The Moonflowers

A Novel

By: Abigail Rose-Marie

Narrated by: Abigail Reno

In a powerful and poignant novel, an artist unravels her mysterious family history and its generations of women who depended on each other to survive.

Tig Costello has arrived in Darren, Kentucky, commissioned to paint a portrait honoring her grandfather Benjamin. His contributions to the rural Appalachian town and his unimpeachable war service have made him a local hero. But to Tig, he’s a relative stranger. To find out more about him, Tig wants to talk to the person who knew her grandfather best: Eloise Price, the woman who murdered him fifty years ago.

Still confined to a state institution, Eloise has a lifetime of stories to tell. She agrees to share them all—about herself, about Tig’s enigmatic grandmother, and about the other brave and desperate women who passed through Benjamin’s orbit. Most revealing of all is the truth about Whitmore Halls, the mansion on the hill that was home to triage, rescue, death, and one inevitable day that changed Eloise’s life forever.

As Tig begins to piece together the puzzle of her mysterious family tree, it sends her spiraling toward a confrontation with her own painful past—and a reconciliation with all its heartrending secrets.

©2024 by Abigail Rose-Marie. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Rose-Marie gives us an almost tactile sense of this small Kentucky town, not much changed since Benjamin’s day, and of the claustrophobic atmosphere of living in a place where everyone knows everything, even the things they don’t talk about.”—Historical Novels Review

“Original, fascinating, emotionally engaging, inherently fascinating, The Moonflowers is gothic historical fiction at its very best. Especially and unreservedly recommended.”—Midwest Book Review

“The Moonflowers is a stunning debut novel fueled by troubling secrets and the strength and extraordinary courage of Appalachian women. Abigail Rose-Marie writes with emotional intensity, reminding us that much has changed in our world but the challenges that women face are still the same. A fascinating and necessary tale.”—Dinty W. Moore, author of Between Panic & Desire

Great story!

Narrator was excellent and the story was riveting. Good read. Will be one of my favorites

Beautiful!!

This book is so beautifully written that it brought the story to life. I was engaged from the beginning an could not wait to continue listening. The story is extremely moving-I felt so many emotions and finished feeling so good about all the main characters. The author’s descriptions made me feel as if I was seeing and feeling the same things as the main character. A fantastic read. I loved the audible so much I’m going to buy the book and read it too!

Sadly so timely

I was moved and stunned. Just a beautiful painting of a book. Characters are now good friends. I’d read it again!

The untold stories of every woman we will never know.

Such a beautiful, emotional and heartfelt. My heart felt sorrow and grief for this young women.

Great Book Best of the Year Very timely and extremely well written with just heart!

Great book! Best I’ve read all year. Extremely timely given the Overturning of Roe vs Wade. The author does such a masterful character development that you can’t put this novel down.