This books was a quick read for me, however, I felt it lacked something in the telling of the story. It was obvious that the author did a great deal of research into the time period and her details were very vivid. I thought the main characters lacked some development and never did get that interested in their story. I would have rather seen some development of the lives of the main characters rather than some of the graphic descriptions she did have of animal treatment.

I wish there was something higher than a 5 to rate this book. I received it around 5:00pm on a Friday and am writing this review less than 24 hours later. This book is one of the best I've ever read. The story of Victoria is engrossing and compelling. The story of flower language opens up a new world to explore. I would recommend this book to book clubs and anyone who wants to read a truly remarkable book and enjoys stories of hope and forgiveness.

Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself. This book is about forgiveness, healing and the power of friendships. I read this book in record time because I was invested in the characters and wanted to see how their lives turned out. The warmth of the writing makes me want to not only bake the friendship bread but move to Avalon! I can't wait to pass this book on to my friends and family.

Reading this book took me back to my own youth in rural south Mississippi during the 1970's. So much of the book rang true, and I remember the kids who were considered as 'strange' because they were not like everyone else. At times I felt a little confused because of the abrupt switching between the time frames but I did enjoy the central story of the murders.

I fully enjoyed this book of historical fiction about the life of Catherine de Medici. I have not read any books about her prior to this but it has piqued my interest in both France and Italy. I read a lot of historical fiction about England and this book compares favorably to the authors I have read before. I think anyone interested in this period of French history would enjoy the book, especially because of the first person narrative which makes it more interesting to me. I will be looking for other books by this author as I liked the style of writing.

This book is based on the true story from 17th century England of people who were tried, convicted and hanged for witchcraft. The story is told from two people; the grandmother who is a "blesser" and her granddaughter who wanted to ignore her gift. Reading this book made me see how swiftly accusations and mob mentality could get out of control and cause irreparable damage, especially to those so poor they had no representation in the courts. The language and voice of the book added to the story. I especially liked the last half of the book from the perspective of the granddaughter.