Readers’ Favorite gave FLOWERS in DECEMBER five-stars. “Someone who knows what it’s like to lose a parent will find a lot to relate to in this book.”– 2018 Indie Book Awards Finalist-Novella — ***NEW…AUDIOBOOK is released!***A MAN GOES HOME TO BURY HIS MOTHER BUT FINDS HIMSELF.Connor Norton returns to his hometown, following the death of his mother, knowing that he will have to confront … Norton returns to his hometown, following the death of his mother, knowing that he will have to confront personal feelings of guilt and regret. It is a place he has barely set foot in for the past 20 years.
Caught in the period of his life where the vibrancy of youth has diminished and the prospect of becoming middle-aged is looming, Connor finds that he is suddenly alone in the world and must somehow reshape his future and face his own mortality.
With only Tom, the family’s orange tabby cat, as his constant companion, he considers new possibilities and new directions. But will Connor be able to lay the ghosts of his past to rest? And will his return later, to the place he once called home, be enough to let him break free from the remorse which he has carried since he was 18?
In this tender, heartwarming portrait of a man who finds himself trapped between his past, his present and the future, where will this new journey lead Connor and what will the future hold when he gets there?
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I enjoyed Jane Suen’s clear and easy to read writing style. This is a short and poignant story about one of life’s major transitions, the loss of one’s parents. Connor moved to the city to work and seldom visited in the twenty year period. The death of his mother confronts his life choices in this and he is faced with choices for his future, the house, the community and Tom, the cat. His dinner with Mary Anne and friends from the community make him look at his current lifestyle. I enjoyed the flow of the story and how it unfolded. I look forward to reading more from Jane Suen.
Soul-warming story
So much love in this short book. As a reader, through the main character, Connor Norton, I experienced the loss of his mother, the nostalgia for the home he left twenty years ego and his childhood, for the quiet life in a small town, his pain of being alone and a heart-wrenching revelation at the end of the tale. In the language easy and pleasant to read, the author touches important philosophical questions about the core human values, about our environment that often blocks from us what is really important in life.
The ending may bring you either to tears or goosebumps. That’s what happened to me. Yet you have to read the story to find out what feelings it would evoke in you. An important book. Highly recommended.
Flowers in December is a story of loss, reflection, friendship and community. It’s written in an orderly and descriptive style reflecting the personality of Connor. I liked the conversations with neighbours, observations about his parent’s marriage and the developing relationship with Tom the cat. The short chapters made it an easy read with a satisfying ending
While Flowers in December is a simple and quick read, it’s also powerful and filled with some impacting moments. This novel encases what it’s like to lose a parent and all the emotional steps a person must go through in order to achieve acceptance. For 38-year-old Connor, facing the death of his mother is the hardest thing he’s had to do but in the aftermath of his grief he learns a lot about who he really is.
The writing style is very sweet and simple. While at first it seems as if there is no real conflict in the story, it becomes clear that Connor’s own decisions are what pushes the story forward. This is a touching example of literary fiction at its finest.
This story is heart achingly beautiful. Connor hasn’t been back to his childhood hometown for over twenty years aside from birthdays and christmas. However, when his mother dies he has to return to arrange her funeral and take care of her belongings. He finds himself overcome with regret and longing for his past mistakes, grief and love for the mother he loved with everything he had and with hope for his future. The words in this were so beautiful and really got to the heart of the lessons that we can learn from the passing of a loved one and what it truly means to be happy with a well lived and loved life. An absolutely stunning novel.
I read Flowers in December back in 2018. Now listening to it and rereading my previous review, I can see how much I have grown. Back in 2018 I hadn’t gone through the heartache of losing someone.
So today 3 years later I look at this story with new eyes and understanding. It really touched me on a whole new level.
Add to that the smooth calming tone of the narrator, this time around I really have a greater appreciation for the book.
Thank you for this.
Flowers In December was a great short story. It’s packed with emotion. I could relate to this story so well since I have loss both of my parents.
Connor who is an only child returned home to bury his mother. He’s has already lost his dad so he feels alone. He finds himself thinking about his life and feelings of emptiness. Although he is successful in his career he doesn’t have anything else going on in his life.
He reflects on his present and his past as he lays his mother to rest and gets her affairs in order. I was very touched while reading this and it made me think of myself and the feelings I had after my parents passed.
This story shows how Connor comes to terms with his life. I cried and smiled as I went on this roller coaster with Connor.
I enjoyed this book even though it was dealing with grief and that is a hard subject to read about at times. I thought it was well written and would recommend reading it.
4 Stars
I can personally understand some of the things that Connor goes thru with loosing my mother and dealing with those things that have to be done after that. I was touched by this book but it is also a good read for any one. Coming home can mean several things to different people and this is a story about one man who has to bury his mother while discovering about himself. Being alone with no in your life is depressing. It makes you think of what you can do to change yourself and your life. Will he be able to do this and move on with his life in the way that he hopes? Will he find someone to bring love into his life or will he be alone? That is for you to find out Dear Readers, and you will be glad that you have read it
Really good story and well written. The story is moving and intense.
Connor Norton returns to his childhood home to bury his Mom. The story deals with his grief, his realization that he’s all alone in the world, his guilt in spending so much time in the big city and not visiting with his Mom who loved him. This novel’s concept caught my attention-packing up your childhood home after losing a parent(s) is an emotional, personal experience. The author’s style of writing was too concise for this topic, lacking character development and a real connection with Connor. Still it is an easy, quick , sweet read worthy of the time it took to read it.
3 out of 5 stars
When Connor comes home to bury his mother , he finds more then just the memories of his mother . He finds himself in the process .. Through the friends and family that surrounds him and helps him through .
The characters in this book are well sweet and kind . Conner is well he is just a guy who works hard and hasn’t been home . He is wracked with guilt over things that have happened . Eva and Mary anne are sweet characters that come and help him . My favourite character is Tom the family cat he is just well a cat .
This is a sweet story about a man that finds himself through sorrow . I did like this book and yes there is a but coming . I honestly can tell you that I really didn’t dislike this story but there are parts of the book that came off really naïve and other parts of the book that had great potential . Its a very short book so there is potential to build on the characters and the story line Over all I did enjoy the story and the characters .and it would be a good beach read for you summer reading list .