the local Twig chapters holds a book sale wherein they sell all books for a quarter. I cannot begin to tell you how many of my 1000 books have inscribed on the flyleaf, under my name, “Twig Book Sale.”
This book, Wallflowers, is one of them. I purchased it last year, but just read it for the first time. I don’t really know how to describe this story. It’s about two sisters. It’s about a young writer. It’s about a society girl who learns a bit about humbleness. It’s about a man who learns about forgiveness and love. It’s about a mother who would do anything for her children. It’s about the importance of balancing dreams with practicality, and balancing practicality with dreams.
All in all, it just a happy little story, but one with a surprising amount of depth and thought. Published in 1927, it’s a glimpse into the post-WWI society of frivolity and fun, and the pointlessness of it all. I liked it: this book has earned the right to stay on my shelf. :-)
May 24, 2020
One of my all time favorite books! The sweetest story with beautiful imagery. The images of the characters in their settings, on the balcony, in a shop, in the car, have stayed with me for years. This book is a joy. I’ve gifted this book more than any other.
March 28, 2014
I just re-read this after many years. It was just as wonderful and delightful as I remember it being! Temple Bailey is a master of wonderful characters! And I love the amount of detail she puts into her books concerning everyday life. It completely transports me to the 20's and 30's. She's wonderful! Such a worth while lighter read!
September 7, 2015
What an enchanting book! I absolutely loved it. The characters are interesting, flawed and realistic. There are so many little truths, weaknesses, and triumphs woven into the plot with, of course, the delightful romances that Bailey is so good at spinning. Bailey is an American author who wrote a lot of books, most of them romance, from the 19-teens to the 1940s. She writes from her modern day; it felt fresh and lovely even though, for me now, I'm reading an earlier time period.
September 30, 2012
Sandra and Theordore are twin sisters. Sandra is the dreamer and Theodore is the theatric. A vivid combination in this feel-good, happily-ever-after, typical 1920s style American literature. A pleasant read. Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford, award winning author of "The Whistling Bishop" and "F-Stop: A Life in Pictures".
February 21, 2021
An old favorite of mine, this book is a sweet, heartfelt and sincere love story from the days when love was real. The characters are fully fleshed and everyone has a part to play. I highly recommend this to anyone who needs an escape from the troubles of the modern day.
January 1, 2022
I love "between the wars" books, but I still haven't figured out how to deal with the casual racism. In graduate school, I could read the books with an intellectual eye and make dispassionate notes about how things were then in the (almost entirely white) world of literature. But now that I'm reading just for pleasure, I find I can't take pleasure in them. The bigotry taints the story not because I feel I should wag my finger and drone on and on about correctness or incorrectness - it just spoils it for me in the same way that a faint trace of sulpher in the air makes me wrinkle my nose involuntarily. It's particularly hard to take in a novel so focused on Truth and Righteousness. The story was fine, but I kept getting whispers of sulpher.
Maybe the simple truth is that I just didn't like this enough to keep my nose from wrinkling.
Maybe the simple truth is that I just didn't like this enough to keep my nose from wrinkling.
May 23, 2023
This is the 1st Temple Bailey book I read, and it’s wonderful to re-read it again. All Temple Bailey’s novels are delightful & idealistic with wonderful details and a light touch. It’s easy to see why she was so popular in her day.
May 9, 2024
Wallflowers follows a set of twins, Sandra and Theodora (Doady), through their romantic ventures. Set in the early 20th century, this novel speaks beautifully on love, not giving up, and patience.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews