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Love in Bloom
By:
Sheila Roberts
List Price: $13.95
Your Price: $10.04
(as of: 07/30/10)
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Binding:
Paperback
ISBN: 0312384815
Publication Date: 2009-03-31
Release Date 2009-03-31
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Product Description:
Hope Walker survived early breast cancer at just thirty-years-old, but a mastectomy left her with a lot of scarringand some serious fears about dating. Hope owns Changing Seasons, Heart Lake’s most popular flower shop. When it comes to love and relationships, she’s able to work magic through her expert flower arranging
for everyone but herself. Then one day a handsome contractor starts coming into her shop, but Hope knows he’d rather have a whole woman than someone like her. When Hope stakes a plot of ground at Heart Lake’s community garden, she finds that a woman can grow all sorts of things there: flowers, herbs, vegetables and even friendship. As she gets to know the two women who share neighboring plots, they discover that they can learn a lot from each othernot just about gardening, but about life. And Hope realizes that in order to live life to the fullest, sometimes you have to take a chance on love. Acclaim for the novels of Sheila Roberts: (Top Pick) Roberts’ witty and effervescently funny novel will warm hearts. Realistic characters populate the pages of this captivating story, which is a great escape from the hustle and bustle.” --Romantic Times Hilarious
a fun and festive debut; for all women’s fiction collections” --Library Journal A fast, fresh, fun and funny story by a major new talent." --Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author of Just Breathe The funny novel is all about love
and friendships. But, most of all, it's about learning to love yourself before you can love anyone else.” The Columbus Dispatch Roberts manages to avoid genre clichés and crafts a heartfelt novel with nuggets of life truths.” Binhamton Press & Sun Bulletin Roberts’ sweetly vengeful dig at do-nothing husbands follows a small-town knitting club of wives who are sick and tired of tiling over elaborate Christmas preparations
By the end of this gently feminist sendup, each side learns to be grateful for the other’s efforts” --Publishers Weekly Sheila Roberts makes me laugh. I read her work and come away inspired, hopeful and happy.” --Debbie Macomber, New York Times bestselling author of Christmas Letters Hands-down, this has to be the best Christmas book I have read. The characters are so meticulously developed, I had to double checke to see if it really was a work of fiction.” J. Kaye’s Book Blog
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“A garden is such an amazing thing, isn’t it? There it is, the whole cycle of life played out for us every year—death, then resurrection, new buds, new life, new beginnings.” In Love in Bloom by Sheila Roberts people plant gardens and watch the flowers bloom but they also plant the seeds of new beginnings in their lives.
Hope Walker is the owner of Changing Seasonals Floral shop where she tucks in specially written poems along with the meanings of the carefully selected flowers in her arrangements. She is a young survivor of breast cancer but the scars the disease left behind are more than physical. Millie Baldwin is a 76 year old widow who has moved to Heart Lake to start over and help her bitterly divorced daughter and two grandchildren. Amber Howell is also new to town after her husband lost a failing restaurant, she is struggling with starting over after feeling she has lost everything. The three women meet when they all sign up for community garden plots. They learn from each other how to nurture the plants they intend to grow, but are even more supportive in being there for each other as they all try to start their lives over.
Hope’s life becomes complicated the day Jason Wells walks into her shop, she is smitten but when he gets a look at her gorgeous sister, Bobbi, she feels she does not have a chance. She helps Bobbi snag Jason but when his friend Duke enters the picture Bobbi thinks maybe the perfect man is not perfect for her. Millie’s daughter Debra is bitter after her divorce and spends very little time trying to bond with her mother or her children. When Millie meets Altheus, a “younger man” she thinks life is too short not to reach for happiness. Amber is trying to cope with her husband Ty and his feelings of being a loser after losing the restaurant they had poured all their money into. She feels he is not trying to find a new job and she has to carry the full load of working and raising their son.
The women’s lives become intertwined as they struggle to create new beginnings and grow gardens from seeds. “A sudden thought hit Millie. When had it become more rewarding to spend time with relative strangers than with her own flesh and blood? And how was it that relative strangers could so quickly begin to feel like relatives?” I found myself cheering on the women as they struggled through the seasons and cycles of their lives. Love in Bloom is one of those books that you hate to see end and hope there will be a sequel.
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| By: Judy Dils, ReaderToReader.com
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Customer Reviews
Nice for a Change!: (2010-03-21)
The book was an easy read. Started and finished in one day. Have to admit I really liked the older woman, Millie. It's real easy to be taken advantage of by our children and boy could I relate to her.She was a giving sweet lady and I felt terrible that she passed away after findng happiness. I know that Hope lived with fear and she felt the deformity left from breast surgery made her undesirable. I can understand the fear, but I couldn't as far as the scarring to her breast was concerned. How many of us are perfect, we all have flaws whether on the inside or on the outside. I couldn't stand her sister who was trying to find herself in all the wrong places. Looks aren't everything honey eventually age sets in then what have you got? Even the girls that stood right out there sag. I wanted to kick her right in the ass. Amber's problems I'm sure we all could relate to. With today's economy alot of us have found ourselves without employment but I thought her patience with her husband was short and it felt like she blamed him for the loss of their business. He wanted to curl up in a corner and forget but she kept reminding him of his failure . Millie was there for all of them . They say with age comes wisdom although I felt each one helped the other through some difficult times.
Fun story: (2009-10-06)
It took me far longer to finish this book than I thought it would, but that turned out to be a good thing. It is definitely a good book, one to be read slowly and with enjoyment. I especially loved the interaction between the characters at the garden, the friendships forged from the fires of life. I am no gardener so I appreciated the author's attention to this setting and all of her detail work. It was a book filled from start to finish with laughter, love, and even a little sorrow, but isn't that like life? Sheila has written a truly fun read, and one that is to be savored. I recommend this one to all readers.
"A garden is always a series of losses set against a few triumphs, like life itself" - May Sarton: (2009-09-28)
The community garden in the small Washington town of Heart Lake brings together three women facing obstacles in their lives. Hope Walker is a 30 year old breast cancer survivor who has built a lovely life for herself - a life that includes everything except romance. Hope's surgeries have left her with scars, emotional and physical, and she can't believe that any man will want her so she firmly closes the door on that part of her life. Millie is a 77 year old widow who has moved across the country to live with her divorced daughter and two grandchildren. She soon finds herself at loose ends, unable to connect with her bitter, self-centered daughter and spoiled grandkids. Amber is a young mom barely clinging on to a faltering marriage and struggling with financial hardships. Over a period of several months the women form a bond and offer each other advice and support as they work through the challenges in their lives as well as their gardens. This was a lovely book; sweet and uplifting. I liked the way the women's individual stories were woven throughout the book and Hope's story was particularly touching. The character of Jason, Hope's "love interest", was nicely written and Hope's sister, Bobbi, offers some comic relief. If you're reading this for the romance you might be disappointed - the focus is on the women and the strength they draw from each other. Jason and Hope's relationship is more of a side story but it is engaging none the less. The setting is present day Washington state; some mild swearing with no explicit sex.
great read: (2009-07-15)
My daughter and I trade books and this is one of hers. I couldn't put it down. It is very well written. It made you feel like you were there. The story kept moving and I especially like Millie. I just wanted to sit and lose myself in the book. The characters all come together and the story makes you feel good all over as you see each one struggle with their own problems and they all blend and they always there for each other. I highly recommend it. Shelia is a author I will glady follow. Karen in South Carolina
A love story that is rated PG: (2009-07-04)
This was an enjoyable little love story. The characters were well developed. I enjoyed the interaction of the older widow and the young business owner. The relationship of the sisters was also handled nicely. I like the way the author handled the body image of the breast cancer survivor. I also appreciate her for giving us a strong male character with sensitivity and a good heart. I'm married to a good man, and I like seeing males portrayed in a positive light.
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