Novel Debut

In August I read three books by authors that were new to me and new to having books published. Not to say that they haven't been writers all along but that these are their first published novels. I tend to find an author that has written several books and then if I enjoy the first book I carry on and read their other books. I decided to go to uncharted territory in August. I'm not sorry.The Violets of March by Sarah Jio takes place in New York City, in Seattle and on Bainbridge Island. I enjoy local books. A romance story with some family secrets, The Violets of March, took a bit to take off. The author seems to develop writing skill as the book progresses. I enjoyed the story line and the setting. Definitely a personal preference but I need a bit more character development early on in the book. The marriage Emily is leaving behind is set aside until the end of the book when she is ready to move on to the next guy, that doesn't sit well with me. Marriage is serious and no tears isn't convincing.

Overall a good story. I need to read, Years of Grace, a 1930 novel by Margaret Ayer Barnes, as it is important to the character and is tied in nicely in the beginning and the end. And it looks to be a good read too.
The Arrivals by Meg Mitchell Moore is a story of adult children coming home. Ginny and William Owen's quiet life with their children grown up and out of the house changes as each of their three children come home to Vermont. Their oldest daughter arrives with a toddler and a baby, their son comes back with his pregnant wife and their youngest daughter arrives broke and with a broken heart. I enjoyed this story of their summer, their coming and eventually their leaving. As they should! On a side note, I'd forgotten how time consuming nursing a baby is, poor mama.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. The star of my summer! I loved this story. Vanessa Diffenbaugh wrote her book because of her own experiences as a foster mother. I've always enjoyed learning the meaning of flowers and this story takes it to a new level. The language of flowers is tied in with a foster child emancipated from the system at the age of eighteen. Our children leave home prepared, slowly and knowing that they can come back home. Foster children are shut out of the system at 18 with few options. The main character, Victoria helps others with their problems using flowers even as her life is falling apart. She uses flowers to communicate.

I have a hunch that The Language of Flowers will be a movie. It was one of those books that I didn't want it to end.

I wasn't looking for a theme between the three books, but really all three were stories of coming home. Enjoy!