"Roses" by Leila Meacham - Book Review

Roses by Leila Meacham

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What intrigued me enough to pick this book up was the cover page "Roses". I love flowers, but for this particular family it's not just a type of flower - one color can say so much more than words can ever say. As I read the reviews on the back of the book, I noticed that it was compared to my all time favorite Southern Civil War Romantic novel, "Gone With The Wind" by Margaret Mitchell. Being from the South, I welcome novels relating to the Old South and a glimpse as the way it once was back to pre- and post-Civil War. I loved the fact that the town was based in East Texas, which is great because I have family in East Texas. Finally, the twists and turns in this love story and obstacles that kept Mary and Percy from coming together.



I loved this book! I wouldn't compare it to the great novel by M. Mitchell, "Gone With The Wind". The only similarities would be that they are both in the old South, timeline is post Civil War, the heroine is tore between two loves in her life and of course you have to have that one person with a foul mouth (Lucy).



I loved how the book starts right off the bat with Mary at ripe old age in her 90s, at her lawyer's office adding a codicil to her Last Will and Testament. How the events are dealt out in front of her attorney, Mr. Amos, brings up so many questions and gets your curiosity peaks. Why was she not leaving her plantation and business to her only living heir? A heir that has been studying under her Aunt Mary for years and has been successfully running the Lubbock branch. Why would she leave the plantation, minus the house, to a Percy Warwick? Then, Mary begins to daydream of the past when she fell head over heals for a boy that was one of her brother's best friends. One of the first big things that hit her like a bombshell right off the bat was when her daddy left her the farm/plantation and a small portion to his only son. How she was to handle the "Toliver curse", her mother, keep her only brother home, hang on to the only love of her life and still run the family cotton business. Will she be able to succeed before her death or will she loose it all?



My Aunt Sherry from East Texas came by for a visit. As soon as I read it, I passed it down to her and she was so excited to start reading it.



I recommend this great read. Don't be intimidated by all 75 chapters, they are short and it's hard to put the book down.



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