The Flower Sisters

De: Michelle Collins Anderson

Narrado por: Jim Frangione, Andrea Gallo, L.J. Ganser, Laura Knight Keating, Christina Moore, Graham Winton

Drawing on the little-known true story of one tragic night at an Ozarks dance hall in 1928, this beautifully written novel, told through interwoven narratives generations apart, is a thrilling tale of love, loss, and reinvention.

At birth, Violet and Rose Flowers were identical, save for a tiny bluish-purple mark gracing Violet’s slender neck. By nineteen, their temperaments distinguish them, as different as the flowers their mother named them for—Violet, wild, and outgoing, and Rose, solitary and reserved. Still, they are each other’s world. Then, on a sweltering, terrible August night in 1928, an explosion rocks Lamb’s Dance Hall in Possum Flats, Missouri, engulfing it in flames, leaving one twin among the dozens dead, and her sister’s life forever changed.

Fifty years later, Daisy Flowers is dumped on her grandmother Rose’s doorstep for the summer. A bright, inquisitive fifteen-year-old, Daisy bargains her way into an internship at the local newspaper—where she learns of the mysterious long-ago tragedy and its connection to her family. Rose, now the local funeral home director, grows increasingly alarmed as her impulsive granddaughter delves into Possum Flats’ history, determined to uncover the horrors and heroes of the fiery blast.

For a small town, Possum Flats holds a multitude of big secrets, some guarded by the living, some kept by the dead. And through Rose, Daisy, Dash—a preacher who found his calling that fateful night—and others, those ghosts gradually come into the light, forcing a reckoning at last.

This audiobook is narrated by Jim Frangione, Andrea Gallo, L.J. Ganser, Laura Knight Keating, Christina Moore, and Graham Winton.

©2024 Michelle Collins Anderson (P)2024 Recorded Books

Outstanding!

This book is a triumph on every level!! Beautifully written, and if you’re not crying at the end you have no heart.

Loved this Book!

I loved the Sisters and their story! A great historical fiction storyline! I also enjoyed the narration. The audio production was wonderful and easy to stay focused upon. The story and narration combined kept me captive and wanting more!

Beautifully Human Story

Gave me the feels. Diverse, rich characters. The author takes you back in time with vivid details and writing that evokes emotion. Wonderful story or friendship, heartbreak, love and family. So happy I stumbled across this title!

Enjoyed every minute!

Don’t miss this one. I greatly enjoyed the various lenses the different chapter narrators provide.

Fantastic!

Fantastic read and I couldn't put it down! I also loved the narration. 5 Stars for sure!

Updated “Our town”

This story is a gem it’s a wonderful novel of a small town the people and their struggles through generations, coming of age and redemption. A multigenerational story a grandma could share with teenage granddaughter… highly recommend it

Fantastic story.

I loved the characters and how the story unfolded through each persons story and came back to present day. Highly recommended.

Interesting Story, Difficult-to-listen-to Narration

Telling the story from the perspective of the various characters lent interest as the tale unfolded. The jumps between times was easily navigated in this manner. The characters were well-rounded and real in their portrayals. The twist was anticipated and at that point, I felt that some sense of reality had been suspended to further the story. It actually caused me to not enjoy the rest of the story as it played out.
The narration was not great, even terrible in some places. The Daisy character was just not smooth, almost jerking in her cadence, and the Rose/Violet character quite flat and emotionless. This did detract from the story, and I almost gave up listening a couple of times. I did finish, but am not sure it was very satisfying. The way it was written was an interesting “epilogue” to the story.

Great listen, sorry it’s over!

What a captivating story, with an amazingly real cast of characters. I could hardly stop listening, and looked forward to exercise or chores with my ear buds to listen to another chapter. Steel Magnolias meets American Gothic, with a rural Missouri tragic backdrop. All the emotions. Don’t snooze on this one! ETA - I kept wondering who the writing style reminded me of, and it came to me walking this morning. Fanny Flagg!! Of course!
PS the author just so happens to live round the corner from me, and is a terribly nice person, as well. She let me know this was coming out, so I put it on my wish list, purchasing in advance. So very worth it!!!

Great idea but ….

A devastating explosion in a dance hall in a small town in the 1920s is revisited 50 years later. The premise only works because no one at the time investigated the cause of the explosion - but with 39 people dead how could there not have been an investigation? Even when we readers find out who is responsible, the rest of the town doesn’t? Lame