Review: Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman

In 1920s Glasgow, Beattie Blaxland falls pregnant to her married lover Henry just before her nineteenth birthday. Abandoned by her family, Beattie and Henry set sail for a new life in Australia. But life is not about to follow the plan that Beattie had hoped for and fate will play her a cruel hand... In 2009, London, prima ballerina Lydia Blaxland-Hunter is also discovering that life can also have its ups and downs. Unable to dance again after a fall, Lydia returns home to Australia to recuperate. But on arrival she is presented with some surprising news - her recently deceased and much-loved grandmother Beattie Blaxland has left her Tasmanian property to Lydia. Told through the eyes of a young Beattie Blaxland and a contemporary Lydia Blaxland-Hunter, this is an emotionally charged, seductive tale of self-discovery, secrets and surprises.

Paperback, 544 pages

Published September 2010 by Hachette Australia

Here I am guilty again of not keeping up with my reviews.  I read this about a month or so ago and have not found the time to write my thoughts down.  At this point, I have now passed the book on to my mom and have probably forgotten some key items I wanted to share.

I can share how I discovered this book.  I was in the bookstore with my sister and this novel was sitting on display at the front of the store.  What caused me to pick it up and ultimately buy it was the fact that the front cover had an endorsement on it by Kate Morton.  If you have not already noticed, I am a big fan and have read all of her works.  Needless to say that is all of the convincing I needed.  Smart choice on Freeman's part I would say.

I did not find this book as "epic" as Morton's works however I found that it was a very enjoyable read.  The book flowed well, telling the story of Lydia in the present day and the story of her grandmother Beattie from when she was 19 years old.  There were no lull's in the story that tend to occur in most novels and it kept my interest from cover to cover.  It was an easy read, taking only a couple of hours for me to get through and followed the formula that I enjoy (as evident by my other reviews).

Sorry, that is all I can say now that it is not fresh in my head.  I know that I would recommend it as I do not pass books along to others if I did not enjoy it.  Some day I will post reviews about those books that I hated but for now I prefer to talk about the ones that entertained me.  I think there is promise for this author as i believe this is her first published work however I cannot confirm that as I have not researched her.  Great beachside or workout read.