A Memory of Violets (39 page)
Read A Memory of Violets Online
Authors: Hazel Gaynor
John Groom's legacy continues as the organization Livability, the United Kingdom's largest Christian disability charity, which aims to provide disabled and disadvantaged people real choice about how they live their lives. Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, is the charity's patron.
The Alexandra Rose Charities also still operates today. Since 2013 its aim has been to work with the London Food Board in an attempt to bring about positive change in food-related issues affecting lower-income families. The charity's patron is Princess Alexandra, the Honorable Lady Ogilvyâgreat-granddaughter of the charity's founder, Queen Alexandra.
John Groom's impact on the lives of the watercress and flower sellers and on London's orphans was profound. He was a true pioneer in his work to assist those least fortunate in society, and it is testament to his vision and dedication that his legacy continues to this day.
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1.     The role of the “little mother” was very common among London's poor, with the eldest siblings (often no older than six or seven years themselves) taking responsibility for younger sisters and brothers. What was your response to reading about Flora's life and her relationship with Rosie? What are your thoughts about the lives of child street sellers in Victorian England?
2.     The unique relationship between sisters is explored throughout the novel. To what extent do the relationships between Tilly and Esther, and Florrie and Rosie differ? Are there any ways in which they are similar?
3.     Marguerite Ingram is determined to raise Violette as her own child. Do you think she is justified in her conviction that this is the best thing for the child? Is she right to keep the truth from Violette for so many years?
4.     While Tilly's mother cannot find love for her in the same way she does for Esther, Marguerite loves Violette almost instantly. Why is this? How have their different experiences of motherhood influenced the two women's emotions?
5.     The novel is written in alternating periods, Tilly's story in 1912 and that
of Florrie, Rosie/Violette, and Marguerite from the late 1800s. In what ways do the two story lines reflect each other and in what ways do they differ?
6.     One of the main themes of the novel is forgiveness. Do you think Violette should forgive Marguerite for hiding the truth about her past? Should Tilly be forgiven for her feelings toward Esther? Should Esther forgive Tilly for the accident? Should Tilly forgive her step-mother for her feelings toward her?
7.     There are many other themes in the novelâsecond chances, hope, family bonds, overcoming adversity. Which themes resonated with you the most?
8.     Disability was very much a hidden or ignored part of society in Victorian London. The Flower Homes and the orphanage were pioneering approaches to assisting those who were disadvantaged. Now that you have read the novel, what are your thoughts about attitudes toward disability in Victorian England? How have attitudes toward disability changed?
9.     The language of flowers was well known among the Victorians, and the flowers hidden within Florrie's journal convey very specific messages and emotions. What are your thoughts about the “language of flowers”?
10.    Landscape plays a large part in the storytelling of the novel, with the settings moving from the cramped streets of London to the mountains of the Lake District and the open seascapes of Clacton. How do these landscapes reflect the emotions of the characters?
11.    Through flower making, the girls and women of the Flower Homes were given a way out of hardship and a way to become independent. Why did Albert Shaw insist on the girls working for a living, rather than simply providing them with charity?
THE GIRL WHO CAME HOME
Ireland, 1912 . . .
Fourteen members of a small village set sail on RMS
Titanic
, hoping to find a better life in America. For seventeen-year-old Maggie Murphy, the journey is bittersweet. Though her future lies in an unknown new place, her heart remains in Ireland with Séamus, the sweetheart she left behind. When disaster strikes, Maggie is one of the few passengers in steerage to survive. Waking up alone in a New York hospital, she vows never to speak of the terror and panic of that fateful night again.
Chicago, 1982 . . .
Adrift after the death of her father, Grace Butler struggles to decide what comes next. When her great-grandmother Maggie shares the painful secret about
Titanic
that she's harbored for almost a lifetime, the revelation gives Grace new directionâand leads both her and Maggie to unexpected reunions with those they thought lost long ago.
Inspired by true events,
The Girl Who Came Home
poignantly blends fact and fiction to explore the
Titanic
tragedy's impact and its lasting repercussions on survivors and their descendants.
Click here to buy
The Girl Who Came Home
.
Cover design by Mumtaz Mustafa
Cover photograph © by Nadja Pollack/Arcangel Images
Author photograph © by Deasy Photographic
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A MEMORY OF VIOLETS
. Copyright © 2015 by Hazel Gaynor. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN 978-0-06-231689-9
EPub Edition FEBRUARY 2015 ISBN 9780062316905
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