Rating: 
Summary: Would've given it six stars, if I could...
Review: Ah, what a lovely book. I came upon it by accident in a bookstore, and spent the last 6 bucks I had on my Border's gift card... mostly because I was in a mood for some silly mindless entertainment. Well! Just like its jacket claimed, this turned out the best romance novel I have read, hands down. So good, in fact, that I am almost embarrassed to call it a romance novel. Save for the silly title, "Flowers" is much better than most romance novels out there. Kinsale clearly has a talent for language and weaves gorgeous imagery into an unusual plot with realistic characters. (In fact, it seems that all those who did not like the book, thought this was precisely the problem--they may have been too realistic for some romance readers' tastes.) That, notwistanding the fact that Jervaulx is a wealthy young duke who is hit by a stroke (seems to be a stroke, since his right side is paralyzed and he cannot talk, nor think clearly)during a duel, and that Archimedea, Maddygirl, is a Quaker. Not the most usual pair, but Kinsale truly makes it work--she builds a wonderful foundation for their relationship: compassion and care first, passion and love later. The paradox that Jervaulx encounters before meeting Maddy--he is thought an idiot and treated accordingly, locked in his mute body, humiliated and abused--and from that, he becomes all the more violent--such a vicious circle is awful to read about, but, once again, it makes perfect sense. The Duke is a lovely character, and Maddy, whom I found a bit too severe, is interesting in her own right; certainly unique among the romance heroines. Jervaulx' indomitable aunt, Lady de Marly is also a lot of fun as a character, a veritable dragon, as are Jervaulx' easy-going friends, Durham and Fane. I found the love scenes beautifully written, realistic (a true rarity in romance novels), and exciting--not boring at all. The plot is engaging enough, except for one tiny snag in the end--certainly not enough to take away a star--namely, that Maddy never takes up the subject of the "hired yokels" with her husband--that we never find out whether that was true. The book spoiled me. I want another one like this... :(
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite stories of all time!
Review: This is a very intense tale of a man who is plunged into madness, only to find himself in an institution for the insane (the last place anyone would want to be!) and the spiritual woman who tries to save him. The hero - a once able, vibrant, brilliant man, has been laid low by a stroke - not understood at the time. It was actually horrifying to read his struggles - tied to his bed, tossed into icy water by vindictive "caretakers", treated like an imbecile. His journey to health is complicated by the desire of his "doctor" to keep him powerless and under his command at all costs. Not just any woman could have seen the beauty in this man - it took a very strong woman with a vast reserve of spiritual strength and great integrity to even see him inside the damaged frame, let alone help him. The heroine fights her family, her friends, and society to save the hero - a wonderful change from "hero-saves-heroine" type of love story. This is definitely not light reading, but it is really a brilliant work, and one of my all-time favorites!
Rating:
Summary: Unusual and Highly Rewarding Novel--A Classic!
Review: Laura Kinsale's Flowers from the Storm well deserves its status as a romantic classic. This very unusual and well developed romance between a notorious rake and a young Quaker woman in post-Regency England deeply explores situations and emotions that are rarely present in romance and does so with great feeling and sensitivity. Christian Langland, Duke of Jervaulx, lives a dissolute life of pleasure. His only constructive pursuit involves his love of mathematics, which he shares with Mr. Timms, a blind older Quaker man who is nearly as great a mathematical genius as Christian is. Together they are collaborating on work to present to the London Analytical Society, of which they are both members. Mr. Timms' daughter, Archimedea, nicknamed Maddy, does not care for the Duke, whom she sees as reckless, extravagant and utterly worldly. However, she is disturbingly impressed by his energetic presence and intensity when she finally meets him, and later when she hears that he is dead, she feels surprisingly affected by the loss. Unbeknowst to her and to many others, Christian is still alive. After inexplicably experiencing a collapse (stroke?) that renders him unable to speak, to write or at first even to think clearly, his family sends him to a country asylum run by Mr. Timms' cousin Edward.
Having run out of funds, the Timms' go to live at the asylum where Maddy helps care for the residents. Maddy is extremely attached to her father and would rather spend most of her time caring for him, but one day she is astonished to encounter Christian, and surprisingly she is the only one who can calm his frustrated rages. She then experiences a spiritual "Opening," a strong deep intuition that God wants her to serve as his nurse. She would rather not spend time with such a worldly man, but she feels she must do her duty. The slowly developing relationship of trust, respect, affection and eventually love between Christian and Maddy is beautiful to experience. Kinsale uses such brilliant detail and lovely writing style to bring her characters to life that they leap off the page as fully developed, breathing human beings. It is fascinating to enter the mind of Quaker Maddy, to really understand and to sympathize with her feelings and beliefs. Her deep struggle between her life values and her growing feelings for Christian generates a deep soul searching and riveting, entertaining plot twists. Until almost the last moment, the reader hangs in suspense, vitally curious as to how Maddy will be able to do justice to her two seemingly irreconcilable worlds. This problem only intensifies when halfway through the book she has to marry Christian to save him from his avaricious relatives who want to declare him incompetent and steal all his property. It is equally fascinating to enter Christian's mind, to see how he grapples with the confusion and heart wrenching frustration of being unable to make sense of language. As his ability to understand and to speak slowly returns, we admire his struggle to take control of his life and his increasing tenderness for his "Maddygirl". The fierce loyalty, appreciation and overwhelming love he develops for Maddy creates a fervent passion that deeply touches the reader's heart. Flowers from the Storm may seem a bit long at 471 pages, but all the detail and exquisitely rendered scenes (each with its own quiet drama) are necessary to build the overall rich story edifice that is so rewarding to the patient reader. The novel is packed with many scenes that shine like gems. For example, the simple scene early in the book where Christian describes Maddy to her blind father, who has not seen his beloved daughter since she was a child: the reader is nearly in tears from the dramatically charged and beautifully understated handling of this scene.
Laura Kinsale is a master of historical romantic fiction, and Flowers from the Storm is pleasurably required reading for any lover of romance.
Rating:
Summary: Best Love Story of All Time
Review: The book was beyond wonderful. I couldn't help but want everything to work out for the hero and heroine. The heroine might be a bit too religious for my tastes, but the way she acts in reference to her beliefs IS believable, unlike some books that are out there. In this book, you can't help but love the good guys and hate the bad guys. This is definitely one of those books that I will be reading 100 times over.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Writing but Many Irritations
Review: Laura Kinsale writes very well, and this is a true novel. This is a book about a man who has to fight a debilitating illness and assumptions of madness in order to regain his life. Insofar as it's the Duke's story, this book is a phenomenal success. Insofar as it's a romance, it's less so. There are several fears I had that the author, thankfully, did not bring to fruition. Because of that, I can now trust her as a writer and will likely read more of her. First, I feared what she would do to the Duke's potency as a character by making him an invalid. But in spite of his disability, this Duke remains a strong self-possessed man throughout the book. In spite of his speech impediment, he remains proud and appealing. I also feared that the author would turn the dastardly Duke into a Quaker by the end of the book, which she thankfully did not. For that I appreciate her beyond measure. Still, the writer does a number of annoying things. The Duke never really recovers his speech--and so he always sounds like a grunting caveman. 400+ pages of dialog that is either filled with 'thee and thou' or "You . . . Stay!" is just too much to be tolerated. I found myself unable to follow the conversations at times because of it. Moreover, our heroine is extremely unsympathetic. Maddy is not only shrewish, but has the intelligence of a flea. She has so many gullible and ignorant moments that one wonders how the Duke will ever be satisfied with her as an intellectual equal. We understand why the Duke loves her--she was his savior, quite literally. But we worry about whether gratitude alone will be able to keep this marriage alive. The Quakers are also painted in a very bad light here, like a cult of morons, so that by the time our heroine clashes with them, we can't help but hope they are all immolated in their church. (This is probably because the author never gives us enough set-up of the loving family that Maddy used to have within that church.) And finally, the biggest sin for me in a Romance novel: there is little physical intimacy, and what there is, is yawningly dull. Maddy's sexual response leaves much to be desired, and her endless worries about the morality of having sex _within the marriage bed_ had me rolling my eyes and despising her. Wonderful characters and supporting cast (the Duke's aunt is particularly well drawn). Coherent plotline. Triumph of the human spirit over illness. Very talented prose. I'd have loved to give it more stars. I was really torn between 3 & 4.
Rating:
Summary: The BEST novel ever written!
Review: This is my favorite book of all time. It is enthralling, outstanding and inspiring. I read it over and over and have several copies on my keeper shelf. It's difficult to put into words how fantastic this book is. It is a masterpiece, a work of art, and Laura Kinsale is a master who transcends the genre. Her writing is lyrical and poetic, her descriptions brilliant and shining with emotion. This book is so much more than a romance. It is an experience that is not to be missed. It has profound depths and incredible subtlety. It isn't a light read. You must pay attention and *think* as you read it. The complexities make you work for the fantastic rewards. It will tie you up in knots, and make you relish each tiny nuance. And let me just say that I love Maddie. She is a strong and wonderful heroine. Though she isn't the typical historical romance heroine, she is a product of her time and her culture and very realistic. Of course it goes without saying that Christian is beyond awesome. My favorite of the imperfect heroes. I also highly recommend SHADOW AND THE STAR by the same author as an equally outstanding book.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you, Laura Kinsale!
Review: What can I say? I absolutely loved this book. I started reading it at around 2 a.m., intending to read for half an hour before I go to sleep. Instead, I put the book down 8 hours later at 10 a.m., having finished the entire book in one setting. There is no way I can do the book enough justice by describing how wonderful it is, so I'll just say that it's one of the most emotionally intense book I've come across in a long time. I'm already looking forward to a fun time tracking down all of Ms Kinsale's backlists...
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed Feelings
Review: This book could have been a great story and had the potential to be a real keeper to read over and over again. The premise was fantastic. However, the book just dragged on and on. The hero of the story, The Duke of Jervaulx, was excellently portrayed. You could easily feel his pain when he is forced into an asylum for the insane. However, the book's heroin, Maddy, was a bit out of control. A devout Quaker, she was torn between the life she always knew and the life with the Duke. While I really liked most of the characters, she just annoyed me to no end. Could she be more indecisive? The book eventually lacked closure with the secondary characters (the blind father and the former mistress) and should have resolved the books main issue of the Duke losing everything or not. For a 532-page book, it should have tied things up a bit neater instead of just the "love conquers all" typical ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I've heard 'wonders' about this book, but I was not impressed. Aside from the fact that it was different because of the hero's seizure I did not find him dangerous, witty, or special And she was just so WIMPY and I was so sick and tired of Quaker this and Quaker that.I was frustrated at how being a Quaker (in those days, I'm sure) put so many limitations on her actions and her feelings. And the details were so intricate I was skimming over pages. Not sure I'll be reading Kinsale again!
Rating:
Summary: Frustrating read
Review: Like a painting you keep adding more and more paint to, this just got muddier and muddier. The author should have ended the book way sooner.
I liked the story that the Duke suffers some type of spasm (never says what, I thought he was drugged) and his subsequent care. Most authors will not write about things like this; they should. We get the Florence Nightingale effect by proxy, so instead of Superman Duke like other romance novels, we get loveable, regular guy Duke. Main character Maddy is a religious zealot of the Quaker cult. I call it a cult not to insult, but simply because family that is non-cult are cut out of their lives. That being said, it was very frustrating to watch this main character work against herself and her relationship, with a man she totally didn't appreciate or deserve. Fun, laughing and sex with her husband left this leading lady in the constant throes of guilt. The Duke seems to pick unsuitable women, the main character Maddy being no better than the mistress in my opinion. I kept turning pages wondering what this fanatic would do next and it didn't get any better as the relationship seemed to erode Maddy to a sniveling wreck, dependent on her fellow cult members to decide her and the Duke's fate. I do not like giving bad reviews on someone's hard work. Should have been a shorter book, and stopped before Maddy got too loony. I felt sorry for the Duke.
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