The Darling Dahlias And The Confederate Rose (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I wanted to like this one, but I just can't get past my absolute and complete exasperation for the romanticizing of the Confederacy. Can we just not anymore? The only character in the book I wasn't totally embarrassed by by the end was Charlie Dickens whose inner monologue at least recognized the irony he was witnessing. Of course he's got his own massive flaws - mainly that he's a misogynistic ass. These books could be so cute and fun, but they are so willfully ignorant of the era's darker side that I just don't know if I can stomach another one. Susan Wittig Albert - you are better than this. This book had basically two lines of mystery. One was about the title character of Confederate Rose, and the other was about embezzlement of government money in the fictional town of Darling, Alabama, with some side stories about a woman taking diet pills and the local newspaper and print shop owner. There is just enough of the characters, town and times to keep me coming back to Darling to peek in on the happenings, but this really is just another easy-going cozy, with not a lot of depth. For me, there were two major flaws with this book. One is that the "oh, I found my grandmother" revelation and reaction is reiterated too many times - emotionally moving once, but boring another 6-7 times - kinda too sappy, really. The other is that the most intriguing mystery, one of the main recurring characters being suspected of embezzlement, could have had deeper development and a much more satisfying conclusion.Yes, I'll visit the Darling Dahlias again, but I hope there will be more of the interaction of the town's characters, and more about the flowers. I'm not all that interested in recipes included at the end of the story.
What do You think about The Darling Dahlias And The Confederate Rose (2012)?
I like the historical setting during the depression, and love the characters in this series.
—Jen
Book three in the series and I am getting ever fonder of the ladies of Darling, Alabama.
—gbell93
This is a great series and I happily look forward to the next story.
—Catherineyoung87
