Book: The Language of Flowers

 

Author: Vanessa Diffenbaugh

 

Genre: Fiction/Family/Meaning of Love

 

Summary: Acacia for secret love, daffodil for new beginnings, wisteria for welcome, and camellia for my destiny is in your hands. In Victorian times, the language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions. But for Victoria Jones, it's been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what's been missing in her life. And when she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second change at happiness. - Ballatine Books, 2011.

 

Earlier in the year, I read ‘The Little Paris Bookshop’ (Nina George) in which a bookseller dispenses books from his literary apothecary to treat each reader’s malady and/or melancholy – a book which I enjoyed. In ‘The Language of Flowers’, flora is used as the tool of communication. Each flower and plant is a symbol of something; sometimes, even the color gives a different meaning. I am fascinated by all things code and symbols, and I liked how just the sending of flowers alone conveyed messages (granted, of course, the recipients knew what they stood for). Even if they didn’t, the ‘power’ message contained in the giving or presentation of those flowers alone was enough to change things around, and rectify a situation – so likewise, I enjoyed this book. [This is akin to the ability attributed to spices in ‘The Mistress of Spices’ (Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni)] In addition, there is a flower dictionary at the end of the book, compiled and condensed by the author in her research of other such old/archaic dictionaries.

So...this was really well written but I don't think I would necessarily recommend it to anyone because I just didn't enjoy the time I spent in this world. There was no light at the end of the tunnel, no bittersweet resolution, no message-political or otherwise, just sadness. I found myself wanting to bail on several occasions but felt I had invested too much already.

This was a great debut novel about connections, love and second chances.  Victoria Jones is a recently emancipated young woman who grew up in foster care system. She sees the world through hate and mistrust but finds that she has the gift to use the language of flowers to help others relationships grow.  When she meets someone from her happiest, and most painful part of life, she must face her past to determine her future.

 

This story was really good but parts of it really frustrated me.  I feel like the book was a little bit to long and dragging through the middle. Victoria really frustrated me through chunks of the book but I had to remind myself that she clearly has some mental health issues and was only 18. The story though and the way the mystery of her history unfolds was really interesting and beautifully done. I was really happy with the way the book ended I just wish it had been edited a little more so there wasn't so much drag in the middle. But flowers! I loved all the flowers, I listened to this at work (I work in a greenhouse) and it just made me happy to be hearing about all these flowers.

 

These are the things that specifically drove me nuts: Victoria is so incredibly selfish through most of the book and her choices rarely made sense. I never really hit a point where I could connect to her choices but I feel like this is a very personal issue that other people may not have so I'd still recommend it. But seriously the way she treats Renata with pregnancy and subsequent issues specifically bothered me. Renata's line "Do you really think you're the only human being alive who is unforgivably flawed? Who's been hurt almost to the point of breaking?" really sums up my feelings toward Victoria. I guess I was struggling with compassion for her. 

 

That being said I really did love that in the end she didn't just move in with Grant and Hazel and have a happily ever after but rather had a happily ever after that was more tempered and slow, having her own space in the water tower and slowly easing into the family connection that she missed for most of her life.  I just think that's more realistic and beautiful than an ending that was like "I love everyone and there will be no issues with me just diving into this life".

(spoiler show)

Island of Flowers
Laney Simmons travels to Hawaii to meet her father. She finds out that in her 15 year absence much has changed even that her father owns the plane company that is flying her in.
The pilot, Dylan O'Brien, half owner, sees her as an upscale princess and treats her as such. She studies him while he's conducting business and sees how surprised he is to see her.
She learns the truth about her education and how her father had paid for it all and then some...
Loved hearing of the scenery as she realizes what is really going on...
.