I don’t know what made me select this book. It might have been the promise of a good story involving past lives. Probably. Well, it was a good choice that is why I am trying to retrace my steps so that I am able to reproduce them in the future.
I have to confess to generally having low expectations of self-published books. Not that traditionally published ones are much better, but one hopes that traditional publishing houses can afford to hire people to do a lot of the things that the indie author needs to do alone, so the results have a chance of being more professional. However, many indie authors go through great pains to put out a finished product of excellent quality, either by hiring professional editors and designers, or by painfully learning those skills themselves and dedicating the extra time necessary to polish the book in every way. I think that The Gillyflower is one of these books. Perfectly professional in every way. There is nothing that says self-indulgence, overconfidence or haste. It is a beautiful book.
The story is not too fast paced, but I like that kind of book where the story is in the characters themselves. The characters are very interesting: people with feeling that, as a reader, you can feel, with life situations that you can relate to, and yet quirky and different enough to keep you interested. There are two story lines intertwined, and the best part of reading this book for me was trying to find the connections between the two. I loved it.
I must confess, I too am deterred by the indie book, not entirely unjustifiably either. I’ve read some clonkers. But I trust your reviews and know you don’t throw praise unwarranted so I’ll keep an eye out for this book.
I know, Rachel. It’s very hit and miss, but I am telling you, a lot of hits lately for me. There are many very serious indie writers out there.