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93rd out of 196 books
—
291 voters
Where Lilacs Still Bloom: A Novel
One woman, an impossible dream, and the faith it took to see it through.
German immigrant and farm wife Hulda Klager possesses only an eighth-grade education—and a burning desire to create something beautiful. What begins as a hobby to create an easy-peeling apple for her pies becomes Hulda’s driving purpose: a time-consuming interest in plant hybridization that puts her at...more
German immigrant and farm wife Hulda Klager possesses only an eighth-grade education—and a burning desire to create something beautiful. What begins as a hobby to create an easy-peeling apple for her pies becomes Hulda’s driving purpose: a time-consuming interest in plant hybridization that puts her at...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
April 17th 2012
by WaterBrook Press
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REVIEW OF JANE KIRKPATRICK’S WHERE LILACS STILL BLOOM
The story of how Jane Kirkpatrick came to write of where lilacs bloom is as delightful as her depiction of a life well and beautifully lived. She knew of Hulda Klager but a passionate devotee gradually tweaked Kirkpatrick’s interest until her great research skills and imagination were fully engaged. The result is a charming and insightful characterization of a woman obsessed with ideas of hybridization.
The story develops from Hulda’s success i...more
The story of how Jane Kirkpatrick came to write of where lilacs bloom is as delightful as her depiction of a life well and beautifully lived. She knew of Hulda Klager but a passionate devotee gradually tweaked Kirkpatrick’s interest until her great research skills and imagination were fully engaged. The result is a charming and insightful characterization of a woman obsessed with ideas of hybridization.
The story develops from Hulda’s success i...more
I am a huge Kirkpatrick fan. Her historical research is meticulous, her characters dynamic, her prose is beautifully written. I never want to stop reading and I never want her books to end!
Based on the life of Hulda Klager, a woman who loves her gardens, a gardener who is challenged by possibilities through hybridization of lilacs and other plants, Where Lilacs Still Bloom is a "story of triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds and the power of a generous heart."
Hulda faces the physical and e...more
Based on the life of Hulda Klager, a woman who loves her gardens, a gardener who is challenged by possibilities through hybridization of lilacs and other plants, Where Lilacs Still Bloom is a "story of triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds and the power of a generous heart."
Hulda faces the physical and e...more
Review:
I had never heard of Hulda Klager before I picked up Where Lilacs Still Bloom, but after reading it, I will never forget her. Hulda was a no excuses kind of woman, full of life and ahead of her time, and Jane Kirkpatrick makes her come to life with a garden of descriptive and colorful words on each page, (no matter if those colors are bright or monochromatic). I believe that no matter who you are and what you know, you can do anything you put your mind to - and that is what I love about...more
I had never heard of Hulda Klager before I picked up Where Lilacs Still Bloom, but after reading it, I will never forget her. Hulda was a no excuses kind of woman, full of life and ahead of her time, and Jane Kirkpatrick makes her come to life with a garden of descriptive and colorful words on each page, (no matter if those colors are bright or monochromatic). I believe that no matter who you are and what you know, you can do anything you put your mind to - and that is what I love about...more
History is more than rulers, wars, or famous people. History can be found in knowing the past and the origins of the simplest things. These can include flowers. Where did the flowers we take for granted today come from? Where did so many of the versions of lilacs originate? The historical fiction book, Where Lilacs Still Bloom, by Jane Kirkpatrick can help you answer this.
So many historical stories can be told through historical fiction where an author takes some liberties in an event or the lif...more
So many historical stories can be told through historical fiction where an author takes some liberties in an event or the lif...more
Where Lilacs Still Bloom: A Novel by Jane Kirkpatrick tells the real life story of Kulda Klager, a German immigrant with only an eighth grade education who created one of the most notable lilac gardens in the country at her own farmhouse in Woodland, Washington in the early 1900′s. Though she endured many personal tragedies, including burying her beloved husband Frank and all of her children, she continued to bless others with the gift of beauty in the form of her precious flowers. At the end of...more
This is a wonderful read of a woman with determination, brilliant mind, a love of God's creation with a scientists curiosity that drove her to explore and experiment for years with nothing more than an 8th grade education, what her dad had taught her and what she learned from trial and error and years later from reading.
What makes this book so good is the fact that it is a true story. That this family really lived these struggles for all these years. I find it sad that it took so very long into...more
What makes this book so good is the fact that it is a true story. That this family really lived these struggles for all these years. I find it sad that it took so very long into...more
This book scans the life of Hulda Klager, a true story written in fictional form. Hulda's travels had taken her from Germany as a young girl to Woodland Washington. In the quest and dedication of hybridizing the perfect apple from which to make pies, her expertise grew and expanded to other areas, bulbs and then to lilacs. Her gardens, her vast knowledge of plant life, and the way she looked at each plant as individuals being capable of the giving of its beauty, quickly became a trait sought aft...more
I was wary from the book from the start. Not because of the cover art or anything but because I'd finished reading another one of Jane Kirkpatrick's novels not too long ago and it put me in a depressed funk for days. Thankfully, I can say my wariness was short lived because these novel was much more upbeat and fun to read. The novel is loosely based on the Life of Hulda Klager, a German immigrant who raised lilacs and a family in Washington. Tending a garden started out as a hobby for Hulda but...more
"Where Lilacs Still Bloom: A Novel", by Jane Kirkpatrick, is based on the remarkable true life story of Hulda Klager. A German immigrant and a "farm wife" with only an eighth-grade education, Hulda's natural intellect and intuition, along with a burning curiosity, allowed her to develop hundreds of hybrid fruit and flower varieties, especially lilacs. The book is beautifully written--an inspiring and life-affirming tribute to the courage and spirit of the amazing Hulda Klager. The book begins in...more
One woman, an impossible dream, and the faith it took to see it through.
German immigrant and farm wife Hulda Klager possesses only an eighth-grade education—and a burning desire to create something beautiful. What begins as a hobby to create an easy-peeling apple for her pies becomes Hulda’s driving purpose: a time-consuming interest in plant hybridization that puts her at odds with family and community, as she challenges the early twentieth-century expectations for a simple housewife.
Through...more
Where Lilacs Still Bloom is a gentle, brave, heartbreaking, joyful, and determined historical account of a woman and her family in Woodland, Washington, about a hundred years ago (though the whole story actually spans 1889-1958). Hulda Klager raises a family and lilacs with equal portions of love and care. Everyone who has felt compelled to create something of beauty to feed the soul will relate to Hulda's desire to do so by sharing her love of flowers. In addition, the author's attention to det...more
It was fun to meet Hulda Klager in Where Lilacs Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick. In the present days, Jane Kirkpatrick met Betty Carlson Mills, Hulda's granddaughter-in-law and went to Lilac Days in Hulda's garden. She also got several of Hulda's cuttings for her garden. This is where Jane Kirkpatrick got the idea for this book. So this is a book where some facts are known and a story is built around those facts.
The story began in 1889. We learned about the hardships and successes that Hulda and he...more
The story began in 1889. We learned about the hardships and successes that Hulda and he...more
What a fascinating and strong woman! Hulda Klager was a farm wife who loved to bring beauty to her yard through her flowers. As a young wife, Hulda was irritated by the quality and size of apples and the fact that she had to have so many of them in order to bake just one pie. Hulda and her father begin to graft different varieties of apples onto one tree and to pollinate the blossoms in the hopes of achieving a larger and crisper apple. He encouraged her to use her gift of seeing distinctive tra...more
Jane Kirkpatrick makes history come alive, and she has done it again with her latest historical fiction, “Where Lilacs Still Bloom”. The book is based on the life of Hulda Klager, a German immigrant who settled with her husband and four children in Woodland, Washington, not far from Vancouver and Portland, Oregon. Hulda was born around 1864 and died at the age of 97, outliving her husband and all her children. Early in her marriage she wanted an apple that wasn't so hard to peel to make apple pi...more
Where Lilacs Still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick moves the heart to weep in this fictionalized true account of German Immigrant, Hulda Klager.
Hulda is a German immigrant in the 1900s. Her obsession with hybridization of plants is an inherited passion from her father. Her father confided to her one day in his orchard that her soon-to-be husband, Frank, would not understand a woman’s passion for something other than her family and household. Hulda thinks if she keeps this gift a secret from her husban...more
Hulda is a German immigrant in the 1900s. Her obsession with hybridization of plants is an inherited passion from her father. Her father confided to her one day in his orchard that her soon-to-be husband, Frank, would not understand a woman’s passion for something other than her family and household. Hulda thinks if she keeps this gift a secret from her husban...more
Jane Kirkpatrick has written a great novel. I just fiished "Where Lilacs Still Bloom" and was so sad that I had finished the book. I loved this characterization of Hulda Klager and her family's story. Hulda was an inspiration to all who have a dream and despite sorrows and setbacks, continue to work and plan to be able to fulfill this dream of hybridizing beautiful lilacs (a favorite of mine). At first I was not sure if this was a real person or not, but as the story grew, I knew it had to be. H...more
I love Jane Kirkpatrick. Meeting through her book another real person with a dream and seeing what wonderful thing hard work and persistence accomplished is inspiring. Having been several times through the Hulda Klager lilac garden, I found the story of how it was created very interesting. So much work;so much dedication. I love how Jane fleshed out Hulda's concerns about following her passion while still obviously fulfilling her role as wife and mother, and her struggles with the 'rightness' of...more
This is not a story about vampires or werewolves, criminals or mysteries, love or romance - but is the fictionalized life of a remarkable woman who loved her flowers, and worked her whole life to improve them through hybridization. Along the way, lots of things happen - people come and go in her life. Considering it is the turn of the century, a time in America where things changed tremendously, there was plenty for a farmer family to deal with.
I have enjoyed Jane Kirkpatrick's books in the past...more
I have enjoyed Jane Kirkpatrick's books in the past...more
A bonus book!!
This book is filled with the quiet fulfilling moments of a woman who raises her family in simpler times. Set in Woodland Washington, Hulda Klager, a German Immigrant, builds a life for her family with her husband Frank.
The story begins in the 1880's and concludes in the 1960's. In her rare moments of idle time, she dabbles in hybridizing plants. Initially inspired to create a better apple for pies, Hulda turns her attention to other plants, lilacs. She's thoroughly entranced by th...more
This book is filled with the quiet fulfilling moments of a woman who raises her family in simpler times. Set in Woodland Washington, Hulda Klager, a German Immigrant, builds a life for her family with her husband Frank.
The story begins in the 1880's and concludes in the 1960's. In her rare moments of idle time, she dabbles in hybridizing plants. Initially inspired to create a better apple for pies, Hulda turns her attention to other plants, lilacs. She's thoroughly entranced by th...more
Where Lilacs Still Bloom review:
3 stars. Cover: 4 stars.
Review: "Where Lilacs Still Bloom" is better than most books I have read from Jane Kirkpatrick. I could actually finish this book. But I just didn't "like-like" it. I've never liked fictionalized non-fiction, and most of the characters were boring. And I did not see the point of adding fake people to the story, when most of them had no impact to the outcome of the story. The best thing about this book was the cover. There were a few scenes...more
3 stars. Cover: 4 stars.
Review: "Where Lilacs Still Bloom" is better than most books I have read from Jane Kirkpatrick. I could actually finish this book. But I just didn't "like-like" it. I've never liked fictionalized non-fiction, and most of the characters were boring. And I did not see the point of adding fake people to the story, when most of them had no impact to the outcome of the story. The best thing about this book was the cover. There were a few scenes...more
What I most liked about this book was learning about all the different varieties and colors of lilacs, one of my favorite flowers. I've never seen a red one and only rarely have I seen pink. Mostly shades of purple or white, sometimes a dark red violet. This is the story of Hulga Klager, a woman who spent much of her life hybridizing the lilacs in her garden, starting with three different bushes she imported from France. Altogether she developed over 250 different varieties! Not only was I amaze...more
Hulda Krager was a young married woman in 1889 when she first spoke to her father about the desire she had to develop a better apple—one she could peel easier; they grafted a tree in his orchard and from there her interest in horticulture took off. Her fascination with hybridizing then channeled towards flowers and specifically Lilacs. In a time when woman were told that having any interest other than home and family was not in God’s will, Hulda struggled to discern if messing with nature was wr...more
This is the life story of Hulda Klager, who Loves God, her Family and her Lilacs. A really sweet fast read, that will keep you thinking beyond putting the book down.
We live everything with Hulda, the good and the bad. This is life, as one would live it, and I love that it is based on a true story. Some parts are just so very very sad, but there is perseverance and life goes on whether we are ready or not.
I'm impressed on how many lives Hulda has reached with her wonderful fragrant lilacs. She...more
We live everything with Hulda, the good and the bad. This is life, as one would live it, and I love that it is based on a true story. Some parts are just so very very sad, but there is perseverance and life goes on whether we are ready or not.
I'm impressed on how many lives Hulda has reached with her wonderful fragrant lilacs. She...more
What a lovely book. This is the story of Hulda Klager, a German immigrant who has a great love for two things. First, there is the love that she has for her family, not only her husband, children & siblings but those other children who come into her life and became almost like her own. Second, there is her love of gardening & hybridizing, especially of lilacs. The author does a wonderful job of bringing the life of this historical character to life for the readers. Hulda experiences grea...more
I'd never heard of Jane Kirkpatrick or Hulda Klager when I picked up this book from the library on impulse. There were a few times when I thought I'd return the book unread - but each time, I read the back cover, remembered why I'd picked it up, and returned it to the "to read" pile. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop - I was intrigued and curious. I wanted to know if she'd get to the palest creamy colour she wanted, to the number of petals she wanted. I wondered if the deaths of her daught...more
A refreshing, endearing and truly enjoyable story. We live through the triumphs and tragedies of Hulda Klager's garden and family. Hulda's wisdom and determination are inspirational. I will seek out a cultivator from one of her original lilacs. Hulda taught me that the light of day is for work, while ideas often bloom in the dead of night. The most romantic lines of the book took my breath away. Hulda and husband, Frank, are sitting on the porch looking out over their home gardens where the famm...more
I love the historical/biographical fiction genre, particularly when the author has done such a great job of developing a fascinating character that it sends me scurrying to my computer to see what further information I can glean about him/her. Such is the case with WHERE LILACS STILL BLOOM by Jane Kirkpatrick. It tells of the long and challenge filled life of a self-taught horticulturist, German immigrant and housewife Hulda Klager, whose ardent and all consuming passion with the grafting, hybri...more
I love it when I find books about inspiring, inventive women about whom I know literally nothing - this is one of those finds. Hulda Klager performed extraordinary works of hybridization in botany in the attempt of making one of her favorite flowers, the lilac, even more spectacular. It became the quest to create a 12-petaled double white lilac.
There is so much to find admirable in this woman, who blushed humbly at any accreditation she ever received, who freely gave starts to each one of her 25...more
There is so much to find admirable in this woman, who blushed humbly at any accreditation she ever received, who freely gave starts to each one of her 25...more
In Washington State, German immigrant Hulda Klager takes her love of flowers, her experience as a farmer's wife, and her limited education to become a bold, adventurous woman when such was absolutely not a normal occurrence.
Without the knowledge and consent of her husband (and such was definitely the thing to do at that period of time), she took her observations of variants in hue and shape, texture and size to begin her experiments in the cultivation of bulbs, shrubs, and apple trees. Her succ...more
Without the knowledge and consent of her husband (and such was definitely the thing to do at that period of time), she took her observations of variants in hue and shape, texture and size to begin her experiments in the cultivation of bulbs, shrubs, and apple trees. Her succ...more
Hulda Klager has a big dream. She wants to create a creamy white lilac with more petals than others. She experiments with grafting and hybridization. Her experiments put her at odds at times with her family, but she's got a faith that helps her to see her dreams through the seasonal floods and family trials.
This book is based on the true story of Hulda Klager. I thought it moved pretty slow. Overall, her triumphs and her struggles fascinated me. I learned way more about plant hybridization than...more
This book is based on the true story of Hulda Klager. I thought it moved pretty slow. Overall, her triumphs and her struggles fascinated me. I learned way more about plant hybridization than...more
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Kirkpatrick brings us a story of one woman's restoration from personal grief to the meaning of community."
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