Flowers from Iraq

The Storyteller and the Healer #1

by Sunny Alexander

Product Description
Sometimes you need a fantasy to survive

Flowers from Iraq follows Kathleen Moore on her journey through childhood abuse, a lifetime of secrets and locked closet doors. Old comics found in a musty basement and a discarded copy of Alice in Wonderland, become her map to a world of fantasies. From foster child living in Boston, to closeted Army physician wounded while serving in Iraq to family doctor in the rural town of Canfield, whatever her role and wherever her journey takes her, she never travels alone.

Kathleen meets and falls in love with Claire Hollander, a free-spirited adventurer and storyteller who will challenge Kathleen to unlock the secret doors to her past.

A tale of opposites colliding and then reuniting, Flowers from Iraq balances humor and tragedy, the landscape of battle and the interior of the human mind. A drama that takes place during our own time of war, the story is a compelling reminder of the healing that comes through love and the human connection.

Genres: Lesbian, Fiction, LGBT, Romance, Military Fiction, Lesbian Fiction

ebook

First published April 17, 2012

About the author

At the age of four, Sunny Alexander ripped out the last pages from her mother’s unfinished book and became magically transformed into a bookworm. She devoured book after book, seeking the answer to life’s greatest mystery: What makes people tick?

This fascination didn’t help her in school, and she found herself placed in remedial classes. Undaunted, she followed her quest to understand the essence of human behavior and eventually received a Ph.D. in Psychoanalysis.

Believing in the power of a well-told tale, she made therapeutic storytelling the foundation for her private practice.

Fondly known as The Storyteller and The Healer, Alexander brings this same philosophy to her novels.

Reviews

[Diane Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touching! intriguing story with great depth,very descriptive on many serious issues,dealt with a wide range of topics,likable characters and great storytelling...recommended to all

[Diane Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touching! intriguing story with great depth,very descriptive of many serious issues,dealt with a wide range of topics that was very important to the storyline..well developed and likable characters..also great storytelling..highly recommended to everyone

[Terry Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about the story of Dr Kathleen Moore. Kathleen is a physician in the small town of Canfield. She was abused as a child and after a family tragedy, grew up in foster care. Kathleen’s childhood was made more bearable by her living in a fantasy world. The book Alice in Wonderland played a big part in her early years.

Kathleen went from foster care to being a closeted physician in the United States Army. Kathleen eventually served in Iraq and was badly injured and traumatized, which ended her army career. After her discharge and recuperation, Kathleen applied for and accepted a post as family physician in Canfield. It’s here that she meets Claire Hollander. Kathleen is smitten. Unfortunately for Kathleen, it appears that Claire is straight. Or is she?

When Kathleen and Claire spend more time together and get to know one another, it is apparent that the feelings Kathleen’s been having are mutual. What will it take though for one of the two women to make the first move?

When Kathleen and Claire do eventually get together, Kathleen can’t let go of her inhibitions. She has to stay locked away deep in the closet. Hiding all her deepest darkest secrets. Will Claire be able to help Kathleen over come her insecurities? Will Kathleen be ready to trust Claire with her secrets from the past? Until Kathleen can come to terms with and leave her past behind, she can’t possibly hope to move on and have a future with Claire. So although Kathleen and Claire love each other, will this be enough to base a future on? The answer of course, is no. Kathleen has to cast aside her demons first, but even if she does, will it be too late for her and Claire?

This book is a wonderfully well written page turner from start to finish. Sunny Alexander has an extraordinary way with words. She is an incredible story teller.

Although the title is Flowers from Iraq, the book is mainly set in the USA.

This is a story of Kathleen’s lack of self esteem. How she likens her life to sowing flower seeds in Iraq and how the young plants all die. Kathleen has to learn she is worthy of love and she has to learn to love herself before she can move on.

The story is told with flash backs to Kathleen’s past. The way this was done was brilliant. Each flash back shows the part it is playing in Kathleen’s present time. The reader has no doubts as to what Kathleen is suffering, why and how it all began way back.

The main character Kathleen is supported by a wonderful cast of equally important characters. Gayle and Robert are her mentors. Over the years, they have become like a second set of parents to her. Without their support both in the past and present, Kathleen’s life would have been even harder to bear. Gary is her best friend and her beard. Then there are Sam, Helen and Kevin. Last but by no means least is Claire. All these people and others seamlessly slot in to progress the story to it’s excellent conclusion.

Sunny Alexander has done her research very well. The PTSD Kathleen suffers from radiates off the page. This book is of the highest quality, both for storyline, dialogue, characters and scenic descriptions. It is beautifully presented and error free. This book is a definite re-read for me.

I am pleased to see there is a sequel to follow, God Laughs. I hope it’s published soon.

[Goth Gone Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed review - there's a lot of good in this book, but some areas that need improvement or ring untrue as well.

The book's lead character encounters a wide variety of issues that shape her - an abusive childhood, military service, PTSD from the combination of both, and realizing she's a lesbian. The feelings are described thoroughly, though with a sense of detachment - I get the feeling that I'm reading a clinical decription more than experiencing life through the character's eyes.

Secondary characters do so much to help the lead character, even when it's not anywhere near professional. Her new friend she meets at college takes her in to his house to help her. Her therapist takes her home, feeds her, takes her in, etc. (Questionable...) The lead character falls for a patient and finds reasons for the patient to stay at her home/office afterwards. Again, not quite comfortable, but convenient. The new city that she moves to has everyone helping her, to the point of ridiculousness. She buys a house that converts to a hospital... It's just too much of a sequence of of implausible happenings to fully buy into.

The premise was solid, but the execution would use some polishing. I don't think I'll be reading the second in the series.

[Dide · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more 3.5 than 4 rating due more to the style of writing which I found not too appealing. That said it grew on me and I really liked a number of events in Katherine's life, though I feel there were a number of instances the book could have ended much earlier

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not a light read. It is very complex and i'm not sure i can summarize/review it very well, so i'll just mention some points that might help others decide if they want to buy it or not. (but at only 99 cents, it is definitely worth that much to at least have in your library.)

this is not a light, romantic novel. i'm not sure i would even call it a romance. It is first and foremost a book about kathleen and her very traumatic life, how she deals with it and pulls it all together. She is dealing with some very troubling issues from the age of 9 when she is placed in a foster home and goes on through school shunned and poor and hungry. Then on to college where she continues to be shunned and poor and hungry. Then she joins the army where she goes to iraq and sustains a life altering injury.
the first 1/2 of the book, is solely about kathleen and how she manages with this trauma, and we meet some amazing people that help her along the way. It is very moving, and you'll probably shed some tears.

We meet claire about halfway through. She's the romantic interest, but comparatively, doesn't get a lot of air time. Even once she enters the picture, it's still about kathleen and how she deals with ptsd, how it affects relationships and her career. So again, don't expect a romance novel here. Though the romance does play a big part in kathleen finally making strides towards personal healing and her happy ending. Not to totally minimize the romance, it's there and claire is a very loveable character that we'll hopefully get to see more of in the follow up book. I loved the two of them together, it just wasn't the major part of the book.

I dont like depressing/serious books and rate them accordingly, but this one i have to recommend because it is so well done. The writing is skillful, the storyline flows amazingly considering the time span and different life altering factors. The characters are nothing less than real at any point in time, flaws and all. And Kathleen's story is completely engaging, even if it's one you dont think you'd want to hear, you should anyhow.

5 star writing skill
4.8 star editing
5 star character creation/development
5 star storyline

definitely get this book to take a break when all the other books start to bleed together.
set aside a couple days for some introspection and a story of deeply moving reality.

[Angie Engles · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's probably too soon to be saying this, but I'm more than halfway through and am absolutely charmed by this book. Katherine is such a sweet character and I love that Flowers captures so well what it's like to feel alone in the world and wonder if you'll ever find love. And Sunny Alexander does this all without making the main character seem needy or full of self-pity. A wonderful book that I imagine will continue to be until the end...but I don't want it to end!:)

-

I just finished Flowers From Iraq and it is every bit as good as I thought it was going to be. So very sweet, quite touching and often painful to read at times (you really feel what Katherine is going through!), Sunny Alexander's novel is more than just romantic lesfic...it's deep and moving and touches your heart, reminding you that true love is about getting to know someone first, really getting to know someone, before jumping into other things that go with romantic relationships.

I will definitely be reading this again at some point in the near future. Lovely read!!:)

[Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone has a story to tell. Their own story as well as someone else. It is difficult to say no when someone asks you to tell a story. Understanding that it may be difficult to tell your lifestory when not so good things happened in your past. This story was not an easy read. Tough issues are presented. The richness of the main characters is very fulfilling. They each have stories to tell and they tell them with the detail that helps you not only visualize but feel what they are feeling. Claire is wonderful and so full of life. Kathleen is closed off and looking for life. I also enjoyed the secondary characters because we cannot find life without others. And sometimes we need others to help us tell our lifestory. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Ulla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!!

[Jaynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors ; )

[Megan Sarclette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mesmerizing

This story really pulled at my heartstrings from the beginning to the end. The depth of the character development is perfect. The pictures painted by this story filled with stories are all stunning. The reality intertwined throughout this book brought emotion to life.
I received this book free and am returning the favor with my honest review. Thank you for sharing this intimate story, filled with stories, with me.
I definitely recommend this read to anyone!

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing book

I found this book to be very intriguing. I don't normally read this kind of book but I feel in love with this book. I found the story to be very believable and I fell I love with the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a story that will make them think.

[Rosa Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this in a good reads giveaway these opinions are my own:

Intriguing read of how this woman learns to navigate through two traumas while trying to feel comfortable in her own skin.

It took me awhile to get used to the back and forth between timelines and how fast other timelines moved. It was in interesting read.

[j good · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally awesome @

This is such a wonderful book, I recommend it to anyone, like myself who served in the military prior to and then during "Don't Ask Don't Tell". I am a 20 year Retired Air Force Veteran, it was tough, but I met my partner of 26 years and now my wife. I retired at 20 , before it was leagal so we would not be separated.

[Margaret L. Hedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

I really enjoyed Flowers from Iraq. This book will take you from the lowest point in a woman's life to the joy of being loved and in love. Great read. On to the next one.

[Jan Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of emotion and truth. I simply loved it x

I chose 5 stars because this book deserved it. I could relate to the story being a veteran myself and having to live a lie too. Absolutely brilliant writing and story. I recommend you read it.

[RJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional read!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

[Kathleen Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Flowers’ is at once riveting, heartbreaking, uplifting and cathartic. While I can’t say, ‘Oh my God, she’s writing about me,’ to the specifics that these women go through as the story progresses, there is a human element that is wonderfully portrayed and very easily relatable on a deep level (for me, at least). Sunny Alexander has created a beautiful story of love, compassion, fear, determination, perseverance, and emotional growth; it’s more than just a story of survival, but of the human spirit and I found myself drawn into the written world and connecting with her characters on a primal plane. We all have that scared little girl living within our hearts, the one we are trying to protect from the harshness in the world, even if the reasons and means differ from those that main character Kathleen Moore faced in her life.

The issues Ms. Alexander tackles in ‘Flowers’ are heavy and all too real for far too many, not just women and not just Americans and certainly not just soldiers. She addresses these issues not only with sensitivity, but with a directness and a rawness that speaks to her years of experience as a psychoanalyst and as a human being. Issues like abandonment, childhood abuse, PTSD, identity and self acceptance, sexuality, the closet, connecting with others….the list goes on and rather than making this some sort of strange dissertation on abnormal psychology, I find that these are the things that make her characters real. They are people, with lives and pasts and hearts and minds and problems and struggles and triumphs and all the rest- fleshed out in a way that ultimately makes them more human. Yes, there is a heavy element of therapy within the pages, but I don’t view that as a bad thing. We could all use someone to talk to from time to time, someone to help us see ourselves, help us grow. There’s nothing wrong with that, and it takes a certain strength to be able to say, ‘I need help with this.’

A few of you might find the writing style a bit stilted in places, or that the descriptions are too descriptive and the pacing a bit too slow overall. Admittedly, I found myself checking the number of pages and my progress and wondering at times if things were going to ever happen – but just when I thought I might explode with anticipation BOOM! It happens. And it happens in a way that made me smile and made me think. In fact, Ms. Alexander has a way of manipulating time that I quite enjoyed overall. I felt like I read a book 2 or 3 times as long as it actually was and I was still sad when it ended (because it ended, not because of how it ends). She packs so much information into the space of an average length book that it felt like I actually read something, you know? It was meaty- meaty in a way that really draws you in and makes the places and people and things that happen real in a way that sticks.

It was also refreshing to discover that this is not a book about the politics of war, which I had thought might be the case when it first came out, and is what prevented me from reading it sooner. In fact, there isn’t anything political at all really within these pages. There is war, which is simply a matter of fact and a huge part of Kathleen’s experience in life, but whether that war is right or wrong is left to the reader. There is no political agenda (at least not in an overt way). I left this with the reinforced belief that war is the wrong way, but not because the author told me so. This is something I applaud Ms. Alexander for. It would have been so easy for her to go there, and she didn’t- instead she stayed true to the heart of this story and in doing so, I believe, does a real service to the men and women of the armed forces who have seen the things we can’t imagine.

I would have liked to get more development from the Claire character, but I realize this was more a book about Kathleen and her personal journey than anything else. For this purpose, Claire is exactly as she needs to be- and knowing there’s a sequel on the way gives me hope that I will come to know and understand Claire as deeply as I do Kathleen.

I look forward to everything Ms. Alexander writes from this point on; if we improve with experience, her second and third and so on promise to be absolutely amazing.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The secondary title of The Storyteller and the Healer, for me set the book. Every person has a story to tell and the ability to heal. In Sunny Alexander's Flowers from Iraq, that idea is given a twist when the doctor becomes the storyteller and the bard becomes the healer. I feel the reader is introduced to a very interesting young woman in Kathleen, and is given a chance to follow her through the trials that life throws at her. Along the way, she discovers some interesting supporting characters with wonderful stories of their own. I think every heart string I had was pulled throughout the reading of this novel, and I believe Sunny Alexander did a phenomenal job for her first book. Though I wouldn't say that I bonded with the characters I definitely empathized with their stories and their healing process. By the end I was wondering who Sunny Alexander intended to be the Storyteller and who she intended to be the Healer.

[Coffeerequired · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being someone that works with PTSD patients,i enjoyed this book. it made me cringe that it is so realistic of the pain both the Dr has and also the people that love her. I will definately be watching for more books from this author and recommending this to many coworkers,friends,and vets i work with

[Baxter Clare Trautman]

Abused woman heals a lifetimes worth of wounds and finds true love.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet story, although the writing and characters come off as slightly elementary.

[Naomi Stock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Really couldn't put this book down! It was excellent! I would thoroughly recommend! I read in under 3 days.

[Tammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, good read. I felt it was complex, but really naive for the time period (2000's)

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little predictable but heartwarming.