Flowers from the Storm

By: Laura Kinsale

Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton

Length: 18 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

He's a duke. He's a mathematical genius. He can't talk and he's locked in a lunatic asylum. Only a modest Quaker girl can reach him, but when she helps him to escape, she's swept into his glittering aristocratic world, her life torn apart by his desperate attempt to save himself.

Laura Kinsale personally chose the exceptional talent of Nicholas Boulton to narrate her classic romance Flowers from the Storm - cited by readers of The Washington Post and Glamour magazine as "one of the greatest love stories of all time" - creating a fresh and unique work that brings all the power and intensity of the original to audio.

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Brilliant

I have nothing but praise for this book. Beautifully written, masterfully narrated, and a story that is wildly heartbreaking. I was just expecting another diverting romance, but this is a truly captivating listen. I couldn't put it down! (for lack of a better term)

amazing story

Would you consider the audio edition of Flowers from the Storm to be better than the print version?

I did not read the print version .

What other book might you compare Flowers from the Storm to and why?

it stands alone

What about Nicholas Boulton’s performance did you like?

I thought the narrator did a wonderful job

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

all of the above

Any additional comments?

It was a compelling account of a medical disaster where the loss of speech was thought to be a sign of insanity, perhaps normal for the time, but with dreadful consequence. The insight of a deeply sensitive well educated Quaker lady who risks all saves him but at a cost to her religion and her soul. The resolution is good.

A bit of a soap opera

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I wanted to like this book more but I don't enjoy soaps where lack of communication & honesty cause confusion & unnecessary conflict & drama. I also dont like syrupy, unrealistic sex scenes. I finished but was anxious for it to be done.

Which character – as performed by Nicholas Boulton – was your favorite?

I preferred the male characters, great narrator!

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Mixed Bag-o-nuts

I love romance and more bang for my bucks, but, in this instance I think the story was tortured.... too many substories. That said, the narration is superb and the ending was a happy one. Sometimes I couldn't tell if the book scathed over the issue of domestic violence and the epilogue was confusing.

A wonderful story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes because it is so powerful and grips you

What was one of the most memorable moments of Flowers from the Storm?

When she cant leave and returns to him

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

The way he conveys the troubled mind of Christian.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both and I have to keep going back to it.

What an agreeable surprise....absolutely superb!

This is the third Laura Kinsale book I've listened to of the three that are currently available on Audible. What a great find!

I'd never heard of Laura Kinsale, and decided to buy these books when I saw them in the "people who bought this also bought" section under one of Georgette Heyer's books (one of my all-time favorites). I am so glad I did...

All three of Ms Kinsale's books are unusual but very, very enjoyable. Her characters are flawed, but oh, so real! Not like the picture perfect, often self absorbed characters in many other romances. She puts real emotions into her characters, gives them real goals and aspirations, and expresses them so well that you feel what they feel. The frustration, anger, fear and desperation that the Duke endures at the lost of control over his life is so raw in this book that you just want to cry for him - extremely well done. I also learned quite a bit about how mentally afflicted people, or, as in this case, presumed mentally afflicted people, were treated in the 19th century (glad I live in the 21st!).

The narrator did a fantastic job, and it couldn't have been easy, especially in this book, where so much of the main character's speech was affected by his medical condition. NIcholas Boulton's interpretation of the story, and of the emotions, was extremely well done. He does accents very well too (mainly in the other 2 books). He's one of the best male narrators I've heard to date, and I've listened to a lot of them.

I hope Audible gets more audiobooks by LS and narrated by NB....I will buy every one of them! I haven't enjoyed anything as much since I listened to Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, narrated by Davina Porter. Although quite different, all 3 Laura Kinsale books have the same excellence of story and the same quality of narration.

HIGHLY recommended.

Powerful, Intense Experience

This story wonderfully narrated by Nicholas Boulton captivates you from the beginning and takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride that leaves you gratefully breathless by the end. The author takes you inside the experience of the Duke who has suffered a stroke and has been placed in an insane asylum. The author and narrator do an absolutely amazing job of portraying the Duke's cognitive and linguistic recovery with the aid of his Quaker nurse--a nurse who becomes his protector and wife. A lot of the story revolves around his wife's struggle to reconcile her Quaker beliefs with her role in the materialistic environment of a Dukedom. This is only the aspect of the book that becomes a bit repetitious at times. At one point I wanted to shake her and say "make up your damn mind already." But this reaction only attests to how well the author engages the reader/listener in the story. The more riveting part of the story focuses on how the Duke struggles to regain his abillity and right to function in the world outside the asylum. You will find yourself cheering him on with each triumph, large and small. Overall, this is one of the most profound love stories I have ever listened to. I would rate it well above a 5 if I could.

I wanted to love it

This started out as a solid 5 star book. I was completely engrossed in this story of a Duke thought to be dead but only hidden away and suffering from a disability. (trying not to spoil things here) And the Quaker girl who is steadfastly helping to heal him with her gentleness and understanding. She was like a ray of sunshine in his dark world.

When things started looking up for the pair I was excited for a happy ending that I knew would come. However, more and more I found myself acting like Jervaulx. Sputtering and yelling at Maddy. Stupid girl! Not understand! Self righteous! Pious! Judgmental! And so on. I was trying to understand her side. I get it. She was a Quaker. She had very strong convictions. She was tricked and told half-truths. She was so far out of her element that she couldn't grasp her new situation and she tried to get out of it at every possible opportunity.

I wanted a HEA and Dammit, Maddy! you made things difficult. Jerveaulx gets 5 stars because I loved that tortured man. Sure, he had faults and wasn't the easiest to deal with but I loved him anyway. Maddy gets 2 stars with her thee, thou, wicked, judging self.

Absolutely brilliant - love love love this book

Where does Flowers from the Storm rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Definately top five

What other book might you compare Flowers from the Storm to and why?

So different and unexpected it took me by 'storm'!!!!

Which character – as performed by Nicholas Boulton – was your favorite?

Oh it must be Christian and Maddy - well done Nicholas Boulton, you are amongst my top narrators, soooo looking forward to hearing more.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both - I did have an extreme reaction of pure enjoyment.

Any additional comments?

I agree with all the other comments - well worth a credit.

Outstanding story and an outstanding narrator

Who was your favorite character and why?

I can't pick a favorite because they were all drew me in as if I were living the story. Loved Chavot's aunt and his friend Durham and even Maddy Girl with her devout religious beliefs.

Have you listened to any of Nicholas Boulton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've never heard Nicholas Boulton nor Laura Kinsale before I bought this book and all I can say is OMG! HOLY COW...WOW! WOW! WOW! Nicholas's reading style and voice brings each character to life with such realism that I felt like I was in the room observing everything that was going on. His voice sucked me in from the first sentence. It’s hard to believe there is only one person narrating this book. I have been a member of audible for a couple of years have close to two thousand hours of time listening to many many books and I truly believe he is one of the best narrators I've ever heard.
This story is so captivating I found myself feeling the torture Chavot was going through trying to talk and make sense of his scrambled thoughts. I now understand how truly hard it is for someone to recover from a stroke or apoplexy as they called it way back when. This story and Nicholas narration made me feel like I was the one who was trying to communicate. I could feel my chest tightening and my frustration level rising and I was only listening to a story for goodness sake. This book experience was truly theatre of the mind. The combination of Laura Kinsale and Nicholas Boulton is a stroke of genius! I've already purchased another book of Laura's and will start listening to it tomorrow.