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Product Description
Review
`This heart-rending debut novel (the subject of a nine-publisher bidding war) follows Victoria Jones, who is emancipated from the foster care system on her 19th birthday. Angry and untrusting, she finds the only way she can communicate her feelings is through the forgotten language of flowers, where, for example, honeysuckle signifies devotion or red roses mean true love. She lands a job at a florist's where she meets a vendor who could hold the key to overcoming the secrets of her past. The Language of Flowers delivers on suspense and emotion.'
--She magazine
`A unique and fascinating debut novel.' --Good Housekeeping
`(A) delightful and utterly absorbing novel. The plot unfolds like a whodunit and you wait with bated breath to discover Victoria's devastating secret.'
--Candis
`From foster mother to publishing phenomenon, Vanessa Diffenbaugh is set to touch millions with her debut novel' --S Magazine, Sunday Express
`A well-crafted novel which I read almost at a sitting. The many themes of disassociation and communication, the nature of motherhood and of family, regret and redemption are interwoven in a rich tapestry... An arresting new talent.' --Daily Express
`An absorbing epic filled with romance, secrets and redemption' --Easy Living
`Diffenbaugh's debut is tough and tender, entwining loss and regret with second chances and happy outcomes' --Marie Claire
`Diffenbaugh's first novel is strong, and she has created a tenacious and likeable heroine.' --Psychologies
`Captivating'
--Woman & Home
'Her narration and her story are absolutely compelling. The flowers and their connotations add a fresh twist to a classic tale of girl done good... Beautiful and absorbing' --Heat magazine
'A blooming good read' --The Sun's Fabulous Magazine
'It has the right ingredients - a quirky plot device (the Victorian notion that flowers represent emotions), troubled heroine, hidden back-story, childhood trauma. It is entertaining, and, at times, quite addictive. These are all marvellous things for a debut (or any novel for that matter).'
--Sunday Times Culture
'Diffenbaugh writes with a lovely sensitivity about ways of communication and how meaning is not always absolute. The Language of Flowers is a warm, satisfying and feel-good read.'
4 star review --Metro
'A moving and beautifully written portrayal of the frailty - and the hardiness - of the human spirit. --Sunday Telegraph
'Vanessa Diffenbaugh's debut novel is touted as this year's Chocolat. A sensory feast of flowers and their symbolic meaning, this tale - seen through the eyes of foster-care survivor Victoria - is uniquely compelling.' --ASOS magazine
'Vanessa Diffenbaugh's charming new novel follows 18-year-old Victoria Jones, just out of foster care with nowhere to go. Settling herself in a park, she begins planting a small garden, soon discovering a talent for helping people using flowers.'
Stella loves... pick in Stella --Sunday Telegraph
'This book is a must read. The premise is completely original, introducing you the lost art of the Victorian language of flowers. If our boyfriend gives us flowers with a bad meaning now... there'll be consequences...Victoria is a fascinating character - there is nothing sentimental and flowery about her. She maddeningly pushes away everyone in her life to the point you'll be ripping your hair out in despair. Despite her coldness and emotional instability Diffenbaugh makes her impossible not to like. Victoria's vulnerability will have you hoping that perhaps, like a new shoot trodden on time and time again, she will eventually break through the hard ground into the sunlight' --Sugarscape
'A completely captivating story' --Sainsbury's Magazine
'Diffenbaugh's writing is well-researched and compelling. By avoiding the temptation to sentimentalise Victoria's story, she creates an engaging read, which no doubt, in time, will be translated to the big screen' --Liverpool Daily Post
'Diffenbaugh proves to be an exciting new talent, one who writes with clarity and warmth and the fact that she fosters children herself is evident from her sensitive portrayal of the troubled Victoria.' --Sunday Express
'Mind bogglingly good. A mesmerising book that will haunt you, and change the way you view the world'
--Irish Examiner
--She magazine
`A unique and fascinating debut novel.' --Good Housekeeping
`(A) delightful and utterly absorbing novel. The plot unfolds like a whodunit and you wait with bated breath to discover Victoria's devastating secret.'
--Candis
`From foster mother to publishing phenomenon, Vanessa Diffenbaugh is set to touch millions with her debut novel' --S Magazine, Sunday Express
`A well-crafted novel which I read almost at a sitting. The many themes of disassociation and communication, the nature of motherhood and of family, regret and redemption are interwoven in a rich tapestry... An arresting new talent.' --Daily Express
`An absorbing epic filled with romance, secrets and redemption' --Easy Living
`Diffenbaugh's debut is tough and tender, entwining loss and regret with second chances and happy outcomes' --Marie Claire
`Diffenbaugh's first novel is strong, and she has created a tenacious and likeable heroine.' --Psychologies
`Captivating'
--Woman & Home
'Her narration and her story are absolutely compelling. The flowers and their connotations add a fresh twist to a classic tale of girl done good... Beautiful and absorbing' --Heat magazine
'A blooming good read' --The Sun's Fabulous Magazine
'It has the right ingredients - a quirky plot device (the Victorian notion that flowers represent emotions), troubled heroine, hidden back-story, childhood trauma. It is entertaining, and, at times, quite addictive. These are all marvellous things for a debut (or any novel for that matter).'
--Sunday Times Culture
'Diffenbaugh writes with a lovely sensitivity about ways of communication and how meaning is not always absolute. The Language of Flowers is a warm, satisfying and feel-good read.'
4 star review --Metro
'A moving and beautifully written portrayal of the frailty - and the hardiness - of the human spirit. --Sunday Telegraph
'Vanessa Diffenbaugh's debut novel is touted as this year's Chocolat. A sensory feast of flowers and their symbolic meaning, this tale - seen through the eyes of foster-care survivor Victoria - is uniquely compelling.' --ASOS magazine
'Vanessa Diffenbaugh's charming new novel follows 18-year-old Victoria Jones, just out of foster care with nowhere to go. Settling herself in a park, she begins planting a small garden, soon discovering a talent for helping people using flowers.'
Stella loves... pick in Stella --Sunday Telegraph
'This book is a must read. The premise is completely original, introducing you the lost art of the Victorian language of flowers. If our boyfriend gives us flowers with a bad meaning now... there'll be consequences...Victoria is a fascinating character - there is nothing sentimental and flowery about her. She maddeningly pushes away everyone in her life to the point you'll be ripping your hair out in despair. Despite her coldness and emotional instability Diffenbaugh makes her impossible not to like. Victoria's vulnerability will have you hoping that perhaps, like a new shoot trodden on time and time again, she will eventually break through the hard ground into the sunlight' --Sugarscape
'A completely captivating story' --Sainsbury's Magazine
'Diffenbaugh's writing is well-researched and compelling. By avoiding the temptation to sentimentalise Victoria's story, she creates an engaging read, which no doubt, in time, will be translated to the big screen' --Liverpool Daily Post
'Diffenbaugh proves to be an exciting new talent, one who writes with clarity and warmth and the fact that she fosters children herself is evident from her sensitive portrayal of the troubled Victoria.' --Sunday Express
'Mind bogglingly good. A mesmerising book that will haunt you, and change the way you view the world'
--Irish Examiner
Review
"Instantly entrancing."--"Elle"
"[An] original and brilliant first novel . . . a mesmerizing storyteller . . . I would like to hand Vanessa Diffenbaugh a bouquet of bouvardia (enthusiasm), gladiolus (you pierce my heart) and lisianthus (appreciation). . . . And there is one more sprig I should add to her bouquet: a single pink carnation (I will never forget you)."--Brigitte Weeks, "The Washington Post"
" "
"A captivating novel in which a single sprig of rosemary speaks louder than words . . . "The Language of Flowers" deftly weaves the sweetness of newfound love with the heartache of past mistakes. . . . [It] will certainly change how you choose your next bouquet."--Minneapolis" Star Tribune"
"Fascinating . . . Diffenbaugh clearly knows both the human heart and her plants, and she keeps us rooting for the damaged Victoria."--"O: The Oprah Magazine "(book of the week)
"Diffenbaugh effortlessly spins this enchanting tale, making even her prickly protagonist impossible not to love."--"Entertainment Weekly"
" "
"Compelling . . . immensely engaging . . . unabashedly romantic . . . an emotional arc of almost unbearable poignance.""--The Boston Globe"
--This text refers to an alternate
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
A very unusual novel set in modern day Northern California. This took me by surprise as I had (stupidly) thought the book to be either a non fiction book on the language of flowers, or some kind of historical romantic tale.
Fortunately for me it is not.
This is the story of Victoria a young girl who has lived her life in the Californian state care system. Either being fostered or put into girl only care homes. She has been moved around a lot of times and is a very angry and isolated young person.
The book has two time lines, in the first we meet Victoria about to be emancipated from the system and has to leave the care home. She is 18 or thereabouts. Her exact birth date not known.
When she leaves the home she will be moved into a halfway hostel and is expected to find a job and pay her way. There doesn't seem to ever be any kind of practical guidance given to her from her social worker Meredith, who has been a constant though unloving and very disliked presence in Victoria's life.
In the other time line we are moving along her childhood towards the event that will define the rest of her life. When she was age 9 Victoria was delivered by Meredith to Elizabeth, a woman who lives on her own in her own vineyard. She has family nearby but is not in contact with them. This is integral to the story as it unfolds.
It is Elizabeth that teaches Victoria the language of flowers.
The writing is clear and precise just how I like it.
I found validity in the story from reading the author's background which includes her teaching art and writing to youths in low income communities.
Although the novel is about people in trouble it is also about people trying harder to communicate clearly. The flowers are the device to explore what we find so hard to say or even feel. It is also about how deep and meaningful it is to be understood. In this book it doesn't come easily. Which makes the book better and more satisfying to read.
It gets very sad and real. I cried. I knew I was going to and kept putting the book down, then picking it up again eager to get to the next part. I don't want to spoil any of the plot with spoilers, so I will just say that it does become very emotional, and anyone who is a mother or daughter will be particularly affected as this the core of the book.
I think its a great novel, because it made me feel things so deeply and its an original story. I don't see much or any real resemblance to the book Chocolat. I think this is the better book, but its so different you can't really compare.
Fortunately for me it is not.
This is the story of Victoria a young girl who has lived her life in the Californian state care system. Either being fostered or put into girl only care homes. She has been moved around a lot of times and is a very angry and isolated young person.
The book has two time lines, in the first we meet Victoria about to be emancipated from the system and has to leave the care home. She is 18 or thereabouts. Her exact birth date not known.
When she leaves the home she will be moved into a halfway hostel and is expected to find a job and pay her way. There doesn't seem to ever be any kind of practical guidance given to her from her social worker Meredith, who has been a constant though unloving and very disliked presence in Victoria's life.
In the other time line we are moving along her childhood towards the event that will define the rest of her life. When she was age 9 Victoria was delivered by Meredith to Elizabeth, a woman who lives on her own in her own vineyard. She has family nearby but is not in contact with them. This is integral to the story as it unfolds.
It is Elizabeth that teaches Victoria the language of flowers.
The writing is clear and precise just how I like it.
I found validity in the story from reading the author's background which includes her teaching art and writing to youths in low income communities.
Although the novel is about people in trouble it is also about people trying harder to communicate clearly. The flowers are the device to explore what we find so hard to say or even feel. It is also about how deep and meaningful it is to be understood. In this book it doesn't come easily. Which makes the book better and more satisfying to read.
It gets very sad and real. I cried. I knew I was going to and kept putting the book down, then picking it up again eager to get to the next part. I don't want to spoil any of the plot with spoilers, so I will just say that it does become very emotional, and anyone who is a mother or daughter will be particularly affected as this the core of the book.
I think its a great novel, because it made me feel things so deeply and its an original story. I don't see much or any real resemblance to the book Chocolat. I think this is the better book, but its so different you can't really compare.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
It was, I have to say, incredibly easy to fall in love with this book which was a haunting, intelligent and compelling read. The story starts with Victoria leaving the foster home where she has been living as she comes of age, and then goes back and forth in time as the strands are brought together so that we can understand how she got to be the person she is. During her turbulent life Victoria has learned the almost forgotten language of flowers, where every bloom expresses something different. As she finds work of sort with a florist she finds ways of expressing herself with flowers and the past will come back to her in a way she hasn't imagined. Will she find her place in the world and why does she struggle so much with the past? A strong story and interesting characters kept me turning the pages to find out.
Victoria was not an easy character to understand at times - I wondered if the author had drawn on her own life experiences to show someone afflicted with what seemed to be a form of attachment disorder. Some of the parts of the book were almost painful to read but throughout everything I wanted things to work out for Victoria. The author managed to conjure up a whole cast of believable and sympathetic characters along the way - from Renata the flower shop owner to Grant the strangely familiar market stall holder, and the book was well paced and beautifully written. I enjoyed every single page of this book (including the flower dictionary at the end of the book); having read glowing reviews before I read it I was somewhat worried it would disappoing - it didn't. Highly recommended this is an excellent debut from an author from whom I would like to see more.
Victoria was not an easy character to understand at times - I wondered if the author had drawn on her own life experiences to show someone afflicted with what seemed to be a form of attachment disorder. Some of the parts of the book were almost painful to read but throughout everything I wanted things to work out for Victoria. The author managed to conjure up a whole cast of believable and sympathetic characters along the way - from Renata the flower shop owner to Grant the strangely familiar market stall holder, and the book was well paced and beautifully written. I enjoyed every single page of this book (including the flower dictionary at the end of the book); having read glowing reviews before I read it I was somewhat worried it would disappoing - it didn't. Highly recommended this is an excellent debut from an author from whom I would like to see more.
58 of 67 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Before coming to this book, I had an interest in the Victorian language of flowers - I have two beautiful Victorian books on the subject already. I was intrigued to find out how an author would use this folklore to develop and add to a story. I was also expecting the story to be a little bit like Joanne Harris's CHOCOLAT, only with flowers instead of chocolates. What I discovered with THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS was something more.
The main character, Victoria, has grown up moving from one foster home to another. As a young girl, she is alone; angry at everyone and recoiling from the touch of others. Just before she turns ten, Victoria goes to live with Elizabeth and it is shut who teaches Victoria the language of flowers. Fast-forward to when Victoria turns eighteen, she is alone (again), with only her gift of floristry behind her. When a florist discovers the gift Victoria has, she not only offers her a job, but sets her onto a path which will culminate in her past catching up with her.
That is a very brief, vague outline of the plot. I don't want to give too much away with this novel. Diffenbaugh tackles a lot of themes - identity, love, family, motherhood and forgiveness to name a few. And throughout all of these, the Victorian language of flowers is used as a way for Victoria to express her emotions. Yet, even though the heart of this novel lies within the language and sentiment of flowers, there is nothing 'flowery' about this book. Diffenbaugh does not shy away from the darker side of human life and relationships - the selfishness of love, the fear of motherhood.
I really enjoyed this debut. I would recommend it to others and I will look at what Diffenbaugh has to offer next.
I may also go and add to my own collection of botany books, especially ones which look at the lanaguage of flowers. . .
The main character, Victoria, has grown up moving from one foster home to another. As a young girl, she is alone; angry at everyone and recoiling from the touch of others. Just before she turns ten, Victoria goes to live with Elizabeth and it is shut who teaches Victoria the language of flowers. Fast-forward to when Victoria turns eighteen, she is alone (again), with only her gift of floristry behind her. When a florist discovers the gift Victoria has, she not only offers her a job, but sets her onto a path which will culminate in her past catching up with her.
That is a very brief, vague outline of the plot. I don't want to give too much away with this novel. Diffenbaugh tackles a lot of themes - identity, love, family, motherhood and forgiveness to name a few. And throughout all of these, the Victorian language of flowers is used as a way for Victoria to express her emotions. Yet, even though the heart of this novel lies within the language and sentiment of flowers, there is nothing 'flowery' about this book. Diffenbaugh does not shy away from the darker side of human life and relationships - the selfishness of love, the fear of motherhood.
I really enjoyed this debut. I would recommend it to others and I will look at what Diffenbaugh has to offer next.
I may also go and add to my own collection of botany books, especially ones which look at the lanaguage of flowers. . .
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Loved it!
Really struck by this story, its a long time since I read a book that I really didn't want to finish. Highly recommend it and hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Published 2 days ago by Trina
Beautiful
I loved this book. I am a keen gardener and although I knew flowers had meanings I did not know what each flower meant. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Linda
Excellent read
Bought this book as a present for my Mum who really enjoyed it,she had seen it in a review in a magazine recommending the book.
Published 16 days ago by Mezza
Fabulous Flowers
This books is just stunning from start to finish. A beautiful story of hope even when all seems lost. Thoroughly recommend it.
Published 1 month ago by TheOnlySoupdragon
Awesome
I don't normally read American author books, but this book absolutely captivated me from start to finish. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Denise
Magical
A beautifully written book that makes the time links clear and relevant , even if you don't garden this book will make you love flowers in a different way.
Published 1 month ago by Roz
A pleasure to read
The first few pages of this book are so aggressive and coarse that I almost put the book down . However I was very glad I did not. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lady Jane
Fabulous and inspiring!
The Language of Flowers was a delightful read. I was looking for a book that was a bit different, and this title didn't disappoint. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Emma B
Perfection
This is a completely convincing story of a young girl - almost a coming-of-age novel - lost to the concept of basic human connections. Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. Mccready
Beautiful
This is an absolutely beautiful and thought provoking book. It is exquisitely written, exploring many emotions and life challenges, while underpinning each with a detailed and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Touchdown-J
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