The Language of Flowers in Bound Together

Nov 01, 2013 Angela M rated it really liked it

I've always believed that giving flowers meant something . I knew that red roses meant love and somewhere along the line I learned that Baby's Breath , almost always in a bride's bouquet signified everlasting love . However, that was the extent of my knowledge of the meaning of flowers , originating in the Victorian era - until I read this book . Do flowers speak to us in this way ? I really don't know but it's nice to think so and the author has creatively wrapped this language around this stor ...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Kats rated it liked it

Shelves: e-book, 2011, botns-recommendation

The danger with so much hype and 5* ratings is that it's very difficult for the book to live up to all that. This is a really fine work of "Women's Fiction" (definitely not "Chick Lit"), and I am sure to recommend it to certain female friends of mine, but after having been aware of all the hype surrounding the book, I was reading it and waiting for the certain 'je ne sais quoi' that never came.

The protagonist narrator, Victoria, is a damaged, scarred young woman to whom it was difficult to rela The danger with so much hype and 5* ratings is that it's very difficult for the book to live up to all that. This is a really fine work of "Women's Fiction" (definitely not "Chick Lit"), and I am sure to recommend it to certain female friends of mine, but after having been aware of all the hype surrounding the book, I was reading it and waiting for the certain 'je ne sais quoi' that never came.

The protagonist narrator, Victoria, is a damaged, scarred young woman to whom it was difficult to relate or even really like, yet it was easy enough to empathise with her. For an 18 year old, but particularly a year on when she's 19, she was often too introspective and scarily insightful in an almost objective way that I didn't find credible. Very few 18/19 year olds would have this level of maturity, but especially not a child with such a troubled past who is so emotionally stunted. The other main characters, Grant and Elizabeth, were too slick and perfect for my liking - kind, tolerant, giving and forgiving, smart, successful, probably good-looking.... it was all a bit much - where were the flaws?

The plot was mostly slow-moving and predictable, the only issue I was waiting to be resolved was finding out what happened between Elizabeth and Victoria eight years prior. However, the emotional and rational thought processes Victoria had remembering the past and making some equally poor decisions in the present kept me interested enough to keep reading at a good pace whenever I could.

My absolutely favourite part was the vivid, honest and painfully accurate description of what it can be like to be a new mother, when you haven't entered motherhood with your eyes open but thinking that "being a mother will somehow fall into place". This section of the book was utterly captivating and worth some five stars!

The painstaking research into 'the language of flowers' and the subsequent creation of the wonderful dictionary / index by Vanessa / Victoria also deserve a mentioning - it will definitely make me choose flowers a lot more carefully, especially when it comes to bringing them into my own family home or garden. Very inspiring and beautifully written!

The last 20% of the book I mostly spent in tears, fully aware of how predictable my reaction was to such a predictable end of the story, but I just couldn't help but be moved.

Overall, I'd probably give this novel 3.5 stars, but with all the bawling I did, I can't deny that this novel was very touching - even to a cynical reader such as myself. ...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Alena rated it really liked it

Vanessa Diffenbaugh does an amazing job at balancing the beautiful and the ugly. The book’s title led me to believe I would read something charming and romantic. Instead I found a tale of neglect and abuse. But underneath the sad tale is a protagonist grasping at the one source of beauty in her life, flowers. The “language” of flowers comes to represent all the emotions she can find – truth, despair, attraction, envy – but for the reader, ultimately leads to redemption. I just love how Diffenbau ...more

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Oct 10, 2011 Kelly Cosio rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down, yet I didn't want it to end. It is the story of a girl, Victoria, who is "emancipated" upon turning 18, after living a life in foster care and group homes. It follows her journey to break through a life of abandonment and learn how to trust and ultimately love. At times I was frustrated with her behavior,lack of emotion, and selfishness; but as the story unfolds, so does Victoria. ...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Tricia Douglas rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

4.5 rating if possible. This was such a different book than I'm used to reading. More real life about the difficulties of being a foster child. Diffenbaugh does an amazing job with details, characters, and plot. It's not a happily ever after ending, but one that leaves the reader questioning what more can be done with our system. I have a lot of unfinished thoughts that my bookclub will get to hear! I difinitely recommend this book. ...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Peg - reading heals rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, really-liked

Despite all of the good reviews, I did not want to read this book. The title sounded so . . . saccharin, and the cover did nothing to change that impression. I finally read it because of a friend's recommendation and I'm so glad I did! I loved the writing, and was really drawn into the plot and engaged in the characters. This is the author's first novel. I'm looking forward to reading more of her work. ...more

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