Language of Flowers

This book was passed along to me this summer by my mom, who thought I would like it.  I had a lot of reading to do at the time, and set it aside until this December when I picked it up over the break to read.  I am sorry that it took me so long!  Vanessa Diffenbaugh has written a wonderful debut novel.  The story opens with Victoria turning 18, and "graduating" out of the foster care system.  Her childhood has been filled with failed foster homes, and she is left to live on the streets.  However, she did have one positive foster care experience that left her with a deep knowledge of the Victorian meaning behind each type of flower.  She is given a chance by a local florist, and a second chance at making a life for herself.  Diffenbaugh does a great job of treading the waters between heartbreak and hope, and it leaves you rooting for Victoria.  Enjoy!

From the publisher:

A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel,The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, 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, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market 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 chance at happiness.