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La saison des fleurs
272 pages, Paperback
Published June 12, 2025
6 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 5, 2025
j'ai beaucoup aimé
un roman d'ambiance sur 3 sœurs qui cherchent à cacher la mort de leur mère pour ne pas être séparées
un roman d'ambiance sur 3 sœurs qui cherchent à cacher la mort de leur mère pour ne pas être séparées
November 7, 2025
vraiment bien! La narration s’apparente à celle d'un conte, le suspens fonctionne bien et je trouve les thèmes très bien abordés. C’est cru et ça en parle frontalement sans pour autant tomber dans des descriptions glauques et trop détaillées!
November 28, 2025
When I started reading “La saison des fleurs”, I wasn’t expecting to like it so much. It is a little book but a stirring one.
-MORALLY GREY CHARACTERS-
An uncommon thing for a youth-novel but a central aspect of the storytelling was the characters. There is no huge quest or thrilling case to solve, just three sisters trying to make it out alive, indeed, we’re close to a claustrophobic atmosphere, but it permits us to feel even more what Penelope, Ariane and Alecto are going through. We’re truly embodying the characters, and what makes them so interesting is their flaws. Ariane is self centered, she likes Alecto to remind her how much she loves her: “And then she built him a bridge. A bridge in her honour, just for her. Even if she doesn't like crossing it, it's still a grand achievement to have a monument to her glory.” Penelope can be rude, as when she locked Ariane up, or when she saw her drown in the river “She hadn't moved, hadn't done anything, but her mother had rushed to save Ariane. Since then, the fangs of guilt had injected their venom into Penelope. She would have let her twin sister die.” Alecto doesn’t care about murder being a bad thing: “Children are monsters, Alecto knows that. What bothers her is that she has remained one.”
And Gaïa, even if she loved her daughters, made them socially outcast: “If your precious little Mummy hadn't messed up, we wouldn't be in this situation, Ariane! We would have rights, protections! Now we have nothing, we are nothing. Just three poor motherless kids squatting in a house where the rent hasn't been paid in months” and she could be violent toward them “All my life, Mum watched over me. I could see her sharp gaze through the window when I came home from the forest. And sometimes, when I was asleep, I would hear the door open and she would stand next to my bed, as if she were hesitating. As if she were hesitating to smother me with the pillow.”
-GREEC MYTHOLOGY REFERENCES-
On another hand, I enjoyed the discreet mythologic references. For example, when Danny arrives at the house, the headlights of his car are described as a cyclops eye. And in Alecto’s part, she says about Penelope: “It's true that Penelope always imagines the worst. Terrible scenarios where everyone betrays and lies, where no one survives. But if she unravels the thread of horrors, it's surely to have something to weave into a beautiful tapestry in which everyone has their place, alive and well.” The references are not only in metaphors but also in the protagonists’ temper. Penelope is cool blooded, wise and sassy as in the original tales; and Alecto is “ugly” and a bit brutal which corresponds with the image of the Furies. Thus, the mythological names aren’t just chosen to show the author’s cleverness or how cultivated she is, they have a real utility.
-POETRY AND SLANG WORDS-
The language isn’t impoverished, the toughest moments are told in a very poetic way, without making it romanticized though. For example, when Ariane starts to scarify herself, it isn’t said in a moralistic way, of course we know it is horrible and no one should have to live that, but we’re not reading novels to read an argumentative text or a moral treatise. So, the scene is depicted very cinematographically: “Looking at herself in the mirror, she thought she was ugly, so she pricked her arm with a sewing needle until a small drop of blood appeared, then she pricked it again and again until her arm was covered in red dots. She laughed as she wiped herself with one of her favourite dresses.” We’re not imposed a certain emotion but seeing Ariane cutting herself makes us feel devastated.
However, slang words are used sometimes, but it favours the storytelling since it emphasise the hate and fear of the girls: “She would rather be devoured by foxes and crows, and she cries because she no longer even has enough hope to pray and has reached the point where she wishes the forest stuffs her down rather than by Mr Gabin.”
Also, “La saison des fleurs” approaches a lot of harsh subjects such as mental hold on children, domestic violence or sexual assault, but it is always done in a delicate way. Epilepsy isn’t named in proper word until a hundred pages and instead called “storm crisis”, which by the way, shows how Gaïa alternated her daughter’s perception of reality.
-SORORITY-
I liked the ambivalent sorority between the three sisters: sometimes they scream, they hate each other or want to leave their hometown all alone but other times, they laugh together. The story shows us how important they’re pillars for the others to rely on, and through this whole mess, it is purely heartwarming. Thus, my favourite scene of the book is when Penelope, Ariane and Alecto dance after sharing honey-wine: “Penelope said she would do the washing up the next day, and it sounded like an announcement of a party, a joyful break from the strict rules of the house. [...] Dancing, forgetting everything, clearing their heads to expel all that cumbersome sadness. Not for long, but a respite nonetheless. However short it might be. Around three in the morning, they unfolded the sofa and fell asleep, all three of them entwined.”
-OPENED ENDING-
This end was the type of open ending that I like: not too vague but still up to imagination. We don’t spend 272 pages of sadness to end perfectly with a loving aunt who put the sisters to prestigious high school. And we neither end with a massacre or a tragedy. The passage “What isn’t burned will die here” lets us believe Alecto killed M.Gabin, which brings a ton of questions: did Ariane realise it too, will the girls be tracked down, will the death of the mayor open the discourse around his rapes, will Danny try to find Penelope or will he hate her for the rest of his life? Hummm enough mystery to write a sequel, don’t you think?
I could still say a lot of things but we’ll keep it there. If I had to make a critic it would be that some sentences are very long and their meaning can be lost along the way. Overall, it was an amazing reading, maybe not for you if you don’t like angst and dark atmosphere but definitely well written.
PS: I liked Danny so much, why did he have to be so blind about his father? His colourful carton folders will miss me.
PPS: Song recommendation: Mirror by The Last Dinner Party/Riverside by Agnes Obel
-MORALLY GREY CHARACTERS-
An uncommon thing for a youth-novel but a central aspect of the storytelling was the characters. There is no huge quest or thrilling case to solve, just three sisters trying to make it out alive, indeed, we’re close to a claustrophobic atmosphere, but it permits us to feel even more what Penelope, Ariane and Alecto are going through. We’re truly embodying the characters, and what makes them so interesting is their flaws. Ariane is self centered, she likes Alecto to remind her how much she loves her: “And then she built him a bridge. A bridge in her honour, just for her. Even if she doesn't like crossing it, it's still a grand achievement to have a monument to her glory.” Penelope can be rude, as when she locked Ariane up, or when she saw her drown in the river “She hadn't moved, hadn't done anything, but her mother had rushed to save Ariane. Since then, the fangs of guilt had injected their venom into Penelope. She would have let her twin sister die.” Alecto doesn’t care about murder being a bad thing: “Children are monsters, Alecto knows that. What bothers her is that she has remained one.”
And Gaïa, even if she loved her daughters, made them socially outcast: “If your precious little Mummy hadn't messed up, we wouldn't be in this situation, Ariane! We would have rights, protections! Now we have nothing, we are nothing. Just three poor motherless kids squatting in a house where the rent hasn't been paid in months” and she could be violent toward them “All my life, Mum watched over me. I could see her sharp gaze through the window when I came home from the forest. And sometimes, when I was asleep, I would hear the door open and she would stand next to my bed, as if she were hesitating. As if she were hesitating to smother me with the pillow.”
-GREEC MYTHOLOGY REFERENCES-
On another hand, I enjoyed the discreet mythologic references. For example, when Danny arrives at the house, the headlights of his car are described as a cyclops eye. And in Alecto’s part, she says about Penelope: “It's true that Penelope always imagines the worst. Terrible scenarios where everyone betrays and lies, where no one survives. But if she unravels the thread of horrors, it's surely to have something to weave into a beautiful tapestry in which everyone has their place, alive and well.” The references are not only in metaphors but also in the protagonists’ temper. Penelope is cool blooded, wise and sassy as in the original tales; and Alecto is “ugly” and a bit brutal which corresponds with the image of the Furies. Thus, the mythological names aren’t just chosen to show the author’s cleverness or how cultivated she is, they have a real utility.
-POETRY AND SLANG WORDS-
The language isn’t impoverished, the toughest moments are told in a very poetic way, without making it romanticized though. For example, when Ariane starts to scarify herself, it isn’t said in a moralistic way, of course we know it is horrible and no one should have to live that, but we’re not reading novels to read an argumentative text or a moral treatise. So, the scene is depicted very cinematographically: “Looking at herself in the mirror, she thought she was ugly, so she pricked her arm with a sewing needle until a small drop of blood appeared, then she pricked it again and again until her arm was covered in red dots. She laughed as she wiped herself with one of her favourite dresses.” We’re not imposed a certain emotion but seeing Ariane cutting herself makes us feel devastated.
However, slang words are used sometimes, but it favours the storytelling since it emphasise the hate and fear of the girls: “She would rather be devoured by foxes and crows, and she cries because she no longer even has enough hope to pray and has reached the point where she wishes the forest stuffs her down rather than by Mr Gabin.”
Also, “La saison des fleurs” approaches a lot of harsh subjects such as mental hold on children, domestic violence or sexual assault, but it is always done in a delicate way. Epilepsy isn’t named in proper word until a hundred pages and instead called “storm crisis”, which by the way, shows how Gaïa alternated her daughter’s perception of reality.
-SORORITY-
I liked the ambivalent sorority between the three sisters: sometimes they scream, they hate each other or want to leave their hometown all alone but other times, they laugh together. The story shows us how important they’re pillars for the others to rely on, and through this whole mess, it is purely heartwarming. Thus, my favourite scene of the book is when Penelope, Ariane and Alecto dance after sharing honey-wine: “Penelope said she would do the washing up the next day, and it sounded like an announcement of a party, a joyful break from the strict rules of the house. [...] Dancing, forgetting everything, clearing their heads to expel all that cumbersome sadness. Not for long, but a respite nonetheless. However short it might be. Around three in the morning, they unfolded the sofa and fell asleep, all three of them entwined.”
-OPENED ENDING-
This end was the type of open ending that I like: not too vague but still up to imagination. We don’t spend 272 pages of sadness to end perfectly with a loving aunt who put the sisters to prestigious high school. And we neither end with a massacre or a tragedy. The passage “What isn’t burned will die here” lets us believe Alecto killed M.Gabin, which brings a ton of questions: did Ariane realise it too, will the girls be tracked down, will the death of the mayor open the discourse around his rapes, will Danny try to find Penelope or will he hate her for the rest of his life? Hummm enough mystery to write a sequel, don’t you think?
I could still say a lot of things but we’ll keep it there. If I had to make a critic it would be that some sentences are very long and their meaning can be lost along the way. Overall, it was an amazing reading, maybe not for you if you don’t like angst and dark atmosphere but definitely well written.
PS: I liked Danny so much, why did he have to be so blind about his father? His colourful carton folders will miss me.
PPS: Song recommendation: Mirror by The Last Dinner Party/Riverside by Agnes Obel
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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June 20, 2025On se retrouve ici avec un livre un peu particulier mais très intriguant de par son résumé. Pendant une bonne partie de ma lecture je ne savais pas quoi penser. Beaucoup de mystères, de non dit, on apprend les choses aux comptes gouttes et je pense donc que c’est ça qui fait la force de ce livre.
Nos personnages sont plutôt réaliste. Chacune gèrent les choses à leurs manières et avec leurs caractères propre. Alecto se sent perdue et pas à la hauteur. Incapable de mentir, la situation est un vrai cauchemar pour elle. Elle semble particulière. Ariane est plutôt lunaire, capricieuse et la plus enfantine aussi. Puis il y a Pénélope, celle qui commande, dirigée, l’intelligente qui sauve les meubles comme elle peut mais en oubliant d’être empathique et aimante avec ses sœurs. Pas d’attache particulière ici pour moi, mais ça ne m’a pas dérangé.
Je ne saurais classer le genre de ce roman qui est à part, plein de thématique autour de la famille, le décès, les traumatismes… Un livre qui peut faire écho à la réalité d’aujourd’hui…
𝐄𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐟 : Mitigé. Je ne sais pas quoi penser de cette lecture, je ne me vois pas la noter tant elle est atypique et spécial. Ce fut une lecture intéressante et perturbante du point de vue lecteur.
Nos personnages sont plutôt réaliste. Chacune gèrent les choses à leurs manières et avec leurs caractères propre. Alecto se sent perdue et pas à la hauteur. Incapable de mentir, la situation est un vrai cauchemar pour elle. Elle semble particulière. Ariane est plutôt lunaire, capricieuse et la plus enfantine aussi. Puis il y a Pénélope, celle qui commande, dirigée, l’intelligente qui sauve les meubles comme elle peut mais en oubliant d’être empathique et aimante avec ses sœurs. Pas d’attache particulière ici pour moi, mais ça ne m’a pas dérangé.
Je ne saurais classer le genre de ce roman qui est à part, plein de thématique autour de la famille, le décès, les traumatismes… Un livre qui peut faire écho à la réalité d’aujourd’hui…
𝐄𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐟 : Mitigé. Je ne sais pas quoi penser de cette lecture, je ne me vois pas la noter tant elle est atypique et spécial. Ce fut une lecture intéressante et perturbante du point de vue lecteur.
June 24, 2025
La saison des fleurs est un roman qui vous marque et que vous garderez longtemps en tête ! C'est fort, puissant, triste parfois et surtout profondément féministe !
C'est pour vous, si :
- vous aimez les atmosphères lourdes et prenantes
- vous voulez de la sororité
- vous voulez du female rage ou rage féminine
- des personnages différents de ce qu'on lit d'habitude
- une relation entre trois sœurs très différentes
- des thèmes difficiles (notamment sur la féminité)
- vous aimez avoir plusieurs points de vue pour comprendre toutes les protagonistes
- une plume riche et travaillée
Ce n'est pas pour vous, si :
- vous recherchez un roman estival mignon
- vous recherchez une romance
- vous voulez une histoire convenue
- des personnages simples
- vous voulez de la douceur
- vous ne voulez pas ouvrir les yeux sur la société patriarcale dans laquelle on vit
Je ne peux que le conseiller si vous savez à quoi vous attendre avec ce roman. (Ah et j'ai une grosse préférence pour Pénélope qui porte le poids de toute la charge mentale sur ses épaules et a su refuser d'être ce qu'on attend d'elle 💛)
C'est pour vous, si :
- vous aimez les atmosphères lourdes et prenantes
- vous voulez de la sororité
- vous voulez du female rage ou rage féminine
- des personnages différents de ce qu'on lit d'habitude
- une relation entre trois sœurs très différentes
- des thèmes difficiles (notamment sur la féminité)
- vous aimez avoir plusieurs points de vue pour comprendre toutes les protagonistes
- une plume riche et travaillée
Ce n'est pas pour vous, si :
- vous recherchez un roman estival mignon
- vous recherchez une romance
- vous voulez une histoire convenue
- des personnages simples
- vous voulez de la douceur
- vous ne voulez pas ouvrir les yeux sur la société patriarcale dans laquelle on vit
Je ne peux que le conseiller si vous savez à quoi vous attendre avec ce roman. (Ah et j'ai une grosse préférence pour Pénélope qui porte le poids de toute la charge mentale sur ses épaules et a su refuser d'être ce qu'on attend d'elle 💛)
November 26, 2025
Lecture sombre, mais prenante ! Ça raconte trois sœurs qui cachent la mort de leur mère pour pouvoir rester ensemble. Il y a quelques moments un peu durs, mais les descriptions ne sont jamais trop détaillées (mais juste assez pour qu’on imagine très bien ce qui se passe). L’ambiance est super mystérieuse, pleine de non-dits, et la sororité est vraiment forte.
July 5, 2025
C'est trop beau, bien écrit, les personnages sont complexes et attachants. Lisez le ! Ça parle de sororité, de maternité, de relations toxiques, de violences et de reconstruction... J'ai beaucoup pleuré mais ça valait le coup, bravo Loly Axmann pour ce livre magnifique ❤️
September 2, 2025
4,75⭐️
September 22, 2025
Le décor ainsi que la tension sont directement plantés. Un moulin à la lisière de la forêt, trois filles orphelines suite à une violente dispute sonnant le glas de leur mère.
Qu’est-ce qu’il s’est réellement passé ? On l’ignore et les spéculations sur le sujet sont vites remplacées par une toute autre urgence.
Dans ce petit village où tout le monde s’intéresse à tout, surtout un certain maire, il va être compliqué de caché la vérité. Couvrir la mort de leur mère jusqu’à ma majorité de l’une des sœurs.
Outre les circonstances dramatiques ( je pèse mes mots) ont apprend petit à petit à connaître ces trois sœurs, leurs manières de penser, d’être et que les fantômes de leurs enfances, de leurs éducations entremêlées d’amour et de toxicité, sont omniprésents et se font de plus en plus lourd.
En parallèle on suit des brides d’histoire de leur mère, de sa jeunesse. Des passages poignants et d’une importance capitale dans la construction de cette boucle infernale de « faire comme on peut » tout en répétant des schémas dévastateurs dont la source est plus profonde que nous même.
Bref, une tragédie familiale poignante où la beauté réside dans cette sororité à toutes épreuves, où malgré les difficultés, l’amour, la haine, la jalousie reste indéfectible.
Qu’est-ce qu’il s’est réellement passé ? On l’ignore et les spéculations sur le sujet sont vites remplacées par une toute autre urgence.
Dans ce petit village où tout le monde s’intéresse à tout, surtout un certain maire, il va être compliqué de caché la vérité. Couvrir la mort de leur mère jusqu’à ma majorité de l’une des sœurs.
Outre les circonstances dramatiques ( je pèse mes mots) ont apprend petit à petit à connaître ces trois sœurs, leurs manières de penser, d’être et que les fantômes de leurs enfances, de leurs éducations entremêlées d’amour et de toxicité, sont omniprésents et se font de plus en plus lourd.
En parallèle on suit des brides d’histoire de leur mère, de sa jeunesse. Des passages poignants et d’une importance capitale dans la construction de cette boucle infernale de « faire comme on peut » tout en répétant des schémas dévastateurs dont la source est plus profonde que nous même.
Bref, une tragédie familiale poignante où la beauté réside dans cette sororité à toutes épreuves, où malgré les difficultés, l’amour, la haine, la jalousie reste indéfectible.
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