REVIEW: Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale
My impromptu reread and review of Laura Kinsale romances continues with this, which I think might be her sixth (or seventh? somewhere in the middle of the pack) book. In any case, it has the distinction of having once been my favorite romance ever. I still have, in my decades-old Excel book log, a spreadsheet devoted to my top 100 that I probably created or last updated 15 years ago. Flowers from the Storm holds the top spot.
Of course, since the list hasn’t been updated in so long, it’s to be expected that some things might have changed. Thus I went into this reading with a bit of trepidation. To mangle a famous quote, I came to praise Caesar, not to bury him. Luckily, I didn’t have to.
The book opens on Christian Langland, Duke of Jervaulx, dallying with his married mistress. As he departs her house, he runs into the woman’s husband, who promptly challenges him to a duel. Christian accepts (not having much choice), and leaves, but he feels strange and unwell and the next morning he doesn’t even remember the events of the night before.
Christian is a bit of a Renaissance man; as the first line of the prologue notes, “He liked radical politics and had a fondness for chocolate.” He’s also an enthusiastic amateur mathematician. Christian’s been working on a proof with another mathematician, a blind Quaker named Timms. Timms’ daughter Archimedea (named after Archimedes, of course) is her father’s caretaker and helper in all things. As such she is tasked with visiting the duke’s imposing mansion in Belgrave Square, carrying correspondence and mathematical proofs back and forth between her father and Christian.
Maddy never actually meets the duke in these visits. She’s still managed to form a very low opinion of him and his worldly wickedness. The two do finally meet the night before the duel; Christian has put it off for a day so he can finally present his and Timms’ paper to the London Analytical Society. Christian invites Maddy and her father to dinner afterward, and Maddy softens slightly towards Jervaulx due to his kindness to her father.
The next morning, during the duel, Christian suffers a catastrophic stroke. Maddy and her father hear that he has been shot and killed, neither of which is true.
The story picks up some time later (months, I think). Maddy and her father have come to Blythedale Hall, the asylum run by her cousin Edward. Maddy is there to take a position as an assistant to her cousin. It’s there that she encounters Jervaulx again, but he’s much changed. An inmate of the asylum, subject to (according to Cousin Edward) a “moral insanity which has blossomed into mania.”
Jervaulx has been left with severe disabilities as a result of the stroke. He cannot speak coherently when Maddy first meets him again. His comprehension of others’ speech is similarly garbled. Physically he’s strong, though his fine motor functions are somewhat compromised. He’s viewed by the staff of Blythedale as something of a brute – his frustration at both his changed circumstances and his inability to affect them or communicate properly does almost madden him. Christian is also taunted and abused by his minder, a man he contemptuously thinks of as “the Ape.”
Maddy quickly forms a connection with Christian, especially when she realizes that his mathematical ability has not been compromised by his stroke. This helps convince her that he’s not indeed senseless, and that he can be helped. She believes that she’s been given what Quakers call “an Opening”, one in which she feels led by God to help Christian.
It’s not easy, though. Maddy doubts her own religious conviction at times, not sure if it’s her own will or God’s that she’s following. She stumbles in trying to help Christian and he is by turns angry and calculating in his attitude towards her.
Christian’s family is comprised of an ultra-religious mother he’s never gotten along with and several sisters and brothers-in-law who are only too happy for the opportunity to take control of the lucrative ducal estate. His best friends, Durham and Fane, have been told that Christian is as good as dead. His only other ally, of a sort, is his irascible aunt, Lady de Marly, whose is concerned about the future of the dukedom as much as she is about Christian.
Maddy accompanies Christian on a trip to London; a hearing has been scheduled to determine whether Christian is competent to manage his own affairs. Suddenly the stakes come into sharp focus – Christian realizes that there’s a very real danger that he will be shut up at Blythedale permanently, if his family (minus Lady de Marly) has their way.
Lady de Marly has her own plan – she wants Christian to marry immediately and work on getting an heir, thus continuing the ducal line and protecting it from the importuning brothers-in-law. She even has a biddable girl in mind. Christian doesn’t like the young (and terrified of him) bride who is chosen, and takes matters into his own hands.
From there he takes a number of actions that are understandable in a sense – he’s fighting for his life – but morally not entirely defensible. In the middle and latter part of the book, I found myself at times frustrated with Christian and Maddy in turn, which I think is a reflection of the fact that they came from such different backgrounds with such little common ground. Add his disability into the mix and the level of conflict was understandable. I *could* understand each of their perspectives better than they could understand each other’s.
Still, I was put off by Christian’s high-handed manipulation of the overly-credulous and unworldly Maddy. Or I was sharing his frustration at her inability to understand what was at stake, and what he needed to do in order to pull off the illusion that he was stronger and more in control of things than he was. For instance, when Maddy comes to realize the level of debt that the ducal enterprise operates under, she’s horrified. Christian can’t make her realize that this is par-for-the-course for his world, and that to economize now would be a disastrous signal to his creditors that something was wrong.
The HEA of Flowers from the Storm has a bittersweet quality; I think I even felt so when I read it first years ago. It’s not that I didn’t believe it, it’s just that Maddy ends up having to give up a lot to be with Christian. While it’s true that there were parts of her personality that weren’t entirely suited to the sober, plain, Quaker way of life – an argument Christian himself makes more than once – at the same time it *was* her faith, and she lost it along with many lifelong friends (since she was to be shunned if she chose Christian).
The same was true of her father, and I would’ve liked some idea of how he felt about giving up the only life he’d known. He always seemed at least quietly supportive of her relationship with Christian, but it felt like some of the real issues that might arise for both daughter and father weren’t addressed.
Still, Flowers from the Storm remained magical for me. Exquisite, evocative prose, a compelling plot and most of all characters who really came alive. Even when Christian or Maddy frustrated me, I felt for them and understood them. I loved the role reversal and how it played out in large and small ways – even their names are a commentary on each other (the Christian Maddy and the mad Christian). My grade is a straight A.
Jennie
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My mother had a catastrophic stroke when she was 45 that left her with aphasia, which is one of the things Christian struggled with. One of the things that impressed me about this book is how true to my experience Kinsale’s depiction of Christian’s aphasia was. It’s been maybe 15+ years since I read FftS, but I remember thinking, “Yes, this is *exactly* what it’s like.”
@Katy Kingston: I think there was someone in her family who had a stroke that led to aphasia too. I remember reading that somewhere, though I can’t recall if it was in an author’s note at the end of the book, or (more likely) in an interview with her.
@Katy Kingston: That’s interesting. It felt well-done to me, though I have no personal experience with aphasia. Christian’s frustration at not being able to communicate was one of the things that made him a very sympathetic character.
Thanks for your thoughtful review, Jennie. You’re tempting me to reread the book.
@Jennie: I’ve been anticipating your review of FFTS! It is my favorite romance novel – I agree with you about the beautiful prose and characterizations. There’s just a depth and richness to the story that is missing in a lot books of this genre sadly. I also think FFTS contains some of the most well-written (and hot!) sexytimes of any romance. I agree with Katy and Janine about the believable description of broca’s aphasia – I’m a doctor and it’s hard to find books/movies/tv shows that accurately portray illness, but Kinsale pulls it off very well.
I would be interested to hear what the other books are in your top 100. I know there’s a compiled top 100 from several of the dearauthor crew, but is there one broken down by individual contributors too?
@Kareni: I’m not a big re-reader but I’m really glad I read this one again.
@Li: Oh god, my top 100 list is SO old. There are a bunch of Mallory Burgess books on it; one specifically I know I loved because of the angst, so much angst. I was sad when I looked recently and saw that none of her books are available on Kindle.
This is the top 10, fwiw:
1) Flowers From the Storm Laura Kinsale
2) Once in a Blue Moon Penelope Williamson
3) Lily Patricia Gaffney
3) The Shadow and the Star Laura Kinsale
4) To Have and to Hold Patricia Gaffney
5) Seize the Fire Laura Kinsale
6) The Dream Hunter Laura Kinsale
8) The Passions of Emma Penelope Williamson
9) Beast Judith Ivory
10) Beloved Lord Mallory Burgess
@Jennie Ooh good list! I haven’t read a bunch of those (I’ve never read Williamson or Burgess), so may look them up. Thank you! I’m sure you’ve read most of these, but here’s my top 10 (in no particular order), in case any of them are new to you:
Pride and Prejudice… Jane Austen
To Have and to Hold… Patricia Gaffney
To Love and Cherish… Patricia Gaffney
For My Lady’s Heart… Laura Kinsale
Flowers from the Storm… Laura Kinsale
A Lady Awakened… Cecilia Grant
Outlander… Diana Gabaldon
Lord Perfect… Loretta Chase
Private Arrangements… Sherry Thomas
The Time traveler’s wife
@Li: Since you’re a doctor, I’m curious what you think about Christian’s stroke? A romance-reading doctor friend told me she could never buy the HEA because of her medical knowledge. She said Jervaulx was bound to have another stroke while he was still young.
@Li: I loved most of the books on your list (all but Outlander) at one time, though some haven’t stood the test of time for me. Are you on Goodreads?
@Jennie: Mallory Burgess also wrote as Sandy Hingston, and The Suitor, written under that name, was my favorite of her books. I liked Beloved Lord, too, but it was somewhat too angsty. It’s been ages since I’ve read either of these, though! I wonder if they have been digitized.
@Li: I love everything on your list as well, though I don’t remember if I’ve read Lord Perfect? My relationship with Chase is on/off.
I do love Outlander and The Time Traveler’s Wife so much. Also The Bronze Horseman, which is another one that is sort of romance-adjacent and I think has a lot of romance fans.
@Janine: I am certainly not a doctor like Li, but can’t a stroke be caused by an aneurysm? I think of aneurysms as sort of freak things (at least some of them?) that can happen to anyone and aren’t necessarily indicative of future issues. My own very spotty anecdotal example is of a young woman I knew years ago who had a pretty bad aneurysm and did (mostly) recover. Of course, I haven’t heard from her in years, so again, I am on very shaky ground knowledge-wise, here.
@Janine: It doesn’t look like any of her books as Burgess or Hingston are available for Kindle, at least.
I approve all the Laura Kinsales in all top tens.
And Fabio.
@Jennie: Lord Perfect is my second favorite Chase after Knaves’ Wager. You should read it!
@Jennie: I’m not a doctor, but from the reading I just finished doing on the Mayo Clinic site, I’m doubtful that the treatments for aneurysms that are used today existed in the Regency era. I don’t know how that would have affected prognosis, though.
ttps://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/brain-aneurysm/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20361595
@Jennie: I think a stroke can be caused by an aneurysm if the damage blocks an area. I’m sure I said that wrong. I am also not in the medical field at all. But my mom had an aneurysm and then a stroke about when this book came out. I cried reading the book because we were watching the same symptoms with her. It was also a fabulous book.
@Janine: @Janine: Ha, that’s an interesting perspective. I suppose it depends on what the reason for his stroke was. If he had a berry aneurysm that burst (probably the most likely for his young age), it may be a one off, but if there’s an underlying connective tissue disease, then he’s in trouble. The other kind of stroke (a blocked artery aka ischemic stroke, as a opposed to a bleeding stroke) usually happens in older people and is usually a sign of gunky arteries (cholesterol plaques covering their walls, the same thing that causes heart attacks) and can definitely be recurring and lead to incremental decline. I actually really dig the imperfect HEA in FFTS, though I personally thought the most bittersweet part of it is the “package” that is referred to near the end of the book.
Unfortunately, I’m not on Goodreads. Probably should get on there! I get all my recs from you guys instead :)
@Jennie: Yes! I loved Bronze Horseman too, but found the subsequent books much less enjoyable, and it ruined the first a little for me. I think you may enjoy Lord Perfect if you haven’t read it before – it’s a traveling romance which I seem to recall you mentioning that you enjoy in your reviews. I agree that overall Chase can be very hit or miss but thought all the Carsington Brother series were fun romps if nothing else. I also liked Your Scandalous Ways. Thought Lord of Scoundrels was meh, which I know is heresy in some circles.
@Li: That is probably what my doctor friend meant when she said when she thought he was too young and so must have the kind of stroke that would recur.
That’s nice to hear! And most of us are not on Goodreads, so if you like our reviews, you should probably keep coming here. ;-)
@Li: I so agree on the Carsington books–that was Chase’s best streak, and I wish she’d stayed at Berkeley rather than switching to Avon for that reason. Have you tried her traditional regencies, which came out before she wrote single title romances? They are very different from her recent and mid-career books. It took me a long time to try them because I couldn’t get into the mid-career ones, even some that were other people’s favorites. Captives of the Night failed to captivate me, and I thought The Lion’s Daughter was a big yawn. Even Lord of Scoundrels was just a little above okay–I thought the beginning was great, but then the charm petered out. So I thought all her earlier books would probably disappoint me. But then I tried Knaves’ Wager after Sunita told me it was her favorite. It was great.
I’m exactly the opposite with Chase’s books – found the Carsington books meh at best (I guess Lord Perfect was okay) and loved Captives of the Night. I’m also unoriginal and really enjoyed Lord of Scoundrels, though admittedly the second half was not as strong. The trads were forgettable.
@Li:
Tatiana and Alexander was pretty good, but The Summer Garden does kind of ruin the rest of it. Alexander was aggressive even in the earlier the books, but crossed too many lines in this one.
For more romance-adjacent reading, I like Jennifer Donnelly’s The Tea Rose.
@Rose: I may have to check out all these Chase books that I haven’t read yet! Agree completely that Alexander was very off putting in later books, plus felt the plot jumped the shark by book 2. Thanks for the rec!
@Janine: Thanks for the rec, Janine! I’ll check it out.
@Rose: LOL. We’ll have to disagree. Captives of the Night was poorly paced and dragged on. Lord of Scoundrels started off with great banter but after that… let’s just say I don’t think shooting the hero is cool, even if he is a spoiled poor-little-rich-boy who feels sorry for himself. Of the trads, the only other I tried was The Sandalwood Princess and there at last we agree. It was forgettable. I would not say the same about Knaves’ Wager–a regency take on Les Liasions Dangereuses (Dangerous Liasions). Are you sure you read it?
@Li: I actually liked Tatiana and Alexander (however over-the-top it was in parts) and I even enjoyed the sturm und drang of The Summer Garden, though it was more of a mixed bag.
I tried to read the prequel Children of Liberty a few years ago and really didn’t like it. The only other Simons book I’ve read, The Girl in Times Square, I also enjoyed. Still, I’m wary enough of her to avoid her other books, many of which I’ve heard are kind of depressing.
@Janine: But Captives of the Night had Esmond!
According to my reading log I read Knaves’ Wager a few years ago and gave it a C+. I have absolutely no recollection of this ;)
@Rose: I know it is sacrilege, but I never got the appeal of Esmond. I read The Lion’s Daughter first so that I could have the background to his character before starting Captives of the Night. But TLD didn’t get me excited about him the way it did so many other readers. I barely managed to drag myself across the finish line of that book. Captives of the Night was better, but still not special for me. I usually love the redeemed villain-turned-hero, but that was not the case with these two books. He didn’t do anything for me. Can you explain his appeal? What traits specifically make you love him, or even care about him? I didn’t much—I think I liked Leila better of the two.