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Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:One woman, an impossible dream, and the faith it took to see it through, inspired by the life of Hulda Klager German immigrant and farm wife Hulda Klager possesses only an eighth-grade education�??and a burning desire to create something beautiful. What begins as a hobby to create an easy-peeling apple for her pies becomes Hulda�??s driving purpose: a time-consuming interest in plant hybridization that puts her at odds with family and community, as she challenges the early twentieth-century expectations for a simple housewife. Through the years, seasonal floods continually threaten to erase her Woodland, Washington garden and a series of family tragedies cause even Hulda to question her focus. In a time of practicality, can one person�??s simple gifts of beauty make a difference? Based on the life of Hulda Klager, Where Lilacs Still Bloom is a story of triumph over an impossible dream and the power of a generous heart. �??Beauty matters�?� it does. God gave us flowers for a reason. Flowers remind us to put away fear, to stop our rushing and running and worrying about this and that, and for a moment, have a piece of paradise right here on… (more)
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Review Copy Gratis WaterBrook Press
Where Lilacs still Bloom is based on a true story, well researched and told in a way that I felt like I was back walking in my own grandmother’s garden. It will inspire the gardeners in your life and maybe have you take a second look at nature’s beauty. I loved this journey through one woman’s life, whose Woodland, Washington’s garden survived a multitude of floods, and inspired and touched many people. Its message challenges us to follow our dreams and to carry on in hard times. The Novels’ release date this April makes it the perfect spring read. I have read 3 other books by Jane Kirkpatrick and loved them all; this is the first one I read as an advanced readers copy through the Amazon Vine program.
So many historical stories can be told through historical fiction where an author takes some liberties in an event or the life of a person and makes it a little more dramatic. Ms. Kirkpatrick explores the life of Hulda Klager who did not receive a formal education past the eighth grade but learned to create various hydrids of apples, daffodils, and lilacs that have since found homes across America.
Hulda and Frank Klager made a home in Washington state where they raised their four children. As they grew up and founded families of their own, Hulda began to see how a hobby and desire to create different colored lilacs was actually a representation of life. As she encountered joy, love, sorrow, and the bleakness the world can bring upon you, she found herself living life as her flowers did. She had her blooming seasons and her dormant times as well as the times nature sought destruction.
I found myself crying as the book progressed. I hate to read of someone’s pain in life which was made even more bittersweet as she compared everything to her flowers, especially the lilacs. Life is seasonal and can be weathered.
Through this story, you learn how a lack of education is not an excuse for not finding happiness or success. You learn that people can survive the hardest times and find themselves blooming in the warmth of a new day’s sun. The book is a lesson to all that the stronger we are, the brighter we’ll bloom.
This is a fictional story based on the true life of Hulda Klager. The author puts in the front a list of characters that helps the reader with relationships and to know who is historically accurate and who is completely fictitious. These fictitious characters were placed in the book as an artistic way to explain the impact one German immigrant woman with determination had on those across the country. There is also a map to understand the location of the Klager farm as well as a picture of Hulda herself at her famous home. Located at the end of the book is an author’s note explaining how the end of Hulda’s life played out and the impact she truly had on America.
Note: I was given this book by the publisher with no expectation of a positive review.
This books teaches you lesson though the way Hulda did it though her garden. It book that really hit home with your emotions. I suggest that you have a few tissues on hand or you may be wipe your eyes while reading. It was heartfelt in some parts in this book. To me it a must read.
I had never heard of Hulda Klager before I picked up Where Lilacs Still Bloom, but after reading it, I will never forget her. Hulda was a no excuses kind of woman, full of life and ahead of her time, and Jane Kirkpatrick makes her come to life with a garden of descriptive and colorful words
Rating: On the Run (4.5/5)
*** I received this book from the author (Blogging for Books) in exchange for and honest and unbiased review.