Wildflower Hill

By: Kimberley Freeman

Narrated by: Caroline Lee

Length: 16 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1920s Glasgow, Beattie Blaxland falls pregnant to her married lover Henry just before her nineteenth birthday. Abandoned by her family, Beattie and Henry set sail for a new life in Australia. But life is not about to follow the plan that Beattie had hoped for and fate will play her a cruel hand...

In 2009, London, prima ballerina Lydia Blaxland-Hunter is also discovering that life can also have its ups and downs. Unable to dance again after a fall, Lydia returns home to Australia to recuperate. But on arrival she is presented with some surprising news – her recently deceased and much-loved grandmother Beattie Blaxland has left her Tasmanian property to Lydia. Told through the eyes of a young Beattie Blaxland and a contemporary Lydia Blaxland-Hunter, this is an emotionally charged, seductive tale of self-discovery, secrets and surprises.

©2008 Kimberley Freeman. (P)2010 Bolinda Publishing

Wonderful story read by a great narrator

If you could sum up Wildflower Hill in three words, what would they be?

More than three words, but this was an engaging, character driven story propelled by a strong plot. The book is mostly set in Australia, both in the 1930's and in what seems to be modern day time. I enjoyed hearing about Australia, plus it gave the characters wonderful accents thanks to the terrific narration. Historical fiction can be dry, but not this book! I wanted to hop on a plane and go meet these women and the people who surrounded them.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wildflower Hill?

There are two main characters living in different times, a woman and her granddaughter. My favorite moments of the book involved the way their stories intertwined--the reader finds something out in one section of the book that relates to something in the other character's section. It made the story even that much more interesting. I found myself looking for car trips to take so I could listen to more of the book! Although a book generally read for entertainment,t it does take on racism in 1930's Australia in a way that felt very real.

What does Caroline Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I just loved the narration Caroline Lee and plan to seek out other audiobooks read by her. Her accents for the characters were all individual and really brought each of them to life.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The love of a mother for her daughter and grand-daughter shines through every chapter in this book, and gave the story enormous warmth. As a mother myself, it just gave me one more reason to enjoy it.

Any additional comments?

This one of the my favorite audiobooks, and I was sorry to say good-bye to the characters and the story when it ended.

Fantastic Book

I loved the strong female characters, the romance, the subplots and everything about this book.

The narration was wonderful.

This is reminiscent of the strong willed woman in "The Potato Factory Trilogy. A fascinating journey into that time snd region

Good Read, Excellent Narrarator

If you could sum up Wildflower Hill in three words, what would they be?

It seemed the author just got tired or distracted and left out an ending. It could have been better, more complex, more engaging.

Didn't want it to end

Amazing story and beautifully written. Well worth the time and money for this book. I listened every chance I had and stayed up later then normal because I needed to see what was going to happen next. This is my first book by Kimberley Freeman but won't be my last.

love it

The story line was very interesting. I liked the characters and the narrator was her good.

Unexpected Treat!

The story interweaves the present life of Emma, a Prima Ballerina living in London and past life of her grandmother Beattie. The story moves smoothly back to the early 1930's when Beattie was a young woman in Scotland who gets pregnant by her boyfriend (whose married to someone else) together they flee to Tasmania to live as a married couple. Emma's career ending injury begins her journey of unraveling the secrets of her beloved grandmother and finds purpose for her life to move forward. Excellent, Excellent Excellent!

Refreshing story

I never would’ve read it if I wasn’t looking for books performed by Caroline Lee. She always does an outstanding performance. I will look up more books from this author. I enjoyed it so much.

Involving story, great reader!

The story is compelling and the reader is outstanding! She brings the characters and the various settings to life.

Beautiful, wonderful story! Horrible narrator!

I really enjoyed this story, especially the bits about Beattie. It reminds me a lot of Tamara McKinley's book, of whoch I have read quite a few and enjoyed every one of them. I love how the author manages to capture the time and the enviroment in the Australian outback. Tha narrator does a decent job in some parts of the book. But she really can't speak Scottish. She manages to make all the Scottish-speaking people sound retarded and slow. Why bother? If you can't make it properly, don't try at all! This ruins part of the experience for me since my favourite part of the book is about the Scottish Beattie. So to sum it up: Good story, beautifully written, but I wasn't too pleased with the narrator.