What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
► UNSOLVED: One specific book
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YA Fantasy book I read around 2000-2003 about magic roses of unusual colour, missing/dead sister, mother is grieving. They moved to a house near a river/stream and there's something to do with swans/geese
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Maybe Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip? There is a lot in there about her relationship with her sister.
Alternatively, a girl looking after roses makes me think of Beauty and the Beast. Could it be connected to that? Robin McKinley's Rose Daughter comes to mind.
I loved Rose Daughter but no definitely not that one. This one wasn't a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Winter Rose doesn't seem to fit either. From what I recall this book was set at some point in modern times, at least late 20th century I think.
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Rainbowheart wrote: "Green Willow's Secret?"This sounded so close I thought it must be it but doesn't seem to be the right one I'm afraid. Thank you anyway
Would still appreciate any suggestions for this one.
Was the setting rural or more on the outskirts of a city? Did it seem to be set in modern America or the UK?
SBC wrote: "Was the setting rural or more on the outskirts of a city? Did it seem to be set in modern America or the UK?" Definitely a rural setting. I think UK but could have been somewhere else I suppose and I just didn't realise.
In terms if timing for the 20th century did it seem to be pre/post war? ie were there telephones, cars, fridges etc?
possibly "The Language of Spells" by Garret Weyr??
SBC wrote: "In terms if timing for the 20th century did it seem to be pre/post war? ie were there telephones, cars, fridges etc?"I wish I could remember more specific details. I'm fairly sure it was later 20th century but I wouldn't want to commit to a more specific time frame. I don't particularly remember any scenes with tvs, phones or cars or anything though. My sense of the time I think was more based on the language used in the dialogue but again this was based on my thoughts on the book from twenty years ago so I could easily be wrong on that.
Rainbowheart wrote: "The Language of Spells wasn't pubbed until 2018, though."Yeah that's not it. Don't remember any obvious fantasy elements like dragons or anything. And yeah, way too late if only published in 2018.
I do feel like the title might have had the word "rose" or "roses" in it.
It's probably not right, but it makes me think of "When the Moon Was Ours". I'm pretty sure that was published too late, but maybe???
Thank you Willow but no that's not it either
Could it have been The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, from the Books of Bayern series? It came out in 2003. Or one of the others in the series, Forest Born, Enna Burning, or River Secrets.
Thanks Ava but no those don't seem right
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- https://books.google.com/books?id=2Vm...
Ayshe wrote: "It is not a complete match but just in case, how about Swan Sister?"Ayshe thank you but this isn't right either.
The central theme was about the magic roses. I feel like the swans/geese were only a small subplot in the story.
I don't think this is it, and its definitely a stretch, but maybe The Secret Garden? There is another that is just on the tip of my tongue, but im kinda struggling to remember it. Will update if I do.
Ava wrote: "I don't think this is it, and its definitely a stretch, but maybe The Secret Garden? There is another that is just on the tip of my tongue, but im kinda struggling to remember it. Will update if I do." It's definitely not The Secret Garden but I do absolutely love that book. Thanks anyway Ava.
I didn't think it was that either, but for some reason I couldn't get it out of my head. Do you remember anything else? Also, was it a long book or a short one? Any character names eitherI have some more ideas including
Someone Was Watching by David Patneaude (1993)
The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie (2015, unlikely)
The Winter Sister by Megan Collins (2019, again, unlikely)
The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickinson (2015, same)
A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson (2021, missing sister is Rose, though)
Little Sister by Gytha Lodge (2022)
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (2006)
I still can't remember! Its the yellow walls and new beginning part that feel familiar. I even some dialogue from the possible book stuck in my head but I can't remember what its from.
More!
Calling the Swan by Jean Thesman (2000) (if this isn't it lol)
Missing You, Love Sara by Jackie French (2000)
Missing: Carrie Phillips, Age 15 (1989)
Don't Blame the Music by Caroline B. Cooney (1986, doubtful)
Ava wrote: "I didn't think it was that either, but for some reason I couldn't get it out of my head. Do you remember anything else? Also, was it a long book or a short one? Any character names eitherI have s..."
Thanks for all your help Ava , I really appreciate it but sadly none of these are right either.
I think it was a relatively short book, probably no more than 200 pages. Sadly I don't recall the names of any of the characters. The only other detail I can recall that i haven't already written above is that the sister was very young, I think around two or three years old. I suspect she may have drowned.
I'm starting to worry I'm remembering details from two different books. It's weird what little things you remember after so many years but that detail of the mum painting the sister's old room buttercup yellow is very clear to me even though it's a very brief moment. Might have been butter yellow or lemon yellow but something like that. I guess this might be a different book to the one about the roses but I really don't think so.
That would make sense. Now that you mention the drowning part, I am going to suggest The Princess Spy (2014) or The Peasant's Dream (2020) by Melanie Dickerson (I had gotten her last name wrong). They are both from the same series as The Golden Braid, in which the main character Rapunzel/Elsebeth does drown when she was about three. Margaretha (Princess Spy) and Adela (Peasant's Dream) are Rapunzel/Elsebeth's sisters. Elsebeth was playing by a river when she fell in (kinda). Also going to try The Rose Legacy (series) by Jessica Day George. The first book was published in 2018. It's about "rose colored horses" though, so I doubt it.
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. It was published in 1999.
Warrior Bards series by the same author. The first book was published in 2019.
The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley. It was published in 1981.
A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories by Robin McKinley as well. It was published in 1994. There is a story called "Buttercups" in the collection.
Ghostbird by Carol Lovekin. It was published in 2016.
Long shot, but Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. The main character supposedly drowns. It was published in 2012.
Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black. It was published in 2002.
Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie, also by Holly Black. It was published in 2005.
Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale by the same author.
The Curse Workers by the same author. The first book was published in 2010.
The Halfblood Chronicles by Mercedes Lackey. The first book was published in 1991.
Elemental Masters also by Mercedes Lackey. Book one, The Fire Rose, was published in 1995. It is a Beauty in the Beast retelling, however.
The Black Swan by the same author. It is based on Swan Lake and published in 1999.
Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, same author. The Sleeping Beauty was published in 2010. Maybe a cover match?
The Obsidian Mountain Trilogy, same author. The Outstretched Shadow was published in 2003.
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. It was published in 2014, and there is a potential cover match.
Crimson Bound, same author. It was published in 2015.
Endless Water, Starless Sky, same author. It was published in 2018.
Desires and Dreams and Powers, same author. It was published in 2019, but has rose petals on the cover.
The Cygnet series by Patricia A. McKillip. The first book was published in 1991, the second in 1993, and the third in 2007.
Ombria in Shadow, also by Patricia A. McKillip. It was published in 2002.
Alphabet of Thorn, same author. It was published in 2004.
A Troll and Two Roses, same author. It was published in 1985.
The Blood of Roses by Tanith Lee. It was published in 1990.
The Black Rose by Tananarive Due. It was published in 2000.
That is all for now. If you want me to find more, I definitely can.
Jemina do any of those sound correct? I went through my entire bookshelf (and boxes of books) last night and have some more ideas.
Ava wrote: "Jemina do any of those sound correct? I went through my entire bookshelf (and boxes of books) last night and have some more ideas."Thanks for all these ideas Ava, sorry it's taken me a few days to get round to checking them all out. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure none of these are the book I'm thinking of either.
It was definitely a book published before 2004 as i read it in my school library and it didn't look brand new even then but i couldn't give a more specific date. I double checked the newer books just in case but the only ones I've read are the Holly Black ones and it's definitely not those. I also doubt that this book was part of a series.
Gosh can't believe how much effort you're going to for me but it's very kind of you and I do really appreciate it.
Lol Its no problem. You are very welcome. I will check out some before 2004. :)
Some may be farfetched but:The Things We Do For Love by Kristin Hannah (January 1, 2004)
Unexpected Magic: Collected Stories by Diana Wynne Jones (2002)
Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas (January 29, 2004)
A Whisper of Roses by Teresa Medeiros
I know we can track this down!If you're pretty sure it's a UK setting with a UK author, I think we ought to focus on that.
It's definitely before 2004?
I'm also searching along with you guys for this one. I thought the previous guess of Annie Dalton was a good one, because she also wrote The Witch Rose, which I've just recently read (not your book, though).fwiw - I've gone through a lot of OpenLibrary hits for "buttercup yellow" with various key terms, and haven't had much success. I'm personally suspecting it's 'butter yellow' or 'lemon yellow', or another shade, as you later mentioned. ;) "Shadow rose" hasn't thrown up anything yet, but there's an awful lot of non-fiction gardening books that I can't shove aside, too.
Potentially relevant lists to add to later (I had a look already, but feel free to doublecheck that it isn't here):
Magic Garden: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
YA Grief Fiction: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Swans: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...
A Rose by Any Other Name: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
Don't give up. ;) We'll get there.
How about:In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker (1997) (kinda farfetched)
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (1992)
The Briar King by Greg Keyes (2003)
The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales "Retold" by Francesca Lia Block (2000) (probably not)
The Wild Swans by Peg Kerr (1999) (maybe)
Roses and Bones: Myths, Tales, and Secrets by Francesca Lia Block (2000)
The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly (2002)
Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon (1987)
Rainbowheart wrote: "I know we can track this down!If you're pretty sure it's a UK setting with a UK author, I think we ought to focus on that.
It's definitely before 2004?"
Yes definitely before 2004, that's the year I left school so must be before then.
And I'm pretty sure was set in UK, like English countryside.
Capn wrote: "I'm also searching along with you guys for this one. I thought the previous guess of Annie Dalton was a good one, because she also wrote The Witch Rose, which I've jus..."Okay, now I'm almost certain I've been remembering details from two different books. The cover of The Witch Rose looks really familiar! I'm almost certain that's the book about the roses. How on earth I didn't remember them being rainbow coloured roses on the cover I don't know or how I didn't recall it having anything to do with witches either... I'm going to read a copy I've found on Open Library and see if I remember it more as I go along.
This book doesn't seem to include anything about a lost young sister though so if it is this book then my memory clearly has things muddled up. I would still be interested in trying to work out what the other book is though so going to go back through all the suggestions and double check that none of them fit.
Thank you again for all your help everyone, you're all so lovely to take the time.
You are very welcome! I hope that's it! If it isn't, just say the word! I have one more in mind.
What's the Name of That Book???
Books mentioned in this topic
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Roses (other topics)
Roses (other topics)
Swan Sister (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Annie Dalton (other topics)Annie Dalton (other topics)
Annie Dalton (other topics)
Pretty sure it could be classed as fantasy though can't remember exactly why. Something to do with the roses having a magical quality possibly? A lot of the book had something to do with the roses and the rose garden and i remember the girl describing the roses as being an unusual colour, maybe shadow coloured? I think the girl was looking after the roses.
They have recently moved to a house by a river/stream. It's this house that has the roses in the garden. I'm not sure but think they might have seemed dead at first but the girl nurtures them and is able to bring them all back to life by the end.
The main character was a young girl who's little sister was missing or possibly dead. I'm not sure if she came back at the end of the story but I don't think so. The mum was in mourning and mostly leaving her older daughter to look after herself. The father was not in the picture. I may be recalling wrong but I think at some point the girl is reluctantly befriended by a boy or maybe a gardener. Also pretty sure there was something in there to do with swans. Or maybe geese. And this had something to do with the missing sister.
And the last thing i remember was towards the end of the book, the mum painting her sisters old bedroom buttercup yellow and this being a sense of a new beginning.
This book was set somewhere in 20th century and was not a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
I can't remember exactly what the cover was like but I'm thinking dark with a picture of a girl and a rose. I'm guessing it was published in the 90's.