The year is 1912. Tilly Harper, the housemother at Mr. Shaw’s Home for Watercress and Flower Girls in London, finds a journal written by Flora (Florrie) Flynn in 1876. Florrie, once a resident of the home, died of a broken heart after her little sister, Rosie, went missing and was never found.

Florrie and Rosie were orphans who barely survived on the streets by selling flowers. They were part of the flower girls of London who lived in abject poverty in the 1800s and were handicapped in some way. Both sisters had physical conditions with which to contend: Florrie was crippled and needed a crutch to walk, while Rosie was legally blind.

"I already had been familiar with the existence of the flower girls in Victorian London and had read other stories about them. However, A MEMORY OF VIOLETS is the best account I’ve come across thus far, as it powerfully illustrates the miserable existence of these street urchins."

After being separated, Florrie was taken in by Mr. Shaw. She became a permanent resident in his home, where she flourished physically but continued to pine for her lost sister. Rosie was almost kidnapped but managed to escape by hiding under the seat of a carriage owned by wealthy and childless Mrs. Ingram, who took Rosie into her home and raised the little girl as her own daughter. Rosie grew up not knowing she had an older sister.

With clues from the journal and a chance meeting with Mrs. Ingram, a determined Tilly begins piecing together the past to unveil the mystery of Rosie’s disappearance. In the process, she learns a lot about herself and will be transformed by their experiences

Author Hazel Gaynor relates a moving story that seamlessly mixes fact with fiction, highlighting the plight of the unfortunate flower girls who really existed in London. Mr. Shaw, who plays a prominent role in the novel, is not a historical figure, but his character is based on the real life of John Groom, who ran a charity for these flower girls with a similar name (the Watercress and Flower Girls’ Christian Mission).

The book is told from multiple points of view, alternating the use of narrative and excerpts from letters and journal entries, and switches back and forth between the years 1876 and 1912. Gaynor includes several items at the end of the book that provide background for the story, including a list of flowers and their meanings during Victorian times.

I already had been familiar with the existence of the flower girls in Victorian London and had read other stories about them. However, A MEMORY OF VIOLETS is the best account I’ve come across thus far, as it powerfully illustrates the miserable existence of these street urchins.