A whirlwind of vivid imagery. Relatable, well-rounded characters that feel like close friends. Mysterious but not to the point of utter confusion. Minoan magic seamlessly woven throughout the pages. Like the story itself, the striking artwork for every chapter (by Lydia Hall) merges ancient times with the modern day through its Minoan-fresco-inspired art depicting contemporary scenes.
Flower Gatherers is an anthophile’s (and Minoan enthusiast’s) dream book, quite frankly. Those who have been reading my articles throughout the years know how much I love flowers (specifically the flora of Crete like the saffron crocus). Each chapter title even features the scientific name of a flower or plant! Let’s just say I got very excited when Pancratium maritimum was mentioned, which is the sea daffodil/lily (also called the “lily of Knossos”) that has inspired some of my Minoan poetry like this one.
Every night before bed as I read this, only a dim book light illuminating the room, I felt like I was teleported. I’ve set foot in modern Crete plenty of times and have seen the ancients sites up close and personal. Reading this book felt like the next best thing due to Lorna’s exquisitely immersive writing style with the most uncanny details. Fiction books inspired by Minoan civilization are hard to come by, and I’m beyond grateful I stumbled upon this while looking through the Minoan tag on WordPress.
If I had to give it a star rating, I wouldn’t. Instead, I’d give it 5 rodakes (ρόδακες: rosettes)!
❁❁❁❁❁
A photo of sea daffodils by Zeynel Cebeci
𓆸The Premise
by Lydia Hall
To give you a quick gist without giving too much away: In modern-day England, a passionate researcher (who happens to also be an anthophile and a bit of a hermit like yours truly) discovers perplexing engravings that change the understanding of Minoan civilization as we know it. Then, miles and millennia way, there’s a young girl on the island of Crete. She is passionate too (about flowers especially, but in a different way) and makes a pivotal decision that shapes her life in ways she couldn’t possibly anticipate. This compelling book contains two distinct yet seamlessly intertwined stories, and that’s what sets it apart. Magical realism at its finest!
𓆸Author Bio
Lorna studied Classics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University; after a chance encounter with a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel in her finals year, she became curious about the similarities between it and Ovid, and eventually received a doctorate from University College London on ‘Magical Realism in Ovid’s Metamorphoses’ in 2005.
She created The Iris Project and Iris magazine to promote Classics in state schools in 2006, and runs Latin and Greek projects in state schools across the UK. She has also worked with UCL Bloomsbury Theatre and The Scoop on ancient drama projects, and she set up ‘Latin in the Parks’ for adults to have a go at picking up Latin. She created and runs the East Oxford Community Classics Centre, which opened in October 2013, and the Rumble Museum, the first museum in a state school. It was awarded Arts Council Accreditation in March 2020.
She has written a book “Ovid and Gabriel Garcia Marquez”, and has also written the Latin course Telling Tales in Latin and part two, Distant Lands, which introduces Latin through the stories of Ovid. She has also written Telling Tales in Greek, introducing ancient Greek through the stories of Homer. Her latest book, Telling Tales in Nature: Underworld Tales, explores plants and the myths around them through new voices and perspectives.
She lives in Barton, Oxford, with her husband and teenage daughter, and enjoys nature, reading, music, spending time with her ‘urban family’ of friends, and imagining the future!
Minoan Mystic 
This sounds like a book I’d enjoy. Thank you for the review!
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I can’t recommend it enough!!
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