Synopses & Reviews
Winner of the ALA Reading List Award
Difficult and obstinate. Thriving under a set of specific and limited conditions. That pretty much describes me. Maybe thats why I like these roses so much.
Roses are Galilee Garners passion. An amateur breeder, she painstakingly cross-pollinates her plants to coax out new, better traits, striving to create a perfect strain of her favorite flower, the Hulthemia. Her dream is to win a major rose competition and one day have her version of the bloom sold in the commercial market.
Gal carefully calibrates the rest of her time to manage the kidney failure shes had since childhood, going to dialysis every other night, and teaching high school biology, where she is known for her exacting standards. The routine leaves little room for relationships, and Gal prefers it that way. Her roses never disappoint her the way people have.
Then one afternoon, Riley, the teenaged daughter of Gals estranged sister, arrives unannounced to live with her, turning Gals orderly existence upside down. Suddenly forced to adjust to each others worlds, both will discover a resilience they never knew they had and a bond they never knew they needed.
Review
Praise for The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns: “Dilloway artfully weaves the intricacies of rose floriculture with her characters’ teen angst and epiphany, an anguished wait for a new kidney, lost and newfound friends, reconciliation, and hope.” —Kit-Bacon Gressitt, North County Times “[An] exquisite little novel . . . Dilloway's keen prose and an unexpected ending lift The Care and Handling of Roses With Thorns above mere schmaltz into something special.”—Entertainment Weekly "Believable situations with well-drawn characters make this novel as lovely as the roses Gal tends. Dilloway's second novel is a captivating study of how love and understanding nurture our lives. Engaging, enlightening, thoughtful, this is a winner." —Library Journal "A richly textured diversion from standard treatments of family angst, Dilloway’s new novel expresses a graceful understanding of the virtues of mercy."—Booklist "[An] exquisitely written novel about love and redemption." —Kirkus
“I was captivated from the very first page. This uplifting novel about family and forgiveness brought me to both laughter and tears. By the end of this honest, engaging journey, I had grown to love all of the characters and was left with a new appreciation of the fragility and beauty of our daily happiness.”—Jean Kwok, New York Times–bestselling author of Girl in Translation "Dilloway's rapturous new novel showcases a prickly heroine who shows what happens, when despite the formidable odds before us, we risk blooming. What flowers is knockout and to say I loved this book is understatement."—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You
“Galilee Garner is as prickly, thorny, and gracefully sweet as one of her prize roses. and her supporting characters bloom with their own quirks and virtues. A fun and uplifting read.”—Tiffany Baker, New York Times bestselling author of The Little Giant of Aberdeen County
"The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns is a tender, moving story that shows how family not only has the capacity to wound, but offers us the possibility to bloom again."—Shilpi Somaya Gowda, bestselling author of Secret Daughter “Even readers with black thumbs will be enchanted by the bramble beauty that is Galilee Garner. Dilloway has cultivated a fascinating plot in the rich science and magic of flower breeding. A story about family and the ways in which the unexpected blossom is often the most cherished. This novel is a rose personified.”—Sarah McCoy, author of The Baker’s Daughter and The Time It Snowed In Puerto Rico "A touching, moving story . . . Margaret Dilloway is a gifted, talented writer."—Darien Gee, author of Friendship Bread
Review
“I was captivated from the very first page. This uplifting novel about family and forgiveness brought me to both laughter and tears.”—Jean Kwok,
New York Times bestselling author of
Girl in Translation “Rapturous. To say I loved this book is an understatement.”—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You
“A touching, moving story…Margaret Dilloway is a gifted, talented writer.”—Darien Gee, author of Friendship Bread
“Galilee Garner is as prickly, thorny, and gracefully sweet as one of her prize roses.”—Tiffany Baker, New York Times bestselling author of The Little Giant of Aberdeen County
“Even readers with black thumbs will be enchanted by the bramble beauty that is Galilee Garner. Dilloway has cultivated a fascinating plot in the rich science and magic of flower breeding. A story about family and the ways in which the unexpected blossom is often the most cherished. This novel is a rose personified.”—Sara McCoy, author of The Bakers Daughter and The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico
“Believable situations with well-drawn characters make this novel as lovely as the roses Gal tends. Dilloways second novel is a captivating study of how love and understanding nurture our lives. Engaging, enlightening, thoughtful, this is a winner.”—Library Journal
Review
and#8220;I was captivated from the very first page. This uplifting novel about family and forgiveness brought me to both laughter and tears.and#8221;and#8212;Jean Kwok,
New York Times bestselling author of
Girl in Translation and#8220;Rapturous. To say I loved this book is an understatement.and#8221;and#8212;Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You
and#8220;A touching, moving storyand#8230;Margaret Dilloway is a gifted, talented writer.and#8221;and#8212;Darien Gee, author of Friendship Bread
and#8220;Galilee Garner is as prickly, thorny, and gracefully sweet as one of her prize roses.and#8221;and#8212;Tiffany Baker, New York Times bestselling author of The Little Giant of Aberdeen County
and#8220;Even readers with black thumbs will be enchanted by the bramble beauty that is Galilee Garner. Dilloway has cultivated a fascinating plot in the rich science and magic of flower breeding. A story about family and the ways in which the unexpected blossom is often the most cherished. This novel is a rose personified.and#8221;and#8212;Sara McCoy, author of The Bakerand#8217;s Daughter and The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico
and#8220;Believable situations with well-drawn characters make this novel as lovely as the roses Gal tends. Dillowayand#8217;s second novel is a captivating study of how love and understanding nurture our lives. Engaging, enlightening, thoughtful, this is a winner.and#8221;and#8212;Library Journal
Synopsis
A mother-daughter story about the strong pull of tradition, and the lure and cost of breaking free of it. When Shoko decided to marry an American GI and leave Japan, she had her parents' blessing, her brother's scorn, and a gift from her husband-a book on how to be a proper American housewife.
As she crossed the ocean to America, Shoko also brought with her a secret she would need to keep her entire life...
Half a century later, Shoko's plans to finally return to Japan and reconcile with her brother are derailed by illness. In her place, she sends her grown American daughter, Sue, a divorced single mother whose own life isn't what she hoped for. As Sue takes in Japan, with all its beauty and contradictions, she discovers another side to her mother and returns to America unexpectedly changed and irrevocably touched.
Synopsis
Thirty-six-year-old Gal Garner lives a regimented life. Her job teaching biology and her struggle with kidney disease keep her toggling between the high school, the hospital, and her home on a strict schedule.
Only at home, in her garden, does Gal come alive. It's here that she experiments with Hulthemia roses, painstakingly cross-pollinating various specimens in the hopes of creating a brand-new variation of spectacular beauty. But even her passion has a highly structured goal: Gal wants to win Queen of Show in a major competition and bring that rose to market.
Then one afternoon Gal's teenaged niece Riley, the daughter of her estranged sister, arrives. Unannounced. Neither one of them will ever be the same.
Filled with gorgeous details of the art of rose breeding, The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns is a testament to the redemptive power of love.
About the Author
Margaret Dilloway was inspired by her Japanese mother's experiences when she wrote this novel, and especially by a book her father had given to her mother called The American Way of Housekeeping. Dilloway lives in Hawaii with her husband and their three young children. Her blog, American Housewife, can be found on her website, www.margaretdilloway.com.