The Language of Flowers [Paperback]

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 disappoint - it didn't. Highly recommended this is an excellent debut from an author from whom I would like to see more.

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.

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. . .