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The Wildflowers
The Wildflowers by Harriet Evans is the spellbinding new novel from the Top 5 Sunday Times bestselling author of A Place for Us and The Butterfly Summer. Fans of Kate Morton's The Lake House or Santa Montefiore will delight in this book.
Harriet Evans is 'perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes and Maeve Binchy' Best
Tony and Althea Wilde. Glamorous, argumentative ... adulterous to the core.
They were my parents, actors known by everyone. They gave our lives love and colour in a house by the sea - the house that sheltered my orphaned father when he was a boy.
But the summer Mads arrived changed everything. She too had been abandoned and my father understood why. We Wildflowers took her in.
My father was my hero, he gave us a golden childhood, but the past was always going to catch up with him ... it comes for us all, sooner or later.
This is my story. I am Cordelia Wilde. A singer without a voice. A daughter without a father. Let me take you inside.
Harriet Evans is 'perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes and Maeve Binchy' Best
Tony and Althea Wilde. Glamorous, argumentative ... adulterous to the core.
They were my parents, actors known by everyone. They gave our lives love and colour in a house by the sea - the house that sheltered my orphaned father when he was a boy.
But the summer Mads arrived changed everything. She too had been abandoned and my father understood why. We Wildflowers took her in.
My father was my hero, he gave us a golden childhood, but the past was always going to catch up with him ... it comes for us all, sooner or later.
This is my story. I am Cordelia Wilde. A singer without a voice. A daughter without a father. Let me take you inside.
528 pages, Paperback
First published May 3, 2018
1028 people are currently reading
2457 people want to read
About the author
Harriet Evans
109 books1,207 followersI was born in London and grew up there. I was very bookish, and had a huge imagination which used to cause me to get rather anxious at times. Now I know it's a good thing for a writer to have. I loved musicals, and playing imaginative games, and my Barbie perfume making kit. Most of all I loved reading. I read everything, but I also read lots of things over and over, which I think is so important.
At university I read Classical Studies, which is a great way of finding out that the world doesn't change much and people make the same mistakes but it's interesting to look at why. I was at Bristol, and i loved the city, making new friends, being a new person.
After university I came back to London and got a job in publishing. I loved working in publishing so much, and really felt for the first time in my life that when I spoke people understood what I was saying. Book people are good people. I became an editor after a few years, working with many bestselling novelists, and in 2009 I left to write full time.
I've written 13 novels and several short stories and one Quick Read, which is an excellent way of getting people into reading more. I've acquired a partner and two children along the way.
In 2019 we moved to Bath, out of London, and I am very happy there. We live opposite a hedgerow, and I can be boring about gardening, and there's room for my collection of jumpsuits and all our books. We have lots of books. Apart from anything else they keep the house warm. xxx
At university I read Classical Studies, which is a great way of finding out that the world doesn't change much and people make the same mistakes but it's interesting to look at why. I was at Bristol, and i loved the city, making new friends, being a new person.
After university I came back to London and got a job in publishing. I loved working in publishing so much, and really felt for the first time in my life that when I spoke people understood what I was saying. Book people are good people. I became an editor after a few years, working with many bestselling novelists, and in 2009 I left to write full time.
I've written 13 novels and several short stories and one Quick Read, which is an excellent way of getting people into reading more. I've acquired a partner and two children along the way.
In 2019 we moved to Bath, out of London, and I am very happy there. We live opposite a hedgerow, and I can be boring about gardening, and there's room for my collection of jumpsuits and all our books. We have lots of books. Apart from anything else they keep the house warm. xxx
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
April 9, 2018
*4.5
Oh my goodness. What a complex and damaged family the Wildes are. The Wildflowers is an epic family drama, spanning several decades, from 1940 to 2015. Set mainly in Dorset and London, it tells the story of a family gradually being torn apart by actions from the past.
Anthony and Althea Wilde are well known and respected actors, Tony more so, as he is considerably older than Althea. To say that he gets around, is putting it mildly! His long suffering wife Althea is well aware of his affairs, although she is guilty of the odd indiscretion too. Their children, Benedick (Ben) and Cordelia (Cord) initially have an idyllic childhood, spending their holidays at the family’s holiday home the ‘Bosky’ on the Dorset coast. The Bosky is actually a character in its own right – over the decades it plays host to every main drama and event in the Wilde’s lives.
The story moves between time frames constantly, one moment we are in the 1940s with Tony as a young child orphaned during the war and then we could be in the 1970s. Although I sometimes found this a little frustrating (only because I was taken away from a timeline and desperately wanted to know what happened next!) it was easy to follow and having this structure built up a complete picture of all the Wildes – flaws and all.
The book is a rather impressive 544 pages, and although my proof copy was only a few pages shy of this, I was stressing as to whether I would finish it in time for today’s blog tour post (I actually finished it last night) but for all its length, it is a thoroughly engrossing story and one which I never got bored with.
There are some fabulous characters to get to know, Tony’s eccentric Great-Aunt Dinah (who I think was my favourite) and her rather creepy friend Daphne. The Wildes themselves of course – the parents so self obsessed and apparently unaware of the torment their children are suffering and also, the neighbours at the Dorset home, in particular Madeleine Fletcher. Madeleine is a very unhappy and rather feral 7 year old child when she first comes across the Wildes and her infiltration into their life will have a huge impact on all of them. Madeleine is obsessed with the family and keeps an exercise book hidden away in which she diligently records every aspect of the family’s life during their visits each year, including noting what they wore and overhead conversations. I initially found this quite disturbing and more than a little stalkerish. Interspersed throughout are extracts from Madeleine’s book and its through these that we see the real Madeleine.
I am deliberately trying to keep this review as vague as possible, it really is such a sweeping story encompassing events and reactions that to give away spoilers would be unforgivable.
There are secrets, indiscretions and betrayals galore in this story. I enjoyed it very much. If you’re looking for a book that you can fully immerse yourself with vividly drawn and convincing characters, then look no further.
Oh my goodness. What a complex and damaged family the Wildes are. The Wildflowers is an epic family drama, spanning several decades, from 1940 to 2015. Set mainly in Dorset and London, it tells the story of a family gradually being torn apart by actions from the past.
Anthony and Althea Wilde are well known and respected actors, Tony more so, as he is considerably older than Althea. To say that he gets around, is putting it mildly! His long suffering wife Althea is well aware of his affairs, although she is guilty of the odd indiscretion too. Their children, Benedick (Ben) and Cordelia (Cord) initially have an idyllic childhood, spending their holidays at the family’s holiday home the ‘Bosky’ on the Dorset coast. The Bosky is actually a character in its own right – over the decades it plays host to every main drama and event in the Wilde’s lives.
The story moves between time frames constantly, one moment we are in the 1940s with Tony as a young child orphaned during the war and then we could be in the 1970s. Although I sometimes found this a little frustrating (only because I was taken away from a timeline and desperately wanted to know what happened next!) it was easy to follow and having this structure built up a complete picture of all the Wildes – flaws and all.
The book is a rather impressive 544 pages, and although my proof copy was only a few pages shy of this, I was stressing as to whether I would finish it in time for today’s blog tour post (I actually finished it last night) but for all its length, it is a thoroughly engrossing story and one which I never got bored with.
There are some fabulous characters to get to know, Tony’s eccentric Great-Aunt Dinah (who I think was my favourite) and her rather creepy friend Daphne. The Wildes themselves of course – the parents so self obsessed and apparently unaware of the torment their children are suffering and also, the neighbours at the Dorset home, in particular Madeleine Fletcher. Madeleine is a very unhappy and rather feral 7 year old child when she first comes across the Wildes and her infiltration into their life will have a huge impact on all of them. Madeleine is obsessed with the family and keeps an exercise book hidden away in which she diligently records every aspect of the family’s life during their visits each year, including noting what they wore and overhead conversations. I initially found this quite disturbing and more than a little stalkerish. Interspersed throughout are extracts from Madeleine’s book and its through these that we see the real Madeleine.
I am deliberately trying to keep this review as vague as possible, it really is such a sweeping story encompassing events and reactions that to give away spoilers would be unforgivable.
There are secrets, indiscretions and betrayals galore in this story. I enjoyed it very much. If you’re looking for a book that you can fully immerse yourself with vividly drawn and convincing characters, then look no further.
December 27, 2017
A wonderfully captivating family saga, Harriet Evans hits all the right notes here with her evocative writing and superb characters.
Acting duo Tony and Althea Wilde and their two children visit their beachside property each summer. Meant to be the ideal getaway from the pressures of life, it is in fact the place where many secrets are held and relationships formed and broken.
Following the Wilde family through the years was highly enjoyable. Tony's backstory, growing up as a young boy during the war tugged on my heartstrings, and his actions later in life were so believable, having read about the antics of true life stars of this time. Aunt Dinah was another character I loved. So kind and caring but tortured too. I really was transported to the era's and loved the overall story and character interaction. If you enjoy family epics with a strong storyline then you'll certainly love this!
A fabulous read to round off my year!
*I received a copy of the book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Acting duo Tony and Althea Wilde and their two children visit their beachside property each summer. Meant to be the ideal getaway from the pressures of life, it is in fact the place where many secrets are held and relationships formed and broken.
Following the Wilde family through the years was highly enjoyable. Tony's backstory, growing up as a young boy during the war tugged on my heartstrings, and his actions later in life were so believable, having read about the antics of true life stars of this time. Aunt Dinah was another character I loved. So kind and caring but tortured too. I really was transported to the era's and loved the overall story and character interaction. If you enjoy family epics with a strong storyline then you'll certainly love this!
A fabulous read to round off my year!
*I received a copy of the book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 7, 2018
It’s been way too long since I’ve read a really good family saga, so when the opportunity arose to read The Wildflowers I just had to take it. If you’re looking for a book to really sink your teeth into, look no further. This is a meaty read(over 500 pages), you really get the opportunity to know the characters as it follows the Wilde family throughout their entire lives and by the end I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to them.
This jumps back and forth in time from the 40’s, to 2014 and several places in between. Althea and Tony Wilde have two children, Ben and Cord and this beautiful story follows all four of them. Being on the longer side really allowed the author to craft highly complex characters with deep rooted issues that were able to be fully explored. The characterization was so well done that I could easily imagine any of the Wilde’s as real people, they were vividly drawn.
As with anyone’s life each member of the Wilde family experiences plenty of highs and lows, this was full of drama, secrets and betrayals. It’s mainly set in the family’s beach house which was such a lovely, idyllic backdrop for this sweeping storyline, a nice contrast to the turmoil they were dealing with. This book will truly sweep you away to a different time and place and make you invested in these characters complicated and fascinating lives.
The Wildflowers in three words: Dramatic, Grand and Eloquent.
This jumps back and forth in time from the 40’s, to 2014 and several places in between. Althea and Tony Wilde have two children, Ben and Cord and this beautiful story follows all four of them. Being on the longer side really allowed the author to craft highly complex characters with deep rooted issues that were able to be fully explored. The characterization was so well done that I could easily imagine any of the Wilde’s as real people, they were vividly drawn.
As with anyone’s life each member of the Wilde family experiences plenty of highs and lows, this was full of drama, secrets and betrayals. It’s mainly set in the family’s beach house which was such a lovely, idyllic backdrop for this sweeping storyline, a nice contrast to the turmoil they were dealing with. This book will truly sweep you away to a different time and place and make you invested in these characters complicated and fascinating lives.
The Wildflowers in three words: Dramatic, Grand and Eloquent.
December 30, 2017
It started off so well. Then it got really s l o w and self indulgent. The characters became stock - the know it all matyr daughter; the adulterer actor lovey father, the quiet supertalented mother; the fragile tragedy waiting to happen daughter in law - tedious. All of them charging around with 'my secret's bigger than yours' drive leading them no where for pages, chapters, years. In the end they all could quite happily have rumbled on for another hundred or so pages but I'd had enough and I'm sure most readers would have given up way before then anyway.
Shame.
Toast
Shame.
Toast
April 12, 2018
A difficult book to review as I found it enchanting yet disappointing at the same time. I loved the setting; 'idyllic' childhood at a Cornish beach house with some larger than life theatrical characters. On the other hand, this family saga was told initially from the daughter, Cordelia's, point of view. However, later on it switched to the adult's point of view and became somewhat confusing and to be honest overlong. If this had been offset by a happy ending then perhaps it would have left me with a different perspecive but even the ending was sad. There is some wonderful descriptive writing, some memorable characters who show all their foibles and eccentricities yet my overall feelings were of sadness mixed with poignancy.
April 25, 2018
To be completely honest, I thought about giving up on this book more than once. But it would be the first book I'd ever given up on. The first 50 - 60% was so slow and some of it seemed so pointless. Yes, I love a good backstory. But a lot of it just seemed to fall flat to me. Also, some of the language was honestly so ridiculous. I understand parts were set in the past but I feel these sections were too old fashioned even for the 40s and 50s. The twists and surprises were good. Although the whole Daphne situation was actually extremely disturbing. I liked the ending and how everything was all rounded up quite neatly but it took such a long time to get there and I didn't feel it was all really relevant or added much to the story. And then the chapters on more recent years felt almost rushed to me, as if everything was being crammed in and not explained fully. Also, I don't really believe that a troublesome childhood is an excuse for outright disgusting adult behaviour. So, even though Tony's actions all seemed to be forgiven by the end, I'm not too sure they should have been. 2/5 overall.
March 6, 2018
A theatrical family, a house by the sea and an abandoned girl. Story told by Cordelia, how all the shenanigans affected her adult life. Normally I love family sagas but this was a bit of a struggle for me sadly. Disappointing because it sounded so good and it had a great cover, but it was much too long and wordy with such a fine set of selfish individuals, full of self entitlement. The style of writing and words used made it seem much older than the times it was set in. Loved the Dorset house though! I was given this ARC by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 18, 2018
I really wanted to like this book. A family saga set between then and now but for some reason I just couldn’t gel with it. There are so many characters and I felt that I was always having to check who was actually speaking at the time. I also felt I got to the end of the book and was quite nonchalant about the whole thing. Sorry but this wasn’t one for me.
April 1, 2018
If you are looking for an epic family drama, full of scandal, regrets and dark secrets then you need this book in your life! The author has created an astonishing family who seem to live an extremely privileged life but when you look behind the facade, it is often no more than a nightmare.
The Wilde family are an acting dynasty. Tony and Althea are, on paper, a golden couple, with successful careers but, behind closed doors, they are two quite selfish individuals who seem to accept infidelity on both sides as long as it makes the other person happy! Mixed up in this are their two children, Cordelia and Ben, who witness the moods, the long absences, the cheating - no wonder they end up a little messed up too! The family have a holiday home 'The Borsky' that used to have such warm and wonderful memories for them all, but that has been tainted over the years and through this book we get to look back at a number of times in their lives and put together the pieces of just what damage the dark secrets end up causing.
When I first started reading this I was a little concerned that I found I had no sympathy with the parents as they were so wrapped up in themselves, that it made them difficult to empathise with. But as the different chapters in their lives were revealed, I became more involved with them as you got to understand them, their pasts and how they turned out the way they did! And that goes for Cordelia and Ben too.
The character of Madeleine was an extremely fascinating element of the whole story! She was obsessed with the family and would make notes of their every move whenever the family moved into the neighbourhood for the summer,and Cordelia and Ben were reluctant to befriend this strange little girl from the neigbourhood, but they soon found they got used to her being around and it was a distraction from the drama in their own home, so she became more involved in their lives.
The switching of timelines was a little confusing to begin with, as was the number of characters, but I soon became swept up in all the different threads - there are lots! - that it all just blended in and created an extraordinary drama playing out on the pages. It often turned quite dark too and this just added to the impact that every secret revealed had on the family members.
It is a difficult book to sum up properly without revealing too much, but I found it to be totally enthralling and an exquisite look at a very dysfunctional family trying to come to terms with some very disturbing pasts. Highly recommeded!!
Extremely grateful to the publisher for sending an advanced copy of this my way.
The Wilde family are an acting dynasty. Tony and Althea are, on paper, a golden couple, with successful careers but, behind closed doors, they are two quite selfish individuals who seem to accept infidelity on both sides as long as it makes the other person happy! Mixed up in this are their two children, Cordelia and Ben, who witness the moods, the long absences, the cheating - no wonder they end up a little messed up too! The family have a holiday home 'The Borsky' that used to have such warm and wonderful memories for them all, but that has been tainted over the years and through this book we get to look back at a number of times in their lives and put together the pieces of just what damage the dark secrets end up causing.
When I first started reading this I was a little concerned that I found I had no sympathy with the parents as they were so wrapped up in themselves, that it made them difficult to empathise with. But as the different chapters in their lives were revealed, I became more involved with them as you got to understand them, their pasts and how they turned out the way they did! And that goes for Cordelia and Ben too.
The character of Madeleine was an extremely fascinating element of the whole story! She was obsessed with the family and would make notes of their every move whenever the family moved into the neighbourhood for the summer,and Cordelia and Ben were reluctant to befriend this strange little girl from the neigbourhood, but they soon found they got used to her being around and it was a distraction from the drama in their own home, so she became more involved in their lives.
The switching of timelines was a little confusing to begin with, as was the number of characters, but I soon became swept up in all the different threads - there are lots! - that it all just blended in and created an extraordinary drama playing out on the pages. It often turned quite dark too and this just added to the impact that every secret revealed had on the family members.
It is a difficult book to sum up properly without revealing too much, but I found it to be totally enthralling and an exquisite look at a very dysfunctional family trying to come to terms with some very disturbing pasts. Highly recommeded!!
Extremely grateful to the publisher for sending an advanced copy of this my way.
March 16, 2018
Oh dear, just two stars from me, and I usually love Harriet Evans' books. To be quite honest it took me until I was over 50% of the way through to become interested. I thought about giving up, but as this was a review copy, I felt I should persevere. Thanks to NetGalley by the way for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
My favourite character was Ben, but I couldn't warm to the other main characters. I particularly disliked Tony, and Althea wasn't much better. Selfish!
I think too much time was spent writing from the children's perspectives - I think this slowed down the pace of the book. It improved when they had grown up, and we got an adult's perspective.
Grim storylines, and I just felt sad at the end of the book, but at least there was a resolution.
There was no central romance, which was a shame.
My favourite character was Ben, but I couldn't warm to the other main characters. I particularly disliked Tony, and Althea wasn't much better. Selfish!
I think too much time was spent writing from the children's perspectives - I think this slowed down the pace of the book. It improved when they had grown up, and we got an adult's perspective.
Grim storylines, and I just felt sad at the end of the book, but at least there was a resolution.
There was no central romance, which was a shame.
May 18, 2018
Wonderful to get totally lost in this family saga. A long read at 510 pages which would be just perfect to pack into your holiday bag. Harriet Evans manages to create totally real 3D characters here whom you feel you know inside & out. She weaves a wonderful tale spanning the generations. Although parts of it during the middle section become rather disconnected/disturbing/sordid the final third brings everything full circle and ties the ending up perfectly. Towards the end I literally could not put it down.
I’m keeping this review deliberately vague as we will be discussing it on our Instagram Book Club but there was one question left unanswered which is really bugging me 🤔😂
I’m keeping this review deliberately vague as we will be discussing it on our Instagram Book Club but there was one question left unanswered which is really bugging me 🤔😂
June 6, 2018
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with a cast of such deep and complex characters. The tortuous, and sometimes tawdry, relationships between them was quite difficult to keep track of. The constant switching forwards and back in time was, at times, confusing but I do think it was well done and gave me a deeper understanding of the characters and their actions. It’s a big read but absorbing.
3-4 stars
3-4 stars
April 9, 2018
When I noticed that this book was 540+ pages, I’ll admit to some trepidation – that’s usually the size of two books for me. But those pages flew by, and it was a lovely experience to be in the very safe hands of such a wonderful story teller.
This book was enthralling – I found it impossible to look away from the chaotic life of the Wilde family, Tony and Althea with their glorious self-obsession and shaky moral standards, their children Cordy and Ben undoubtedly loved but beset by such levels of drama and complication as they move through childhood. The primary setting for this book was simply perfect too – the Bothy, a rambling house on Worth Bay in Cornwall, revisited across the book’s sweeping timescale, a perfect backdrop for the simple pleasures of childhood and for those shocking moments on which the story turns. Mads is a wonderful creation, both as child and adult – beginning as an outsider, fascinated by the Wildes, cataloguing their every move in forensic detail in her diary, then inextricably bound up in their story.
The weaving of the story’s threads – spanning time from Tony’s wartime childhood to the children’s adulthood and their parents’ old age, the past catching up with the present – is hypnotic, the large cast of characters introduced, developed and manipulated with absolute ease. In both past and present, this story has a bit of everything: there are moments when you’d be happy to be part of the story, those carefree days of swimming in the bay and playing games of Flowers and Stones, and others where the shocks and surprises and tangled awfulness of it all make you rather glad that you’re just the reader and can walk away at the end. You might walk away, but you won’t forget this one in a hurry – I enjoyed this book very much.
This book was enthralling – I found it impossible to look away from the chaotic life of the Wilde family, Tony and Althea with their glorious self-obsession and shaky moral standards, their children Cordy and Ben undoubtedly loved but beset by such levels of drama and complication as they move through childhood. The primary setting for this book was simply perfect too – the Bothy, a rambling house on Worth Bay in Cornwall, revisited across the book’s sweeping timescale, a perfect backdrop for the simple pleasures of childhood and for those shocking moments on which the story turns. Mads is a wonderful creation, both as child and adult – beginning as an outsider, fascinated by the Wildes, cataloguing their every move in forensic detail in her diary, then inextricably bound up in their story.
The weaving of the story’s threads – spanning time from Tony’s wartime childhood to the children’s adulthood and their parents’ old age, the past catching up with the present – is hypnotic, the large cast of characters introduced, developed and manipulated with absolute ease. In both past and present, this story has a bit of everything: there are moments when you’d be happy to be part of the story, those carefree days of swimming in the bay and playing games of Flowers and Stones, and others where the shocks and surprises and tangled awfulness of it all make you rather glad that you’re just the reader and can walk away at the end. You might walk away, but you won’t forget this one in a hurry – I enjoyed this book very much.
September 18, 2023
"We were the Wildflowers"
What a damaged family. Utterly damaged bunch of people coming together. I agree, I do indulge in toxic books at times but some parts ('twists') of this book were a bit too much for me to handle. The characters weren't really likeable or relatable. It was a decent book though; it kept me hooked. Certain parts were very disturbing (Can't reveal the spoilers) and some were very wholesome (Tony and Dinah's family bonding). I found the continuous switch in timelines a bit difficult to follow especially because there were 3-4. I couldn't really come to terms with the fact that they all forgave each other for every single betrayal just after a talk and even justified most of them. Overall, it was a good read, a toxic family drama for someone looking for it.
What a damaged family. Utterly damaged bunch of people coming together. I agree, I do indulge in toxic books at times but some parts ('twists') of this book were a bit too much for me to handle. The characters weren't really likeable or relatable. It was a decent book though; it kept me hooked. Certain parts were very disturbing (Can't reveal the spoilers) and some were very wholesome (Tony and Dinah's family bonding). I found the continuous switch in timelines a bit difficult to follow especially because there were 3-4. I couldn't really come to terms with the fact that they all forgave each other for every single betrayal just after a talk and even justified most of them. Overall, it was a good read, a toxic family drama for someone looking for it.
March 15, 2018
I’m usually a huge fan of Harriet Evans books but I really struggled with this one. The whizzing around between different times was quite hard to follow and to be honest the storyline was a little grim. Definitely not my favourite.
January 5, 2020
This book started off quite slowly for me but then I really got sucked into it. It was fascinating learning about the bombings during WWII and what London theatre was like in the 70s. I really felt for the characters and all the tragedies that befell them.
April 17, 2020
This was a good read - long, detailed and takes a lot of attention, but very good!
October 21, 2019
An incredible read.
Harriet Evans weaves an incredible story which draws the reader in to the very heart of the book. There are lots of twists and turns, surprises, lies, deceit and cheating.
Tony Wilde and his wife are famous actors, and this incredibly well written saga centres around their lives between World War II and the present.
So well written, and once again, a book I would highly recommend.
Harriet Evans weaves an incredible story which draws the reader in to the very heart of the book. There are lots of twists and turns, surprises, lies, deceit and cheating.
Tony Wilde and his wife are famous actors, and this incredibly well written saga centres around their lives between World War II and the present.
So well written, and once again, a book I would highly recommend.
August 18, 2018
This book, about the dynamics and hidden secrets of the seemingly perfect Wilde family, fully surpassed my expectations! I made a snap judgement before buying it that it was going to be a sappy, predictable easy-read. I couldn’t have been more wrong! This is a beautiful, emotional and dramatic story that intrigued me from the beginning. I loved getting to know the flawed, troubled characters that spanned four generations of Wildes. Evans’ message about the importance of communication, loyalty and a happy childhood struck a chord with me, evoking all kinds of emotions and nostalgia. This is such a good book, you guys. I can’t recommend it enough.
October 1, 2018
Wow...the secrets we can hold!! Xx
July 10, 2018
This was not for me, I found it dull. I could not relate to any of the characters, their lifestyle, their conversations 'darling' and mannerisms. Perhaps Maddy was the one I wanted to learn more about, her childhood incredibly sad and yet she was wise beyond her years and was able to offer so much love.
I could have given up on the book, however some chapters left the reader wanting to find out what happened. The chapters kept flitting from the past and present by different characters and it was easy to become confused and a little lost. It is all explained towards the end and it seems that passing years can take away grievances, pain and help rekindle relationships.
At some points, 'Bouquet of barbed wire' came to mind - everyone seemed to be swapping partners and keeping it to a small circle of people, family and friends!!
Very sad when characters die and too much reminiscing throughout
Would not recommend
I could have given up on the book, however some chapters left the reader wanting to find out what happened. The chapters kept flitting from the past and present by different characters and it was easy to become confused and a little lost. It is all explained towards the end and it seems that passing years can take away grievances, pain and help rekindle relationships.
At some points, 'Bouquet of barbed wire' came to mind - everyone seemed to be swapping partners and keeping it to a small circle of people, family and friends!!
Very sad when characters die and too much reminiscing throughout
Would not recommend
September 12, 2018
Oh boy, was I ever glad to finish this and I very nearly didn’t bother! Talk about over wordy with every single minute detail described until the point was exhausted - or was that me? It was like going from York to London via Land’s End and every village in between. Why use 10 words when you can use 500? To say I found it hard going is an understatement. It zipped backwards and forwards haphazardly in time following no discernible pattern that I could detect. The characters especially Tony seemed to be stereotypes too. Not for me as it bored me to tears. On reflection, I think the 2 stars is over generous!!!
May 18, 2018
I read this book as someone chose it for our book group read. It has the sort of cover I would walk past if I came across it in a book shop and that would have been the correct thing to do. Much of the book is a chore to read; by the end I couldn’t care less about finding out what the author was keeping secret. Easily forgotten book.
August 8, 2018
I got 43% into this book and just had to stop. I always try and finish a book, every book deserves a chance! But I just could not get into this at all. I found the jumping back and forward very hard to follow and there was just too much going on. I think its something you need to try for yourself as everyone is different but I really couldn't give this one a fighting chance
November 25, 2018
Read full review here mariesbookboutique.wordpress.com/2018...
Isn't the front cover charming? I could completely lose myself in this cover, from the starry night sky which meats the sea to silhouettes of two people walking along the beach. The reader is made to feel they are standing on the veranda looking out to the beach, a comfortable chair with squidgy cushions sits just beside the steps leading down to the beach with an open book faced down on the floor. The title is in white and looks great against the night sky and Harriet's name is done in a rose gold colour which shimmers in the light.
The Wildflowers is a story based around the Wilde family, husband and wife Tony and Althea both of which are glamorous actors. They have two children Cordelia and Benedict. They have many summers at their beach house The Bosky; which was where orphaned Tony grew-up as a child. The Bosky was always full of Tony and Althea's acting friends, where party's were held and affairs were had! From anyone working looking in they are the perfect and lucky family; which young Mads thinks they are looking at them from afar. When abandoned Mads makes her presence known to the Wilde's they take her in offering her love warmth and family. Tony seems to really understand her and knows more about her family than he is letting on. Are the Wilde family really as perfect as they seem? What is with Tony's past? What happened to him? Will Mads find what she wants? What happened in Mads home life? Will Cord, Ben and Mads get on? Can Mads be happy? What are the secrets being kept? Are they still a close family?
The Wildflowers was a wonderfully written story with many twists and turns that kept me glued to this book till the very last page. I liked that the story went back and forth from past to present; which really gives the reader the history of the characters and helped me to understand them. I found that all the characters to be unique and very interesting and their journey had me enchanted. I read The Wildflowers relatively quickly simply because I couldn't put it down, so that tells me that this is a dam good read! And a must read in my eye's. Harriet you've written a beautiful story!
Isn't the front cover charming? I could completely lose myself in this cover, from the starry night sky which meats the sea to silhouettes of two people walking along the beach. The reader is made to feel they are standing on the veranda looking out to the beach, a comfortable chair with squidgy cushions sits just beside the steps leading down to the beach with an open book faced down on the floor. The title is in white and looks great against the night sky and Harriet's name is done in a rose gold colour which shimmers in the light.
The Wildflowers is a story based around the Wilde family, husband and wife Tony and Althea both of which are glamorous actors. They have two children Cordelia and Benedict. They have many summers at their beach house The Bosky; which was where orphaned Tony grew-up as a child. The Bosky was always full of Tony and Althea's acting friends, where party's were held and affairs were had! From anyone working looking in they are the perfect and lucky family; which young Mads thinks they are looking at them from afar. When abandoned Mads makes her presence known to the Wilde's they take her in offering her love warmth and family. Tony seems to really understand her and knows more about her family than he is letting on. Are the Wilde family really as perfect as they seem? What is with Tony's past? What happened to him? Will Mads find what she wants? What happened in Mads home life? Will Cord, Ben and Mads get on? Can Mads be happy? What are the secrets being kept? Are they still a close family?
The Wildflowers was a wonderfully written story with many twists and turns that kept me glued to this book till the very last page. I liked that the story went back and forth from past to present; which really gives the reader the history of the characters and helped me to understand them. I found that all the characters to be unique and very interesting and their journey had me enchanted. I read The Wildflowers relatively quickly simply because I couldn't put it down, so that tells me that this is a dam good read! And a must read in my eye's. Harriet you've written a beautiful story!
April 3, 2018
Book reviews on www.snazzybooks.com
The Wildflowers is a sweet, absorbing story about growing up, family secrets and the effect that glimping something you ‘shouldn’t have’ – even for a moment – can have such a profound effect throughout your life…
If that sounds a bit vague, good – I don’t want to give too much away about this story as I think it’s best to approach it without any preconceptions, as I did. It’s certainly a long read (at times I felt perhaps it could have been trimmed down, but only a little) and the fact that you feel like you’re with these characters for so long – some of them from kids right through to adulthood – means you feel far more absorbed in their stories; I always feel a deeper connection with characters when you experience big life events and emotions along with them – when you really see how they grow throughout their lives.
The characters in this story really make this story what it is, I feel; though some are far less likable than others, all had their own quirks and interesting aspects. We switch between characters, experiencing what life at that time was like for not only main narrator Cordelia but her mother Althea, her father Tony, and other people too! We also jump back in time, to the 1940’s of Tony’s youth, and this offers a brilliantly contrasting view of life, and helps link together some of the characters in the reader’s mind.
There’s an element of mystery throughout – just a hint of one at some times, and as a much more pressing theme at others – which made me want to read on and find out what exactly happened all those years ago…
If you enjoy family sagas with a real sense of time and place (I could almost imagine being right there with them, in 1970’s Cornwall and onwards, at various points in this story, and I really enjoyed reading about the 90’s too – an era I only experienced as a child but which evokes some strong memories in me nevertheless) then you’ll enjoy The Wildflowers.
Set some time aside for it and really lose yourself in the characters, the time, the place… as I did!
Many thanks to Anne Cater and Headline for inviting me onto the blog tour and providing a copy of this novel, on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review!
The Wildflowers is a sweet, absorbing story about growing up, family secrets and the effect that glimping something you ‘shouldn’t have’ – even for a moment – can have such a profound effect throughout your life…
If that sounds a bit vague, good – I don’t want to give too much away about this story as I think it’s best to approach it without any preconceptions, as I did. It’s certainly a long read (at times I felt perhaps it could have been trimmed down, but only a little) and the fact that you feel like you’re with these characters for so long – some of them from kids right through to adulthood – means you feel far more absorbed in their stories; I always feel a deeper connection with characters when you experience big life events and emotions along with them – when you really see how they grow throughout their lives.
The characters in this story really make this story what it is, I feel; though some are far less likable than others, all had their own quirks and interesting aspects. We switch between characters, experiencing what life at that time was like for not only main narrator Cordelia but her mother Althea, her father Tony, and other people too! We also jump back in time, to the 1940’s of Tony’s youth, and this offers a brilliantly contrasting view of life, and helps link together some of the characters in the reader’s mind.
There’s an element of mystery throughout – just a hint of one at some times, and as a much more pressing theme at others – which made me want to read on and find out what exactly happened all those years ago…
If you enjoy family sagas with a real sense of time and place (I could almost imagine being right there with them, in 1970’s Cornwall and onwards, at various points in this story, and I really enjoyed reading about the 90’s too – an era I only experienced as a child but which evokes some strong memories in me nevertheless) then you’ll enjoy The Wildflowers.
Set some time aside for it and really lose yourself in the characters, the time, the place… as I did!
Many thanks to Anne Cater and Headline for inviting me onto the blog tour and providing a copy of this novel, on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review!
April 4, 2018
Cordelia and Ben Wilde spend their summers in Worth Bay, Cornwall at the magical holiday retreat, named the Bosky, which has belonged to their father since he inherited it as a boy. For the children, staying at the Bosky is a filled with a mixture of great excitement and great despair as the trauma of having two temperamental actors as parents, means that the long summers spent in Cornwall are never without drama.
Tony and Althea Wilde, thespian to their very core are profligate, promiscuous and entirely devoid of scruples. They blaze through life entirely engulfed by the vision of their own glory, with little thought for the havoc they leave in their wake.
The story is further complicated by adding into the Cornish mix, Madeleine Fletcher, an unusual and slightly fey child, who inveigles her way into the family. Her rather sad life adds another interesting dimension to the story and provides even more tension for the Wilde family.
Coming in at over 500 pages, it's rather a long story and I think you need to stay with it, as at first it appears a little slow with not much happening, and then about a third of the way into the story things start to heat up considerably. The author writes well and she handles a complicated multi-stranded story with comparative ease. I especially liked the references to the past and the mystery surrounding Tony’s early life with his aunt Dinah, which give an insight into the way he later reacts to circumstances, which at times seem to be spiralling out of control. Complicated and complex, the story flips backwards and forwards in time, revealing more of Tony’s life as a boy, and also the consequences of some very dangerous decisions which affect the future.
The Wildflowers is an intricately plotted family saga with a salacious hint of scandal and a hefty dose of mystery. I enjoyed reading it.
Tony and Althea Wilde, thespian to their very core are profligate, promiscuous and entirely devoid of scruples. They blaze through life entirely engulfed by the vision of their own glory, with little thought for the havoc they leave in their wake.
The story is further complicated by adding into the Cornish mix, Madeleine Fletcher, an unusual and slightly fey child, who inveigles her way into the family. Her rather sad life adds another interesting dimension to the story and provides even more tension for the Wilde family.
Coming in at over 500 pages, it's rather a long story and I think you need to stay with it, as at first it appears a little slow with not much happening, and then about a third of the way into the story things start to heat up considerably. The author writes well and she handles a complicated multi-stranded story with comparative ease. I especially liked the references to the past and the mystery surrounding Tony’s early life with his aunt Dinah, which give an insight into the way he later reacts to circumstances, which at times seem to be spiralling out of control. Complicated and complex, the story flips backwards and forwards in time, revealing more of Tony’s life as a boy, and also the consequences of some very dangerous decisions which affect the future.
The Wildflowers is an intricately plotted family saga with a salacious hint of scandal and a hefty dose of mystery. I enjoyed reading it.
March 29, 2018
This was such an interesting idea for a book, lots of eccentric characters over a long time period with one thing linking them together. This is proper storytelling at its best. I listened to this one on audio book and I have to admit that keeping track of who's who in the book whilst listening on audio was kind of tricky, maybe because it was one narrator so they all sounded similar, but I think the actual ebook was much easier to keep track of the names, do bear that in mind if you're thinking of downloading the audio for this book.
The characters in this book are interesting because a lot of them are particularly selfish, something which possibly comes with them being in the theatre. This didn't mean that I disliked the book, it was actually refreshing to have characters who were flawed to read about the whole way through. Some of the characters are quite illusive in the sense that we don't find out a lot about them in the beginning of the book, their development is very slow but this author made a choice to do that to develop the storyline further.
The way the characters and their various storylines are link together is pretty clever but I did sometimes find myself losing interest as we got further into their development just because the pace was that little bit slower, I would have like a few less stories about the children playing and a little more about thing that actually contributed to the storyline then and there. Nevertheless this was definitely a good read and if you like a longer book with lots of intricate development points then you will definitely enjoy this one.
The characters in this book are interesting because a lot of them are particularly selfish, something which possibly comes with them being in the theatre. This didn't mean that I disliked the book, it was actually refreshing to have characters who were flawed to read about the whole way through. Some of the characters are quite illusive in the sense that we don't find out a lot about them in the beginning of the book, their development is very slow but this author made a choice to do that to develop the storyline further.
The way the characters and their various storylines are link together is pretty clever but I did sometimes find myself losing interest as we got further into their development just because the pace was that little bit slower, I would have like a few less stories about the children playing and a little more about thing that actually contributed to the storyline then and there. Nevertheless this was definitely a good read and if you like a longer book with lots of intricate development points then you will definitely enjoy this one.
May 2, 2018
What a wonderful book with many threads skilfully weaved to Create a story that draws you in from page 1.. Tony and Althea Wilde are actors who enjoy spending the summer by the beach with their children . We follow their story from childhood and learn many secrets that have shaped the people they have become. Tony has a roving eye and we are never sure whether Althea is blissfully unaware The. Children befriend a local girl who has a tough life and we hear some of the story through her eyes. I love sagas that draw you in and keep turning the pages. Even through some questionable behaviour you feel for all he characters The house holds many secrets and becomes a strong part of the story. You can imagine spending summer days loving life as a child creating games to while away the time and how things. change as you grow up and look to your future
July 24, 2023
Beautiful narrative filled with vivid characters and locations. I very much enjoyed it but I’m not totally satisfied for whatever reason, I found it dragged a little and it’s a tad too long. Some details could have been replaced by some other story beats to make it alot punchier I think, but maybe that’s the point? Families and their history are a thread being unravelled and it’s messy and complex and you won’t always get the details you want but you can still go along for the ride and enjoy it for what it is.
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