Root, Petal, Thorn

A thoughtful multiple point of view novel following the stories of five women through heartbreak and loss and rebuilding life after devastation.Ivy is reeling after her husbands sudden and tragic death. She sets out to finish the renovations on the bungalow they have lived in since the beginning days of their marriage. As her project uncovers more and more mysteries of the previous lives lived in the house Ivy digs into the history of the house to understand the women and heal her own broken heart.

This is a beautifully written book, told from five different generations of women who live in the same house over the course of one hundred years.It begins in the present day with Ivy, who is mourning the death of her husband, who was killed in a car accident. As part of trying to deal with her pain, she finishes the house renovation projects she had been working on alongside her husband. This leads to small discoveries about the people who lived in the house before them.As readers, we go back in time through the first and second world wars and the Great Depression. We also go through the sixties, but that women’s story is more about her battle with manic-depressive disorder and not about what was going on in society as a whole.The stories of the different women were engaging for a variety of reasons. Once I started a chapter from one of the women’s points of view, I was completely lost in her story and was sad when I had to start a new chapter—but then I’d promptly get engrossed in this other woman’s tale.The book is set in Salt Lake City, which is obviously heavily Mormon, so the women who live in the house in 1913 (sisters Clara and Emmeline) are Mormon. The practice of polygamy had been outlawed, but it was still practiced by some members (who should have then been excommunicated). Emmeline’s love interest comes from a family that is known for practicing polygamy, but Nathaniel assures her that he doesn’t share his father’s views. He goes off to his two-year mission and asks her to wait for him, but war overseas puts an obstacle in their plans to marry.I found all of the women’s stories compelling, and have to say the ending took me by surprise—in a good way.I definitely recommend this book. It’s unique and beautifully told.

Root, Petal, Thorn by Ella Joy Olsen was a book that I read about on Shelf Awareness, and it sounded interesting, so I put my name in to win a copy. The author wrote to tell me that I didn't win one, but she hoped that I'd read it anyway, as it was about finding out about the history of a home through clues left behind over the years, ie photos or old diaries. After purchasing a copy online, I was dismayed to learn that the book is about a series of Mormon families who lived and grew up in the house, so there was a religious aspect to the novel that I wasn't expecting and that was an unwelcome intrusion to the story line. Here's the blurb from the publisher:In this beautifully written and powerful debut novel, Ella Joy Olsen traces the stories of five fascinating women who inhabit the same historic home over the course of a century—braided stories of love, heartbreak and courage connect the women, even across generations.Ivy Baygren has two great loves in her life: her husband, Adam, and the bungalow they buy together in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Salt Lake City, Utah. From the moment she and Adam lay eyes on the home, Ivy is captivated by its quaint details—the old porch swing, ornate tiles, and especially an heirloom rose bush bursting with snowy white blossoms. Called the Emmeline Rose for the home’s original owner, it seems yet another sign that this place will be Ivy’s happily-ever-after…Until her dreams are shattered by Adam’s unexpected death.Striving to be strong for her two children, Ivy decides to tackle the home-improvement projects she and Adam once planned. Day by day, as she attempts to rebuild her house and her resolve, she uncovers clues about previous inhabitants, from a half-embroidered sampler to buried wine bottles. And as Ivy learns about the women who came before her—the young Mormon torn between her heart and anti-polygamist beliefs, the Greek immigrant during World War II, a troubled single mother in the 1960s—she begins to uncover the lessons of her own journey. For every story has its sadness, but there is also the possibility of blooming again, even stronger and more resilient than before…While I have heard that Salt Lake City, Utah is the center or headquarters of the LDS/Mormon faith, I had assumed that there were books written about the town that didn't focus on that religion as part of the plot. Just when I thought I had gotten away from religious discussion between characters in the text, inevitably it was brought up as an important plot point. This might be a SPOILER, but I was disgusted and distressed that Emmeline entered into a polygamist relationship, agreeing to share her husband with a German woman that he married after WW1 to defend her and her son against prejudice from the American people, when it was against her own beliefs to do so. And the Greek family seem to be overly dramatic and the mother ridiculously preferential to her son Adonis, insisting that he not join the military for WW2, because she believes he will die in the war (though he does, it was his choice to enter into the war). She attempts to sabotage him at every step, but he manages to escape her iron clutches and join the war effort, which, as an adult, was his decision. She seems perpetually angry and mean, and she neglects her daughter as a result, which made her seem like a bad person and a crappy mother all at once. There was no real resolution to the story set in the 60s and 70s, of the mother diagnosed with bi polar disorder, when what she really had was schizophrenia. She was as pathetic a character as Ivy, who also couldn't seem to function without her husband, who died unexpectedly. Again, a mother is represented who becomes mentally ill over a man, and can't care for herself or her children. None of these women seemed to have control over themselves or their emotions, and only the Greek mother seemed to have any backbone, and she was mean and cruel. In other words, I didn't like any of the protagonists in this novel, nor did I feel much sympathy for them and their bad choices. None of them could function properly without a man or men in their lives, which seems ridiculous to me, as I know its possible to be single and live and take care of oneself and ones children. It's called maturity, and none of these women seemed to have developed it. The prose was fluid and sometimes lyrical, but the plot felt disjointed and the characters, as I've said, seemed weak and drawn in a sexist fashion. Still, I'd give this novel a B, and recommend it to anyone of the Mormon faith who is fascinated with historic homes.

I found it an interesting way to deal with loss. The writer made all the characters very believable. I’ve never thought about the people who occupied my houses before my family did but now I wonder.

This beautiful novel captured me immediately, I felt drawn right in, since I too live in an old home that whispers memories, and makes me wonder about women who lived there in the past. My heart fell in love with this story, this old house with the porch swing, the garden and characters of Emmeline, Cora, Bitsy, Lainey, Eris, and Ivy. It was an interwoven story of love and grief for these women, that spanned the eras of pre-World War 11, to the present. There is Emmeline who left an unfinished tapestry tucked away in the attic, Bitsy who hid a memory book, and hidden wine bottles in the old victory garden. Lainey was portrayed with reality and empathy in her battle of Bi-Polar disease. Ivy a recent widow, awakens from a dream and reaches for her husband, as she struggles with the pain of trying not to remember his car accident. Richard her brother helps her to walk through her grief as she discovers the stories of those women who went before her. Each generation live though sad times but there is also joy and stories of unwavering love with peace that fill your soul. There are controversial issues to contend with and come away with different perspective and perhaps new understanding. When you read this book, you will know why thorns have roses. I can't believe this is a debut novel, the author has written with wisdom of ages, and it truly is a story of the heart. This is a book I loved, I will read it again and again, it grabbed my heart and won't let go.

I was absorbed into the story from the beginning. I loved that the author told the stories of the women who lived in the house on Downington Avenue at different times from 1913 to now. She made all the voices unique and different, and I as a reader was pulled in all of them.

Ok