The Language of Flowers

Product Information

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I love flowers although my knowledge of them is fairly limited, and I really liked this story, where flowers played a central role. Moss doesn't have any roots, but it grows anyway, without any roots. That's what this book is about the roots that we have in our lives, or don't have. Who was your mother, what were her traits, where do you fit in, where did you come from, who are you connected to, your roots.

SFGate called the novel "an unexpectedly beautiful book about an ugly subject: children who grow up without families, and what becomes of them in the absence of unconditional love." [3] Waltrous compares the novel to Jane Eyre, identifying the novel as part of the "story of an orphan rising above her circumstances" with motifs like a tortured romance. [3] Film adaptation [ edit ] Wikisource has the text of a 1920 Encyclopedia Americana article about Symbolism of Flowers. Further reading [ edit ]

The author has quite a few errors in grammar (where was the editing?) and overuses some verbs. I was very tired of characters being "startled" for instance. I also felt that the use of foreshadowing was done with a very heavy hand. I didn't need to be clobbered over the head with it. A subtle hint would have been enough. For centuries, symbolic flower meanings have fascinated readers, writers, poets, and suddenly smitten couples alike. Extremely popular during the Victorian era, these floriographies flourished and versed the public on the hidden meaning of popular flowers such as: But survival is just the beginning. The more critical question is, will Victoria let herself love and be loved? The characters are like a beautiful bouquet of flowers and Vanessa Diffenbaugh weaves a moving story here with the bonds between damage Victoria and the characters. Each brought some emotional conflict to Victoria while also bringing something heartwarming to the story. Victoria stole my heart and, left me heartbroken with her self-destructive ways. Victoria’s foster mother, Elizabeth, warmed my heart with her love, how she always saw the beauty in Victoria and her commitment to her. I rooted for each bond between the characters to bloom and fear the storms that threatened them. 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.

The rest of the book didn't make a lot of sense to me. This broken young woman is saved and loved by many people as she embarks into her new life as an emancipated adult. Why? She's dirty and slow to communicate. She disappears without explanation. She isn't at all loveable.

The Language of Flowers is a mesmerizing, unforgettable hopeful story that beautifully weaves the past and present while exploring abandonment, love and finding what triggers a person to open up to others. In the past, we see Victoria’s self-destructive ways as she grows up in foster homes. Now through her connections to flowers, she starts to open up by speaking the language of flowers to help people find some joy through flowers. Flowers start to connect Victoria to others as she tries to learn to trust herself. Kate: Do you have any particular hopes about what readers might take away from the book, or how reader perspectives, actions, and attitudes might change as a result of experiencing Victoria’s journey? That readers will turn to flowers to communicate their feelings? Or have more empathy and understanding of individuals in the foster care system?

This story was almost wrapped up too neatly, but it fit so well. I hope some of you read it, it almost smells so good!Everyone has their own way of coping with tragedy. Everyone has their interests and passions that can take them away from darkness and into the light. For some it’s music, for some it’s art, for others it’s reading and for Victoria, in The language of flowers, it’s flower arranging. Floriography" redirects here. For the album by Moddi, see Floriography (album). For other uses, see The Language of Flowers (disambiguation). Color lithograph Langage des Fleurs (Language of Flowers) by Alphonse Mucha (1900) When Victoria goes to live with Elizabeth, Elizabeth teaches her all about the language of flowers, what each one means. Later Victoria becomes a florist but not just a florist, she doesn't just make pretty arrangements, she makes arrangements with purpose, with a meaning, and her customers love her. Her customers come to her to fix their marriages, to fall in love, to make sure their marriage is going to work, to get their children to speak to them again and to be happy. This tiny book, from 1917, is adorable and beautiful. Even as lists of what each and how people used to give them to each other. It's amusing to remember again why people used to send red roses and white lilies to someone they wanted to duel with.

A Bouquet of Flowers: Sweet Thoughts, Recipes, and Gifts from the Garden with "the Language of Flowers" This book had a great dreamy almost magical realism feel about it. And magical realism is my favourite kind of realism. I love the characters, even when I hated them, and the writing was just glorious without being too... wait for it.... *cough* flowery. Based on your reading of the novel, what are your impressions of the foster-care system in America? What could be improved?The Victorian Pre-Raphaelites, a group of 19th-century painters and poets who aimed to revive the purer art of the late medieval period, captured classic notions of beauty romantically. These artists are known for their idealistic portrayal of women, emphasis on nature and morality, and use of literature and mythology. Flowers laden with symbolism figure prominently in much of their work. John Everett Millais, a founder of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, used oils to create pieces filled with naturalistic elements and rich in floriography. His painting Ophelia (1852) depicts Shakespeare's drowned stargazer floating amid the flowers she describes in Act IV, Scene V of Hamlet. And, nearly done, here is some raspberry. Not to make a fruit salad with the pineapple but to represent remorse that it took me so long to read this book.... but you can eat it if you want.