This book should be at the top of the bestseller lists, for its subject, plot and its wonderful main character, Lily. Set in the sixties, the story opens a few decades earlier with a description of Lily’s grandmother, Emma Preston, “M”, as a girl who grows into a malevolent woman, twisted in body and mind by a childhood bout with polio. When her only son Jack marries sweet Lauren Rose, M disapproves, and sets out to destroy her daughter-in-law and family, in particular Lily. As M’s campaign grows ever more vicious. Lily will need all her courage, resilience and wit if she is to survive her dysfunctional family. This was a beautifully told story, sharp and incisive in its portrayal of a very young girl, clever, outgoing and loving, growing up with adults determined to thwart her natural talents. Lily is a character you’ll love from the minute you meet her, a little girl forced to grow up too soon, trying to protect not just her younger brother, but her older sister and mother. Will she bloom, like her mother’s beloved geraniums, or wilt away from lack of being cherished? I enjoyed this book as a story, but I also took away from it a very powerful message. It opens with M, who meets the challenges she faces by turning sour, bitter and mean. It closes with Lily who faces up to her challenges with a sweet, feisty and loving nature. Sending out cries for help that no-one hears, she learns to help herself. She is an inspiration.