The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

“Perhaps the unattached, the unwanted, the unloved, could grow to give love as lushly as anyone else.” 

A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.

Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what’s been missing in her life, and when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

A book about flowers was not something I thought I would enjoy, and when this book was recommended to me the title gave me an initial vision of a different story, so I was surprised to start reading and see that Victoria's story was set in modern San Fransisco.

Although her personality was a little prickly to start off with, there were two stories of Victoria's life that moved along side-by-side; one about Victoria today, and one giving insight in to her childhood, so that as things were developing today, you could understand why or how they were happening. 

The characters were well written - even though most of them do not appear like conventional heroes, but they each have an endearing quality...that they all want to help the underdog (Victoria) using their individual means available and without expecting anything in return. If only more people were like this in real life!

When I got to the end I liked that it had a happy, yet realistic finish - where the main character is admitting that it is going to be a hard road to realise her ultimate happiness, rather than it all just working it out in the end magically.

I would definitely recommend this book, and as it isn't very offending I think it would suit most readers.