Publication Date: July 29, 2025
A broken woman. A mysterious job ad. A chance to heal in French castle gardens—but strange things are growing behind the ancient stone walls. This debut adult novel is an enchanting, modern-day take on The Secret Garden, sprinkled with magic. Perfect for fans of Sarah Addison Allen.
Help Wanted: In search of a gardener for the ancient walled Jardins du Paradis in the South of France. Unique and rustic lodging provided. Off the grid in all ways. One must grow flowers from one’s merde . . .
Exhausted by fruitless attempts to make a family, Eloise takes the chance of a lifetime to answer an ad in a French gardening magazine. To fly away from her life in the States and tend to both her shattered heart and the flowers of Paradise. And best of all for her . . .
Absolutely no children allowed on the premises.
Within the high garden walls, Eloise starts to learn the strange rules of the elusive estate owner. Living and working in isolation with her three companions, she finds her heart opening again to friendship—and realizes she’s drawn to the handyman, Raphael. The flowers whisper to her, enchanting, delighting, healing. But why are the workers forbidden from going out during dusk? Who is the “Goddess of the Garden”? Is her mind playing tricks on her, or does she see a woodsprite flitting through the trees? The giggles and glimpses of a little girl haunt her and make her question: What is real in Paradise and what is illusion?
Eloise tries to rationalize her uneasy feelings and the darkness she uncovers beneath the garden’s lush beauty, but as she digs deeper into the mysteries of her sanctuary, she begins to suspect there’s a child on the grounds—who may be in danger. When Paradise becomes a deadly prison, she must risk everything to protect her newfound family and claim her second chance at happiness.
Going off the grid sounds like a wonderful opportunity for a grieving woman, even if it means traveling across the globe to France.
Eloise’s new job in a picturesque yet rustic walled garden offers a respite, yet it is cloaked in mystery. Author Laura Resau delivers a breathtaking story in The Alchemy of Flowers.
Surrounded by beautiful flowers that seem to speak to her, Eloise adjusts to the simplicity of life with no electricity or running water. The lush backdrop, coupled with tasty food and drink, sets the atmospheric tone.
As the story unfolds, the author weaves details in Eloise’s interactions with her three coworkers. An unexpected attraction to the handyman even helps to boost her spirits for a bit. It’s the rules surrounding the garden, though, that stir her curiosity.
In a place where children are forbidden, Eloise hears one. Her determination to find answers might threaten her newfound happiness and disturb the sanctuary within the walls.
The Alchemy of Flowers showcases the healing hands of nature as a woman seeks a new life.
Laura Resau is the author of The Alchemy of Flowers, her debut novel for adults, and eleven acclaimed books for young people. Her novels won five Colorado Book Awards and appear on best-of booklists from Oprah, the American Library Association, and more. Trilingual and with a cultural anthropology background, she’s lived in Provence and Oaxaca, and now teaches creative writing at Western Colorado University. You might find her writing in her cozy vintage trailer in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she lives with her rock-hound husband, musician son, wild husky, a garden of healing flowers, and a hundred house plants.
