Search - Flowers From The Storm

Flowers from the Storm is a very emotional story about a man (Christian Langland) stricken with a catastrophic stroke which leaves him unable to understand or speak, and is committed to a 19th century insane asylum by his family, who thinks he's gone "mad." It's a really compelling story about a man's struggle to recover his health and rebuild his life against overwhelming odds. A romance develops, but that story is (almost) secondary in my opinion. This is Kinsale at her absolute best. Her website indicates that she had a family member suffer a stroke when Kinsale was quite young and it's apparent that Kinsale did a lot of research for this book. The writing and characterization of Christian are so authentic that you develop a great deal of empathy for him to the point where you intensely feel his frustration and despair at being locked inside a body that will not cooperate.

It so happens that the man stricken by the stroke is a Duke and also a brilliant mathematician. In the meantime, Christian's family is trying to have him declared incompetent, permanently committed to the asylum and stripped of his title. A Quaker woman, Maddy, has volunteered to help her cousin who manages what is considered a progressive insane asylum (for the time). Maddy is filling in for her cousin's wife (who was his clerical assistant) who has taken a pregnancy-related leave of absence. Maddy had met the Duke briefly when he and her father presented their mathematical work at a meeting of the Analytical Society and the Duke invited them to dinner at his estate afterward.

During a tour of the asylum, Maddy sees the Duke, who is chained in restraints (due to his violent behavior) and she has what the Quakers call an "Opening," believing she was sent there (by God) to help him. She speaks to him and treats him kindly and for the first time, he calms down. She seems to be the only one he responds to, (probably because she treats him like a human being) and she comes to the conclusion that he is not "mad" but "maddened." Against strong opposition, She requests to be his caretaker. She is the only person who has treated him like a human being rather than an animal and he immediately develops a strong attachment to her.

The book is a very emotional read, at times heartbreaking, but outstanding and very compelling. I must say it's not an easy read--the first 100 pages or so were downright painful to read (never cried at the BEGINNING of a book before), but it gets more optimistic after that. However, as the Duke slowly recovers, Maddy becomes more and more critical of him and his lifestyle, which goes against everything Quakers believe. I found Maddy's "holier than thou" attitude a little irritating, however. Maddy and Christian fall in love and Maddy is forced to choose between her religion and Christian. I love the characterization of Christian and his frustration with his life changing illness and struggle to recover.

Definitely a keeper and I'm very picky about what I keep. Even my husband wants to read it now after hearing me rave about it.

I always enjoy Laura Kinsale! I particularly like her heroes that are flawed. This partifcular hero is your typical womanizing rake until he has a stroke that affects his speech. Suddenly he's not so popular any more. He also develops a nasty temper in his frustration to communicate and his damaged pride in the man he has turned out to be. In comes a Quaker woman who thoroughly disapproves of his lifestyle. Two very unlikely people come together in a great romance. Especially good is the scene where, after she has left him, he comes into her church service and finally swallows his pride to tell her how he feels, in his halting and very difficult speech that will make you cry as he struggles to communicate his feelings. Ms. Kinsale always delivers the unique romance that touches on some of the more unspeakable elements of our human nature.

One of the best romances I've ever read. Seriously. It's a non-stop roller-coaster ride from the first page to the last, a book so good that when reading it for the 5th time I found myself stopping at certain passages and thinking, "Wow, HOW did she write this??"
And the love scenes.... stunning, sexy, and wonderfully different. You won't see any cliches in this book. Christian's and Maddie's story is touching, amusing, heart-wrenching, and just about any other emotion you can imagine. You feel like you're right there through each scene experiencing everything the characters do.
Believe me, if you pick up no other Romance, you MUST read this one.

From the back of the book (which intrigued me enough to buy it, which rarely happens!)...
"He is London's most notorious rakehell--a charming, irresistible seducer possessing a brilliant mind and reckless passions. Until, in the wake of a shocking tragedy, he is condemned to a world of shadows...and madness.
An innocent beauty of modest birth and simple faith, once she feared the dashing nobleman who awakened within her feelings she had never known. Now she has come to free him from his solitary torment--never dreaming her warm, healing touch will etermally bind them together in need, in desire...and in love."

It is evident in the prologue that the hero suffers a stroke. (unknown at that point in history) He is sent to a high class home for the insane.

The book is full of despair, hope, escapes, mad-cap chases, lies, intrigues, more hope, loss, pain, confusion and more hope.

Well, can you tell that I enjoyed it????

This was a very enjoyable book. It's a little different from the normal romance in that the couple has some serious obstacles to overcome - not just petty class distinctions, etc. - though those are present too. Overall I thought the premise was very interesting and well executed.

Historical Romance
Regency England
A lord of the realm has a stroke and is put in an institution, a quaker nurses him back to health

Fascinating historical romance with an unlikely, but perfect couple. Great book!

Just love Laura Kinsale - one of the old greats - Book is soooo Good.!

A great historical romance.

Oh, this book. Jervaulx, a witty and rakish duke is cut down by a stroke. He is unable to speak and left to linger in an asylum. Maddie Timms, whose father used to work with the Duke on mathematical papers, discovers him in the asylum and sets about teaching him to speak again. Very Byronesque, the inarticulate Duke raging against the constraints of the world.

A classic love story .

Good read, and very different from your average regency.

The Duke of Jervaulx was brilliant - and dangerous. Considered dissolute, reckless and extravagant, he was transparently referred to as the "D of J" in scandal sheets. But sometimes the most womanizing rakehell can be irrestible, and even his most casual attentions fascinated the sheltered Maddy Timms...

Very nice love story.

Great book. A true love stroy.

Very good book.

I loved this book. It was the first Laura Kinsale I read and I really enjoyed the depth of character it portays

He is London's most notorious rakehell-a charming, irresistible seducer possessing a brilliant mind and reckless passions. Until, in the wake of a shocking tragedy, he is condemned to a world of shadows...and madness.
An innocent beauty of modest birth and simple faith, once she feared the dashing nobleman who awakened within her feelings she had never known. Now she has come to free him from his solitary torment-never dreaming her warm, healing touch will eternally bind them together in need, in desire...and in love.

My book has a different picture on the cover.

Awesome book, I loved it.

Fabulous!!!