The Language of Flowers Review

Oprah has selected this debut novel for her Fall Reading List.

The Language of Flowers

by Vanessa

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Vanessa Diffenbaugh on THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS 

In Full Bloom

In Vanessa Diffenbaugh's fascinating debut novel, The Language of Flowers (Ballantine), jaded 18-year-old Victoria Jones strikes out on her own after a lifetime in foster homes. Her present is juxtaposed with childhood scenes of the years she lived with Elizabeth, a vineyard owner who introduced her to the Victorian-era language of flowers. That language, once used by lovers to express intimate sentiments, helps Victoria through her troubles, until a chance discovery shakes her fragile sense of identity. Diffenbaugh, herself a foster mother, clearly knows both the human heart and her plants, and she keeps us rooting for the damaged Victoria, who comes, finally, to understand that "the unattached, the unwanted, the unloved [can] grow to give love as lushly as anyone else." 

— Arianna Davis excerpted from  

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/The-Language-of-Flowers-Reading-Group-Guide

I asked my self many questions as I was reading this book both about the themes and the characters.  Renata, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Grant represent different themes in Victoria's life.  Prepare to be captivated by the descriptions of fresh and wholesome foods.  Some of the descriptions will take you straight to your local farmers' market.   After reading this book, the final question is: "Knowing what you now know about the language of flowers, to whom would you send a bouquet and what would you want it to say? "


Click below for the Reading Group Guide:
http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/The-Language-of-Flowers-Reading-Group-Guide.