He Stole the Work She Loved. Will She Let Him Steal Her Heart as Well?It’s all her uncle’s fault. For years Charlotte Withersby has been free to pursue her love of plants and flowers by assisting her botanist father. But now that she’s reached the old age of twenty-two, an intrusive uncle has convinced her father that Charlotte’s future–the only proper future for a woman–is to be a wife and … woman–is to be a wife and mother, not a scholar.
Her father is so dependent on her assistance that Charlotte believes he’ll soon change his mind…and then Edward Trimble shows up. A long-time botany correspondent in the South Pacific, Trimble arrives ready to step in as assistant so that Charlotte can step out into proper society–a world that baffles her with its unwritten rules, inexplicable expectations, and confounding fashion.
Things aren’t perfectly smooth between Trimble and her father, so Charlotte hatches a last gasp plan. She’ll pretend such an interest in marriage that the thought of losing her will make her father welcome her back. Only things go quickly awry, and she realizes that the one man who recognizes her intelligence is also the person she’s most angry with: Edward Trimble, her supposed rival. Suddenly juggling more suitors than she knows what to do with, Charlotte is caught in a trap of her own making. Will she have no choice but to leave her beloved flowers behind?
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Charlotte Withersby’s mother died when she was fourteen, plunging her botanist father into depression. So, for the last eight years, Charlotte has been assisting her father in his work, writing and illustrating books, paying the bills, believing herself to be indispensable to him. Imagine her consternation when her uncle, the Admiral, convinces her father it is time for Charlotte to find a husband. Charlotte has the mind of a scientist, and has been rather sheltered, so has no knowledge of the expected social niceties, nor does she wish to be married. The excuse of being needed to assist her father falls to the wayside when one of her father’s “fine young fellows” delivers some plant specimens and Mr. Withersby names him as assistant. Mr. Trimble is a sheep farmer from New Zealand, or so he says, but there is just something a bit mysterious about him. The young, handsome man is nothing like Charlotte thought him to be when she was corresponding with him for three years (using her father’s name since she handled all his correspondence). Interesting and amusing things happen when the Admiral begins taking Charlotte to social functions. She soon makes a friend, Miss Templeton, who helps Charlotte with her plan to gain the attention of suitors, just for the sake of making her father realize he does need her. The book is told in first person by Charlotte so we see her unique perspective of things, which is often quite humorous. One observation that made me chuckle was when she met Mr. Stansbury. “Something about him reminded me of an invasive weed that has crept its way into a flower garden, trying to insinuate itself among the other plants. He looked harmless enough, he probably was harmless enough, but somehow he didn’t quite belong.” Charlotte longed to be accepted for who she was. She didn’t want to have to give up her writing, illustrating, and study of botany to become a wife. She wanted to be loved and needed by her father. Things don’t quite work out the way Charlotte plans, which makes for a very delightful novel. I chuckled my way through Like a Flower in Bloom and highly recommend it, especially for readers who enjoy some humor with their romance.
I just finished this a little while ago. My sister loaned me her copy and I hated putting it down. The characters and story were excellent and I highly recommend “Flower in Bloom! Great read!
Quirky, witty and altogether fun! 🙂
Charlotte Withersby’s dearest wish is to study her beloved blooms as a botanist. She wants to be left alone by her uncle, society and most certainly by her father’s new assistant, an interloper named Mr. Trimble. In a time when women’s views and expertise in botany are not given credence, Charlotte must rely upon the name of her father, a well-known botanist, to publish her own work. When her uncle and father insist that she take on society to snare a husband, Charlotte is sure Mr. Trimble’s lackluster help will soon bring her back to her position as her father’s assistant and put all of the marriage nonsense to rest. What Charlotte doesn’t account for is finding actual suitors, nor is she prepared for the questions that be thrust into society will bring – is her merit in her work or does it lie within herself?
Siri always chooses to write about historical elements that are usually not anything that I’ve read about in another novel. She is a brave author in the sense that she chooses to tackle story elements and character traits that are not widely used. In this case, it was the science of botany. The botany details are fascinating and add a lot of depth to Charlotte’s character development and intellectual tendencies. Charlotte’s quirks are so unique to her character. Siri’s characters and settings are never the norm, which is why her books continue to be a delight to read.
This novel is more on the humorous side, and nowhere is that more evident than in the main character, Charlotte. She is quirky, and if I may, sometimes a bit odd. At first, I wasn’t sure how to take her, but as I read on, she grew on me. There is a possibility that she may not be for everyone; there were times that I was exasperated with her, but at the same time, she is extremely refreshing. She is everything that society is not – she is blunt, unpretentious and lacks the knowledge of all of the social niceties that are expected of her. In her heart of hearts, she wants to take care of her father and wants to be valued for her intellectual abilities, and moreover, wants herself to be enough, no more, no less.
There were also some compelling side characters present in this story. I loved her new-found companion, Miss Templeton – the scenes with her were full of humor, and I loved how she took Charlotte under her wing and had a feeling that she found Charlotte refreshing as well. Their friendship and back-and-forth banter was entertaining to read. Her uncle, her self-named chaperone during all of her social outings is rather enigmatic at first, but as the story progresses, his character and background are revealed, and I was pleasantly surprised by the depth in the interactions between him and Charlotte.
Mr. Trimble may not be the conventional hero, but I felt that he fit well within the story, and his character is very endearing. Despite being declared the enemy by Miss Templeton, it’s soon very clear that he isn’t the usurper that he appears to be and that he has his own reasons for becoming an assistant to a reclusive botanist. I wanted more interaction between him and Charlotte, and while the enemies turned lovers storyline sometimes wears on me, it works well in this story, and provides some humorous and also heartfelt exchanges between him and Charlotte.
Whenever I pick a Siri Mitchell novel I know that I am in for something unique and fascinating. She always takes on topics that stand out, this story lives up to the standard I’ve come to expect in Siri’s novels. Although I’ve enjoyed all of her novels, this one definitely stands out as one I’ve enjoyed most. With a quirky main character, a sweet romance and a fascinating look at the world of botany, Like a Flower in Bloom is a favorite read of the year so far.