Indies Introduce

Fiction

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  Fresh Water for Flowers, Valérie Perrin (translated by Hildegarde Serle)
  Europa Editions, 9781609455958, July 7, 2020 (Fiction)
  

  “This story is simply beautiful. Fresh, fun, and so unique. As a cemetery caretaker, Violette both cherishes and honors loved ones while addressing the realities of day-to-day life caring for the dead, herself, and everyone around her.”

  Kappy Kling, HearthFire Books (Evergreen, CO)
  
  

  “Fresh Water for Flowers is a moving and lyrical portrait of one woman’s quest for happiness and love. A splendid work that will keep readers absorbed to the last page. A charming must-read.”

  Lindsey Bartlett, formerly of Ellen Plumb’s City Bookstore (Emporia, KS)
  

  “This is one of those special books that defy description and make you glad it was written. Violette Toussaint is the cemetery caretaker in a small French town. She feeds the stray cats that make their way to this sanctuary, and takes in the dog of a dead woman. Her days are spent with the gravediggers, undertakers, local priest, and the mourners of the dead. She offers them coffee, conversation, or sympathy in the little home on the cemetery grounds that came with her position. In short, Valerie is a good person who is kind to those in need of kindness, furred or human. Her life is ordered around her tasks until a policeman shows up, wanting to understand his mother’s instructions for burial. He takes an interest in Valerie. From this encounter, her past will intrude, challenging her to face her tragedies and reach for the future with hope. This is a lovely story!”

  - Deon Stonehouse, Sunriver Books & Music (Sunriver, OR)

   

  “I've never wanted so desperately to hang out with a literary character. Violette is the type of person you feel like you could spend hours with. The novel is set in an idyllic French-countryside cemetery with a bursting cast of eccentric characters. Reading it was truly a magical experience.”

   

  Quentin Greif, Little City Books (Hoboken, NJ)