Sunday, August 7, 2011

Review: The Language of Flowers by: Vanessa Diffenbaugh

The Language of FlowersThe Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A story of a foster child, given up by her biological mother, lost in the system, finding herself. The Language of Flowers takes us into Victoria's life, past and present, meeting the people the influenced her, the struggles that she had and has to overcome, all with the fragile telling of her life almost shown through a bouquet - fragrant, fragile, daring to bloom.

Chapter by chapter, going past, present, past, building upon reliving and rectifying to grow, the author tells a deeply moving tale.

Meredith, a family service worker who is overworked and some how attached to Victoria being one of her first cases - Elizabeth, the would be mother, an influence above all, the one who understands Victoria and teaches her the secret language of flowers, among the the lessons of life - Catherine, Elizabeth's sister, an invisible influence that creates another fire inside of her - Renata, the owner of Bloom (a floral shop), a sister/mother type, one who believes in the grown version of Victoria - and Grant, the past, present, and possible future.

Victoria's life has been filled with pain and strife as years go by running away no longer seems an option, the past catches up. The Language of Flowers is a story of growth of the spirit, of blooming into oneself, and ultimate forgiveness - the gifts of love.

I enjoyed this book, finding the main character's development believable, even if at times unlikable. The secondary characters stood out in this development, and brought a stunning story to life.



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