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Dubray Review

Victoria Jones leaves the foster care system at eighteen with an inability to form normal relationships with people. As she slips beneath the radar, she lives rough in a public park and plants her own private garden. Victoria needs flowers; it’s the only language she understands. She attracts the attention of a local florist who offers her a job, a chance to make a life for herself. Her language of flowers connects her to the most unlikely people, bringing in the customers, but a chance meeting with a flower seller at the market moves Victoria in a way she can’t explain. She finds herself at a crossroads, drawn back to the only time in her life when she felt safe, wondering if she’s strong enough to make some tough decisions. I really enjoyed this elegantly written debut that features such a fascinating character.

Aileen Smyth, Dubray Books Rathmines

Description

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying: And this same flower that smiles to-day To-morrow will be dying. [Herrick] "The Language of Flowers" - the biggest book of the year. The most talked-about debut acquisition of 2010 will be the publishing event of 2011. The Victorian language of flowers was used to express emotions: honeysuckle for devotion, azaleas for passion, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it has been more useful in communicating feelings like 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, Victoria has nowhere to go, and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. When her talent is discovered by a local florist, she discovers her gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them.But it takes meeting a mysterious vendor at the flower market for her to realise what's been missing in her own life, and as she starts to fall for him, she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, and decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness. "The Language of Flowers" is a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about the meaning of flowers, the meaning of family, and the meaning of love.

Reviews

Advance praise for "The Language of Flowers"
"Enchanting, ennobling, and powerfully engaging, Diffenbaugh's artfully accomplished debut novel lends poignant testimony to the multitude of mysteries held in the human heart."
-- Booklist (starred review)
"This heartbreaking debut novel about mothers and daughters, love, and the secret significance of flowers had me weeping with emotion and wonder. Victoria Jones is an unforgettable heroine and you will never look at flowers the same way again."
-- Tatiana de Rosnay, author of Sarah's Key
"Devastating, hopeful, and beautifully written, "The Language of Flowers "is a testament to the tender mercies and miraculous healing power of love."--Beth Hoffman, author of "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt"
"A deftly powerful story of finding your way home, even after you've burned every bridge behind you, "The Language of Flowers" took my heart apart, chapter by chapter, then reassembled the broken pieces in better working co