The seven-part series “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart” is based on the novel of the same name by Holly Ringland. The story deals with harsh, sensitive issues of abuse and handles it in a way that, while upsetting to viewers, is definitely necessary in order to understand the characters and the entire theme of the story.

It begins with 9-year-old Alice, a young girl living in Australia who loves to escape into books. She enjoys reading and having her mom read to her as well. What she and her mom don’t enjoy is the abuse they endure by her father, Clem Hart.

When the family home is destroyed by a fire, Alice loses her parents but gains a grandmother she never knew existed. After recovering from her wounds, Alice goes to live with June, who is reeling from the fact her son had done the atrocities to his family and emotionally damaged little Alice. June is a flower farmer with an incredible sense of right and wrong. Her farm is a refuge for battered and abused women.

While at the flower farm, Alice learns a secret language based on Australian native flowers. By combining various flowers, she (and whoever knows the language) is able to convey a message without speaking. This element of the story is interesting and the meaning of the flowers is displayed on the screen so viewers get a glimpse into the secret language.

While June and the other women watch over Alice, the little girl soon feels a sense of normalcy. Or does she? She knows there are deep family secrets to which she must find the answers. And will she be able to stay with her grandmother or will someone else claim her?

This is definitely a gritty and emotional story. There is the recurrent theme of abuse, both mental and physical. There are also many secrets revealed throughout the episodes that shed more light on the personalities of the characters.

The show was filmed in Australia where viewers see the difference between coastal scenery and inland desert scenery.

The series stars Sigourney Weaver as June Hart, the grandmother who took in her estranged granddaughter Alice after the tragedy. Weaver was also an executive producer on the show. The adult Alice is played by Alycia Debnam-Carey, and the young Alice by Ally Browne. Others starring are Asher Keddie as Sally Morgan, Alexander England as John Morgan, Tilda Cobham-Hervey as Alice’s mother Agnes Hart, and Charlie Vickers as Clem Hart. The cast is extraordinary given the tough scenes that they had to portray. Emotions are always close to the surface as all of the characters must face their pasts and live the best lives they can at the present.

This is a story of resilience. The question is, will Alice be one of the survivors or a victim doomed to live her life with all the tragedies that have been inflicted on her family and friends?

This emotionally charged drama premiered Aug. 4 on Prime Video. For those who have embraced the book and who enjoy deep drama, this is a show that will not disappoint and includes top-notch performances by all of the cast.

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