The Unlikely Lavender Queen Review

I was very excited about reviewing Jeannie Ralston's book "The Unlikely Lavender Queen" for no other reason than that it dealt with the subject of lavender. I soon found however, that this book is much more than Jeannie's memoir of her lavender farm, it is a book about life, change and acceptance.

As a high profile New York writer and editor, Jeannie Ralston was not excited about moving to Texas after marrying photographer Robb Kendrick. She lived for her trips back to New York. She soon found that Texas was not the only surprise Robb had for her. There was the second move to acreage in more rural Texas and the remodeling involved in their new house. As if that weren’t enough, after a visit to Provence to photograph lavender Robb was inspired to see if lavender would grow in Texas. With him being out of town often for jobs, Jeannie soon found that she was responsible for the lavender and decided to jump in with both feet. Through her skillful writing and storytelling we learn how she became not just comfortable in her new environment but also learned to love it. Could it have been the lavender that changed her?

Jeannie and Robb soon found the lavender business to be too overwhelming with their family life. In 2006, after being in business for 5 years, they sold Hill Country Lavender to their assistant, Tasha Brieger. They are now taking on new adventures in Mexico.