May / June 2017 Group Read - The Butterfly Garden

[Bill]

This is the group read thread for The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison. Natalie will be your moderator.

Enjoy the book and your discussions.

[Romina]

Hi everyone! This is my first time participating!
I actually read the book already in february but I look forward to discussing it when you all finish :)

[Emma]

I plan to start tomorrow

[Natalie]

Hey everyone! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the book. I've only recently started, but I'll be posting more once I get a bit farther into the story. Until then, please feel free to post your thoughts/opinions/predictions. I can't wait to see what you all think!

[Amy]

I'm really excited to see this featured and everyone's differing or similar opinions. I read this one in January and although it's imperfect, I really enjoyed it. I think I gave it four stars.

Just received part two from Netgalley. So I'm happy to see this thread.

[Autumn]

I read this book earlier this year, and thought it was okay. Not quite what I expected. I look forward to the discussion!

[Emma]

I finished this book and didn't like it! Not because I was squeamish of the content though.

[Autumn]

Emma wrote: "I finished this book and didn't like it! Not because I was squeamish of the content though."

Oh, thank you. I did not want to come across as always negative. I did not like it either. I did not even think it was squeamish compared to what I usually read. Whew, I am not alone.

[Natalie]

All right, so I finally finished the book (which I know is bad, considering it's pretty short compared to others). I literally just read the last page a minute ago, so I'm still sort of getting my thoughts together. Possibly minor spoilers ahead (depending on what you count as a spoiler), however anything I consider revealing I've put behind a spoiler tag.

I don't think I've ever read a mystery/thriller like this. In fact, I don't think I would call this book a mystery, as there was not really a "twist," nor was there any "whodunit" aspect. Even though there were detectives involved, it was really just the victim recounting her story. I'm glad I can now say I've read a book like this, but to be honest I'm not really a big fan of this type of narrative. I prefer books where the main character is actively trying to solve a mystery. I think the author is talented and the story was unique, but man this book was DEPRESSING. I mean it was nice to know that the main character survives but there were times where I just didn't want to continue and hear more about these poor girls getting tortured, raped, and murdered. If I had known how graphic this book was, I might have warned people at the beginning of this discussion (though a couple of you did mention the squeamish content, so thank you for that). Really this whole book I just kept asking, "Ok when are they going to escape? Please escape. Please PLEASE escape." It was really tough to read and a lot of times I just didn't feel in the mood. Also, the whole (view spoiler)[ sort of romance with Demond wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I assumed she would find herself suddenly falling in love with him despite the fact that his family had kidnapped her and the others and had no plans to notify authorities. I honestly really hate romance in books, unless it's done really well, and I especially hate it when victims fall in love with their captors (I will usually stop reading a book if this happens honestly), so I was a bit nervous when Desmond was introduced. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised when it's clear that Inara does not respect him for not going to the police right away and in the end when he actually has gotten help, she still doesn't forgive him. (hide spoiler)] Overall, I would give this book three out of five stars. It's well written and never left me bored, but it's just not the type of story that interests me.

Below are a couple of questions I came up with to get the discussion going. They are behind spoiler tags for obvious reasons. I haven't read the sequel nor do I know what it's about, so these questions are ignoring anything that might already have happened in later books. Feel free to answer them if you want to, but no pressure. I would just love to hear everyone's thoughts.

(view spoiler)[ Why do you think Desmond took so long to go to the police? Do you think he is complicit in the crimes, as Inara believes, for waiting so long to tell the police?

The Gardner, a kidnapper, rapist, and murderer, has a kind side to him; comforting the girls and even hysterically crying when one of them dies accidentally. How can a man so evil have a soft side? What makes him different from Avery? And why do you think the author chose to portray him this way?

What do you think happens to Inara after the book ends? Do you think she even attempts to contact her family, or do you think she just accepts the girls as family and stays with them? Do you think the surviving girls will eventually recover or will there be suicides, as Inara suggests?

What did you think of the structure of the narrative? Was this still a compelling book without the "whodunit" factor? (hide spoiler)]

Anyways, these are just some questions to ponder. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

[Ria]

It seems I maybe the only one enjoyed this tale...and in answer to the question about Desmond being complicit, I got a real sense of a weakness in his character that would suggest whatever he may have thought or knew of the happenings in the garden, he would choose to avoid confronting them...

[Natalie]

Ria wrote: "It seems I maybe the only one enjoyed this tale...and in answer to the question about Desmond being complicit, I got a real sense of a weakness in his character that would suggest whatever he may h..."

Thanks for your thoughts Ria! I agree with you about Desmond; he did seem like a bit of a weak person who did not want to believe his father could do such horrible things. I think that's part of the reason why Inara doesn't respect him and why the book didn't suddenly turn into a romance novel (thankfully so). Also, you're definitely not the only one who enjoyed it, and I'm glad you did! I liked the book, it just wasn't for me.

I realize that I probably should have added a discussion question about (view spoiler)[ Sophia and how she had escaped the Garden. Do you think it's fair to say that Sophia is just as complicit as Desmond, or worse, since she never told the police about the Garden? Is it fair for Inara to put blame on Desmond without blaming Sophia? (hide spoiler)]

That's a question for everyone. I should have put it in my original review.

[Jené]

I had the same reaction as Natalie to the book. While I enjoyed it, I didn't feel like there was enough mystery to it and the plot twists were not substantial. I thought the characters were interesting and well developed, and I think that is why I enjoyed the book as much as I did.

A big theme in most of the major characters (Gardner, Avery, Desmond, Sophia) was an unwillingness/inability to take responsibility or do the right thing. It highlights our human ability to make excuses and validate actions or lack of action!

[Emma]

I just finished it and I actually really enjoyed it. It was definitely not what I was expecting, and I agree that it wasn't really a mystery. Nevertheless, it was an interesting novel that held my attention the whole time

[Tom]

Reading the first sentence of the other comments it seems everyone has finished so...

Started this last night. Had it on my Kindle, not sure how, not something I read a lot of. So far (I am about 60 pages in) I like the way its set up. I don't think they would have the impatient FBI agent hanging around as much as they do ( my impression from all the FBI shows I watch is that the idea is you WANT the victim to talk, not insult them). But anyway, it is very creepy and twisted so far. I don't quite see where it is going yet but I have some ideas... gonna see how it plays out.

[MissLemon]

Just finished ( in two days!) and I've given it 4 stars ( it's perhaps a 3.75).
I need to let it sink in a bit but I agree it's not a mystery. It was nominated in the Goodreads Horror catergory and, to be honest, I was a bit worried as I don't normally read horror. But it's tone and content remind me of the Hunger Games in a way, and I wouldn't have been surprised to be told it was a YA book. As the parent of an 18 yo daughter I would say the MC certainly has a convincing teen voice, quite reminiscent of Katniss Everdeen.
I won't post spoilers as I can't remember how to hide them, but agree that this is about family not necessarily being about blood relatives, and also about complicity. The 'twist', if it is one, was a bit of a leap too far for me. Glad to have read it though, thanks to this group

[Deborah]

I'd be interested to know if anyone else has read the second book in the trilogy, The Roses of May. I finished it yesterday and, while it was a 3-star read on its own, I felt its connection to The Butterfly Garden was really forced.

[Natalie]

Thanks for all your comments. I'm glad most of you enjoyed this book.

To be honest I'm kind of surprised this book even has a sequel, it doesn't really seem like it needs one. Deborah, did you find that it was more of a standard mystery book than The Butterfly Garden? The synopsis makes it sound more like a typical mystery/thriller.

[Deborah]

Natalie wrote: "Deborah, did you find that it was more of a standard mystery book than The Butterfly Garden? The synopsis makes it sound more like a typical mystery/thriller. "

Yes, unlike The Butterfly Garden, where we knew who the "bad guys" were from the start, there is a murder mystery at the heart of The Roses of May, although I solved it pretty early on. The Roses of May murderer is also being pursued by FBI Agents Hanoverian, Eddison, and Ramirez; I think if the focus had remained on them, ala Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series, I might have liked it more. Unfortunately (in my view), Hutchison introduces the Butterfly Garden survivors to people affected by the Roses of May murder, and that just seemed artificial to me, as though someone told Hutchison one book wasn't enough; everybody's got to write a trilogy today!

[Tom]

I finished last night. it was a decent read. I liked the set up where Maya told the story though I thought at times she seemed a touch too, I'm not sure how to say, maybe sure of herself. There are not many people that would have been as calmly intellectual about the situation as she seemed to be. She was too 'good' maybe, frankly I was expecting the ending to be (view spoiler)[how she became The Gardener and she was the mastermind all along. That thing with Sophia was just too out there. was it supposed to show that no one will ever 'save' you so suck it up. And I don't really buy that none of the girls wanted to see there parents without talking to her first, especially the kid. In answer to some of the questions ... Yes Desmond and Sophia are equally complicit. Sophia could have had an investigation started that might have led to the finding of the girls much sooner. The Gardner was in no way kind or different than Avery, they just showed their evil in different ways. And from the way her parents abandoned her Maya will never reach out to them, at least I hope she feels she doesn't owe them anything. she has a family in the apartment that waited for her, and a family that experienced her pain. She will never recover, none of them will (hide spoiler)]
Interesting about the second book. I am not sure if I will read it, I don't think I will actively seek it out, at least too soon.

[Wend]

Carolyn wrote: "Just finished ( in two days!) and I've given it 4 stars ( it's perhaps a 3.75).
I need to let it sink in a bit but I agree it's not a mystery. It was nominated in the Goodreads Horror catergory an..."

Completely agree with you Carolyn

[Ann]

hello everyone,
I just read through your comments and really wanted to do the group read but could not fit it in before the summer!
This one has been on my to-read list for a while.
Hope to read this during my hols - looks like it's a good one.

[Natalie]

Ann wrote: "hello everyone,
I just read through your comments and really wanted to do the group read but could not fit it in before the summer!
This one has been on my to-read list for a while.
Hope to read ..."

Yeah I would say it's definitely worth a read! If you want to discuss after you've finished, I'll keep my notifications on for this thread and I would be happy to discuss it with you in the future!

[Ann]

hello Natalie and thanks, I hope to read it over the summer

[Suki]

I joined this group too late for the group read of this book, but I had it on my Kindle so I thought I'd read it anyway.

Although the novel has a very interesting premise, it really fell flat for me. The characters seemed kind of stiff and two-dimensional, and I couldn't really engage with them. I also found it very unrealistic that the Maya/Inara character would be so open with tbe FBI agents so early, after the author has repeatedly emphasized how tough and detached she is. I didn't feel any pity for Desmond, either.

(view spoiler)[
He claimed to love Maya, but he was very reluctant to help her, and had a very weak moral core where the actions of his father and brother were concerned. The ending, where it is revealed that Sophia had escaped from the Garden and had actually told Inara about it, came across as a clumsy attempt to stitch her past and present lives together-- it was too much of a coincidence to feel credible, and I didn't think it really was necessary to the story.
(hide spoiler)]
My favorite thing about the book was Bliss and her clay sculptures.

This book is apparently the first of a trilogy, but I don't really see where the story can go from here and I'm not interested enough to find out.