The Florist's Daughter Paperback – January 15, 2009

In this memoir about - mostly - her parents, Patricia Hampl examines two midwestern lives of what Thoreau probably would have recognized as "quiet desperation." In speaking of the ordinary people of St Paul, Minnesota, who live "relentlessly modest" lives, Hampl says, "They expect to be forgotten." Much is written here about the virtues of being squarely in the middle - not poor, but not rich either. It is this kind of quiet, uncomplaining respectability exemplified by her very middle class parents and other relatives that made Hampl plot her escape from an early age, that caused her to reinvent herself as the family "rebel." And yet, she admits, she never really got away. She stayed and stayed, caring for her aging parents long after her brother had "fled" to California. Although the narrative bogs down slightly here and there, this tale of her Czech father and Irish mother is, in the end, the tale of a kind of Everyman of upwardly striving middle-class middle America. And as she tells of her mother's final years - that gradual loss of independence, from her widow's condo to an assisted-living facility to a nursing home's "third floor" - it's enough to simply break your heart. But in spite of this grim subject - the story is framed by scenes from her mother's last night on earth, Hampl sitting vigil and trying to write a fitting obituary - there are also lighter moments in which Hampl's self-deprecating sense of humor will make you chuckle in recognition. This is good story-telling, the kind of memoir that will make you reflect on your own life, and maybe want to even write it down. - Tim Bazzett, author of the REED CITY BOY trilogy

Patricia Hampl's memoir is a paean to post World War II St. Paul and her parents with whom she lived there, Mary and Paul. The florist, Stan, is Czech, enamored of conventional beauty and a pleaser. Mary, who works in a library, is Irish and interested in keeping track of people, often rather judgmentally. Hampl's language can be lush like the flowers her father provided for the city's elite, and she's above all literate and precise, but somehow the story never took off for me. I felt she got her parents down (although, of course, I never knew them), but the story, like them, never achieved transcendence. Hampl's very disciplined about keeping her own post-graduate story in the shadows (one reference to a psychotherapist, a couple of mentions of a husband), and I wonder if a little more reflection on how these two people influenced her might have involved me (her contemporary) a bit more. Instead, it took me back to a lot of writing from the seventies and the influence of all those "show, don't tell" editors and creative writing teachers. The flowers bloom, but the fragrance eludes me.

This writer is an excellent "word-smith." She really knows how to write and knows all the aspects of the craft of writing.This book is a memoir of her family life in the city of St Paul, which she tells us is a boring place, with small town family issues and small town families. So even though its super well written, I found much of it boring because the subject matter was boring: her fierce Irish mother and her artistic florist father, the differences between the parents and the differences between the families.I read for a class, but otherwise I probably would not have finished it.

This is a book you will immediately pick up to Re-Read.You will be touched as Ms. Hampl shares her innermost memories of her handsome, warm and wonderful Father, his artistry, unusual ability to relate to people, and who took every opportunity to forgive and forget. Her Mother, an unusual artist herself, took every opportunity to add to the author's life from childhood to the time of her passing in her 80's.It's setting is in St. Paul, Minnesota. I felt I was walking the shopping areas of the city in the 40's and 50's as they are so well documented.This is a beautifully written book. A book you would enjoy reading and also owning. Pearl L. Slifer

Hampl's writing is as lyrical as a poem. Her story drew me in from the very first page and I was barely able to put it down. I was disappointed when it ended because I didn't want it to end. A big kudos to Patricia Hampl.

I enjoyed this story since it relates the story of being a daughter. Especially being the only daughter...our responsibilities are generally different from those of sons. I do know a few sons who have been exceptional! Also enjoyed mention of locations in St. Paul since I am familiar with the area.

The Florist's Daughter is one of the first memoirs that grabbed my interest since reading any Sue Monk Kidd memoir. The writing style flows. The subject is interesting and she is real. Real.I enjoyed this quite a bit and seeing the request to review it pop up makes me want to dig it out and read it again. I only keep the good ones.Take time to read this. It is well worth it.

Excellent depiction of two lives and a community.

This was suggested as a book club read.Initially I thought how beautifully this book was written and I was excited to read on. 120 pages later and I was still waiting for something of interest to happen. I know that these are memoirs.....but really...absolutely nothing happens in this book. We do not get any insight into the characters, there is no depth or emotion conveyed, and I could not feel anything for anyone in the book.It was the first book at our book club that was unanimously disliked, and some people said that they did not finish it because they could not waste another moment of their lives on it!