Quiet and heartbreaking, I loved getting lost in "Fresh Water For Flowers." I got entirely swept up in Violette's story, cheering on her healing from grief while caring for a cemetery. A strange, hilarious cast of characters moves through this earnest, raw, and emotional story.

This is a sad story of love and loss and grief but beautifully written and masterfully narrated. We start with the main character living and working in the cemetery and throughout the book find out how she got to live there and her life and those that connect to her. Highly recommend to those that love beautiful writing and can handle reading about death, loss and bad marriages. All the trigger warnings abound with this one.

I've tried reading both of Valerie Perrin's translated novels now and I'm sad to say that her writing just doesn't work for me. I wouldn't not recommend this, as I can see a lot of other readers enjoying, but it just wasn't to my own personal taste.

This was a very enjoyable audio book. The narration was well done. It’s a good and sad story of love and loss.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* 4.5 really interesting read! pretty long but im happy it wasnt shorter, would read again

This title really took my by surprise. I found myself loving it. It is not your average novel - the whole premise is so different then anything I have read before, This novel is beautifully written with charming prose. It is expertly translated from French. The story is of Violette, who has had a rough start in life but then she finds herself working as a cemetery caretaker at a cemetery in France for 20 years. She keeps meticulous records of those who are buried there - their funerals, their celebrations of life, and tends the graves with flowers and love. It is very moving how reverent and respectful she is of her neighbors. She is a bit of a recluse but during her years working there she meets an array of characters. She contemplates and mingles with those who have died and those who come to mourn. We meet many people through their stories - their sorrows and passions, their hopes and secrets. We experience love and longing as well as loss and grief - tempered by friendship and beautiful memories.
An epitaph is written at the top of every chapter such as - “There’ll always be someone missing to make my life smile: you” - “May your rest be as sweet as your heart was kind” and “When we miss one person, everywhere becomes deserted.” This story is so beautifully written with almost a fairy tale feel to it. This is a novel I will read over and over again.

This is a very moving story about the life of a woman who works and lives in a cemetery. It is full of romances, bad marriages and grief. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. I highly recommend this .

I'm glad this was translated and brought to the US. I already talked about it at one of our new book events. Who knew a cemetery could be such a pleasant setting?

Fresh Water for Flowers was not my favorite read of the year. In fact, I couldn't finish it. I tried. I really did. I listened to almost three hours before I gave up. I usually love descriptive books, but this one was too much. I couldn't get past all the details. I am sure it is a lovely book. I read the reviews. I tried to want to listen to it. I just couldn't. I hate to give it low stars because I didn't finish it. I will give it three stars. That is mediocre. That is how I felt. Not only that, I didn't agree with all of the things that were said in the book. I understand not all people believe or feel the same, but in good conscious, I couldn't finish this one. Thanks for the opportunity to listen to it, even though it wasn't my cup of tea. Or really my cup of anything.

Violette Toussaint and her husband Philippe took a job tending the cemetery in a small town in Bougogne, France, after their job as level-crossing keepers for trains becomes obsolete. Philippe has long since left Violette, however, and she spends her days tending the graves, as well as providing hospitality for her coworkers and those who visit the graveyard. One day, Julien Sole shows up at her graveyard, perplexed by his dead mother's request to have her ashes scattered on the grave of a man he has never heard of. She grows to look forward to his visits as they learn the story of Julien's mom and her lover.

This book has many layers and is told non-chronologically to build on what you know for maximum effect. I enjoyed all of the story lines and getting slowly to learn a new layer of each character as the plot moved along. Perrin did a fantastic job of making three dimensional characters. Even the ones you are sure you despise, she can make you feel sorry for them as well. The one thing that confused me was the claim from the blurb that Julien's “mother's story of clandestine love is intertwined with Violette's own secret past”. If there was something more to that than just the fact that Julien's mother visited the graveyard while Violette worked there, I completely missed it. Sara Young did a decent job narrating the book, but if I were to read this book again, I would probably go for a physical copy of the book. Overall, this was a beautiful and thoroughly French story, and I would recommend it to those who enjoy character-based books.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

4.5 stars

Violette Trenet, born to a mother who doesn't want her, is thought to be stillborn until she unexpectedly turns pink and takes a breath. Violette then grows up in a series of indifferent foster homes, and by the age of 17, is living in a hostel and working as a bartender. It's then that Violette meets gorgeous, golden-haired twentysomething Phillipe Toussaint and instantly falls in love.

Violette and Philippe are soon living in a small house in a French town, working as level crossing keepers. In reality, this means that Violette operates the gates about 15 times a day while Philippe plays videogames, rides his motorcycle, and hooks up with other women. Moreover, Philippe contributes nothing to the household, and Violette scrimps and saves to pay bills, buy food, purchase household goods, buy clothes, etc.

When the level crossing is automated and the couple lose their jobs, Philippe is dismayed by the thought of going to work. But Violette finds an advertisement for cemetery keepers in Bourgogne, which comes with an all-expenses-paid house, and the couple soon have new employment. Violette again does all the work while Philippe plays games, rides his bike, and philanders - but Violette is content with her home and vegetable garden.

Then one day Philippe leaves for good, without even a goodbye.

Violette is happy working in the graveyard. She opens the gates in the morning and closes them in the evening; attends the interments and transcribes the eulogies into her journal; offers refreshments to - and chats with - the people who come to visit their loved ones; grows and sells flowers; takes care of graves when family members are away; looks after pets who arrive with their deceased owners and never leave; deals with teenagers who sneak into the cemetery at night (this is a hoot!); and more.

Violette also likes the people she works with: the gravediggers/caretakers - Nono; Gaston; and Elvis; the undertakers - Pierre, Paul and Jacques Lucchini; and the priest - Father Cedric Duras. These colleagues frequently drop into Violette's house, for a cup of coffee and a chat.

Violette's co-workers are a colorful bunch, and we read about clumsy Gaston falling into an open grave; Elvis singing his namesake's songs; handsome Father Duras inspiring ladies to come to church; reliable Nono helping out when Violette is away; the undertakers fretting when business is bad; and more. Violette also talks about people buried in the cemetery, in whose lives she takes an interest.

The book alternates back and forth between the past and the present, and we slowly learn about the joys and sorrows in Violette's life. We read about Violette's happiness when her daughter Leonine is born, and Leonine becoming a beautiful blonde sprite who loves magic. We also learn about Violette's overbearing mother-in-law, who raises her son to be a selfish narcissist; a cemetery keeper called Sasha, who helps Violette through dark times; a woman named Celia, who becomes Violette's cherished confidante; and more.

One of Violette's closest relationships begins when she's middle-aged. A handsome police detective called Julien Seul knocks on Violette's door and tells her that his mother Irene just died. Instead of being buried with her husband, Irene left instructions to inter her with a man named Gabriel Prudent, who's in Violette's cemetery. Julien probes the relationship between Irene and Gabriel, and in Scheherazade-like fashion, slowly spins out the tale for Violette.....so he can keep seeing her.

The illicit romance between Irene and Gabriel is revealed bit by bit, as is the growing rapport between Violette, Julien, and Julien's seven-year-old son Nathan.

There's also a mysterious tragedy in the story, and exploring this event reveals dark secrets as well as hidden depths.

The story begins in a leisurely fashion, then picks up speed and becomes a page turner. This is a beautifully written book about friendship, companionship, love, grief.....and the large and small lives that make up humanity. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, Valérie Perrin, and Europa Editions for a copy of the book.

Fresh Water for Flowers is an award winning and best-selling French novel that has just been translated into English. Although the book summary caught my attention, I think it undersells this book. Fresh Water for Flowers is hands down the best book I've read in a long time. This is a novel that's deeply psychological. It explores themes such as grief, longing, denial, death, healing, and friendship. It truly encompasses the human condition. I really was caught unaware when I realized that there were so many different layers and stories that were slowly being interwoven with precision and skill to create this beautiful novel.

Slowly as you get deeper into the story you realize there's a mystery at the heart of this tale and it's brilliantly uncovered through different narrators as the novel seamlessly jumps to different points in the timeline. Towards the end of the novel I audibly gasped when a piece of the puzzle was revealed, and I don't think I've ever audibly gasped when reading a book in my life. I didn't see it coming. But it didn't feel out of place.

Fresh Water for Flowers is one of those novels where once you've finished it you still find yourself mulling over the story and discovering more. Although it's about a cemetery caretaker and death plays a central role it's not a morbid read, nor is it depressing. Hope permeates this story.

The only negative thing I can say about Fresh Water for Flowers is that Perrin leans heavily on comparing characters and situations to famous French singers, actors, movies, etc. I realize this is ironic coming from me since I was raised in the US and France but it really demonstrated how little I know about 20th century French pop culture. An example is when she describes a character as looking like Serge Gainsburg. I know that Serge Gainsburg was a singer around the 60s and 70s, and I can only name one song I know that he sang but I have no idea how he looks like (looked like? I don't even know if he's still alive). On a personal level it demonstrated to me that although I was raised speaking French and spent my summers living with my grandparents in a village in the French countryside, I'm not wholly French. I'm cut off from pop culture references, and I can imagine this being a bigger struggle for those who don't have a connection to France. However it's truly minor and none of the pop cultural references are vital for understanding the story. It does bring to mind a piece of advice I read about writing a long time ago. It was that you want to be careful when using a lot of pop culture references in your writing because it can result in the novel struggling to age well overtime. But again it doesn't detract from the beauty of the larger story.

This book is going to be one that stays with me for a long time. I give Fresh Water for Flowers 5 out of 5 stars.

This is a truly beautiful novel. It’s the story of Violette, a cemetery caretaker with a simple, yet purposeful existence. As we follow the detail of her daily tasks, we learn not just of her heartbreak, but of so many stories of love and friendship, grief and tragedy, told in a quiet, graceful and lovely melancholy way. Violette and so many of the peripheral characters really touched me, got under my skin. It’s the kind of novel, where you’ll sometimes think of the characters as though they are long lost friends.... just wonderful. And the narrator does a great job, a gentle engaging delivery. Loved it!

This book was a little eerie... I don’t think I was in the right mindset to be reading it but it did have some parts that I enjoyed. If you are looking for a heavier read with a dark topic this could be right up your alley

Fresh Water for Flowers is the first book by Valerie Perrin to be published in English. The writer’s native language is French. Fresh Water is a beautiful book that is told in a unique voice. Protagonist, Violette, was abandoned by her mother and grew up in care. She was a loner until she becomes involved with Phillipe Toussaint. Together they have a child but Phillipe eventually disappears.

Phillipe and Violette worked at a railroad crossing although Violette did most of the work; they later go on to become cemetery keepers. Violette remains there after Phillipe leaves.

The story is told from Violette’s point of view. She tells it all, her hard times, her hopes, the things that she learned and taught herself, the people she sees and cares for and those with whom she works. All this within the background of the cemetery and many sayings from gravestones.

This novel is filled with humanity. I recommend it.

I am reviewing the audio version. It was a beautiful listen and I was sorry when the story ended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Fresh Water For Flowers by Valérie Perrin, Hildegarde Serle (Translator), Sara Young (Narrator)

Fresh Water for Flowers is a story full of grief, death, leaving, and not being able to let go. Violette was an orphan from the moment of her birth. It was only when she took up with Phillipe, a gorgeous blond womanizer, and became pregnant, that she became part of a family. But almost from the time that Phillipe entered Violette's life, he was leaving her, until he finally was gone for good.

By then Violette works as a cemetery keeper and the cemetery is her home, the people there, dead and alive, her family. The present day part of the story takes place when Violette is about 50 and she is happy, in a way one can be happy despite a hollow place in one's heart that will never be filled. In some ways she is on hold until the day she dies. She's been left behind in more ways than one. 

This story is so full of people, their sorrows and passions, their hopes and secrets. Love and longing plays a huge part in the story and the stories are told over a myriad of timelines. For the last 30 years Violette has had her cemetery, garden, cats, dogs, and the people that work there or visit regularly. This is her holding pattern and she doesn't expect anything more than what she has right now. 

I struggled a bit with the constantly changing timelines but those timelines allow the mystery to unfold slowly. I might have been able to follow some parts of the story better if the past events were shown to us in chronological order but maybe the story would have lost some of it's magic if told that way. This story sometimes felt like a song, a fairy tale, a poem and it challenged me to keep up with it. 

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ARC.

Loved listening to Sara Young’s narration of this story a o lonely woman, Violette Toussant, who is the care taken of a cemetery in France. Visitors often visit her and share funny, sad but always moving stories with her over coffee. Life is pleasant until the police chief wants to spread the ashes of his dead mother over the grave of a complete stranger. I found this a soothing story about a woman, who was an orphan from birth, finds her past intertwined with the police chief’s request. If I to put the synopsis of the story in one sentence it would be this. Determined to be happy, she lets her past and betrayals not stop her in being happy.

Oh my word, this book is an absolute delight... It's been on my list, but I had a chance to read it through the library and listen to the audio through NetGalley, and bumped it up on my list.

I was hanging on every word. The story has so many twists and turns, beautiful interwoven points of view. There is so much of everything here. People to love, hate and be conflicted about. Stories of love, friendship, trajedy, romance, pain, loss and redemption. There's so much going on in the book that it shouldn't go together but it just does. All the stories combine so well.

The drama is addictive. I want everything this author has to offer. When I was listening to the audio while driving, there were moments so shocking it was soap operas and daytime talk shows in one, but like, good... I don't want to give anything away, but there were so many moments while driving I literally said out loud "Holy sh**!", "OH MY GOD." and other phrases to express the twists I wasn't prepared for.

If this book is in your reading list, you should make it a priority.

So thankful for the chance to hear the from Dreamscape Media on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The narrator was a perfect choice. She had some odd Northeastern US accents for a novel based on France, but somehow, it fit perfectly. She also had the perfect voice for Violette.

Tragically beautiful. Such a sad lovely story. So many different stories weave together over the years. The narrator was so emotive and passionate. I loved this audiobook so much.

I am reviewing the audiobook which was sent to me by the publisher in return for my honest review.

I struggled with the audiobook for two main reasons. Most significantly I was distracted by the narrator’s many mispronunciations of French names and places. If you speak French, it would be best to avoid the audiobook for that very important reason. It is difficult to immerse yourself in a novel when you are constantly irritated.

The second reason I hesitate to recommend this as an audiobook is that this is a long, complicated story told in multiple time periods. . Rewinding an audiobook to refresh your memory and keep the time jumps clear is more difficult than turning back the pages.

All that said, the writing and translation are beautiful. Violette, the main character is an inspiring woman who brings comfort and joy to those who work in or visit the cemetery that she oversees. Her commitment to her “family” of the departed is both passionate and touching, and her ability to find peace and happiness despite her difficult childhood, marriage and loss is moving and poignant.

In spite of my annoyance with the narrator, I kept listening because of the mystery surrounding Violette’s tragic loss. The author did an excellent job of keeping me curious and interested until almost the very end of the novel. (Which is a good thing as I almost deleted the book out of annoyance with the narrator quite early on.)

I probably should read the print copy to experience the full power of the novel, but I won’t. It’s too long, too much of a time commitment, and I already know the ending!

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and Net Galley for the copy of this book.

#FreshWaterforFlowers #NetGalley #DreamscapeMedia