Description
Strangers Cornelia and Lijsbeth share an extraordinary connection to flowers though neither fully understands it. In the midst of Napoleon’s campaign in the early 19th century, they find themselves searching for safety as they each fight a different kind of war in Hester Fox’s latest novel, The Book of Thorns.
Cornelia, raised by her uncle after her mother’s untimely death, has an uncanny artistic ability to render flowers nearly as real on the page as they are in a vase. Her artwork and clever writing about what each flowers means has yielded her quite a following as the secret author of a column for women, but her uncle only sees her as an asset. His desire to see her married in an arrangement that will mostly benefit him sends her out on her own and, ultimately, into the camp of Napoleon’s army where she finds two kinds of love.
Beautiful but mute Lijsbeth works as a maid in a house that is a constant danger as the owner’s son routinely harasses and assaults her. When she is sent to a new home, she hopes her troubles will cease. While she is happy for a time, her remarkable ability to arrange flowers in a way that is hypnotic and otherworldly. As she makes her way towards a hopeful future, her path crosses with Cornelia’s, and they both find answers they didn’t know they were looking for.
Fans of Fox’s other works, or the books of Louisa Morgan, will love The Book of Thorns.