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Book Jacket

 The Language of Flowers:
A Novel
by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication date: 08/23/2011.
Novels, 336 pp.

Number of reader reviews: 25
Readers' Consensus: 5.0
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First Impressions: Page 4 of 4
Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Anne G. (Austin, TX)

The Language of Flowers
Victoria is a difficult child evidenced by her aversion to touch and her unwillingness to communicate but there is ample explanation for her characteristics as we read into the book and understand her history in the foster system. It's no wonder she puts up barriers and refuses to love when she has been rejected and returned to the system so many times. I was almost instantly drawn to this character and her story.

Generally I don't like books that mix up the chronology of the story line but in this book it added an element of suspense as I wondered what happened to make Victoria the girl she is in present day; I liked it in this case. I also love the language of flowers and I was so happy to find it detailed so carefully in a book that is not a Victorian romance.

I would summarize by saying this a wonderful story that speaks to the heart and feeds the brain. It is white carnation.

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Judith M. (San Diego, CA)

The Language of Flowers
The Language of Flowers is a perfect summer read! The foster home part of the story is told with a heartbreakingly authentic voice. Some of the later events in Victoria's life are a bit of a stretch to believe. However, I couldn't put it down, and I just had to know what happened in the past, and what the future will hold for this complex character.

Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by Suzanne G. (Tucson, AZ)

A rather interesting story
You need to know...I love gardening and flowers. But when a relationship depends on what a given flower portrays, and after a while reading that over and over, I eventually became annoyed. Are there really people who live their lives around such? I liked the character Victoria. She was self-sufficient and lived accordingly--making a garden in a public park? That I question. And then having so many clients when beginning her business--OKaaay--another question. The birth and care of her baby--well, I won't even go there! I liked the way the author informed us of foster care. I learned something. All-in-all, this was a fairly interesting book, and I can understand that sometimes a fiction book actually may not be life-like.

Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by Tucker's Mom (Pasadena, CA)

What flower signifies dysfunction?
The storyteller is the product of a failed foster-care system who uses her gifts with flowers to communicate and succeed in life. I think the most interesting facet of this novel was the floral education, trips to the flower mart, wedding planning interviews with bridezillas. But I really didn't like Victoria. She strikes out at life and people and can't ever seem to allow herself to open to others to receive help or love. Her pattern of chronic self-destruction grows tiresome and the isolation situation which lead to her medical crisis was just painful. It was a bit difficult to get into the book, but read fast after that. I wouldn't want to see the movie.

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