A Novel of Love and The French Revolution
In a remote province of southern France a young woman nurtures an ambition to create a repeat-flowering crimson rose, the like of which has never been seen in Europe. Then an American balloonist falls out of the sky and into her life; and the local doctor, who dreams of improving the world, is also drawn into her orbit. A love story begins to unfold against the sensuous green landscape of Gascony.
But the year is 1789 and public events in Paris are closing in on the private world of the Saint-Pierre family. 'The Rose Grower' throws a slanting light on the underside of history, where people find themselves torn between reason and desire, revolutionary zeal and unrequited passion.
Seductive, moving and beautifully written, 'The Rose Grower' is a gripping tale of love, roses and the French Revolution.