'Holly Ringland is a gifted, natural story-teller and her novel is truly a light-giving, tender thing. A vivid, compelling, utterly moving debut.' Brooke Davis, bestselling author of Lost & Found
An enchanting and captivating novel, about how our untold stories haunt us - and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.
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.
Press reviews:
'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
'A magical coming-of-age novel. 'Good Housekeeping UK
'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
'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 story about family, love, and reinvention is defiant in its sweetness and is stirring to its end.' Foreword Reviews
'A beautifully written, hopeful and enthralling tale...an enchanting read' Herald Sun
'Charming' The Australian
'At its heart, this book is about finding a way to care for yourself, in a world that sometimes likes to step on its flowers' Courier Mail
'There is something transformative in the story of Alice Hart, something which lingers with you after the closing of the last page.' 9Honey
An imaginative tour de force, beautifully weaving together themes of love and loss, violence and redemption, magic and story-telling, all infused with the loneliness and strange beauty of the Australian bush' Weekly Times
Where to buy:
Out March 19, 2018 in Australia:
Out June 28, 2018 in the UK:
Out August 7, 2018 in Canada & March 5, 2019 in USA:
To buy elsewhere in English:
Translated editions currently available:
Italy by Garzanti
Netherlands by Luitingh-Sijthoff
Poland by Marginesy
Portugal by Porto Editora
Israel by Tchelet Steimatzky
Serbia by Vulkan
Slovakia by Vydavatel'stvo Fortuna Libri
Turkey by Yabancı Yayınları
Further translated editions forthcoming.
Netherlands by Luitingh-Sijthoff
Poland by Marginesy
Portugal by Porto Editora
Israel by Tchelet Steimatzky
Serbia by Vulkan
Slovakia by Vydavatel'stvo Fortuna Libri
Turkey by Yabancı Yayınları
Further translated editions forthcoming.
Latest news:
More love for
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart:
“The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a book that glows — in the fire and heart of it; in the wonder and hope of it. Holly Ringland is a gifted, natural storyteller and her novel — about finding magic in the dark; about the power of freedom and the freedom of story — is truly a light-giving, tender thing. A vivid, compelling, utterly moving debut.” — Brooke Davis, author of international bestseller Lost & Found, winner of 2015 ABIA Fiction Book of the Year
“Not everyone who visits the central Australian desert understands the landscape of it. Holly Ringland does and shares her heart instincts in this epic telling. Each page arrives to us like the first flight of the butterfly from its cocoon. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a literary gift.” — Ali Cobby Eckermann, Yankunytjatjara poet, 2017 Windham-Campbell winner.
"Holly Ringland’s debut is achingly beautiful, moving and masterful. The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart is a book to fall in love with, to cherish and to remember for a long time after you’ve closed the last page. One of the most exquisite books out this year from a genuinely exciting new talent, Holly Ringland is one of those writers who takes your breath away. Timeless, enchanting, and powerful.” - Kate Leaver, journalist and author of The Friendship Cure.
“This novel shines with courage, with heart, and with love. Infused with a tender ferocity, and the beauty and warmth of native flowers, it invokes great stories of loss, kindness and home.” — Ashley Hay, author of The Railwayman’s Wife, winner of the 2013 Colin Roderick Award.
“An astonishingly assured debut, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a story of love, loss, betrayal, and the redemptive power of storytelling, set in the blazing heat and ancient mythic landscape of Australia’s Red Centre. Written with intelligence, grace, and sensitivity, Holly Ringland’s novel is both heartbreaking and life-affirming, following the journey of her heroine Alice as she discovers the strength of spirit to break the patterns of violence of her past.” — Kate Forsyth, author of Bitter Greens, 2015 winner American Library Association award for Best Historical Fiction.
“I loved this brave and beautiful book. Alice Hart has the strength and magic of an Australian wildflower in bloom.” — Favel Parrett, author of When the Night Comes and Past the Shallows, finalist 2012 Miles Franklin Literary Award.
“A complex, literary debut that examines the dangerously fine line between care and control, sanctuary and prison. Holly’s writing is rich, vibrant and alive with the messy, sometimes violent song of human connection. She is a writer to watch out for.” — Jenn Ashworth, author of Fell, winner of The Society of Authors 2010 Betty Trask Award.
“The best fairy tales traverse the darkest corners of the human heart, and this beautiful novel is no exception. Truth and illusion, devastation and triumph, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart will spit you out whole.” — Myfanwy Jones, author of Leap, finalist for the 2016 Miles Franklin Literary Award.
“Not everyone who visits the central Australian desert understands the landscape of it. Holly Ringland does and shares her heart instincts in this epic telling. Each page arrives to us like the first flight of the butterfly from its cocoon. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a literary gift.” — Ali Cobby Eckermann, Yankunytjatjara poet, 2017 Windham-Campbell winner.
"Holly Ringland’s debut is achingly beautiful, moving and masterful. The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart is a book to fall in love with, to cherish and to remember for a long time after you’ve closed the last page. One of the most exquisite books out this year from a genuinely exciting new talent, Holly Ringland is one of those writers who takes your breath away. Timeless, enchanting, and powerful.” - Kate Leaver, journalist and author of The Friendship Cure.
“This novel shines with courage, with heart, and with love. Infused with a tender ferocity, and the beauty and warmth of native flowers, it invokes great stories of loss, kindness and home.” — Ashley Hay, author of The Railwayman’s Wife, winner of the 2013 Colin Roderick Award.
“An astonishingly assured debut, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a story of love, loss, betrayal, and the redemptive power of storytelling, set in the blazing heat and ancient mythic landscape of Australia’s Red Centre. Written with intelligence, grace, and sensitivity, Holly Ringland’s novel is both heartbreaking and life-affirming, following the journey of her heroine Alice as she discovers the strength of spirit to break the patterns of violence of her past.” — Kate Forsyth, author of Bitter Greens, 2015 winner American Library Association award for Best Historical Fiction.
“I loved this brave and beautiful book. Alice Hart has the strength and magic of an Australian wildflower in bloom.” — Favel Parrett, author of When the Night Comes and Past the Shallows, finalist 2012 Miles Franklin Literary Award.
“A complex, literary debut that examines the dangerously fine line between care and control, sanctuary and prison. Holly’s writing is rich, vibrant and alive with the messy, sometimes violent song of human connection. She is a writer to watch out for.” — Jenn Ashworth, author of Fell, winner of The Society of Authors 2010 Betty Trask Award.
“The best fairy tales traverse the darkest corners of the human heart, and this beautiful novel is no exception. Truth and illusion, devastation and triumph, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart will spit you out whole.” — Myfanwy Jones, author of Leap, finalist for the 2016 Miles Franklin Literary Award.
For more information or enquiries, please contact Holly’s agents:
Benython Oldfield (Australia)
benython@zeitgeistmediagroup.com
+ 61 410 355 790
Sharon Galant (EU)
sharon@zeitgeistmediagroup.com
+ 32 479 262843
Stephanie Abou (Canada & US)
stephanie@mmqlit.com
+1 212 352 2055
Benython Oldfield (Australia)
benython@zeitgeistmediagroup.com
+ 61 410 355 790
Sharon Galant (EU)
sharon@zeitgeistmediagroup.com
+ 32 479 262843
Stephanie Abou (Canada & US)
stephanie@mmqlit.com
+1 212 352 2055
