What readers think of The Flower Sisters, plus links to write your own review.

The Flower Sisters was a great read - based on a little know true story of a dance hall explosion in small town Missouri. The plot and characters felt familiar but at the same time unique. The many narratives easily crossed many ages and stages of life and tied into a cohesive narrative. Anderson brought us into the funeral business, small town dynamics and family secrets slowly... so the reader could savor the unfolding of the story. I appreciate her bring this little-known story back into the public consciousness. Great first novel.

While The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson, is not the type of book I usually read, I have to admit I liked it quite a bit. Overall, I found Anderson to be a very capable writer, in fact, there were times when her prose amazed me with its brilliance. For example, (I think I can share with you her description of one character's mother-in-law without giving away the plot). "Gladys was a turkey vulture circling on the hot updrafts of our skirmishes waiting for first blood to swoop in with a raised eyebrow or acidic comment."

Not only was Anderson's prose engaging, I found the structure of the book to be quite interesting as well. In the first chapter Anderson propels us from 1928 to 1978. Sprinkling this fifty- year span with interesting characters whose secrets and lies kept me reading to the end.

A wonderful, easy read. Storyline based on a factual tragedy in a small town in 1928. Well written. Multiple angles and characters provide a 360 view of the event and of the town and its "survivors" 50 years later in 1978. Characters were well defined and provided a wide-range of personalities. Liked the back and forth structure of the novel between 1928 and 1978, and the focus on personal responses to a tragic event. Touches on post traumatic stress and different ways individuals coped. Recommend.

I almost gave up on this book as the beginning is very dark and depressing. However I followed the 100 page rule of not giving up until 100 pages have been read. It became apparent that there was a good story to tell. The author writes beautiful descriptions sometimes a bit too wordy. Throughout the book there are surprise "twists and turns" The understanding of how identical twins relate is fascinating. Also the fact that the book is based on an actual explosion makes it a good read.

The Flower Sisters, by Michelle Collins Anderson, offers the reader a well researched literary insight into the 1928 world of a small town in Missouri. The novel revolves around a true incident: the deadly explosion of a local dance hall during a crowded much anticipated evening celebration. But the book is much more than a simple retelling of a tragedy that changes many lives (and the town itself) forever.
The characters are richly drawn and interconnected, giving the reader a close look into this slice of the American landscape.
The book's format may not appeal to all: the chapters alternate among characters, both the "major players" and the "support players" as well as time periods…..in addition, there are newspaper articles and letters inserted between chapters,….
As the plot unfolds, and the reader learns about the townspeople of today as well as their historical connections, a truer picture of the tragedy unfolds and the parallel storyline of the young heroine adjusting to a new life becomes clear…..
The ending of the novel wraps everything up in a very satisfying way…..
The Flower Sisters will appeal to Book Clubs, offering varied and unique discussion options!

As I read "The Flower Sisters" and was introduced to the characters of this fictional Ozark town, I felt this is a novel about real people. Not only are the twin Flower sisters's characters well developed, but also the several people who had been part of a horrific explosion at a dance hall which killed 29 young people in 1928 and also those who survived and whom we meet 50 years later.

The author, Michelle Collins Anderson, has captured the spirit, the prejudices, the morality of the small town and its inhabitants who have to come to grips with what had happened on that August, 1928 date. And she uses a lonely, very bright teen ager girl who becomes the person who helps the town accept and finally put to rest that horrible tragedy.

Although the ending was a bit predictable, the book will be enjoyed by book clubs and readers. I definitely recommend it.

The author did a good job taking a real-life occurrence, a dance hall explosion in her hometown, and turning it into an interesting novel. I liked that she used the different viewpoints of the people who survived the explosion and those that loved the ones who didn't survive, to tell the story. The characters were very believable and I found a few quite compelling. My only criticism is the ending, which I found a bit too "happy." Otherwise, a worthwhile read.

I selected this book as an advance read based upon the "Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks" billing. Sadly, the writing of the author did not live up to this hype.

I wanted to like the book and it had potential but there were too many non-plausible elements that got in the way. Overall, I felt as though the author has issues with God that are unresolved and worked their way into the story unnecessarily. I was put off from the start with an unnecessary funeral "mishap". .

The story revolves around a real life dance hall explosion in a small town in 1928. The author examines the impact of that event 50 years later through the lives of 3 main characters - one of the Flowers sisters (twins where one attended and one died), her date, and her granddaughter. Each chapter is written in the voice of one of the characters which was helpful to keep the story understandable. The granddaughter (Daisy) is dumped in the small town so that her hippie mother can follow a man to California. Daisy (whose mother is completely estranged from her mother) had never met her grandmother. Daisy is miserable and ultimately obtains a job with the local paper (as a high school student) and begins to investigate what truly happened the night of the explosion (much to the chagrin of the community). This seemed entirely non-believable and yet it is one of the central elements of the story.

The villain (Dash) was the date. Dash was a playboy at the time of the dance but is so wracked with guilt for surviving that he becomes an insufferable preacher. He has an ongoing conflict with Daisy's grandmother (Rose).

Rose is a well known figure on the town. She is a gruff funeral director (which she inherited from her deceased husband's family) with a lot of spunk. She is the most believable character.

The story moves quickly and is an easy read. The characters are well developed and easily relatable given the time period. I think book clubs that enjoy light hearted stories will find much to discuss. It just wasn't for me as I could not get past the premise that a teenage novice "reporter" uncovers the secrets and wounds of a family and the entire town.