Marlene Hauser

“Geraniums” is a poignant, heart-wrenching tale of an American family’s travails through the 1960s. Initially the three children, narrated through middle child Lily, are blissfully happy living in Europe while their GI father Jack is posted a road. When they Jack sent back to mid-West America his psychological and physical abuse of each member of the family becomes intolerable, precipitating his loving wife’s nervous breakdown. Jack’s violence is exacerbated by alcoholism and PTSD. Anyone reading this with a similar background will recognise the stunning accuracy of this form of domestic abuse. Punctuated with moments of reprieve, a mother’s tender love and initial joy, this novel is impossible to put down and a quick read. Highly recommended.

It has been quite some time since I have read a novel that was so gripping. I read it over the weekend and was caught up in the beautifully depicted world of Lily and her very dysfunctional family. And yet, it is very different from other novels about dysfunctional families.

There is an attempt to be generous and to try to analyse the dysfunctionality sympathetically which gives significant depth to the novel. I particularly liked the descriptions of the various cultures the family lives in over the years and found it added richness to the story. And I was taken back in time by the closely observed and very poignant description of life in the 60s. Overall, despite some of the horrific events in the book the story is a very positive, life affirming one.

I was happy to have had the opportunity to read ‘Geraniums’ and will watch out for future novels by this author.

Having recently read (and adored) Mine by this author, I was really looking forward to reading this book too. I knew that it would be another heart-wrenching story, but the writing style is just so compelling that I knew that I’d still really enjoy this one too.

This book deals with some really sensitive issues – Jack being an emotionally scarred war veteran at a time that there was little understanding or sympathy for this kind of mental health issue.

This left me a little stuck as to how I felt about him and his actions. On the one hand I hated everything he put Laurnw and the children through – but at the same time, I had this spark of sympathy for him – he had needed help to overcome his own troubles.

Either way, all the characters really jump off the page and lodge themselves in your heart aa you read through this devastating story. I love however, that this has such an overall positive feel to it. Lily’s pure determination and the help and love of Diego that allows her to break free from the family ties and gain her independence.

Another gorgeous read by this author – I wouldn’t hesitate to instantly pick up more in the future.

💕Thank you to the author, publisher and random things tours for my ARC copy – this is my honest review 💕

The treatment of Lily, her older sister Mags and younger brother Artie, meted out by their emotionally scarred father Jack Preston and his horrendous mother Emma is insane. I know Jack suffers from PTSD, but the way he treats them is unforgivable.

Emma, crippled in her back by childhood polio, is a monster. My grandmother also had what we called a ‘Dowagers Hump’ and was only 4’9″. I never really knew what caused her spinal deformity, but she was the sweetest, kindest lady I ever knew. Emma’s disability is no excuse for her unbelievable behaviour, particularly towards Lily.

Jack meets Lauren Rose, beautiful, gentle and kind. She loves flowers, particularly geraniums, which Emma thinks are common (how dare she), and grows them in terracotta pots. Jack can be very jealous and controlling. Emma thinks Lauren Rose isn’t good enough for her son.

They have three children, but their marriage is falling apart. Jack is driving his wife to the brink and Emma is actively encouraging him to divorce her and even have her committed. It’s heartbreaking.

For the children, there is a pattern emerging that will almost destroy them. A series of ghastly women, Jack is vulnerable as well as controlling. He controls his wife and the children, while his mother and his women control him. As far as Lauren Rose is concerned, he tells the kids that she is dead to them.

Lily is determined to be reunited with her mother, who she is sure is alive somewhere. Mags believes that Lauren Rose could have done more to help them. Artie is threatening to go off the rails. It’s a difficult dilemma, because I can see where Mags is coming from. Even if her mother was mentally incapable of doing anything (I know this from personal experience), their other Nana and Granddad could have done far more to rescue them from the dysfunctional situation they were in.

Full review on blog – https://cookiebiscuit.co.uk/2023/09/25/geraniums-by-marlene-hauser/

What an utterly, emotional and compelling story! From the first page, I was immediately hooked!
The protagonist, Lily is a strong character as she’s been dealt with bad cards throughout her life, yet always gets back up and rises.
It’s set in America, during the 1960s. It reads like a TV drama. Highly recommended.

Well, this one was a bit of a rollercoaster of a read. So many emotions! Mostly rage, as the author writes with such brutal honesty.

I loved Lily, and rooted for her all the way.

This book was difficult to read at times, and I found myself quite perplexed at the abusiveness of the family. They were narcissistic as well, which added to the brutality of the read.

I gave this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ as it was a bit of a slow start, but when it picked up, I couldn’t put it down.

A massive thank you to @randomthingstours for allowing me on the tour and @bookguild for the #gifted copy of the book.

Geraniums is a fast paced book thick with family drama and tension told from main character Lily’s perspective.

The tone of the book is set from the very beginning as you get glimpses of Emma’s life, Lily’s grandmother, which lends to the reasons she is the way she is. Controlling.

Then you have Jack, Emma’s son and Lily’s father, who is unfortunately under his mothers thumb and easily persuaded by her.

Lily’s mother, Lauren Rose, never stood a chance against Emma and Jack. She was the first victim of their bullying and later abuse by Jack.

Lily is witness to everything and it’s heartbreaking knowing that her and her two siblings grew up in this environment.

This book touches on the dynamics across a family, the dysfunction, abuse, addiction, and survival. And, Lily’s journey into escaping from the toxic element and breaking the cycle. So that Lily can eventually find kindness and love…and follow her dreams.

“While I did not know how long a lifetime might be, I put the mathematics of it all out of my head, safe in the knowledge that even if Mom came back in a different shape and size, I would recognise her. I would know her by the geraniums she would grow.”

We meet middle-child Lily Preston when she is a bright four-year old, very in tune with the fact there is something not right in her family. Moved from country to country, place to place thanks in part to her father’s military career in the 1960s and 70s, Lily and her two siblings cannot seem to outrun the abuse they suffer at the hands of their father and grandmother, as well as others.

This dysfunctional family drama and coming-of-age story is at times an uncomfortable read. Hauser writes with brutal honesty and while this does indeed lead to some almost unbearably bleak scenes, it brings a great level of authenticity to both plot and characters.

M, the children’s grandmother, was a remarkably well-written narcissist, as was the children’s father. It beggars belief that people can be so cruel to children, but sadly this is the stark reality for far too many.

Our protagonist Lily is an incredible character who will stay with me for a long time. The resilience of people, and more particularly children in this case, never fails to astound me. While Lily’s (and her siblings’) story was undoubtedly full of tragedy and trauma, there was also hope which buoyed me. A heart-breaking but worthy read that will stay with me.

Thanks to @randomthingstours and the publisher for the review copy of this book as part of the book blog tour ☺️

It was eye-opening to see how easily a young mind can be affected by even just words. How it got affected through the abuse and actions of others was harsh to see. How a mind can adapt to these abnormal new situations is wild to me. It shouldn’t be necessary for it to happen, but it does in books as it does in real life unfortunately.

I did love to see the bond the siblings had, even though that too was affected by the actions of adults. The different characters really brought life to this book and the interactions were so well done. Loved to see some good character growth too. The characters also stayed true to their personalities till the end, which was awesome. The MC was a breath of fresh air for me, as I hadn’t read any books with this kind of an MC. Big thumbs up on that.

It took me by surprise by how far some things went, but I could predict some of them. I did like the fact that the MC stayed quite naive through it all, even if it didn’t help her at all.
Worth the read for sure. A well told story of a life that started wrong, but just some vibe was missing for me. I closed this book with a smile on my face.
❔ Would you consider reading this book?
Thank you for the ARC @marlenehauser_ and @randomthingstours in an exhange of an honest review.

What an emotional experience this was. Following the fortunes of the Preston family starting in the 1960’s. Children Lily, Mags and Artie have lived a nomadic life as their father Jack, who is in the military, moves his family around the world. Together with his awful mother Emma he physically and mentally abuses his wife Lauren Rose cruelly turning his children against their mother. There are some very upsetting scenes in the book which could be triggering for some so be aware.

Briefly, Lily is only young when her mother leaves. She has to fight to get an education and follow her dreams. But first she determines to find her mother. Her sister still blames their mother for leaving them and her brother is in danger of getting into serious trouble, so it’s down to Lily.

This story is brutal. Jack and Emma are two cruel and wicked characters. Their treatment of Lauren Rose and the children is beyond evil. I never had children but this really was heart rending to read, I had to remind myself this was fiction not a true story – I hated Emma with every bone in my body. Jack suffered from PTSD but this was no excuse for his behaviour, controlling in the extreme, not capable of real love, verging on narcissistic. An excellent and thought provoking read that conjured up a whole raft of emotions in me from intense hatred through to heartbreaking sorrow. Wonderful.