The Language of Flowers: A Novel

Only a day or two passed before I read “The Language of Flowers” a second time. Thank goodness. My memory, created during the first reading, holds story-holes. I created ugly potholes by not knowing which detail to understand, now or appreciate later --- during the first reading. And, holes need filling. Every detail, each symbol, each sub-theme, page by page means more to me now, almost as if I were beginning to learn a new language. The second reading shows and validates details and sub-themes missed the first time. “It feels as if I’m reading a different book,” I say to myself. And I anticipate each additional reading will thicken understanding of what the story shares. I love this story, as painful as it is at times.. During the first reading, I keep reading one more page, then one more chapter. Then I read another page, another chapter, on and on. To stop and wet my dry mouth and throat seems a time-waster. Each chapter introduces a surprise. Each chapter's last sentence keeps me anticipating the unexpected that Diffenbaugh will share next. While most of Victoria’s jaw-droppers displease me or make me feel uncomfortable, they keep fascinating and riveting my focus, as I read and turn page ... after page ... after page--- not able to stop. Two questions birth themselves and stay with me, as I move through this tale: • How real is this story? It feels like a dream, a bad one --- no, perhaps a nightmare, for all characters. • Why is the book called “The Language of Flowers?” The title feels light-hearted, maybe literary, even botanical --- almost, even artificial. Yet, I know it’s not. The second reading, I keep working to flesh-out a comfortable answer to the story’s purpose. Vanessa presents Victoria's story as a real-world experience --- yet it doesn’t feel believably so. Wounds and damages just don’t heal as quickly as the story's words and rhythms suggest, in real-life. I ask: Might this story’s content be identified as a blend or a collage of an adult contemporary fairy tale, a fantasy, a story of secular-mysticism, a fictional memoir, a surrealistic metaphor, an unfinished psychological case-study draft? Is it? I wonder. Perchance it’s imaginary. I keep searching the story’s content. “Is it phantasmagoria-like?" I ask myself. "Does the text hide a less obvious more meaningful or realistic solution?" Hmm? Coincidently, I watched Offenbach’s fabulous opera “Les Contes de’ Hoffmann,” between my first and second readings. With tears in my eyes, I recognize that in the epilogue, sung by the muse (Kate Lindsey) and The Metropolitan Opera Chorus*, I hear Offenbach’s music, and the English subtitles answer the two questions which developed during my first read. The opera’s ending words cause me to feel that Diffenbaugh’s muse might well have been like the one portrayed by Offenbach --- if not the same. I share some words from Hoffman's opera for your consideration: "Let the ashes of your heart rekindle your genius. “Smile upon your sorrows with serenity. “Your muse will comfort you. “Your suffering will be blessed. “One grows through love...and grows more through tears. “Let the ashes of your heart...rekindle your genius. “Smile upon your sorrows with serenity. “Your muse will comfort you. “Your suffering will be blessed. “Love lends man greatness. “Tears make him greater still. " “The Language of Flowers” is about much, much more than simply Victoria's (Diffenbaugh's) flowers' symbolic and mystical meanings. May you grow from the pain and suffering you are likely to feel, about Victoria and memories of your life-experiences, while you read this remarkable book. What will your favored flowers communicate to you? What will you be trying to communicate with the someone to whom you send your selected flowers? Victoria, Grant, and Elizabeth, and maybe you and me, grow and develop as we learn from life-experiences. And that we live individually and personally. Let your muse speak insights to you. As my reading-muse whispers insights from Diffenbaugh’s text, “The Language of Flowers” becomes increasingly valuable to me. Some reviewers give 5-stars when a book introduces them to something that feels as if it's giving them an insight that may change their life. "The Language of Flowers" might be one that carries life-modifying and enriching insights. Insights revealed while reading a book that is shared surreptitiously, simultaneously, with another work that peels similar scales from our eyes, unexpectedly --- even when 180-years separate one text and the other. As they did in this review's example. I gave the author’s book 4-stars when I finished the first read. After the second, I changed to 5-stars. Is there a rating higher than 5-stars, for me to use after I reread this wonderfully and beautifully written tale a third, fourth, and fifth time? Yes, there is --- even though there is no place to validate higher rankings with a checkmark. Instead, we may need to find a reading-muse to whisper Diffenbaugh’s secrets to us. And then be content with what we hear. *(December 19, 2009 performance)

The Language of Flowers is an absorbing and redemptive novel about isolation, anger, flowers, and love. The novel traces the life of Victoria Jones who is abandoned by her parents and placed in numerous foster homes. Victoria develops an intense anti-social attitude to all she comes in contact with including those who are genuine in their desire to help and even be affectionate towards her. The Language of Flowers provide the one thing that she can believe in. ‘I had been loyal to nothing except the language of flowers. If I started lying about it, there would be nothing left in my life that was beautiful or true.’ The Victorian language of flowers was used to express emotions: honeysuckle for devotion, azaleas for passion, and red roses for love. Victoria uses the language to express negative emotions like grief, mistrust and solitude. The novel starts slowly but builds to a shattering climax in the third part. Mystery and suspense are highly developed and it is only at the very end that all is revealed. The author gives us deep insight into Victoria and why she and many others develop into anti social beings. The reader can feel the intensity of the rage, the hatred and when it comes, the love, that Victoria feels. Victoria at times seems becoming a female version of Kevin (from “We need to talk about Kevin ”). Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s descriptions of flowers and food in particular are sensual and enjoyable. The novel is set in San Francisco, a beautiful city full of flowers in the summertime, an ideal setting for a book involving flowers. The chapter system kept me on edge. The chapters alternate between the younger 9-year-old Victoria and the 18-year-old Victoria. Parallel events occur in two time frames, so that fiascos, hospitalizations and moments of dramatic ripening in one time frame coincides with a similar event in the other. At times the author went too far with flowers. Flowers might be symbols but could a wild bouquet of mums and periwinkles cause someone to have true and tender recollections? The book is excessively female orientated. A woman writes it about a young woman who has a female child and searches for someone to be her mother. Men are few and not generally developed as characters. Victoria has a child with the one significant male character Grant. He is the big, strong, a great cook with somewhat motherly nature. A child is the product of a union between a man and a woman so it is morally wrong for a pregnant woman to take a child away without even consulting the father. Especially a father like Grant.

"The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh was highly recommended by a book blogger whose opinions and tastes in books I respect very much. So, naturally, I had high expectations. I was not disappointed, although the review on the blog made me think that the novel would be completely different from what it really was... The novel begins on Victoria Jones' eighteenth birthday. It is also her last day in foster care, and she has to move to the "halfway house", where she can live for free for three months, while looking for a job. The advice of her social worker, Meredith, is to find a job as soon as possible. But Victoria had been hardly listening to Meredith's advice throughout her life (and failed numerous adoption attempts as a result), so now she also ignores it. And, sure enough, when the three months are up, she finds herself living in the nearby park... Only then things begin to be interesting. Victoria, antisocial and grumpy, has one passion: flowers. She knows virtually all about them, how to grow them, arrange them, and, as a bonus, she is familiar with the symbolic flower language. And... well, it should be enough to say that miracles do happen. Victoria embarks on the way to her own happiness, learns how to live her own life not hurting herself and others, and manages to help a lot of people. The novel features frequent retrospective chapters, going back to the time when Victoria was ten and the last adoption attempt was taking place. The memories are explanatory for the reader, but at the same time serve as a catharsis for Victoria, whose actions are affected very much by her thoughts and grievances about the past. "The Language of Flowers" has everything a good novel needs: a great, emotionally loaded and well-told story, interesting cast of characters (dominated, but not completely overshadowed by the main character). Victoria is so withdrawn, misogynic and solitary, that it is obvious she needs love and affection. I am always drawn to such characters and this one was no exception. The welcome original "spice", which is made the theme in the book, is the flower symbolic. I was really fascinated by the less obvious meanings of flowers and plants. Of course, everyone knows that red roses symbolize love, but who would suspect that basil (my favorite herb...) is the symbol of hate or that moss signifies maternal love... I think that the ending was a little rushed, but all in all, it is a great novel and a pleasure to read.

In the Language of Flowers, Diffenbaugh weaves a beautiful story about a young girl and her love of flowers. The story begins with Victoria's 18th birthday and her emancipation from the foster system. The other girls in her transitional home is relieved to watch her go. The audience is perplexed by her anger and her past is a giant mystery. Diffenbaugh parallels Victoria's current story to that of her ten year old self living with a foster parent, Elizabeth. Even as a ten year old, she is filled with rage but beneath that was a broken fragile little girl searching for warmth and love. Now eighteen and emancipated, she is shoved into the real world with no real skills and no motivation to make something out of herself. She remains broken, but prides herself on her detached attitude. The only thing she wants it to be left alone with her flower and her tattered book of the Language of Flowers from Elizabeth. However, even with the emancipation, she cannot sustain herself and must find a job. Stumbling upon a part time job working for a florist, she begins to discover her own gifts, giving her a second chance at a better life. This is a novel about growth, and the chance at healing. It is about optimism and perseverance. There is only one word I can use to describe this novel: heartwrenching. In Victoria's journey of self-discovery and realization, I felt as if I were dragged along the journey. When she sat alone and slept outside, I felt her fear and desperation. My heart broke along with Victoria's, and healed when she found happiness. After reading her experiences, it made me reflect on my own life. It made me question my ability to persevere and strength, appreciating the conditions the human heart is able to endure, and putting my own problems in perspective. I felt myself growing with Victoria, opening my mind to the different experiences of different people. Even though the ending seemed a bit predictable, I believe it was for the best. The story is about her evolving into a different person and redeeming all the wrongs she had committed to those around her. By slowly inching back into her broken life, she is realistic about her growth, which I believe is what set the story apart from any other generic "happy ending novel." The story line is simple, but the writing and the incorporation of the meanings of flowers was intricately done. The story will not disappoint, and I recommend it to all and guarantee it will show you a perspective of humanity that you may have overlooked and not realized.

This is an interesting read because of the author's use of a Naive Narrator. When the story is told from the viewpoint of someone who is mentally or emotional ill, dysfunctional, or too young (think Huck Finn) to really understand the full ramifications of his/her actions or that of others, then an interesting and sometimes painful dicotomy arises between the "mature" reader and the main character. In other words, we know more than the narrator/main character. Such tension and agony arises as we watch the narrator plunge him/herself into more destructive episodes. That is the basis of this story which is filled with dysfunctional people. What a pity they did not have a strong religious base from which to make decisions such as love one another, no adultery, loyalty to each other, adherence to proven commandments for happiness (wickedness never was happiness) etc. What a strong indictment of generational dysfunction and how difficult it is to escape. The mentally ill mother leaves two daughters behind to struggle with the same kinds of mental illness, - One whose disloyalty and immorality produces such guilt that it destroys the only long lasting relationship she has in life, - And one whose obsessive loyalty to that dysfunctional sister prevents her from moving forward with her own life and loving relationships. Then we have the main character's mother (and dad, if known) abandoning her child, which leads that child to feel unloveable, unwanted, and unworthy of love from anyone from there on, who then acts out in self-destructive ways, only to have the child/narrator do the very same thing to her female child. What a pity that the baby was not a boy because it seems that the male personality in this story is the only nearly sane person. And it is more than raging hormones that makes these women nuts! Grant - such a strong and giving name. Victoria - who is anything but victorious for 99% of the plot. The author needs to write a novel on the language of names! The redeeming aspect of this novel for me is the actual language of flowers. My grandmother Angie Gabbott (1878) and her life time lover, my grandfather Robert Lindsay McGhie (1874)courted each other through letters wherein pressed flowers were inserted, expressing their current feelings and level of love and devotion to each other. It is very old fashioned and very sweet. Angie went on to teach the language of flowers to her children, one of which, Mary, my mother, taught to me. So my yard is filled with a variety of flowers, herbs, flowering bushes, and trees. And being a self-described Shakespeare afficionado, I see the Elizabethan use of flowers describing characters and feelings as a device used through several centuries. That was what made this book fun for me. But then I'm a little weird. But knowing this kind of communication allows a certain level of refinement to enter into one's life too. Long live flower language. Let's pass it on to the next generation!

A novel is good if it is entertaining or educational, or both. The Language of Flowers achieves both, but not very much. After reading it, I gain some knowledge about the meanings of different types of flowers and the foster care system in the U.S. But I am not sure if this knowledge has any significant impact on me. As for motherhood, I don’t need to read a novel to understand or appreciate it. I am also drawn into the life and person of Victoria, the main character, enough to keep me interested for several hours reading it without interruption. To me, that’s entertaining. But an entertaining activity shouldn’t stop when the activity is over. It should have a long-lasting influence on the participant. It should make the participant feel he or she wants to do it again. I am entertained by Venessa Diffenbaugh while reading The Language of Flowers. But will I read another book written by her? Probably not. Many reviewers criticize that Victoria is unlikeable. But if a writer is successful in creating such an impression, he or she is a good writer. The problem is that it’s not whether Victoria is unlikeable. It’s the credibility issue. And this has a lot to do with the point of view Venessa Diffenbaugh uses in building up her characters. Diffenbaugh takes a risky approach when she decides to use the first person point of view (POV). Perhaps she does not have a choice. The novel is character-driven, not plot driven. It’s best to use the first person POV so that Diffenbaugh can reveal the innermost feelings of Victoria to the readers. However, writers who use the first person POV in novels must be very careful. The risk in using the first person POV is especially heightened when the character changes significantly. It’s hard to keep the intimate thoughts or feelings consistent, especially when there are flashbacks or events in two different time periods are told in parallel. Diffenbaugh falls right into the dangerous first person POV trap when she lets Victoria tell her story as an eighteen-nineteen year old young woman and as a nine-year-old girl in alternate chapters. As a nine-year-old girl, Victoria tells her story, acts, and talks the same way as when she becomes eighteen. A nine-year-old cannot say something like, “I compared my quiet existence at Elizabeth’s to all the things I had previously understood to compose a life . . .,” or “I imagined it to be the way a mother looked at a biological daughter, whose every limb had been formed within her body.” Even if the story of this nine-year-old girl is told by a young woman, the contemporary expressions (e.g., “I imagined,” “I wondered,” “I felt”) are attached to this nine-year-old girl. By putting the words of an adult into a child’s mouth, Diffenbaugh betrays her nine-year-old character. Half of the novel loses its credibility. But that’s not the whole problem. Victoria, an eighteen year old young woman who receives little education and has been rejected by society, tells her story with a tone of a well-educated mature woman. Diffenbaugh “shows” other people’s behaviors and feelings through their expressions and actions, but the mere fact that the expressions or actions that speak for these behaviors or feelings are observed and recorded through the eye of an eighteen-year-old indicates that this eighteen-year-old has an eye of a psychologist, or at least of a mature, caring and thoughtful person. Again, Diffenbaugh betrays her less educated, immature, and rebellious character. Another half of the novel loses its credibility. The plot is reasonable but the ending is somewhat disappointing, considering all the preparations and built-up suspense. The dialogue scenes are a bit awkward. It seems Diffenbaugh constructs a rigid framework for her characters and tries to fit her characters into this framework. All characters in the novel appear to talk in the same tone and manner. The explanation of the meanings of flowers is a bit overdone, to the point of ridiculously academic. Despite these flaws and other minor mistakes, Diffenbaugh knows her craft well in other aspects. She is good at using strong verbs, powerful adjectives, spot-on similes, and effective metaphors. She pays attention to details though her meticulous description of scenes or actions is tiring and mechanical sometimes. Her message is strong and clear.

I've only given 5 stars to 2 books on Amazon: The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman and this one, The Language of Flowers. I read about it in USA Today and thought, "Ok, how does the Victorian language of flowers (with which I was previously familiar) tie in to a story about a foster kid?" Answer: Amazingly. That's how. There's not much I can say that hasn't already been said about this book. I just kind of want to address a few negatives I've read on here: 1) Someone said that Victoria's circumstances are exceptionally lucky and seemingly easy for a foster kid aging out of the system. This is a novel, therefore that means there are fictional elements, but not unbelievable or impossible ones. The author is trying to shed light on a terrible issue this country, in particular, largely ignores and one sure way to do that is to create something commercial that will reach the masses, the individual who doesn't read newspapers or watch the news or read biographies about the issue. 2) Someone said that many of Victoria's choices didn't make sense, that no sensible person would do the things she does. Victoria is a very damaged character. She has been trained to think she is a failure and that she will inevitably let everyone around her down. She was never loved or wanted and, as the author says in the Amazon video, how does one learn to love when she's never been shown love? This book is about Victoria living with and facing her demons, past, present, and future ones, and as in most cases, her biggest demon is her own self, her own fears. 3) Someone said that the flowers take a backseat in the 2nd half of the book. Naturally, that's how it should be. Victoria feels she can only communicate through flowers. By the 2nd half, we would hope to see her evolving away from that and actually learning to open up verbally rather than hiding behind a bouquet. Otherwise, it wouldn't be much of a story, would it? So, I'm really confused by these complaints and I really hope they don't deter anyone from giving this wonderful book a chance. I read it in 24 hours on my Kindle. When it comes out in paperback, I'm buying another copy because I have to have a physical copy, it's just the best book I've read all year. I'm still thinking about it 2 days after I finished it. Also, I would be seriously surprised if this doesn't get made into a feature film at some point. In fact, as I was reading it, I thought, "I feel like I've seen this on the Hallmark Channel." Whatever. It's just a fantastic story. I'm already reading it again and finding more layers I didn't notice the first time.

Having just read The Kid, my whole outlook on the foster care system was pretty negative/pessimistic. And my brain was like CAN'T handle another tragic story about a kid no one cares about. Diffenbaugh even said something along the lines of the narrator will break your heart. I was like UGH AGAIN?? To quote Feist, "too many heartaches in one lifetime ain't good for you." Despite hoping to avoid a state of bookish depression, I am perpetually drawn to books that will make me feel a deep range of emotions and The Language of Flowers promised to do just that. The story begins with Victoria, a foster child, who is 18 and finally old enough to leave the group home where she has lived the last few years of her life. As a child, Victoria bounced around from home to home where she was abused, forgotten, and forever unloved. This constant state of emotional upheaval turned her into a harden young woman, violent and cruel. The closest Victoria ever got to being adopted was when she was 9 years old. Elizabeth, a young woman who lives alone in the country with a dark and painful history of her own, took her in and the two grew to love each other through their mutual affinity for The Language of Flowers*, but something terrible happens and the two are torn apart. And Victoria is just swimming in guilt. Victoria gets a job and becomes involved with a man who is connected to Elizabeth (as a way to stay close to E??). However, Victoria can't seem to feel for him what he feels for her. Her emotions are stunted-or at least so deeply buried as to appear stunted-by years of neglect and the guilt and shame that comes with it.When she gets preggo she flees the scene without a word. This is the point in the story that I was like FINALLY she is going to get those motherly hormones and start realizing that her life could be so much more than what it has been up to this point. BUT NO. Of course she screws it up (what kind of story would it be if she didnt?!), because she feels like everything she loves or touches she ruins. And you're conflicted, hating her and sympathizing with her, wanting her to grow-up, and contemplating the ripple effect of one seriously effed up system. The back and forth from present time to past is a great juggling act on the part of Ms. Diffenbaugh. You don't know what the awful thing that tore the women apart was until near the end of the story-and you're just dying to know the whole time. I was so engrossed that I read this story in ONE day. Also, don't worry the ending is nothing like The Kid. It's actually conclusive and beautiful and not too oh-everything-is-going-to-be-perfect

Il libro è stupendo, rifinito in tutte le sue parti, dalla rilegatura alle illustrazioni. Lo stato dell'oggetto in questione è ottimo. Lo consiglio assolutamente.

It is a nice story, well researched, very interesting and a page turner! I was not sure what to expect and was more than pleasantly surprised. I can only recommend it ! I loved this book its well written and I will read more of the books this Author was able to publish.

I don't re-read a book usually but this year I thought to read at least one and I'm glad I did it. This book fills me with joy despite not being a happening book but how it shows the vulnerable side of human makes me fall in love with it. If I'll be honest I want to start listening to the audibook again. I guess now I know why people re-read a book. The book revolves around Victoria who is an orphan and spend most of her life with foster families and child care homes. Once she met Elizabeth, who is the closest she can get as her mother but some unfortunate turn of events draws them apart. And Victoria isn't someone who abides by the rules or will listen to you, she will do everything on her own terms and won't trouble you for anything, but she has her own set of fears and apprehensions. It is a twisted tale of what is lost but not forgotten. It talks a great deal about human relationships. Sometimes all you have to do is forgive the person and forgive yourself for the deeds you have done to make space for the old and new. It is my all time favourite book and just after finishing it I felt I want to start it again. I don't know how it is going to resonate with you but it will strike a chord somewhere.

I bought & read this years ago & I still remember it. An absolutely original story that kept me wanting to read more every time I picked it up. So good.

I really loved this debut novel from a writer whose style and storyline are refreshingly different. Victoria Jones was placed in the foster care system from birth, and through having some traumatic experiences she became a difficult child to place due to frequent bad behaviour. One foster home really did look as if it might be where she would find the unconditional love she unconsciously craved, but in the end it was not to be. The events surrounding that time left her carrying secrets, and a lot of guilt and shame. Fast forward to the present where at 18 years old she is just being released into the world to fend for herself, with very few skills, or any kind of understanding of how to do that, both emotionally and practically. All she has is her love of flowers and their meanings. The story of how she gained that love is one of the beauties of this book. Victoria is soon challenged to find work, friendship and ultimately love at all levels, and boy does she find it a challenge. She has learned to be alone and to trust no-one, and I could see why, given her history. Despite the serious subject this is not a depressing book. Even though I have not had anything like her background, I could still feel for her, and I put that down to the skill of the writer, and maybe a few things I have learned myself on my journey in life. The key to the problem lies in the fact that she doesn't love herself at all, she feels flawed and unworthy, and with that frame of mind she is always going to struggle. At times the storyline frustrated me a bit, and I wanted to tell her what to do to sort things out, but I think that is how the story is meant to be, and I followed Victoria's path with bated breath, wondering how she would cope. The depth of her thoughts and feelings, described in brutally honest terms at times, makes for compelling reading. I never once felt she was a `baddie' though. She does spontaneously kind things, as well as making many mistakes, and found myself rooting for her all the way. This is a book about love and loss, forgiveness and peace, understanding and learning to trust. It explores the true nature of love, all wrapped up in the meanings of flowers. This is not a light-hearted book, but it's a little gem.