The Language of Flowers – Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Amanda Magill returns to review the newly released novel of love and friendship...

The Victorians used to use the language of flowers to express emotions and send secret messages to a beloved. A pink carnation could mean ‘I’ll never forget you’ and the classic red rose ‘love’. A mixed bouquet could therefore send a complex message to its recipient, as well as providing a beautiful decoration.

In ‘The Language of Flowers’ Victoria Jones, a girl who has spent her childhood in foster care and homes, uses this forgotten language to communicate with a world that she doesn’t trust. At 18 she finds herself on the streets but through her love of flowers manages to get a job at a florist and starts to turn her life around. But a chance meeting with a mysterious man at the flower market suddenly tips her life upside down and brings up secrets from the past that she has tried to run away from.

This book is a beautiful story of friendship, love and hope, illustrated perfectly through the language of flowers. It also uses the different interpretations of the meaning of flowers to examine intricate relationships and explore how miscommunication can affect lives. It moves at a good pace and switches seamlessly from the present to Victoria’s past, providing the reader with a good insight into the feelings and personality development of Victoria, allowing a deeper level of reader involvement with the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, finding it difficult to put down. The story and characters are believable and endearing and I also found the whole background of the language of flowers fascinating. Usefully the book also comes with a flower dictionary at the back which explains the meaning of different plants and I have found myself referring to it since finishing the book.

A perfect book for a lazy Sunday afternoon!

For the publisher's website and further information, please see: http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/features/vanessa_diffenbaugh/