Review by
K.T Sullivan
Right before
the start of World War II, Flora Lewis, an amateur botanist, leaves America and
embarks on a trip to England. She has been hired by a flower thief to steal a
Middlebury Pink camellia. She poses as a nanny to four children to gain access
to the estate. Their mother was a collector of camellias and left a journal.
The last standing tree has been spotted on the Livingston property. Flora’s
late night searches point to love, adultery, and murder. She disappears after
an ill-fated encounter with the killer.
In 2000,
Addison Sinclair, a garden designer, gets a call from her hidden past. Afraid,
she decides she and her husband should head to England. His parents bought a
piece of property. Addison explores the landscape’s camellia orchards. She
comes across notes about the plants and the stories of the household. Curiosity
gets the better of her and she looks up the Livingston descendants. She decides
to hunt for the flower. Her secrets catch up to her in the English countryside
and another woman crosses paths with a killer.
The interweaving of
the two women’s stories is effortlessly done. Both are told from their unique
perspectives. The interest in flowers and the history of the estate intertwine
their experiences. The author does an excellent job of building suspense and
adding layers of mystery while writing two separate love stories. Both
characters are sympathetic and likable. Both on a quest for the truth and
happiness. An enjoyable read.
Sarah Jio is the New York
Times bestselling author of THE VIOLETS OF MARCH (a Library
Journal Best Book of 2011 and a USA Today bestseller), THE
BUNGALOW, BLACKBERRY WINTER (an instant New York Times and USA
Today bestseller) and THE LAST CAMELLIA (to be published on 5/28/13), and
MORNING GLORY (to be published on November 26, 2013)—all from Penguin (Plume).
To date, Sarah’s novels are published in 20 countries, including Italy, France,
Brazil, Turkey, Slovenia, Russia, China, Norway, Germany, Poland, Spain, and
many others.
A magazine writer and the former
founding health and fitness blogger for Glamour magazine, Sarah has
written thousands of articles and blog posts for national magazines
including Redbook, O, The Oprah Magazine, Cooking
Light,Glamour, SELF, Real Simple, Fitness, Marie
Claire, Hallmark magazine,Seventeen, The Nest, Health, Bon
Appetit, Gourmet, The Seattle Times,Parents, Woman’s Day, American
Baby, Parenting, and many others. She has also appeared as a
commentator on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Sarah recently finished her sixth
novel and is at work on her seventh.
Sarah lives in Seattle with her
husband, Jason, and their three young sons.
Connect with Sarah at:
Giveaway for
two print copies of
The Last
Camellia
(U.S
Residents Only Please)
