Desert Flowers, by Paul Pen -Translated by Simon Bruni
Brilliance Audio
General Fiction
Audiobook
Narrated by Emily Sutton-Smith
General Fiction
Audiobook
Narrated by Emily Sutton-Smith
9 Hours, 55 Minutes
My Rating (out of 5)
⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
A thriller that is both captivating and enchanting.
Rose and Elmer had five daughters, Edelweiss, Iris, Daisy, Dahlia, and Melissa. They chose to live and raise their daughters in a remote section of the desert amid the cacti, and scorpions, and not much else, having forsaken even small town life to live free from crowds, and preserve their way of life - and their secrets.
One day Rick - a young man traveling on foot appears suddenly at their home. When the mysterious young man arrives suddenly and almost magically out of the dessert, the Rose and Elmer offer him some hospitality, and he is invited to share a meal with the family. The boy has a secret too. He is not who he says he is. Soon his inquisitiveness makes them regret inviting him into their lives - because he has a secret too, and his secret means that life may never be the same for any of them.
The story is complex and multi-faceted. On the surface it appears straight forward at first, but then the layers start to reveal themselves, which soon leaves the reader totally immersed.
Although a thriller the writing, as with his previous book - The Light Of The Fireflies (also translated by Simon Bruni), is nuanced and subtle. There is a haunting beauty to it. Not all thriller writers can write with such prose and still deliver the level of darkness required to make a thriller really captivating. The quality of the writing is made even more impressive by the fact that this book was translated from Spanish to English - so some serious kudos must be offered to Simon Bruni the translator. To capture the elegance of the writing in one language, and be able to release it in another is a true talent in itself.
Narration was provided by Emily Sutton-Smith which was a good match for this story. Her performance was expressive and captured the mood of the story. Her range of character and emotion was very good and her cadence and tone made listening a pleasure.
Enchanting and beguiling, this is a story for fans of thrillers who are looking for stories with added depth.
Note: Pen is having another book translated to English! Under The Water is expected October 1st. I am looking forward to reading another book by this author!
Rose and Elmer had five daughters, Edelweiss, Iris, Daisy, Dahlia, and Melissa. They chose to live and raise their daughters in a remote section of the desert amid the cacti, and scorpions, and not much else, having forsaken even small town life to live free from crowds, and preserve their way of life - and their secrets.
One day Rick - a young man traveling on foot appears suddenly at their home. When the mysterious young man arrives suddenly and almost magically out of the dessert, the Rose and Elmer offer him some hospitality, and he is invited to share a meal with the family. The boy has a secret too. He is not who he says he is. Soon his inquisitiveness makes them regret inviting him into their lives - because he has a secret too, and his secret means that life may never be the same for any of them.
The story is complex and multi-faceted. On the surface it appears straight forward at first, but then the layers start to reveal themselves, which soon leaves the reader totally immersed.
Although a thriller the writing, as with his previous book - The Light Of The Fireflies (also translated by Simon Bruni), is nuanced and subtle. There is a haunting beauty to it. Not all thriller writers can write with such prose and still deliver the level of darkness required to make a thriller really captivating. The quality of the writing is made even more impressive by the fact that this book was translated from Spanish to English - so some serious kudos must be offered to Simon Bruni the translator. To capture the elegance of the writing in one language, and be able to release it in another is a true talent in itself.
Narration was provided by Emily Sutton-Smith which was a good match for this story. Her performance was expressive and captured the mood of the story. Her range of character and emotion was very good and her cadence and tone made listening a pleasure.
Enchanting and beguiling, this is a story for fans of thrillers who are looking for stories with added depth.
Note: Pen is having another book translated to English! Under The Water is expected October 1st. I am looking forward to reading another book by this author!
Happy Reading,
Christine
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