AUGUSTA, GA. - Nestled in the heart of Georgia lies the town of Dublin. It is here that Robbie Williams decided to settle and begin a new life. With this move came a life-changing endeavor; something that would touch her heart. It was one simple thing: flowers.

 

In “A Few Flowers For My Soul,” Williams talks of the new life she found for herself after reconnecting with an old sweetheart. Settling in mid-Georgia, she and her newfound love create what became Chinaberry Ranch.

 

Chinaberry Ranch, an old pig farm on the outskirts of Dublin, becomes a mystical place for Williams. She transforms what seemed hopeless into a thriving array of flower gardens. Her love of fresh-cut flowers, as well as the abundance her garden produces, leads her into a kinship with the people of Dublin.

 

Her flower arrangements, whether taken to dinner parties or sold at the local hospital, bloom in the lives of Dubliners. With warmth and sincerity, she and her blossoms wave a kind of magic from the folksy tales of a few people she comes to know. Their personalities correlate with certain flowers, and Williams shows how we are much more like flowers than one would think.

 

The characters, based on real townsfolk (with some names changed), are the kind of folks with whom anyone can identify, and have an effect on Williams. Her tales relate to the healing powers and emotions that flowers have on those lives that she touches in Dublin.

 

Williams’ floral enterprising also takes her to the town square of Sandersville, where other Lake Wobegone-ish characters reside. Selling her zinnias, roses, sunflowers and gladiolus at the Saturday market, she comes to know the people of this tiny woodland hamlet as well. With a knack for capturing the heart and soul of small-town living, Williams makes you feel as if you were there alongside her.

 

Everyone loves flowers, but Williams is able to illustrate just how much they can affect a person. Her deep adoration for the flowers she produces allows her to provide thought-provoking insights to life itself.

 

“A Few Flowers For My Soul” is uplifting and sweet and reminds us that life can be just a little better if we take the time to appreciate the beauty of frest-cut flowers.

 

Harbor House Books

$18.95