The Lost Flowers
of Alice Hart
The international bestselling debut novel published in 30 countries
After her family suffers a tragedy, nine-year-old Alice Hart is forced to leave her idyllic seaside home. She is taken in by her grandmother, June, a flower farmer who raises Alice on the language of Australian native flowers, a way to say the things that are too hard to speak.
Under the watchful eye of June and the women who run the farm, Alice settles, but grows up increasingly frustrated by how little she knows of her family's story. In her early twenties, Alice's life is thrown into upheaval again when she suffers devastating betrayal and loss. Desperate to outrun grief, Alice flees to the dramatically beautiful central Australian desert. In this otherworldly landscape Alice thinks she has found solace, until she meets a charismatic and ultimately dangerous man.
Spanning two decades, set between sugar cane fields by the sea, a native Australian flower farm, and a celestial crater in the central desert, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart follows Alice's unforgettable journey, as she learns that the most powerful story she will ever possess is her own.
An enchanting and captivating novel, about how our untold stories haunt us - and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.
Holly Ringland on creating a ‘language of flowers’:
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Press
Ringland's storytelling is driven by an undimmed sense of wonder at the darkness and light, the damage and love in people. It makes for a determined investigation of abuse and survival accomplished with profound sensitivity.
The Sydney Morning Herald
Lush, powerful ... This is an engrossing novel imbued with passion and reverence for the Australian natural world, with a cast of characters that inspire affection in the reader even as they make mistakes. Those who couldn't put down The Natural Way of Things will find a gentler but no less compelling journey of female survival in this novel.
Bookseller + Publisher
There's an aching heart beating through Holly Ringland's narrative that although at times seems almost broken, is stitched back together with shards of optimism that offer constant hope. These are characters we love, care about and want to nurture... A vivid and brave tale of love, loss and inner power.
Australian Women’s Weekly
This lyrical coming-of-age story intertwines the history and language of flowers with the lives of women. Readers will root for Alice as she attempts to discover and then understand the stories that explain her father and break out of her family’s cycle of abuse.
School Library Journal, USA
Do you want to get away from the hustle and bustle and the disappointing news of the world? Plunge into the wonderful world of Holly Ringland - where flowers have their own language and power, and the stories we tell become reality.
VG Newspaper, Norway
This is a brave story that strikes a chord in so many ways. It speaks of pain, but also redemption, survival and renewal.
The Gold Coast Bulletin
Far from what its title suggests, reading The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is like finding a rich and resonant bouquet - of words, feelings and experiences.
Canadian Living
Upcoming TV Series
On August 4, 2023, the Amazon Original TV adaptation of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart will stream globally on Prime Video as a seven-episode series, starring Sigourney Weaver, Asher Keddie, Leah Purcell, Frankie Adams and Alycia Debnam-Carey.
Be Your Own Wildflower
30 daily affirmation cards featuring the native flowers and their meanings from The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.
“In the weatherboard house at the end of the lane, nine-year-old Alice Hart sat at her desk by the window and dreamed of ways to set her father on fire.”