Our Sweet Violet
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By Rosie Goodwin
avg rating
3 reviews
The brand-new historical romance in the bestselling Flower Girls collection.
Hull, 1905
As the much doted-on daughter of the local doctor Violet Stroud had a comfortable, happy childhood – despite a distinct lack of love from her cold-hearted mother. But when her father unexpectedly dies, Violet’s life is turned upside down. As secrets about the family come to light, Violet finds herself homeless and with no one to turn to apart from Edie, the family’s gentle and loving housekeeper.
Violet and Edie set out on their own to run a café by the docks and life, while humble, starts to settle down. Perhaps, Violet may find happiness again and even . . . love? But when Violet’s brother, Oliver, comes back on the scene, chaos follows at every turn, and while walking home alone one night, something unthinkable happens. With her contented existence and her chance at true love under threat, Violet must summon all the strength she has to put her life back together. Will she ever find the peace that she so desperately desires?
‘Full of Goodwin’s wisdom and warmth, Our Sweet Violet is a sweeping and romantic page-turner and the perfect ending to a sweet and heady series . . .’ Lancashire Evening Post
Praise for Rosie Goodwin
‘A heartwarming saga fans will love’ Woman’s Weekly
‘Rosie writes such heartwarming sagas’ Lyn Andrews
‘The new Catherine Cookson’ Coventry Evening Telegraph
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In 1905 when the book opens, Violet is living with her much-loved father, the local doctor, and her cold-hearted mother who lavishes all her love on Violet’s younger brother Oliver. When her father dies unexpectedly, Violet’s life is turned upside down and both she and Edie, the housekeeper have to leave the family home and fend for themselves. Although life is a struggle, they manage to set up a cafe in the Dockland area of Hull and business is booming until Oliver appears on the scene, intent on causing disruption.
This is a good family saga which moves along at a fast pace and is quite gripping. It is also a very easy and quick read with no challenges to the reader along the way. When I read the book I had no idea that it was the third in a series featuring the same characters so it obviously works fine as a stand-alone.
On the down side, the writing was simplistic and did not have much literary merit although this is not necessarily an issue for a book which I assume is meant to be accessible to all.
The character development was more of a problem for me and I generally thought it was poor with the characters having very little depth but concede that there may have been information in the first two books which would have filled in some of the gaps and made the characters seem more “real”.
I also felt that the content was, in places, somewhat distasteful – I can’t give more details without giving away key features of the story but I am not entirely sure that it was necessary to go quite as far as the author did.
Overall I enjoyed this book and although I would not actively seek out more work by this author, I would quite happily read another of her books if it dropped into my lap. Personally I would probably rather read a Dilly Court, which is very much in the same genre but resonates better with me.
This story followed the life of Violet, a young girl born into hardship but blessed with a gentle heart and strong spirit. After being seperated from her mother, she faced cruelty, poverty and betrayal, yet she continued to search for love, belonging and a place she could call home. The story took you on Violet's journey until she built the life she deserved.
Violet was my favourite character because despite everything she faced, she stayed kind, resilient, hopeful and determined. I found it fasinating how she remained compensationate even with individuals who had let her down. The more I read, the more I disliked many of the characters in this book as they were exploiting Violet by mistreating her or taking advantage of her innocence. Their cruelty was harsh, heartless and selfish, considering Violet was so gentle and kind.
Reading this book felt quite emotional at times where I had to balance heartbreak with hope. I felt I was physically, emotionally and personally following Violet on her journey; I have to praise the author for achieving this level of emotion from the reader.
The only negative comment I can make is that at times the story felt emotionally heavy and difficult to read, especially the scenes showing Violet's suffering. A few characters were extremely cruel which made me feel overwhelmed and frustrated.
On a positive note, Rosie Goodwin wrote with warmth, clarity and strong emotional depth. Her descriptions were captivating which kept you turning the pages. She balanced hardship with hope, and wrote characters who felt real, flawed and memorable. Her storytelling style made you care deeply about the characters.
By the end, the book left me feeling moved, relieved and uplifted. After following Violet through so many trials, her moments of happiness and peace felt well-earned. It left you with a sense of hope and admiration for Violet's strength. A very good read where you just want to switch off from work and chores.
This is the kind of book worth reading if you just want to escape. It’s nicely written and has a good story flow. It’s not high brow and the plot is a bit cliched, but it’s great escapism. It’s a classic romance novel which is set in the 1800/1900s - an unrequited English love with high drama. Worth a read if you just want to relax and switch off.
