The Unlikely Lavender Queen: A Memoir of Unexpected Blossoming | 
| Author: Jeannie Ralston
Publisher: Broadway
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy New: $12.74
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Rating:  35 reviews
Sales Rank: 17603
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 5.9 x 1.2
ISBN: 0767927958
Dewey Decimal Number: 633.81
EAN: 9780767927956
ASIN: 0767927958
Publication Date: May 27, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: shelf wear
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Product Description
“I couldn’t help but question how I’d gotten to this strange spot in my life, so far from what I’d expected for myself. Yes, there had been a heady romance a few years back. Then a slew of subsequent decisions, fueled by love and yearnings I didn’t even know I had. But I never, ever would have suspected that this was where the sum total of them would bring me. That afternoon a new doubt dripped into my mind. When do you know, I wondered, whether the choices you’ve made were the right ones?”
In 1990, Jeannie Ralston was a successful magazine writer and bona fide city girl—the type of woman who couldn't imagine living on soil not shaded by skyscrapers. By 1994, she had called off an engagement, married Robb, a National Geographic photographer, and was living in Blanco Texas, population 1600.
The Unlikely Lavender Queen is the intimate story of a woman who gives up a lot for the man she loves – her beloved blue state, bagels and all-night bodegas—only to have to wonder: Was it too much? Ralston offers a lively chronicle of her life as a wife, new mother and an urban settler in rural Texas. As she labors to convert a dilapidated barn into a livable home, deal with scorpions and unbearably hot summers, raise two young children while Robb is frequently away on assignment, she realizes her ultimate struggle is to reconcile her life plans and goals with her husband’s without coming out the proverbial loser. And just when it seems like she might be losing that fight--and herself-- a little purple bloom changes her life.
For centuries lavender has been a mystical herb, so valuable to ancient Romans that a bushel would cost nearly a month’s wages. But when Robb returns from a trip to Provence with a plan for growing lavender on their land, Ralston is not convinced—in fact the last thing she needed or wanted was to take up farming on top of everything else. Then, much to her surprise, she slowly but surely falls in love with lavender, and in the course of growing and selling blooms, hosting the public at the farm, and creating lavender products, she discovers a new side of herself. A few short years later, Ralston had built Hill Country Lavender, a thriving commercial enterprise that transforms both her little corner of Texas and her life.
The Unlikely Lavender Queen will resonate with all women who have faced the tough choices that come with “having it all” and secretly (or not so secretly) hoped for great adventure to come along and surprise them. Ralston’s honest, funny, and poignant memoir is a testament to the fact that such adventures await us around every bend in life.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 30 more reviews...
 Turning Lemons into Lavendar Lemonade December 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Unlikely Lavender Queen is just wonderful! I was not initially drawn to it, because I couldn't imagine wanting to read a book about rural Texas (I live in Austin). When I met Jeannie Ralston at a book reading, though, I was captivated by the sections she read. It was apparent she was a very good writer - and I decided to give it a read. She changed her life and the lives of those around her (the entire community) with her vision for something bigger and better. The book inspired me to look at my life and what impact I have made or plan on making in the future. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to make a change, or anyone looking for a very entertaining read.
A marriage manual with a beautiful setting November 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If marriage is nothing else it is a series of compromises. Being another woman who has made major life changes for her husband, and wondered why at times, I could identify with the author. I loved this book and it is not a genre that I normally read. I can't really say I learned anything from the book because her story is a lesson I've recently been learning on my own. But it was so nice to empathize with someone.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who is recently married. And I'd recommend having a lavender sachet nearby as you read so you can smell the fields as she talks about them.
I really connected to this book September 22, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
As I was reading this I felt there were so many echoes of what I've experienced as a woman--for instance, the really hard work of making necessary compromises within a marriage. Talking about this is an important aspect of understanding what relationships are about and I don't think people really give this enough thought. I know my parents didn't talk to me about it and how it's a part of making a marriage work. Plus, the message that comes out is that when you give something you get something and that's a fundamental element to growth.
But beyond the message, the book is a great read, with a strong, compelling narrative. There are wonderful metaphors through out, and the best one is the overarching metaphor for the author's journey--taking a parched piece of land and creating a field of beautiful flowers. I think that any woman not living in a suburban bubble could completely identify.
Need a book to satisfy your hunger? September 19, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Let's face it- there alot of authors who proclaim to be great writers, but really stink. As a vigorous book lover, I read with all my friends in my book club and we tend to tear apart authors's that want to inspire women, but really put us to sleep.
That's why, I have to share with everyone, the book that satisfies my hunger, so much, that I want more and more. The Unlikely Lavender Queen- a must read for women, that takes the reader on amazing adventures. So many of us, can't fathom, being like Elizabeth Gilbert, in Eat, Pray and Love and running away somewhere to find ourselves.
That's why, YEAH, I loved indulging in Jeannie's adventures- you go girl! Books clubs, great conversation book over tea & chocolate, well at least, that's we have in my book club. Off for Unlikely Lavender Queen, www.jeannieralston.com - she rocks! Gotta tell all your girlfriends about this book.
Laura Grivner
I LOVED this book! September 19, 2008
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
Having lived in New York City after college and subsequently spending too much time in Texas, I totally related to this book. I couldn't put it down and read it in two nights! It was a great read!
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