I’m going to be totally honest here and say that I completely missed out on the first book writen by Tracy Rees so approached her second novel, Florence Grace, with very little idea of what to expect. Not being a big reader of historical fiction I was a little bit apprehensive and worried that it might not be a book for me, but I’m pleased to say that I didn’t just like this book but loved it. There was just something about the way in which it was written that really captivated me and made the whole reading experience such a pleasure.
When we first meet Florrie Buckley she is just thirteen years old and living with her Nan who she has lived with for many years following the death of both her parents in a small village community in Cornwall. Despite, like many others, not having much money to their name Florrie and her Nan seem happy enough and indeed Florrie is at one with the moors and loves nothing more than to roam and run around them. One day Florrie and her two friends are asked to help out at an engagement party of the wealthy Grace family, a massive adventure which causes a great deal of excitement for young Florrie. Little does Florrie how life-changing this party is as not long after a massive secret is revealed which sees young Florrie whisked away to London where a whole new life awaits her.
Throughout the entirety of this novel, Florrie is an absolutely delightful character who is so strong, memorable and admirable. No matter what life throws at her, she approaches life with an incredibly positive attitude and is one of those characters who never really stops to dwell on the negative but instead remains hopeful about finding happiness even when life gives her plenty of reasons not to. Subsequently, whilst I was reading this novel I really couldn’t help but want everything to turn out well for her and she was definitely a character who I learned a lot from. I really liked the way she stayed true to herself and everything that she believed in.
Admittedly, the writing style throughout Florence Grace was a bit different to what I normally read but this didn’t stop me from enjoying it and I was still able to get into the book incredibly quickly. By having written the book in the way that she did, Tracy Rees really helped to set the scene and transport the reader to a whole new world and period of time. I really enjoyed reading and getting to know more about Victorian England and how life was back then. Tracy’s done such a wonderful job at writing a book that is beautifully detailed, descriptive and fascinating.
A special mention also has to go to the cover of this book which was absolutely perfect. Not only was it stunning and captivating, but it provided such an accurate depiction of the book, summing up everything that the book was about excellently.
A special mention also has to go to the cover of this book which was absolutely perfect. Not only was it stunning and captivating, but it provided such an accurate depiction of the book, summing up everything that the book was about excellently.
Overall I thought that Florence Grace was a brilliantly compelling read that provided a fabulous introduction to Tracy’s writing. It’s a book that is bound to appeal to all lovers of historical fiction and I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to pick this book up and that I enjoyed it as much as I did. Given how much I loved this book I’m really looking forward to picking up Tracy’s first novel and am really excited to see what she will write next. Definitely an author whose books I’ll be looking out for.
