Sweeter Romantic Notions reviews WHEN A ROSE BLOOMS
Nathaniel Moncreiffe is a lost man, grieving the death of his wife, Maggie. To complicate matters, he's also begun to feel the stirrings of desire for another woman--this one alive and well--and she seems to want him, too. Which only him deeper, as he's forbidden himself from living since Maggie's death. This book has a prettiness of language hard to describe, but it's definitely compelling. The lush description on the first page sets the stage beautifully for a haunting short story. Because it is so short, those same descriptions can't apply everywhere, but there are some beautiful touches throughout the book, which highlight the setting or character they're used to describe and make them vignettes you will remember long after you put the book down. The plot, hardly epic, but for a short story, there is quite a bit for a reader to get into.
The language is appropriate and conveys the historical flavor quite well. The pacing is strangely slow for such a short piece, but considering the depth of emotional by-plays, it suits the story. Where Ms. Scott truly excels in this book is in the ambiance--mist-shrouded hills and cemeteries are the prevailing images. The image that will stay with a reader is that of a tortured man kneeling on the ground by his wife's grave. mourning two women he loves--neither of which he can have.
I read this one twice, because Ms. Scott does not overestimate the intelligence of her reads, and doesn't spell the entire conclusion out. Therefore, I recommend not reading this book when your children are finger painting in the room with you, as I tried at first sitting, and instead wait for when the house is quiet. Let the mood of the book wrap around you, instead. Because when you can allow yourself to get lost in the story, the resolution comes on you the same way as her painted images--fully formed, without being completely aware how yo know.
I would certainly give this book as a gift.
Sweeter Romantic Notions
Tarah Scott
The Wild Rose Press
19 pages
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