"Like a Flower in Bloom" by Siri Mitchell

Siri Mitchell brings us the delightful story of Charlotte, a young woman whose eccentric upbringing in the mid-19th century makes her stand apart from society. Raised by her botanist father who suffered from severe depression after the death of her mother, Charlotte has spent the years faithfully assisting her father in his work and making sure he made it through each day. She's an accomplished illustrator and has even written books and articles which were published under his name. All of that changes when her uncle insists that 22-year-old Charlotte needs to stop being a social recluse and find herself a husband. When one of her father's correspondents shows up and is taken on as a new assistant, Charlotte decides to go along with her uncle's scheme for only as long as it takes her father to realize that he can't possibly carry on without her.

Having absolutely no social skills or understanding of the rules of polite society, Charlotte only knows the straightforward ways of science. Her father's new assistant, Mr. Trimble, tries to help educate her on ways to dress and behave, but Charlotte doesn't want anything to do with the man who has stolen her place. Thankfully Charlotte quickly falls into friendship with Miss Templeton, a caring and gregarious young woman who takes Charlotte under her wing. I was glad to find Miss Templeton a trustworthy companion, as it would have been easy for someone with a less kind motivation to take advantage of Charlotte's naivete.

While Charlotte finds early success in attracting the attentions of not one but two eligible men, she's consternated that Mr. Trimble is so ably filling her place at her father's side. Rather than making her making her father realize what he's missing, Mr. Trimble is actually improving their household. While he is very kind and encouraging her towards her, Charlotte is sure she can never be friends with this upstart usurper who is clearly keeping secrets of his own.

There is so much that I loved about this story. Charlotte's social awkwardness and the way she always said exactly what she thought kept me entertained and amused. The passion that Charlotte and her father had towards botany was educational and did not override the story narrative. The setting and some of the situations Charlotte found herself in reminded me of Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford stories, which is a wonderful association for this British literature fan. The novel was richly layered and had me in stitches as I hoped for a good outcome for Charlotte and her friends. I'd recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction and especially stories set in Victorian England.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.