The Last Camellia: A Novel
It’s April 1940, and young Flora Lewis has traveled to England under false pretenses. Her parents believe she has an internship at the famed London Conservatory. In reality, she will be working for flower thief Philip Price, who is looking to steal a rare camellia, the last remaining specimen of which is located at the remote Livingston Manor estate. Flora will act as nanny to Lord Livingston’s four children and locate the camellia. In return, Price will give her enough money to pay off her parents’ debts. Meanwhile, in modern-day New York, Addison and Rex Sinclair have decided to spend the summer in England, where Rex’s parents own the now-crumbling Livingston Manor. Addison is desperate to escape a blackmailer who is threatening to divulge a long-held secret. Jio’s (Blackberry Winter, 2012) well-paced novel brings these two worlds neatly together in an engaging story of two generations trying to move forward despite the powerful pull of the past. A thoughtful examination of history’s ability to haunt the present and the power of forgiveness to set things right. --Carol Gladstein