The elegantly worded The Language of Flowers made me invest quite a lot during the first chapters, but gambled all my affection away later on. I will try to explain how this unceremonious drop around the middle of the story came to pass after introducing Victoria to you.

There is nothing victorious about Victoria apart from the fact that she survived to see her eighteen's birthday. Even social worker Meredith sees her only as a failure she personally doesn't deserve. A dark blotch on her white s More...

4.75/5



edit: being made into movie ♡

"for eight years i dreamed of fire. trees ignited as i passed them, oceans burned. the sugary smoke settled in my hair as i slept, the scent like a cloud left on my pillow as i rose. even so, the moment my mattress started to burn, i bolted awake. the sharp, chemical smell was nothing like the hazy syrup of my dreams; the two were as different as indian and carolina jasmine, separation and attachment. they could not be confused.

standing in the middle of the

More...

I received this book from Goodreads Giveaways.

After my recent horrendous experience with The Rose Labyrinth, which had me wanting to claw my eyes out after four sentences, it was wonderful to come across a novel with such a graceful writing style that was apparent from the first page.

For eight years I dreamed of fire. Trees ignited as I passed them, oceans burned. The sugary smoke settled in my hair as I slept, the scent like a cloud left on my pillow as I rose. Even so, the moment my mattress

More...

Can't remember when I've read and enjoyed a story as much as Victoria's. She stole my heart from the beginning and I only grew to admire and love her more with each page. There were times when I wanted to shake her and yell at her to wake up and get a grip. Just when I thought she wouldn't, she did just that. Amazing story of survival, love, and strength. The flowers add so much depth and feelings to this story that I was enthralled by it all. Just an amazing and wonderfully well written book wi More...

Not too many books have made me cry this year. That's not a normal thing as I am usually an emotional person who cries fairly easily. But not this year. Perhaps it's because I've toughened up and become desensitized, I don't know, or perhaps it's because I've gotten pickier and liked much less of what I have been reading this year. But this book. OH, this book. It had me on the floor with the Kleenex *cough* toilet paper *cough*, rolling around like Nancy Kerrigan screaming, "Why, why?" before I More...

"The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
I loved this book from the beginning and didn’t want it to end. I have always had a fascination with knowing the names history of flowers and plants and love finding them in natural surroundings. This book, The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, (whose name is similar to the dieffenbachia plant) had such a moving story line in telling the story of Victoria, from her abandonment at birth, through childhood abuse, to her orphanage experience More...

This "review" forces me to think about the five star rating system. Since a number of stars reflects my own personal assessment then I need to be honest about how I feel about a book. Here is a chance to define my rating system: five stars means that the book is fascinating, readable, attention holding, has a plot, well defined characters and is well written, lyrical or poetic even. One star means I should not have read the book, why did I bother? But I did and it was good enough to finish(or sk More...

Victoria starts her adult life an 18-year-old girl emancipate from the San Francisco foster care system. After a childhood of neglect, she miraculously blossoms into a businesswoman and mother, redeemed by an adoptive parent who teaches her to connect using the Victorian language of flowers. The author has woven a cause for social justice into a work of compelling fiction, and uses this tightly-crafted novel to inspire people to act with foster kids in mind. In this country there are nearly 20,0 More...

THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS DUE OUT 19TH OF AUGUST 2011

The Language of Flowers is gritty and meaningful; it will take you deep and bring you into dark places. This debut novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh is going to be top of the charts within a week. Her writing is both risky and extremely exciting; she is the type of writer you watch out for. If I could scream from the rooftops about this book I would. Sometimes when you read a book you just know this is it, this is the book that will touch your heart More...

I loved this story. The first couple of chapters were hard to get through because I really didn't like Victoria - she seemed to selfish, rude, lazy and bitter; I didn't want to read a whole story filled with her bad attitude. But then you really get to know what's in her heart and head and how she's trying to change. The characters were all very well written - lots of varying personalities, but they all were instantly real people to me. I was totally engrossed in the story - needing to find out More...

This was a first reads for me and it was very very good. A unique story of a young girl raised in the foster care system, her definace, someone who loves her and from that love a passion for flowers arises.

I have received many a horrified look when I have told people that I don't like red roses. Their expression of horror only got worse when I told them I much preferred yellow roses. I was always really confused as to why which flowers I liked would cause such a strong reaction.

Then I read this book and found out.

Translation Time.
"I don't like red roses" = "I don't like love".
"But I love yellow roses" = "But I love infidelity".

o.O

Now, I'm guessing that this wasn't actually the reason why the look More...

The exact rating on this would be 3.75, in case you're paying attention.
This was unexpectedly a page-turner. Diffenbaugh takes on a challenging protagonist, one who de facto isn't very likable nor is she supposed to be, but she keeps you interested in the plot nonetheless. That's the sign of a good writer. For me, the best part of this book was the creativity of bringing the Victorian "language of flowers" into play into a modern novel, and thereby reintroducing this captivating concept to the m More...

My five stars expectation –that came first with the elegantly worded title “ the language of flowers” - was met in the very first chapters , but later on it unluckily diminished to four .
Victoria , the foundling baby that had been abandoned right after her birth , and Meredith the social worker who failed for 18 years to strike upon a foster family willing to breed Victoria.
It was hard task to harmonize the uneasy aggressive and troublemaker girl with the careless, loveless and cruel fosters .
A More...

Sorry if I post this review twice. I somehow "lost" the one I was writing.

This book is the darling of book clubs all over the country but I found it to be insipid and flawed. It showed great promise for about the first third. Diffenbaugh seemed to show an accurate and heartbreaking portrait of a young girl who is let down by the foster care system. She is angry and damaged. This was believable and felt very real.

The rest of the book didn't make a lot of sense to me. This broken young woman is sa More...

Unexpected. This started out as a Christmas gift from one of my best friends, which I began reading the evening of our annual Christmas visit on December 29th. I was immediately surprised at how I was swept up by the writing, the story. I'm not usually one for first person point of view or alternating time frames, but neither distracted me as often happens. What an incredible journey! I didn't want to stop reading and only did so to prolong the experience of reading it. I 'had to' see how it unf More...

LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS

Vanessa Diffenbaugh

This is fascinating and enchanting debut novel by an author who masterfully creates a human story that is both devastating and full of hope. It features a satisfyingly and surprisingly moving portrait of a heroine of immense proportions.

Victoria Jones at 18 is emancipated from the foster care system where she has spent her childhood, and has no place to go. She sleeps in a park, and plants a small garden. A local florist discovers her gift of helping others More...

4 ½ stars

I vacillated between 4 and 5 stars for this book, but despite not being happy with everything about it, I think the story and its memorable characters are so well crafted, and it touched me so deeply and affected me so strongly, that I have to round it up and give it 5 stars. That said, I’m not sure it’s the most ideal book for my next book club discussion. I am glad I pushed for us to read it though, for selfish reasons, because I’ve wanted to read this book since it first came out and More...

Una rosa è una rosa è una rosa.

« Non mi fido, come la lavanda.
Mi difendo, come il rododendro.
Sono sola come la rosa bianca, e ho paura.
E quando ho paura, lascio che la mia voce siano i fiori.»

Non credevo mi sarebbe piaciuto così tanto, ed invece è davvero molto piacevole da leggere. Victoria è cresciuta senza una vera famiglia, non è in grado di comunicare l'amore che prova senza in linguaggio dei fiori che, tra parentesi, avrei voluto vedere utilizzato un pò di più durante il libro.
Carino il More...

4 stelline e mezzo (GD voglio le mezze stelline!)


"Non mi fido, come la lavanda.
Mi difendo, come il rododendro.
Sono sola come la rosa bianca, e ho paura.
E quando ho paura, lascio che la mia voce siano i fiori."

Questa è Victoria e "Il linguaggio segreto dei fiori" è la sua storia.
La storia di come da un cuore che non conosce l’amore, grazie ad un piccolo fiore di nocciolo, può nascere l'amore più puro.

Questo libro è stupendo, una fiaba moderna che coinvolge ed emoziona sin dal primo capitol More...

Back in September I read about The Language of Flowers on the Momastery blog and added it to my reading list. Based on the cover alone, I wouldn't have guessed this would be a book I should read. (I'm not that artistically inclined and I can imagine a dozen cover designs that would give a better sense for the beauty inside, but I suppose I ought to know not to judge a book by its cover by now!)

Even when I picked up the book from the library I was prepared to not like it. Well, let me tell you th More...

I'm a little conflicted about how to rate and review this one. I was really interested in the subject matter - the Victorian language of flowers. The young protagonist Victoria is a hurt and traumatized young woman after spending most of her life in foster care. After finally being released on her 18th birthday she begins a new life working with a florist and begins to bloom a little herself. The narration flips back and forth between her present life and various childhood episodes which I found More...

Il linguaggio segreto dei fiori è un romanzo dal profumo etereo, che mette euforia e una buona dose di romanticismo già nel titolo. Al suo esordio letterario, Vanessa Diffenbaugh ci trascina come la brezza di maggio verso un pout pourri di colori e sensazioni che solo nel profumo dei fiori si possono trovare.

http://librisulibri.it/2011/05/06/il-...

Excellent read. Written with eloquent prose and rich character development , Ms. Diffenbaugh tells the poignant story of an 18 year old young woman whose life, thus far, has been broken apart by abandonment and a disfunctional foster care system. For Victoria Jones, the only avenue for communication that she understands is through the Victorian-based "language of Flowers." A deeply moving and profound book that gives important insight into the hearts and minds of troubled youth.

I didn't know flowers had so much to say. Certainly, "I love You" but other emotions like jealousy, hate, sorrow, passion, mistrust, never entered my mind. I heard author, Vanessa Dissenbauch, talking about her debut novel The Language of Flowers on the August 27th NPR Weekend Edition. Her decision to use flowers to tell us the story of Victoria, an abandoned child, caught up in a foster care system, shuffled from family to family, but deemed not adoptable, seemed unique. I was lucky to be the f More...

I'll review after the holiday, but let me say, I now have a new favorite book of 2011. Wonderful, beautiful, painful, truthful journey.

Often on the weekend of July 4th, I post a half-way through the year "top reading" list. I had it ready to go for my blog with my top ten short list so far. Then, I picked up "The Language of Flowers" by debut novelist Vanessa Diffenbaugh. BAM! I loved this book because it surprised me in every way: style, characters, plot points. It's not the overwrought love st More...

I am so glad I read this book, the language of flowers by itself would fascinate me; when combined with Victoria's story from her foster care and experiences after emancipation, I was deeply enthralled. Wrapping flowers around the events that themselves evolve around flowers has a heady scent and a beautiful mind picture.

This was a thoroughly engaging story of a young woman who enters adulthood after being brought up in the foster care system. In the character of Victoria, Vanessa Diffenbaugh captures the essence of such a unique, and almost thoroughly institutional, upbringing. At 18, Victoria appears incapable of conceiving of her future, much less making plans to shape it. To an outsider, perhaps even to herself, she appears to have no goals or purpose. It’s an odd effect of her tumultuous childhood and peopl More...

Victoria has spent her life in the care system, rejected by many foster parents due to her difficult and violent behaviour. Now eighteen years old, she is left to fend for herself with nothing but her love of flowers. Flowers were used in Victorian times to express emotions and Victoria becomes fascinated with this language. Her talent is spotted by a florist but can Victoria ever learn to function in society?

I liked The Language of Flowers because of the main character, Victoria herself. I've r More...