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Flowers for Alys
"Flowers for Alys" is a story from another time and another place. The time is in the past, a time when life was much simpler than our modern-day version. Although it could become complicated in its own different ways.
The place is a village, and a wood, full of sights and sounds and scents, and weather. Lots of weather, not always the kind you would want to be out in. Somewhere where a family could live an apparently normal, quiet life without any of the pressures or the pleasures of our modern-day world.
In the past events could be beautiful and wonderful, or terrible and tragic. Sometimes all together.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so they say. But that beholder must be careful to be looking in the right direction, and at the right time.
If you would like to read what others have said about the book, please take a look at the review page at this address:
http://sites.google.com/site/imwrbook...
You can download the first chapter from the site, if you'd like to sample the writing before committing yourself.
I hope you'll enjoy discovering the book.
The place is a village, and a wood, full of sights and sounds and scents, and weather. Lots of weather, not always the kind you would want to be out in. Somewhere where a family could live an apparently normal, quiet life without any of the pressures or the pleasures of our modern-day world.
In the past events could be beautiful and wonderful, or terrible and tragic. Sometimes all together.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so they say. But that beholder must be careful to be looking in the right direction, and at the right time.
If you would like to read what others have said about the book, please take a look at the review page at this address:
http://sites.google.com/site/imwrbook...
You can download the first chapter from the site, if you'd like to sample the writing before committing yourself.
I hope you'll enjoy discovering the book.
116 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2010
About the author
Irene M. Redpath
16 books23 followersI have several books in print, but they're a mixed bunch!
I have some on family history, one on the history of a church and community in the Scottish Borders, and some fiction and poetry. So I don't seem to fit into any particular genre - I write what takes my fancy and / or comes into my head at the time.
Six are now available at Amazon, in Kindle format, or at Lulu.com in paperback or e-editions:
St James the Less, Penicuik 1882 - 1982 (non-fiction)
"St James the Less" is a history, very local, but very thoroughly researched, with lots of pictures old and new. There's a good amount of social history in there, I think, along with the ecclesiastical content.
Wild Honey (2009) (fiction - about people but not a romance, I'm told. No HEA!)
"Wild Honey" may be my favourite, if I'm allowed to have a favourite, and I still read it and am still surprised by it. One particular section makes the hair on the back of my neck prickle every time I reach it! This one was written in two halves, over twenty years apart.
A Day to Go Gently (2010) (fiction - a woman's memories of her life, from childhood on a farm through love and marriage to old age.)
"A Day to Go Gently", by contrast, was written quite quickly a couple of years ago, simply because every time I put down my keyboard, the next bit would begin to write itself into my head. It's not a perfect book, but I'm not ashamed of it. And I think it displays the heroine's own character in its imperfections.
All are quite short, portable and I hope are good to read. The next three have all been offered as Goodreads Giveaways, and attracted favourable reviews.
"Flowers for Alys" (2010) is a story set further back into the past, in a time when life was simpler and more deadly. It's now available from Amazon for the Kindle, but can be found at Lulu as a paperback or an e-Book, like the others.
"When the Snow Refused to Fall" was published in 2011, and tells a story filled with the magic and the beauty of Christmas, but with a darker undertone. It's a tale for grown-ups, although young Tom, aged six, takes a major part.
My latest book is "In the Image of Ravenna" (2012). This one tells a more complex tale, or rather it tells two at once, with the stories each taking a place and then stepping back to let the other take its turn. It involves history, painting and drawing, research and more. Things which are important in my own life, really.
More details of the above can be found here at Goodreads. For my other books, look me up at lulu or amazon, or my own website.
Thanks for putting up with me, and reading this far! ;-)
I have some on family history, one on the history of a church and community in the Scottish Borders, and some fiction and poetry. So I don't seem to fit into any particular genre - I write what takes my fancy and / or comes into my head at the time.
Six are now available at Amazon, in Kindle format, or at Lulu.com in paperback or e-editions:
St James the Less, Penicuik 1882 - 1982 (non-fiction)
"St James the Less" is a history, very local, but very thoroughly researched, with lots of pictures old and new. There's a good amount of social history in there, I think, along with the ecclesiastical content.
Wild Honey (2009) (fiction - about people but not a romance, I'm told. No HEA!)
"Wild Honey" may be my favourite, if I'm allowed to have a favourite, and I still read it and am still surprised by it. One particular section makes the hair on the back of my neck prickle every time I reach it! This one was written in two halves, over twenty years apart.
A Day to Go Gently (2010) (fiction - a woman's memories of her life, from childhood on a farm through love and marriage to old age.)
"A Day to Go Gently", by contrast, was written quite quickly a couple of years ago, simply because every time I put down my keyboard, the next bit would begin to write itself into my head. It's not a perfect book, but I'm not ashamed of it. And I think it displays the heroine's own character in its imperfections.
All are quite short, portable and I hope are good to read. The next three have all been offered as Goodreads Giveaways, and attracted favourable reviews.
"Flowers for Alys" (2010) is a story set further back into the past, in a time when life was simpler and more deadly. It's now available from Amazon for the Kindle, but can be found at Lulu as a paperback or an e-Book, like the others.
"When the Snow Refused to Fall" was published in 2011, and tells a story filled with the magic and the beauty of Christmas, but with a darker undertone. It's a tale for grown-ups, although young Tom, aged six, takes a major part.
My latest book is "In the Image of Ravenna" (2012). This one tells a more complex tale, or rather it tells two at once, with the stories each taking a place and then stepping back to let the other take its turn. It involves history, painting and drawing, research and more. Things which are important in my own life, really.
More details of the above can be found here at Goodreads. For my other books, look me up at lulu or amazon, or my own website.
Thanks for putting up with me, and reading this far! ;-)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 6, 2011
Flowers for Alys by Irene M. Redpath is a lovely, lovely story simply told with prose that is limpid and straightforward. It is structured as a kind of fairy tale but the character designated as the witch will surprise you. The time is unspecified but appears to be medieval, or at least somewhere in a simpler, non-technological past and the setting, for the most part, is a cottage in the woods.
Alys is a young unmarried woman who gives birth to an exceptionally beautiful child who is later named Fleur-the word in French for flower. It is impossible to give more of the story line than that without revealing too much. The book is relatively short and reads as quickly as a fairy tale. But although it does not take long to read, the story continues to haunt (as any fairy tale does) and the mood lingers after the story ends.
I was captivated by this simple story, beautifully told and recommend it to any one who likes well-written but simply structured stories. The tale illustrates the pain inflicted by narrow-mindedness, fear of difference and intolerance while at the same time conveying a sense of hope and beauty that survives like the flowers of the title.
Alys is a young unmarried woman who gives birth to an exceptionally beautiful child who is later named Fleur-the word in French for flower. It is impossible to give more of the story line than that without revealing too much. The book is relatively short and reads as quickly as a fairy tale. But although it does not take long to read, the story continues to haunt (as any fairy tale does) and the mood lingers after the story ends.
I was captivated by this simple story, beautifully told and recommend it to any one who likes well-written but simply structured stories. The tale illustrates the pain inflicted by narrow-mindedness, fear of difference and intolerance while at the same time conveying a sense of hope and beauty that survives like the flowers of the title.
August 18, 2011
A touching short story. Gentle, even with the tragic elements.
A tale of the outsiders in society, injustice and beauty craftily mixed up.
When and where might not be clear excepting the one mention of Beverely and an estimate of 17th/18th century.
After reading it there seems so much more detail that I might want to fill in, yet the story is complete.
A tale of the outsiders in society, injustice and beauty craftily mixed up.
When and where might not be clear excepting the one mention of Beverely and an estimate of 17th/18th century.
After reading it there seems so much more detail that I might want to fill in, yet the story is complete.
January 8, 2011
This is a quiet, simple, heartfelt book, which refreshingly abandons lengthy descriptions and elaborate prose in favour of a more straightforward writing style which really suits the little tale that Redpath tells. For all its simplicity, her writing conveys strong emotions, particularly in the first chapter when we learn the origins of the abandoned baby. The closing lines of this chapter, intriguingly titled 'The End', are heart-wrenching and I think that more complicated prose would have spoiled the impact that they have. The final chapter, which, in corresponding backwards fashion is titled 'The Beginning' was also well written.
Although this book is light on characterisation, at a mere 115 pages I wasn't expecting in-depth analysis and the somewhat sketchy character profiles are all that is necessary to carry the story. Jenet is innocent, reliable and homely, and the occasional glimpses inside her head provide an interesting perspective. Fleur is particularly intriguing in her fey ways, and it would have been nice to see a bit more of her. I liked the scenes of her being inexplicably drawn to the river where she was found and her strange rituals with flower petals which become so important.
Of course, this book isn't perfect. The representation of perceptions of disability in the middle ages is woefully inadequate; I felt as though Jenet's disabilities were used casually as an excuse to justify her not having married and without consideration for the implications of this. However, although this was an issue it bothered me less than I expected because the book reads more as a parable with a historical setting than as a strictly historical novel. I also thought that the magical overtones could perhaps have benefited from some expansion to make them sit better in the story as a whole.
Although this book is light on characterisation, at a mere 115 pages I wasn't expecting in-depth analysis and the somewhat sketchy character profiles are all that is necessary to carry the story. Jenet is innocent, reliable and homely, and the occasional glimpses inside her head provide an interesting perspective. Fleur is particularly intriguing in her fey ways, and it would have been nice to see a bit more of her. I liked the scenes of her being inexplicably drawn to the river where she was found and her strange rituals with flower petals which become so important.
Of course, this book isn't perfect. The representation of perceptions of disability in the middle ages is woefully inadequate; I felt as though Jenet's disabilities were used casually as an excuse to justify her not having married and without consideration for the implications of this. However, although this was an issue it bothered me less than I expected because the book reads more as a parable with a historical setting than as a strictly historical novel. I also thought that the magical overtones could perhaps have benefited from some expansion to make them sit better in the story as a whole.
November 4, 2010
I got this book as a Goodreads giveaway and I read it in basically one sitting. It is a short book, maybe classified as a novella. It starts with an intriguing beginning which makes you want to find out the end. If you read the first page (which the author has for it on both Amazon and Goodreads,) you'll see what I mean. I can't say much else without it being a plot spoiler. I'd highly recommend this book if you are looking for something short and I would say that based on the readability and subject matter it could also fit into the young adult category as well.
November 7, 2010
Such a beautiful, beautiful book! It's short enough to read in the one sitting, and engrossing enough that you will want to do just that once you start. I love the gentleness to it, the simplicity of the story - we're never really given a time or a place, just a *feel*. Fleur is a delightful character and her story is a fascinating one to read about, from her beginning, through her life with Jenet, to the startling end. Loved it.
February 24, 2011
Great book...keeps you hanging on.Short storie that carries you away to a different time.I liked it and recommend it.
April 28, 2011
Excellent read
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews