Fresh Water for Flowers
Amy’s Review:
This is a novel of beautiful friendships written in a unique style and composition which I found so moving. From the main character, Violette Toussaint, caretaker of a small-town cemetery to the visitors of the cemetery, to her colleagues, the tragic death of her daughter (not a spoiler…don’t worry), the detective that shows up to leave his mother’s ashes on the grave of a man he has never heard of... this book is so much more about life and the living, than the dead. The dark topics that are somehow comforting are a reflection of Perrin’s poetic style. Her third novel ‘Forgotten on Sunday’ is out on July 27th and I cannot wait!
Violette Toussaint is the caretaker at a cemetery in a small town in Bourgogne. Casual mourners, regular visitors, and sundry colleagues—gravediggers, groundskeepers, and a priest—visit her to warm themselves in her lodge, where laughter, companionship, and occasional tears mix with the coffee she offers them. Her life is lived to the rhythms of their funny, moving confidences.
Violette’s routine is disrupted one day by the arrival of Julien Sole—local police chief—who insists on scattering the ashes of his recently deceased mother on the gravesite of a complete stranger. It soon becomes clear that Julien’s inexplicable gesture is intertwined with Violette’s own difficult past.
With Fresh Water for Flowers, Valérie Perrin has given readers an intimately told story that tugs on the heartstrings about a woman who defiantly believes in happiness, despite it all. A number one bestseller in France, Fresh Water for Flowers is a heartwarming and tender story that will stay will readers for years after the final page is turned.
