The Language of Flowers

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The novel follows the fraught life of a Victoria Jones, who by the age of 18, had lived in 32 foster homes, and becomes a flower arranger. The novel was inspired by a flower dictionary, a type of Victorian-era book which defines what different types of flowers mean. This work of historical fiction was a book club selection and that is how I came to read it. It is without a doubt a must read for historical fiction readers as well as people who as with Victoria may seek joy in flowers by arranging them , smelling then, or just looking at them. This is the story of a girl who matures into a woman while dealing with some of the darkest times a human being can deal with and triumphing with a little help from her flowers. While Victoria has often been hungry and malnourished in her life, food ends up meaning more than just nourishment to her. What significance does food take on in the book? 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.

I love flowers although my knowledge of them is fairly limited, and I really liked this story, where flowers played a central role.And she spent hours in the library comparing flower meaning dictionaries(and countless hours photographing flowers with old time camera which she spends money on the film development even though she has very little money), but didn't bother to read one single book on pregnancy or child care.

Now, I'm guessing that this wasn't actually the reason why the looked at me in horror because...um, well, not many people know that flowers have meanings behind them never mind what they were. But I still thought it was interesting because red roses are always associated with romance and lurrrve. But survival is just the beginning. The more critical question is, will Victoria let herself love and be loved? Flowers in Shakespeare's plays / RHS Campaign for School Gardening". schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk . Retrieved 2016-11-02. 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! Vanessa: Yes, both! I’ve heard so many readers say they will never look at flowers the same way again, and I certainly felt this way after learning about the Victorian language of flowers. It has been such a fun discovery for me. Sending a message through flowers—especially now, when technology has made most communication instant and digital—feels extremely satisfying. Of course, not all my readers will feel this way (and some will never forgive me for attaching a negative definition to their favorite flower!) but I do hope that many find as much joy in giving and receiving message-laden flowers as I have.

Roses Color Meaning and Symbolism". www.petalrepublic.com. 2 March 2021. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022 . Retrieved 2021-04-20. Three stars means that the story had a good plot as well as good characters. Usually that's enough for me to like a book Victoria’s negativity was so over the top. She finds out she’s pregnant and hates the idea of a baby, but won’t get an abortion because the idea that someone else would have control over her body for the time it would take to get the thing out (that’s how she thinks of it) is too horrid for her to think about. She is offered medical benefits by her employer, but instead she runs away to live under a bush. No, I am most certainly not kidding.

Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read. Based on your reading of the novel, what are your impressions of the foster-care system in America? What could be improved?I also have this can of tinned pineapple (I'm sure it counts) which means "You are perfect"... if you could just give that to Grant for me? Thanks. One of the themes of the book is the idea of forgiveness, of second chances—do you think Victoria deserves a second chance after the things she did (both as a child and as an adult)? What about Catherine? And Elizabeth? Victoria and Elizabethbeth struggle with the idea of being par tof a family. What does it mean to you to be part of a family? What defines family?