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.
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Sexual Content - 3/5
3/5
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Violence - 0/5
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Language - 1/5
1/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 0/5
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Summary
Overall This book will haunt you after you read it. It is an amazing insight into the deep scarring of the soul that can happen when a child is denied the opportunity to
develop trusting relationships. It helped me understand the thinking of women in particular who have suffered early childhood trauma and loss. What a fascinating vehicle for the story line the \"flower language\". The details about the flowers and the flower business was interesting to me also. I would have given it 5 stars easily if not for some sexual content that seemed unnecessary to me it is not graphic but prevents me from recommending it for some teenage girls that might otherwise benefit from it. I know it is probably true to reallife experiences, even understated perhaps, but I hesitate to recommend it for teens. Review by Susan