Flower of the Dusk

by Myrtle Reed

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

260 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1908

About the author

Myrtle Reed/Mrs McCullough (1874-1911) was an American author, the daughter of Elizabeth Armstrong Reed and the preacher Hiram von Reed. She sometimes wrote under the pseudonym of Olive Green. She was born in Chicago, where she graduated from the West Division High School. In 1906 she was married to James Sydney McCullough.

She wrote under her own name, but also published a series of cook books under the pseudonym of Olive Green, including What to Have for Breakfast (1905), One Thousand Simple Soups (1907) and How to Cook Fish (1908).

Myrtle was a diagnosed insomniac with prescribed sleeping drafts. She died August 17, 1911 of an overdose of sleeping powder taken with suicidal intent in her flat, called "Paradise Flat" at 5120 Kenmore Ave., Chicago, Illinois. The following day, her suicide letter, written to her maid, Annie Larsen, was published.

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a charming story, written in 1908. It was almost a fairy tale, with a fairy godmother who helps to solve all problems and work out all situations so that our young couple have the chance for true love and happiness. I loved the old fashioned setting of a town near the sea, neighbors who are also friends, a little chapel in the woods. I loved our young heroine and her bravery with physical disability and her courage in poverty. I loved our young hero: his love for books and beauty and his goodness to his mother and sweet little neighbor. I loved the blind father who is always creating songs of joy. "I think, Father, that a song should be in poetry, shouldn't it?"
"Some of them are, but more are not. Some are music and some are words, and some, like prayers, are feeling. The real song is in the thrush's heart, not in the silvery rain of sound that comes from the green boughs in Spring. When you open the door of your heart and let all the joy rush out, laughing-- then you are making a song."
There was humor, laughter, love and sorrow in this book. A lovely combination.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

🖍️ A quite lovely book cover, in fact. The story engaged me, and the characters are believable. I enjoyed this! This was made into a film in 1918 and directed by John Hancock Collins and starred Viola Dana. This film survives.

📕 Published in 1908.

જ⁀➴🟢The e-book version can be found on Project Gutenberg.

🖋️ About Myrtle Reed: Born in Norwood Park, Illinois September 27, 1874. She passed away at her apartment 5120 N. Kenmore, Chicago (suicide) August 17, 1911 and was buried at Graceland Cemetery. An extensive article in Chicago Magazine by Dan Carlinsky gives much more information on the life, work, and death of Reed, which can be read here in “HELL IN PARADISE FLAT.” 🪦Some more information about Reed can also be found on this link at Find a Grave.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absurdly sentimental and melodramatic. Saccharine, even. But I couldn't help enjoying it. It was the perfect counterweight to Crime and Punishment which I am currently slogging through. After reading the ravings of a murderer driven mad by guilt, Reed's romantic excesses seemed positively sane.

[christine ✩]

this is like the single most dramatic thing i have ever read in my life. not melodramatic. just dramatic. help

[Jennifer Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice little story

It was a fast and classic. I really like Mrs Reed. She writes with the warmth as Alcott or Montgomery.

[Lily Villanueva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this was like a dream. I savored every page of it. There was periods of (emotional) action and periods of peace, and it was balanced well. The imagery was beautifully painted by words and there were hints at the beginning that had relevance later on, I loved it. I’m giving it 4, because I do have one major complaint- I felt that the most climactic event in the story was written a bit abruptly and that its execution was disappointing. Despite that, it was just a very beautiful dreamy story, and I will read it again.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book. The story just unwinds and carries you along with it. The style is also remarkably modern (written in 1908).

[Susan Barron · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not her best.

A really bad romance. Not up to this authors usual ability. If this were the first book of hers that I read, I would not read another.