The Flower Sisters

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 6,029 ratings

Price: 9.99

Last update: 04-08-2025


About this item

Drawing on the little-known true story of one tragic night at an Ozarks dance hall in the author’s Missouri hometown, this beautifully written, endearingly nostalgic novel picks up 50 years later for afolksy, character-driven portrayal of small-town life, split second decisions, and the ways family secrets reverberate through generations.

From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention for readers of Kristy Woodson Harvey, Donna Everhart, Sue Monk Kidd, Jeannette Walls, and Rita Mae Brown…

"Anderson weaves a rich and poignant tale of a small Ozarks town's factual tragedy, its generational secrets and the juxtapose of searching and belonging. Vivid and evocative, this is a debut to savor." —Kim Michele Richardson, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek series on The Flowers Sisters

Daisy Flowers is fifteen in 1978 when her free-spirited mother dumps her in Possum Flats, Missouri. It’s a town that sounds like roadkill and, in Daisy’s eyes, is every bit as dead. Sentenced to spend the summer living with her grandmother, the wry and irreverent town mortician, Daisy draws the line at working for the family business, Flowers Funeral Home. Instead, she maneuvers her way into an internship at the local newspaper where, sorting through the basement archives, she learns of a mysterious tragedy from fifty years earlier…

On a sweltering, terrible night in 1928, an explosion at the local dance hall left dozens of young people dead, shocking and scarring a town that still doesn’t know how or why it happened. Listed among the victims is a name that’s surprisingly familiar to Daisy, revealing an irresistible family connection to this long-ago accident.

Obsessed with investigating the horrors and heroes of that night, Daisy soon discovers Possum Flats holds a multitude of secrets for a small town. And hardly anyone who remembers the tragedy is happy to have some teenaged hippie asking questions about it – not the fire-and-brimstone preacher who found his calling that tragic night; not the fed-up police chief; not the mayor’s widow or his mistress; not even Daisy’s own grandmother, a woman who’s never been afraid to raise eyebrows in the past, whether it’s for something she’s worn, sworn, or done for a living.

Some secrets are guarded by the living, while others are kept by the dead, but as buried truths gradually come into the light, they’ll force a reckoning at last.

“A vivid blend of sensorial writing, historical detail, and memorable characters await in this compelling, surprising, insightful story of the weight of long-held secrets and the resulting hunger for truth.” – Susan Meissner, USA Today bestselling author of Only the Beautiful

Inspired by the true story of the Bond Dance Hall explosion, a tragedy that took place in the author’s hometown of West Plains, Missouri on April 13, 1928.

The cause of the blast has never been determined.

From the Publisher

FICTION, Historical, 20th Century, General
FICTION, Historical, 20th Century, General
FICTION, Historical, 20th Century, General

Top reviews from the United States

  • David J Ives
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Memorable Tour de Force
    Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2024
    “The Flower Sisters” by Michelle Collins Anderson is not only a Great Read, it is a Powerful Read; and it is a book that you will remember long after you have closed its covers. With beautiful descriptions of the lives and interactions of the citizens of a small town, this is a story of events and personalities; surprises and secrets.

    The advertised catastrophe (as mentioned on the back cover) arrives within the first 10 pages and it arrives with a powerful emotional impact that is depicted by incredibly descriptive text dripping with tension, realism, and pathos.

    Anderson uses a chapter-delimited device that I call “character-first-person” where a particular character leads the exposition of each chapter. In far too many other books this technique devolves more into an unseen voice-over same-style narrator redundancy. But Anderson has worked hard, and successfully, to give each character their own voice... in terms of vocabulary, sentence structure, and speaking tempo/cadence. The result is an easy intertwining of your own interests and emotions with those of each character as they “tell their tale” throughout the book.

    While all text is descriptive by its very nature, Anderson uses it as a rapier instead of a broadsword. Each word is well chosen; each sentence is well-tuned; and the end result is a novel that gives us access to emotions, human processes, and the interactions not just among individuals, but between individuals and the social entity of the town itself.

    This is not a book that you might think of as “easy reading” – for the based on real-life events and characters are far too powerful to easily fit into that well-thumbed category. But, on the other hand, it is an easy (and intriguing and stellar) read because Anderson has an armamentarium of impressive writing skills and she has used them to craft and hone a true literary gem.

    “The Flower Sisters” ends with a chapter that is a memorable 'benedictus' to the characters and events from the beginning of the novel to its end. If you seek a well-crafted and realistic telling of a riveting, emotional, and fulfilling story, then you and this novel belong together.
  • Bonnie Auxier
    4.0 out of 5 stars Slow but Sweet
    Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2024
    A good book. Shocking at first and then nothing quit makes sense until later. I almost gave up on this story but felt I had read too much of it to give up now. So glad I didn’t! It picked up speed as I continued to read and became more and more involved with it. An unusual but peaceful ending. I liked it and would recommend it to others.
  • Carol L Rizzuto
    5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Historical Novel!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2024
    I totally loved this book and highly recommend it!! Loved the characters, story line and the author's writing style. More twists than a pretzel!!
  • leon hoskins
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this historical fiction
    Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2024
    The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson is captivating and enjoyable. The characters are believable and drawn from our common humanity. While the circumstances are based on true events in southeastern Missouri, Ms Anderson has spun a wonderfully full fictional drama. The long-term consequences of a trauma experienced in youth and shared with the community is a theme that is worth exploring in today's world of violence and intolerance. This is worth the read!
  • Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars It would have been 4 stars
    Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2025
    Very well written, excellent story. However, the last chapter was a silly ending to a very good book.
  • RFA
    4.0 out of 5 stars I wasn’t sure, exactly
    Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2024
    1st book I’ve read by this author & would more than likely read more.
    There was one sentence in the book that kept me intrigued & I knew something or hoped that something big would be coming. And it did.
    Writing is good, movement was a little slow in some parts but overall a very good read
  • jane dufrane
    5.0 out of 5 stars So unexpected!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2024
    I truly was enchanted by the plot and its surprises.beautifully written and magically composed, each character was well described so that you felt you too were a member of possum flats.
  • Tami R
    5.0 out of 5 stars Flower sistera
    Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2024
    I loved this book! It taught me several things. It taught me about faith, forgiveness, and love. It touched my heart.

    • Best Sellers in

     
     

    The Day Shelley Woodhouse Woke Up: The uplifting, emotional read from the author of NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER The Last List of Ma

    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 6,777
    0.99
     
     

    Killer Instinct (Tom Walker Book 1)

    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 6,276
    4.99
     
     

    The Unwanted Wife: Nathan & Skylar's story. A Brother's Best Friend Marriage of Convenience Romance (The Davenports Book 1)

    4 4 out of 5 stars 5,185
    5.99
     
     

    Copycat Recipes Box Set 3 Books in 1: Making Restaurants’ Most Popular Recipes at Home

    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 320
    6.99
     
     

    Desire or Defense: A Hockey Romance (D.C. Eagles Hockey Book 1)

    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 9,731
    4.99
     
     

    The Woman in the Cabin: A BRAND NEW absolutely addictive and unputdownable psychological thriller for 2025

    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 4,527
    8.99
     
     

    The Perfect Affair: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist

    4 4 out of 5 stars 5,347
    3.99
     
     

    The Poppy War: A Novel

    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 26,246
    13.99