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Wildflower Hill

4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 · rating details · 3,656 ratings · 638 reviews

SPANNING THREE GENERATIONS AND HALF THE WORLD, WILDFLOWER HILL IS A SWEEPING, ROMANTIC, AND COMPELLING STORY OF TWO WOMEN WHO SHARE A LEGACY OF SECRETS, HEARTBREAK, COURAGE, AND LOVE. Emma, a prima ballerina in London, is at a crossroads after an injured knee ruins her career. Forced to rest and take stock of her life, she finds that she’s mistaken fame and achievement for...more

Paperback, 544 pages

Published August 23rd 2011 by Touchstone (first published 2010)

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Oct 26, 2011 Shruti rated it 1 of 5 stars

I picked up this book because it was supposed to be like a Kate Morton novel. I guess it sort of was, but not quite up to par. It had the same general plot set up as Morton's novels do: a young relative investigating/discovering family secrets alternated with the family in question's life. Even the time frame was the same: present day + world war era. Unfortunately, the similarities ended there as far as I was concerned. The historical pieces read like someone who did some research and lacked th...more

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Jun 19, 2011 Jenny Q rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-copy, on-my-nook, my-favorite-reads, best-of-2011, historical-fiction-faves

This is a moving story of a woman's triumph over adversity, and the lessons she passes along to her granddaughter. Beattie Blaxland is an amazing character. When the story begins she's nineteen with dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Instead she ends up pregnant and homeless--but not defeated. She's smart, compassionate, hardworking, self-sacrificing, and she stands up for what she believes in. She's not perfect, but she's tough as nails and knows an opportunity when she sees one. She does w...more This is a moving story of a woman's triumph over adversity, and the lessons she passes along to her granddaughter. Beattie Blaxland is an amazing character. When the story begins she's nineteen with dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Instead she ends up pregnant and homeless--but not defeated. She's smart, compassionate, hardworking, self-sacrificing, and she stands up for what she believes in. She's not perfect, but she's tough as nails and knows an opportunity when she sees one. She does whatever it takes to provide for her daughter, tackling poverty and bigotry, and the conventions that have long held women back in small-town Australia during the depression and World War II.

In the present day, Beattie's granddaughter Emma comes home to Australia after an exalted, whirlwind career as a prima ballerina ends abruptly due to an injury. Emma and Beattie are two very different women. Beattie's early life was one of struggle and uncertainty; Emma's was one of privilege and status. But Emma has to learn how to live without dancing and without a purpose, how to make friends, how to take care of herself. She's very surprised to discover that her grandmother left her an old farm estate, Wildflower Hill in Tasmania, and she goes there intending to prepare it for sale. But the house is full of boxes of Beattie's personal belongings--letters, photos, mementos--and as Emma goes through them she begins to discover who her grandmother really was and how much Wildflower Hill meant to her. Along the way she learns a lot about her own capabilities and what's truly important in life.

I was utterly absorbed in this story from start to finish. The writing is lovely, the characterization is rich, the pacing is perfect, the narrative switches between Beattie in the past and Emma in the present in all the right places; I laughed, I cried, I got angry--and I never wanted it to end. But end it did, and it was one of the most satisfying, fitting, and perfect endings I've seen in a long time. Loved it!(less)

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Feb 01, 2013 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dual-timeline, read-in-2013, early-1900s

Rating: 3.5 stars

From the blurb and reviews, I though Wildflower Hill would be a proper duel-timeline story. You know the sort: someone discovers a letter or photo relating to an elderly relative which hints at a tantalising long-lost secret. The story then takes two paths – the quest for the truth in the present, and the slow revelation of it in the past, with the two stories being poignantly entwined. I love books like this.

However, this one actually reads far more like a rags-to-riches saga f...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Dena Pardi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club-reads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

8 likes · like · see review

Dec 27, 2011 Lyndz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, own, reviewed

I actually finished this last week but didn’t have time to write a review.
What an amazing book! There was more than one night where I stayed up way past my bedtime to read it. I really enjoyed it.

I fully intend on looking for some more books by this author, I liked it that much.

If you are a historical fiction buff you should not miss this one.

5 stars!!

Thank you goodreads & Touchstone for the free copy of the book and opportunity to read it. I received this book for free through goodreads...more

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Feb 27, 2013 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

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Jan 24, 2013 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kimberly Freeman brings together two time periods by linking them through an enchanting house and two women from different generations.

Emma is a famous ballerina in London who believes she has everything she'll ever need out of life. A career in ballet, a man who loves her and a personal assistant who takes care of the little things. After her boyfriend breaks up with her, to date his personal assistant, she dives headfirst into dance, since it is the only thing that has ever been truly importa...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Lisa (scarlet21) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book tells a tale in two parts, the story of Emma, a famous ballerina who has an accident that puts paid to her career is interwoven with that of her gran Beattie. After losing her career and lover Emma returns to her native Australia where she discovers that her gran has left her a legacy - an old sheep farm in Tasmania. Emma, grieving her career and lost love reluctantly arrives at Wildflower Hill to sort out the house ready for selling and comes across pictures and paperwork that hint at...more This book tells a tale in two parts, the story of Emma, a famous ballerina who has an accident that puts paid to her career is interwoven with that of her gran Beattie. After losing her career and lover Emma returns to her native Australia where she discovers that her gran has left her a legacy - an old sheep farm in Tasmania. Emma, grieving her career and lost love reluctantly arrives at Wildflower Hill to sort out the house ready for selling and comes across pictures and paperwork that hint at a secret life of her gran. We then go back in time to Scotland 1929: After falling in love with a married man and finding herself pregnant to him, Beattie runs away to Tasmania with him only to find life is not what she has expected when Henry falls deeper and deeper into debt and drink leaving Beattie to care for their daughter Lucy and to find food to feed them on no money. With the help of a neighbour Beattie manages to escape to a small town a few hours away where she starts to make a life for herself and Lucy with Margaret, a fervently religious lady; but things never go to plan. Margaret is horrified when Beattie starts working for the owner of Wildflower Hill, a man notorious for his gambling, drinking, womanising and poor treatment of his servants and staff, immediately thinking the worst and Beattie finds herself not only thrown out of the house but finds that Margaret has betrayed her whereabouts to Lucy's father and he comes looking for her. Desperate to keep Lucy and a roof over their heads Beattie agrees to a wild bet with her employer which she wins and finds herself the owner of a sheep ranch.

Life is a struggle - fighting to keep contact with Lucy whilst remaining civil to her ex-lover and his wife, struggling to run the farm, falling in love with her manager - an Aboriginal - and viewed with distaste by everyone in the small township, Beattie fights on, overcoming adversity and loss to become a successful business woman, though not without her secrets.

Emma's family knew nothing about her gran's 'other life' and as the reader reads Beattie's story, Emma is still unaware of it but the two stories come together, as stories will and Emma finds, as her gran once did, that life does go on thanks to Wildflower Hill.

Although the story initially starts off a bit like a saga it does come into its own and through it's descriptions you can picture perfectly the township, the farm and the small minded hypocrisy of the people within it. You can't help but like and admire Beattie's spirit and her story does make for a good and enjoyable read.
One little criticism - a small inaccurate detail that could have been checked and should have been picked up in edit. I read that she altered her facts about electricity in Tasmania after learning that they did in fact have it there in the 30's so it's a shame this other fact crept through. Apart from that, which has probably gone unnoticed by many, it was a very enjoyable read.(less)

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Dec 01, 2012 BestChickLit.com rated it 4 of 5 stars

A series of heart-breaking incidents grips the reader from the very first page in Kimberley Freeman’s new novel, Wildflower Hill. Cherished secrets and forbidden love take prominence in a story of two very different women whose lives are defined not only by the paths they take, but those that are denied them. Beattie in particular is a vivid, intriguing presence, her modest fortitude taking her from poverty in the dark tenements of Britain to unimagined wealth in the sunny but no less challengin...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Lorin Cary rated it 4 of 5 stars

This might be classified as chick lit, but it is more than that. It is a well-written, nicely plotted tale of two women,. Beattie has a child in her youth and moves from Scotland to Tasmania, Australia with the still-married father, She eventually leaves him and raises her daughter on her own, for a time. The father reunites with his wife and things turn sour Through wit and pluck and hard work Beattie acquires an estate (how is worth reading the book to find out) and in time falls in love. Prej...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Lydia Laceby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-women-s-fiction

Originally Reviewed at Novel Escapes

Although I found Wildflower Hill had a bit of a slow to start, once immersed, I looked forward to seeing what would unfold. A story about starting over that skips a generation and binds a young woman and her grandmother, this novel is steeped in family secrets, bold women and familial love.

Unconventional, determined and decidedly stubborn, Beattie made for a fascinating character as she was undoubtedly different from many in her time. I couldn’t wait to see h...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Donna LaValley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wildflower Hill turned out to be a good book. I’d give it 4.5 stars, but will go with 5 rather than 4 because I recommend it to women who like a good, in depth story of and about women, their inner lives, loves, ambitions, and growing wisdom.

There are 2 stories, one of Beattie, grandmother of Emma, and Emma’s story placed in modern times (by modern I mean cell phones exist). Emma has achieved her life’s dream of prima ballerina in London. She travels the world, has a handsome boyfriend, great h...more Wildflower Hill turned out to be a good book. I’d give it 4.5 stars, but will go with 5 rather than 4 because I recommend it to women who like a good, in depth story of and about women, their inner lives, loves, ambitions, and growing wisdom.

There are 2 stories, one of Beattie, grandmother of Emma, and Emma’s story placed in modern times (by modern I mean cell phones exist). Emma has achieved her life’s dream of prima ballerina in London. She travels the world, has a handsome boyfriend, great home, and loves her life. An accident changes that and she loses everything: her ability to dance professionally, her relationship, and she can no longer afford her home in London. She returns to Australia (Sydney is her birthplace) to find she has inherited her grandmother’s house (what’s left of a sheep ranch) in Tasmania. While there she finds boxes of letters, photos, keepsakes, and historical records as well as (despite her intention to not do this) new friends, a way to use her ballet training, hints of mysteries about Beattie, and (surprise!) a new love.

Meanwhile Beattie’s story, leaving England pregnant and desperate with her married lover, shows her struggle in Tasmania in the 30’s during the Depression.

At this point I thought the book would be formulaic, but I enjoyed Emma’s ballet world and Beattie’s growing pluck. She kept repeating to herself, “there are 2 kinds of women, those who do things and those who have things done to them.” She wanted to be the former, after 20 years of being the latter.

As Beattie grapples with being unpopular in the small (minded) town, and Emma begins to see how self-centered and blind she has been in certain ways, the book becomes richer and stronger. Emma eventually learns about Beattie’s life before Emma’s grandfather came into the picture, and it surprises and inspires her. I won’t disclose more, but will say the developments were not ordinary even if, maybe, predictable. It’s very enjoyable.

You may find Wildflower Hill compared to The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. Both involve 3 generations of women who live and travel between Australia and England, both involve a “lost” child and some mystery. However, Ms. Morton’s book is told with melodrama and cliché galore. This is by far the better book!
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Jun 18, 2012 Merri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved it!!!

Emma, a prima ballerina in London, is at a crossroads after an injured knee ruins her career. Forced to rest and take stock of her life, she finds that she’s mistaken fame and achievement for love and fulfillment. Returning home to Australia, she learns of her grandmother Beattie’s death and a strange inheritance: a sheep station in isolated rural Australia. Certain she has been saddled with an irritating burden, Emma prepares to leave for Wildflower Hill to sell the estate.
Beattie...more

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May 26, 2012 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an excellent book! I was initially drawn into the cover of a hill, beautiful woman and title - very dreamy. But it was Freeman's plot and writing style that allowed me to stay until the very last page.

(VERY GENERAL BLURB-LIKE SPOILERS BENEATH)
This book alternates between two characters, Beattie and Emma. They are related as maternal grandma and grand-daughter. Beattie is a nineteen-year-old in Glasgow, England and finds herself pregnant to a married man. She decides to keep it as a secr...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Sheila rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book switches back between present time and the past. Emma is a famous ballerina from Australia, living in London. She falls severely injuring her knee and is told her ballerina career is over. Her boyfriend breaks off their relationship just before her devastating injury and she decides to travel back to Australia. Her grandmother, Beattie died sometime previously and when Emma arrives home, she discovers she has inherited her grandmother's abandoned sheep farm in Tasmania. Emma travels to...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Wendy Hines rated it 5 of 5 stars

Emma is a world-renowned ballerina - she knows no other life, nor does she desire one. But when a fall ends her career, she doesn't know what to do. Her whole life has been revolved around dance, her boyfriend recently broke up with her and she has only a handful of friends - all dancers. She goes home to her parents and learns that she inherited a sheep ranch from her late grandmother. She decides to go to Tasmania, a small community, and clear out the house's contents so she can sell it.

There...more Emma is a world-renowned ballerina - she knows no other life, nor does she desire one. But when a fall ends her career, she doesn't know what to do. Her whole life has been revolved around dance, her boyfriend recently broke up with her and she has only a handful of friends - all dancers. She goes home to her parents and learns that she inherited a sheep ranch from her late grandmother. She decides to go to Tasmania, a small community, and clear out the house's contents so she can sell it.

There, she begins to unpack items from hundreds of boxes of her grandmother's life, pieces of a puzzle that she can't seem to reconnect. She makes new friends, helps a studio of girls with Down syndrome with ballet and begins to find herself again.

Meanwhile, the story flashes back to Beattie, Emma's grandmother. Her troubles when she is young, falling in love with a dashing married man. When her mother finds out Beattie is pregnant, she tosses her out. With no help from Henry, she goes to a home for unmarried women. Her shame is great, but when Henry appears, she is delighted. They run off together and begin to make a new life with their infant daughter, Lucy. But Henry drowns his troubles with liquor and Beattie can't live that life anymore, so she takes Lucy and escapes. She begins to pick up the pieces of her life again and eventually wins a sheep farm in a poker game.

However, her troubles are only beginning. Henry returns for Lucy, but this time with his wife. She decides to split custody with them, even though it breaks her heart. But finding her greatest love helps her with their separation, until her greatest love dies and Henry takes Lucy and doesn't tell Beattie where they have gone.

Between Beattie's unique and heartbreaking life and Emma trying to find herself and what she desires in her heart for the future, Wildflower Hill is a magnificent saga that will find a place within your heart. Beattie's fashion designs and her determination build the foundation for the new generation. Emma's story was solid but I found myself immersed with Beattie's story. The struggles she went through, the heartbreak and her triumphs, she is a strong and complex character who I grew to love. Wildflower Hill is a wonderful read that I highly recommend. I just wish there was a sequel! I would love to spend more time with these characters.
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Sep 06, 2011 Britni rated it 5 of 5 stars

According to Cora, there are two types of people in the world - those who do things and those who have things done to them.

Emma has always been a woman who does things, who fought her way to the coveted spot of a prima ballerina in a London ballet company. Until one dark night her career as a ballerina is cut short and her life takes on a different course, one that takes her to the home of her recently deceased grandmother, Beattie, in Tasmania. While clearing out Beattie's home, Emma finds clue...more

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Aug 26, 2011 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When Emma was an eleven years old, her grandma told her if she becomes a ballerina, she will give her a present. Emma’s grandma loved to watch Emma dance and this is why she wanted Emma to become a ballerina. Emma told her grandma that she would become a ballerina and that she didn’t need a present to become one. Emma’s grandma did tell Emma that ballerina’s can not dance forever.

Present Day

Emma did become a famous ballerina. One night after leaving from a long, practice session, Emma was walki...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Beattie Blaxton is shaken and distraught when she finds herself with child in 1930’s Ireland, being neither married nor even engaged to the child’s father. After an unsuccessful attempt to part from her lover and give her unborn child up for adoption, her lover Henry comes to the rescue and spirits her away to Australia. But life for Beattie is still not easy, as Henry, having absconded from his legal wife, is quite a drinker and spendthrift who also has a problem with gambling. Soon Beattie dec...more Beattie Blaxton is shaken and distraught when she finds herself with child in 1930’s Ireland, being neither married nor even engaged to the child’s father. After an unsuccessful attempt to part from her lover and give her unborn child up for adoption, her lover Henry comes to the rescue and spirits her away to Australia. But life for Beattie is still not easy, as Henry, having absconded from his legal wife, is quite a drinker and spendthrift who also has a problem with gambling. Soon Beattie decides to take her chances alone with her young daughter in a town where an unmarried mother is not looked upon kindly. When Beattie secures a job as a maid at a struggling sheep farm called Wildflower Hill, her future begins a slow revolution that will take her from the bottom rungs of society to the upper echelons of wealth and power. But along the way, there is much she will have to sacrifice. Two generations later, Beattie’s granddaughter Emma is having her own struggles. As a premiere ballerina who is just hitting the upper age range for a successful career, Emma has just had a career-ending injury. After weeks of wallowing following her accident and an untimely break-up, Emma is called into her grandmother’s lawyer’s office to take receipt of the last piece of her inheritance. But it’s not wealth that has been imparted to her, and when she discovers just what Beattie meant her to do, she embarks on a trip to Tasmania and Wildflower Hill, where she will discover the truth about herself and about her grandmother’s past that was kept hidden for many dark years. Blending the lingering past with the intoxicating present, Kimberly Freeman gives us the lives of two women cut from the same cloth, yet so very, very different.

Though Beattie and Emma were very similar characters, there were some substantial ways in which they differed. While I would have to say that Beattie was the more courageous and motivated, Emma sometimes appeared a little more cold and less emotionally evolved than her grandmother. Part of this may have been that Beattie got a lot more page space and her conundrums were a lot more interesting and heartrending than Emma’s refusal to let her dancing career go. While I did like both women, I think I felt more at home in the historical sections, because for some reason that story had a little more gravity and drama to it. Emma’s story was by far lighter and more redolent of romance than the hardship of Beattie’s story, though the narrative devices that tied these two stories together was strong and did have me very curious.

The historical parts of the story had a lot of different and pressing issues taking place within its structure. Not only was the difficulty of being a single mother explored, but also the dubious position that Beattie got herself in when she agreed to let Henry share custody of Lucy, her daughter. It was heartrending to read about the problems that faced a woman on her own in Australia, from the town’s prejudice and intolerance of Beattie and her hired hands, to the way that religion was used as a weapon to subdue and control those who were felt to be out of line. Beattie maintains a strength and fortitude throughout her trials, but even the most casual reader can see that all this wears on her and slowly breaks her spirit. By the end of her tale, Beattie is a shadow of her former self and her dreams and hopes have been subtly replaced by secrets and longing. It was interesting to see this morphing of such a strong character into a woman who was beset with regrets, and one can argue that although Beattie was wildly successful in some venues, she had to sacrifice so many things for that success that it must have been a bittersweet victory.

Emma too was discovering that some of her life was going to have to be sacrificed, and one of the problems that arose from this situation was that Emma had no idea of who she was outside of her dancing. From childhood, Emma was able to indulge this creative side of herself to the detriment of forming real relationships and attachments. Though she did have a relationship with a very successful man, it turns out that most of that relationship was a facade as well. As Emma begins to see that there is more to life than the pursuit of her dancing career, she discovers a side of herself that she didn’t know existed; and in her search for the clues to Beattie’s past, Emma comes to find that her new life is ripe with possibilities and opportunities. I liked that Emma was able to pull away from the character traits that were subsuming her real intellect and grace, and that she was eventually open to starting a new chapter in her life that was slated to go in a very different direction. Her romantic entanglements were refreshing as well, and I was very pleased at her final choice of paramour.

Throughout this story a lot of very sensitive issues were brought up. From the prejudices that the aboriginal peoples have faced, to the problems that arose during a mixed-race relationship during the 50’s, to the sticky issue of parental rights, there were a lot of thoughtful and emotional landmines in this tale. And while some of these issues were never fully resolved, there was a great striving for enlightenment and understanding from the principals in the story. At its heart, there were vast currents of prejudice and dishonor and hatred that had to be dealt with, and in dealing with these very uncomfortable topics, there was a lot of character growth. I admit that it wasn’t always empowering and comfortable growth, but I really admire Freeman for sticking to her guns and including so many serious topics in a book that really could have been just about the fluff. In the end so many questions are raised and explored that it was easy to categorize this book as a thoughtful and intelligent read.

Though I preferred the historical sections to the contemporary ones, both were done rather well, and each half of the story seemed to blend into a satisfying whole that I came to appreciate and enjoy. It’s not only a book about relationships, but about ideas that challenged the times they were captured in. Also, as the book ends in a bit of an ambiguous fashion, I’m wondering if there might ever be plans for a sequel. If so, I would definitely be in line to read it. A very thoughtful and entertaining read.
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Jul 30, 2011 Stacie Vaughan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wildflower Hill is at the top of my list for favourite books of the year and I would even say I consider it one of my favourite books of all time. It was absolutely wonderful. It's the kind of the book that leaves a lasting impression. I finished it a couple weeks ago and I am still thinking about it.

I think of one of the reasons why Wildflower Hill really touched me was the rich characters especially Beattie. I fell in love with her strength and kindness. I envied how she dealt so courageously...more

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Mar 02, 2011 Karen Brooks rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Being a huge fan of Kim Wilkins work, it was with great curiosity and excitement that I picked up this book, written under her non de plume, Kimberely Freeman, and marking another genre for this incredibly talented writer. I already know what a masterful storyteller Wilkins is and, writing as Freemen, she doesn't disappoint. This tale of two women from the same family, told across two different time periods and in two hemispheres is compelling, tragic, thrilling and uplifting. Commencing in 1995...more

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Jan 21, 2012 Bethany rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was essentially your run of the mill rom-com novel: due to a catastrophe's, girl's life changes and she ends up relocating. Girl meets boy. Girl makes mistake with boy. Girl realizes mistake. Boy forgives girl. Boy and girl end up together. Happily ever after. However, this book wasn't completely tedious because it was broken up with flashbacks -entire chapters actually- of the girl's grandmother's adult life. I found it incredible intriguing from the sheer fact that the majority of the nov...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Diana rated it 4 of 5 stars

A saga has been defined as a "long story of someone who does heroic deeds." If "Wildflower Hill" isn't an epic, it is next door to one. It is 521 pages, but goes quickly and the main characters face some real obsticles in their lives.
The story is of 2 women a grandmother and her granddaugher. The story of the grandmother, Beattie Blaxland, begins in 1929 in Glasgow, Scotland and the story of the granddaughter,Emma Blaxland, begins in London in 2009. The story line switches back and forth betwe...more

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Nov 12, 2011 Soobee72 rated it 3 of 5 stars

First things first. I won a copy of this in a Goodreads giveaway, so yay!

Now onto the review...

It's eminently readable, almost compulsively so. The narrative mostly flows back and forth between the modern day story of Emma, a ballerina who has just suffered a career ending injury and the pre-WWII story of Beattie, her grandmother who was a woman of many talents and "who does things".

Emma's story of finding herself is interesting, if predictable, but it is really Beattie's that grabbed me. Beatt...more First things first. I won a copy of this in a Goodreads giveaway, so yay!

Now onto the review...

It's eminently readable, almost compulsively so. The narrative mostly flows back and forth between the modern day story of Emma, a ballerina who has just suffered a career ending injury and the pre-WWII story of Beattie, her grandmother who was a woman of many talents and "who does things".

Emma's story of finding herself is interesting, if predictable, but it is really Beattie's that grabbed me. Beattie starts off in Scotland. A young woman who as an only child works in a late night bar/gambling club and has an affair with a married man. As you might expect, she finds herself in a bit of a predicament. Through the years she goes from being that scared young woman to a scared young mother to a sheep ranch owner to a successful designer married to a respectable politician and mother of two.

Beattie is an admirable and likable character. What stops this from being a 4 star read versus a 3 star one (although it's really a little more than 3 star read but Goodreads doesn't allow for that), is that the narrative sometimes jumps to a wholly different character. It's all third person, but for the most part, from the viewpoint of Emma and Beattie. The jumps do provide some context, but I think the book would have been a tighter read without them.

The book is also a teeny bit heavy handed on the hypocritical Christian theme. I find it just as jarring when an author is overly moralizing the other way. The thing is that there are people like the sort of villains. Ones who are leery of different races and who are quick to judge as they attend weekly religious services. I just thought it was a bit much since it seemed poor Beattie was surrounded by them. In some ways Beattie is almost too good, not in a Mary Sue kind of way, but she is just so understanding and open minded and so forth that a couple of times she seemed a bit too good.

At any rate, I definitely recommend this and I will be looking for more from Kimberly Freeman.(less)

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Apr 04, 2012 Taylor Clements rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love any book with a strong, independent, hard working woman as the lead character! Beattie proves to be all that and more after overcoming hardships in the early 30's in England. After she becomes pregnant by an older married man, she is kicked out of her house and sent to a home for young, unmarried pregnant girls until the father of the child comes to take her to Australia. The relationship is toxic, and eventually Beattie flees her home with her young daughter Lucy. This story line intertw...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Mendi rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, Wildflower Hill, written by Kimberly Freeman and read by Caroline Lee. It has a similar theme as several Kate Morton books where the reader is transported through time from one individual to another - typically a familial ancestral connection of some sort between the two. In this case we hear from the granddaughter, Emma, and her grandmother, Beatie, as they both struggle through tough times in their lives. We learn how they changed and choose their path and how they...more I really enjoyed this book, Wildflower Hill, written by Kimberly Freeman and read by Caroline Lee. It has a similar theme as several Kate Morton books where the reader is transported through time from one individual to another - typically a familial ancestral connection of some sort between the two. In this case we hear from the granddaughter, Emma, and her grandmother, Beatie, as they both struggle through tough times in their lives. We learn how they changed and choose their path and how they ache for a journey that cannot be theirs. In the Kate Morton books, the character in the present time often learns more about the ancestral character through letters or pictures or other stories that she finds. In this book, our present day character, Emma, finds out about some secrets of her grandmothers, but doesn't really know the whole truth, just the outcome. That feels more realistic to me; that one might get a sense of what types of challenges her ancestor may have faced but never really know the truth behind choices she had to make. I think that is what I liked most about this book. I liked that while our modern character had a sense of the truth, the reality would always belong only to the originator, in this case, the grandmother. It reminded me, that one should not judge another because we can never understand the cause of the choices they made; we have not walked in their shoes. [There were several moments in this book where I really wanted to hurt some characters because of their self righteous decisions which affected Beatie in a negative and hurtful way. I was always proud when she showed independent confident thoughts. Sadly her decisions sometimes caused her downfall because of the narrow minded environment in which she found herself]

What I love so much about these styles of stories is the message that there can always be a connection to our past that we should and can take some grasp of, if we make the effort. And of course, I love the mystery to it all that when written like this, makes it seem so predestined.

This was a totally fun read that was moved up a notch solely by the most enjoyable narration of Caroline Lee. I love the lilt of her voice and the way she says "no" making it sound like dough.(less)

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Dec 17, 2012 Kristy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-end-of-the-world-challenge

I read this book partly because it was recommended to me by Amazon and also because I heard that the author has been compared to Kate Morton. I don't see a lot of similarities, except that they both write historical fiction. This book was interesting enough to keep me up until after midnight reading and saying, "Just one more chapter."
Emma, a famous ballerina has just injured her knee and with her ballet career over, is reevaluating her life. She returns home to Australia and learns that her gr...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Kate Loveday rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first book I have read by this author and I intend to look for anything else she has written. Wildflower Hill is the name of a property in Tasmania that has a big impact on two women from the same family, Beattie Blaxland and her grand-daughter Emma.

Emma is a famous ballerina who is devastated when an injury prevents her from dancing. When she finds that she has been left Wildflower Hill in her grand-mother's will she decides to leave London and go to Tasmania to put the property i...more

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Dec 28, 2011 Judi/Judith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Life suddenly changes when Emma, a prima ballerina in London, crashes down a flight of stairs and seriously injures her knee. After a while she knows that she will never dance again. She retreats to Australia, her home, to recuperate and it is there that she learns that her beloved grandmother has died and left her a sheep farm, named Wildflower Hill, in rural Australia. As she relocates to the farm, to sell it, she discovers secrets told, through letters and other paperwork that her grandmother...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kate by: Nashua Girls Book Club selection

Shelves: 2012, age-adult, chicklit, historical-fiction, adult-book-club

Emma, a prima ballerina, doesn't have much time for her relationships or family while she works at her career, until her boyfriend breaks up with her and she falls down the stairs, injuring her knee and insuring that she will never dance professionally again. She returns to her home in Australia from London, where her mother asks her to spend some time at Wildflower Hill, a property her wealthy business tycoon grandmother Beattie owned. Now that her grandmother has passed away, Emma will have to...more

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About Kimberley Freeman

Pen name of Kim Wilkins.

Kimberley was born in London and her family moved back to Australia when she was three years old. She grew up in Queensland where she currently lives.

Kimberley has written for as long as she can remember and she is proud to write in many genres. She is an award-winning writer in children’s, historical and speculative fiction under her birth name Kim Wilkins. She adopted the...more

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Wanderlust: A Book Club Sampler from Simon & Schuster

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Quotes from Wildflower Hill

“There are two types of women in the world, Beattie, those who do things and those who have things done to them.” — 25 people liked it

“She was grieving the loss of her youth, the closing down of possibilities as life became what it was rather than what it might have been.” — 6 people liked it

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