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Flowers from the Storm, by Laura Kinsale
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The Duke of Jervaulx was brilliant and dangerous. Considered dissolute, reckless, and extravagant, he was transparently referred to as the ′D of J′ in scandal sheets, where he and his various exploits featured with frequency. But sometimes the most womanising rake can be irresistible, and even his most casual attentions fascinated the sheltered Maddy Timms, quiet daughter of a simple mathematician.
- Sales Rank: #774659 in Books
- Brand: Avon
- Published on: 2003-05-27
- Released on: 2003-05-27
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 6.75" h x 1.12" w x 4.19" l, .58 pounds
- Binding: Mass Market Paperback
- 560 pages
Features
Amazon.com Review
Would you like to convert someone who says romances aren't "real" novels? This book is the one that will do it! Flowers from the Storm is one of the best books in the genre. Christian Langland, Duke of Jerveaux is the ultimate hero. A brilliant mathematician and a complete rake, Christian is a man of contradictions. When a stroke leaves him permanently unable to speak, his family believes him to be mad and relegates him to a sanitarium. Fortunately, Maddy, a righteous Quaker and do- gooder, recognizes that Christian is not insane--he just can't talk! Maddy may not be the most likable heroine you'll encounter, but she has depth and character, and is probably one of the few people you could imagine who would have the patience and understanding to accept and live with Christian's intense anger and frustration. This is a book that defines the word "keeper."
About the Author
Laura Kinsale is a winner and multiple nominee for the Best Book of the Year award given by the Romance Writers of America. She became a romance writer after six years as a geologist -- a career which consisted of getting out of bed in the middle of the night and driving hundreds of miles alone across west Texas to sit at drilling rigs, wear a hard hat, and attempt to boss around oil-covered males considerably larger than herself. This, she decided, was pushing her luck. So she gave all that up to sit in a chair and stare into space for long periods of time, attempting to figure out What-Happens-Next. She and her husband David currently divide their time between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Texas.
Most helpful customer reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
This. Novel. Is. Laura. Kinsale's. Best. Work.
By Judge Tabor
I read this book two years ago and recently decided to re-read all my Laura Kinsale books, saving the best for the last. I do believe I enjoyed this story more the second time around. What a roller coaster ride Ms. Kinsale takes the reader on, as we maneuver through the life of a powerful young duke who was born to prestige, riches, extravagance, the pleasure of women, whatever his heart desired, going on the ride of his life without having an inkling of how quickly everything in one's world can change - often, never to be the same.
Christian Langland, Duke of Jervaulx, is a brilliant mathematician, all around rake, lover of dogs and a faithful friend. When his paramour's husband catches him leaving his wife's bed and calls him out, Christian isn't aware that he's in the middle of his life's greatest crisis. Yes, the strange sensation he has upon leaving his mistress's bed and walking down the stairs was a stroke in the making.
Although struggling mightily with a headache and strange sensations in his arm and hand, Christian keeps his commitments during the next couple of days, including a lecture at the Analytical Society in order to present a paper he and an elderly, blind Quaker gentleman - Mr. Timms, have collaborated upon via messenger. Mr. Timms' daughter, Archimedia (Maddy) knows Christian's reputation and is very concerned he's going to play her kindly, mild-mannered father false just for a big joke. Not so - Christian may be many things, but in his heart, he's serious about math and values his work with Mr. Timms.
However, when he collapses on the dueling field the morning after the lecture, the world believes he has died. It's a blow to Mr. Tibbs who genuinely respected Christian's mind and truly enjoyed their collaborative work.
Fast forward to some weeks later. As Maddy and her father tour her cousin's brand new, high class asylum where Maddy is considering taking a position, she is shocked beyond measure to recognize Christian as one of the residents of the asylum. Further, apparently he's considered to be a dangerous madman without the ability to communicate. But, Christian and Maddy have a strong connection and very shortly she begins to realize Christian is still there, if she can only help him find his way out of the darkness.
**Spoilerish** The rest of the story takes the reader on a fascinating journey that frankly, I don't have words to describe. Not only does Christian struggle with a serious lack of communication, he's had not a single person to stand up for him. He's almost as angry at how he's been treated as he is at his inability to communicate. Some parts of the book are difficult to take in - such as his cruel and callous treatment by staff members at the asylum.
When Maddy decides to throw her support behind Christian, she battles with guilt over whether or not she's compromising the principles of her faith. Thankfully, her faith does give some leeway within the foundational beliefs to allow her to hear from God for herself. Once she has this connection, she decides to throw her lot in with Christian and do whatever she can to help him, but all along the way, she questions whether or not she's making the right choice. Ms. Kinsale has created a very strong character in Christian - possibly the most determined Hero I've ever encountered. To say that Christian drags Maddy kicking and screaming into helping him would be an understatement. Even with his massive disability, he has such drive and determination, heaven help anyone who dares stand in his way. And yet, he desperately needed Maddy. She was an angel sent from heaven. The first time we hear Christian say "Maddy Girl," it's over the top sweet.
It is not smooth sailing. Christian has a competency hearing coming up, he has unethical relatives, a mother who doesn't understand him, so much prejudice against his "sickness" - but he has Maddy Girl and two friends who stick with him through thick and thin. The bottom line is that we find we have several major conflicts - Christian's disability is the primary conflict, but Maddy's religious beliefs are the secondary conflict constantly vying for first place, which affects the third conflict - she's head over heels in love with Christian. Who wouldn't be? I'm rooting for him all the way, even though one might say the life he led previous to the stroke, was not the thing at all. The results of that life come back to bite him on the butt big time and he nearly loses his Maddy Girl.
Truth: I've got about 1800 books on my Kindle with approximately 1300 of that number being historical romance novels - many authored by the best of the best. Having said that, this book is probably among the top 5 and perhaps the #1 of all those romance novels - at least that's how I'm feeling at the moment.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
An interesting, original story, badly in need of a good editor
By AS
This is a truly original work, full of interesting characters and very real dangers, but with some serious flaws.
Instead of the strong, powerful, in control hero, at the start of the story, Christian, Duke of Jervaulx, suffers a stroke. Kinsale weaves together the medical reality that we understand today with the early 19th century misconceptions about madness and morality, building a believable hell-on-earth of medical mistreatment and shattered pride. We see all the frustration of a once all-powerful man reduced to helplessness by his inability to communicate, then follow his painful journey as he starts to regain his abilities despite the best efforts of both the self-righteous, pompous do-gooders and the petty, malicious opportunists. This is, however, a journey he could not have made without the help of the pious, but insightful Archimedea Timms, a Quaker woman who see past his expressions of outrage and anger, recognizing that he is still the brilliant mathematician and charming rake she happened to have met before his stroke, and finding the key to helping him recover his voice and his life.
The reformed rake is rarely written well. Casually cruel, arrogant men simply don't become wells of human kindness and humility when they fall in love. With Jervaulx, it works, because he is not changed in his essentials. In part because he wasn't cruel to start with, simply thoughtless, but mostly because he's still arrogant, he's still a man who arranges things to suit himself, and no matter how much he needs Archimedea, he won't give up his position and power for her. In short, he is still the same man, still the product of the immense privilege he was raised with. Not that he hasn't changed at all, but that the changes are those of maturity, as he gives up the shallow affairs and foolish pranks of a wild young man for a more serious and thoughtful life as a happily monogamous married man. It is a believable, meaningful evolution of his character rather than an implausible transformation.
The problem is that this means that Archimedea has to make all the compromises and her character gets lost along the way. When we meet her, she is full of kindness and compassion, honest and forthright, with a strong moral compass. More importantly, she has an unerring ability to see through the rationalizations of pompous men who try to direct her, with what she calls "a quiet obstinacy" that let's her follow her conscience and do what's right despite their domineering and bullying. None of that survives. She becomes a pliable tool, easily turned one way or the other by the lies of manipulative men, she lets herself be pressured into arguing positions she doesn't believe in, and she stops trying to understand the motives of those around her, taking their actions at face value and moralizing instead of communicating. All of which comes across mostly as lazy writing that sacrificed the character for the sake of throwing in an extra plot twist here and a clean resolution there. With a bit of effort, she could have been given plausible motives for her choices. Even more disappointing to me is that, having built the relationship between Archimedea and Christian entirely around their ability to communicate and understand each other, in the end, the author resorts to the tired old cliche of a couple falling apart because they can't be bothered to discuss what's going on and misunderstand each other's intentions.
There are also problems with the writing. Not grammar or phrasing, those are done well, but the story is cluttered up with loose ends and random plot elements that just don't fit into the whole. Midway through the tale, Archimedea sees a neglected garden, one she has dreamed of all her life. Which she then never sees again and is in no way part of the rest of the story. Why throw in this mystical connection to a place if it's not going to be part of her future? Christian repeatedly vows vengeance against those who mistreat him, but there is no follow-up. When he regains his power as a duke, does he simply forget, does he make a noble choice to forgive them, presumably letting them continue in their abusive ways and mistreating others, or are we supposed to assume that he takes action without ever learning what it is?
These flaws are unfortunate as they detract from what is otherwise a really interesting, original story. A good editor could have made this a five-star book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
There's a Reason It's On All the "Best" Lists
By Mrs. Julien
If such a thing exists, Laura Kinsale’s Flowers from the Storm is part of the historical romance canon. It’s a classic of the genre that still appeared at #6 on All About Romance’s 2010 Top 100 List 18 years after publication. I voted on their list for 2013 and included it myself. An intense and sometimes painful read, Flowers from the Storm’s status as one of the best romance novels ever written is completely understandable.
Christian, Duke of Jervaulx is a mathematician and a rake. We meet him acting on both inclinations early in the book: the latter leads to a duel, the former to working with a Quaker academic and his daughter Archimedea, called Maddy. When Christian has an “apoplexy” (stroke) shortly after presenting a mathematical paper, he disappears from their lives until Maddy and her father come to live at a rest home/psychiatric hospital run by her cousin. Christian is a patient and a troublesome one at that. When Maddy meets Christian again, he has been brought very low and is presumed mad. She realises he is “not mad, but maddened” and approaches her cousin saying she has “An Opening”, a spiritual calling, to help Christian. The apoplexy left his language processing centers damaged, but Christian finds he is able to communicate first through mathematics and later with language as Maddy works with him. He recognizes in her a chance to escape the hospital and seeks to do so by any means necessary.
Progressive for The Regency, the hospital is every dehumanizing psychiatric care nightmare rolled into chapters: abuse, restraints, ice baths, isolation. Kinsale shows us Christian’s muddled, struggling mind and I found these sections harrowing and must confess to jumping forward to a less upsetting section of the book to console myself before going back to continue reading chronologically. Mercifully, Maddy and Christian get away from the hospital, but a marriage of convenience is required to prevent him from being sent back as it will give the impression of a fuller recovery.
Romance novels can succeed on many levels, but the best ones have the same thing in common: If a writer can honestly portray the emotional lives of her characters, everything else will fall into place. Flowers from the Storm is not a light-hearted romance, it can be a tough read precisely because the characters are so well drawn and the reader feels their struggles. Christian and Maddy are two puzzle pieces that fit together only because of the situation they find themselves in. In either of their previous lives, their relationship would not have worked. Forced by circumstance, they build something together that is more than they ever would have been separately.
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