The Last Camellia

A Novel

By: Sarah Jio

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

On the eve of the Second World War, the last surviving specimen of a camellia plant known as the Middlebury Pink lies secreted away on an English country estate. Flora, an amateur American botanist, is contracted by an international ring of flower thieves to infiltrate the household and acquire the coveted bloom. Her search is at once brightened by new love and threatened by her discovery of a series of ghastly crimes. More than half a century later, garden designer Addison takes up residence at the manor, now owned by the family of her husband, Rex. The couple’s shared passion for mysteries is fueled by the enchanting camellia orchard and an old gardener’s notebook. Yet its pages hint at dark acts ingeniously concealed. If the danger that Flora once faced remains very much alive, will Addison share her fate?©2013 Sarah Jio (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Terrific . . . compelling . . . an intoxicating blend of mystery, history, and romance, this book is hard to put down.” ( Real Simple)

wonderful historical novel

What a great escape. It had a little bit of romance but more important to me historical value and deep development of characters and their relationships between siblings and coworkers. looking forward to more of her books.

Too little camelia, too much violence

Where does The Last Camellia rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Somewhere in the middle.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would have removed the gory descriptions of the violence and added more information about camelias and botony.

Which character – as performed by Justine Eyre – was your favorite?

Flora

Who was the most memorable character of The Last Camellia and why?

Flora was the most memorable character because she was so human - she was a good, kind person placed in a difficult situation and tempted to do something she wouldn't normally consider because of her desire to protect those she loved.

Any additional comments?

The gory descriptions of the violence overshadowed what would have been a perfect read. I have to add that the book was not replete with violence - there weren't many instances of it, but the instances that occur in this book are far to graphic for my taste.

The plot is well constructed with a story that weaves two lives from two different time periods masterfully. I found the story engaging, but I was somewhat disappointed that there wasn't more information about camelias and botony. I like mysteries that teach as well as entertain me. There was some information, just not quite enough to make it as much of an intellectual exercise as I would have liked.

The performance was exceptional. Justine Eyre could not have read it any better.

Beautiful Dual Time-Line Fiction

I have to admit that I know next to nothing about flowers and gardening. For that very reason, I wasn't sure that I would enjoy this book which mystery surrounds a rare Camellia. I actually looked up camellia photos on line to help me prepare for the story. Let me tell you... this was a great dual time line story. The suspense was intense in both the modern tale and the historical story. I thought the character development was superb. Whether you know flowers or not, mystery fans will love this book. I remain a fan of Ms. Jio!!
The performance by Justine Eyre was pleasant and she kept each character sounding individual - which I find amazing!

Wonderful book and storyline really suspenseful.

The woman reading Addison and Flores was very good except for the tone home for voice makes the characters sound whiny

good story but bad narrator

good story but the narrator sounds like she is whining when doing the main character voice