Name: The Language of Flowers
Rating: 4.063157894736842 (95 reviews)
ISBN: 9780345525543

Vanessa Diffenbaugh

"The story of a woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own past"--Provided by publisher.

A Novel

The Language of Flowers

Ana Paula

I have been suddenly filled with the need to memorize every flowers' meaning.

The only reason this book isn't getting 5 stars is because it's a tiny bit predictable, but the emotions I felt whilst reading... I honestly couldn't put the book down.

There's love, fear, sadness, grief amongst so many other emotions; it truly is a wild amazing ride that I can't recommend enough.

Discovering the symbolic meanings of flowers while languishing in the foster-care system, eighteen-year-old Victoria is hired by a florist when her talent for helping others is discovered, a situation that leads her to confront a painful secret from her past.

This is a very beautiful, book for the ages novel. It met all my expectations and gave me that feeling I havent encountered in a book for quite a while now. 

The heroine is amazing. Victoria gave me a glimpse to why orphans behave the way they do, and the her situation gave me so much insight on how hard their lives really are. Victoria is a strong, brave person and its inspiring how she had nothing, with the thought of her flowers the only thing keeping her alive. She a tough person to figure out, and she's indifferent and cold, but her vulnerability just tugged at my heartstrings. 

But what I really loved about this book was the language of the flowers. This was a unique factor in this book. The secret messages she shares with Grant and Elizabeth striked me as beautiful. The modern civilization has forgotten this art that used to be a means of communication in the Victorian era. 

Again, reading this was an amazing experience. Its one of those very touching stories about love, hope, disappointments and reconciliations. Its one of those books where the story lingers after the last sentence.

Ofelia

Una rosa è una rosa è una rosa.

« Non mi fido, come la lavanda.
Mi difendo, come il rododendro.
Sono sola come la rosa bianca, e ho paura. 
E quando ho paura, lascio che la mia voce siano i fiori.»

Non credevo mi sarebbe piaciuto così tanto, ed invece è davvero molto piacevole da leggere. Victoria è cresciuta senza una vera famiglia, non è in grado di comunicare l'amore che prova senza in linguaggio dei fiori che, tra parentesi, avrei voluto vedere utilizzato un pò di più durante il libro. 
Carino il dizionario per interpretare i significati dei fiori, quando non vengono subito spiegati dai personaggi, alla fine del libro anche se ammetto che per decifrare il significato dell'enorme mazzo che Victoria regala ad Elizabeth nel finale c'ho messo parecchio e mi sono anche un pò persa.
I personaggi sono tutti piuttosto "veri", nessuno è idealizzato (tranne forse Elizabeth, che con l'eccezione del mancato perdono alla sorella subito dopo che le aveva soffiato l'amore è lo stereotipo della perfezione e bontà) e tutti hanno dei pregi ma sopratutto molti difetti. La protagonista stessa è ben lontana dalla perfezione, io mi sono trovata a distaccarmi da lei parecchie volte ma comunque a capirla.
Bel libro comunque! decisamente vale a pena di leggerlo.

«Come si chiama?» chiesi.
«Hazel», rispose Grant. Era un nome femminile, ma anche il fiore del nocciolo: riconciliazione «Ho pensato che un giorno ti avrebbe riportato da me.» 
Ero tornata. Forse non era troppo tardi, dopotutto.

Mandy Kirkby

A beautiful gift book celebrating the forgotten language of flowers. "A flower is not a flower alone; A thousand thoughts invest it"All over the world, flowers are an integral part of human culture whether it is the perfect table centre for a wedding, a beautiful bouquet for a birthday, a message of thanks, or to pay one's respect at a funeral. But, while everyone knows that red roses signify love, few may realise that an entire language of flowers exists with every bloom, folliage and plant having a particular emotion attached, be it hazel for reconcilliation, wisteria for welcome or ivy for fidelity. This unique language was created by the romantic early Victorians who carefully planned every bouquet and posy so as to deliver a desired message. Bringing the language to a new generation, this beautifully illustrated miscellany contains fifty profiled flowers, a dictionary searchable by emotion, and ideas for creating bouquets and arrangements for specific occasions. This gift book is a novel present that any flower lover will want to own.

A Miscellany

Conosco un ciglio dove il timo selvatico fiorisce,
crescon le margherite e reclinano il capo le viole,
coperto da un padiglione di fin troppo rigoglioso caprifoglio,
con dolci rose muschiate e roselline di macchia.
Colà, fra i fiori, Titania dorme talvolta di notte,
cullata da musiche e danze.

Becky

This book was quite simply beautiful. It was heart wrenching and heart warming. It held a true understanding of human nature and u lived every minute I spent reading it. I simply couldn't put it down

The Victorians used flowers to express emotions: honeysuckle for devotion, azaleas for passion, and red roses for love. For Victoria Jones, flowers and their meanings are her only connection to the world -- although for her, they are most useful in expresssing feelings such as grief, mistrust and solitude. After a childhood in the foster care system, Victoria -- now eighteen -- 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 a meeting with a mysterious vendor at the flower market for her to realise what's been missing in her own life. As she starts to fall for him, though, she must confront a painful secret from her past -- and decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

Elad Schulman

very beautiful novel, though Victoria wasn’t the most lovable character at times. The entire third part of the novel was very difficult for me to read, but I knew it would get better.

"I used the same flowers again and again: a bouquet of marigold, grief; a bucket of thistle, misanthropy; a pinch of dried basil; hatred. Only occasionally did my communication vary."The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey what words could not, from declarations of admiration to confessions of betrayal.For Victoria Jones, alone after a childhood in foster care, it is her way of expressing a legacy of grief and guilt. Believing she is damaged beyond hope, she trusts nobody, connecting with the world only through message-laden bouquets.But when a mysterious man at the flower market responds in kind, Victoria is caught between fascination and fear, and must decide whether she can open herself to the possibilities of happiness... and forgiveness. Heartbreaking and uplifting, The Language of Flowers is a redemptive story about the meaning of flowers, the meaning of family, and the meaning of love.

Caitlin Berger

I realized I'm pretty bad at writing reviews because sometimes I can't put my thoughts into words properly (which is why I'm a musician). Anyways. I'll still attempt them. This book was a masterpiece, truly. A work of art. The story really captured my interest. It was a bit slow to get into but after the first few chapters there was a good rhythm to it and I didn't want to put it down.
Something I really enjoyed about this novel was how the author stripped away superficial details that we see in almost all books nowadays, things like always commenting on people's looks, or talking about the media, just little things that aren't essential to the plot but that every author sticks in somewhere. This book just had the core of the characters hearts and personalities. The author really included things that were essential and nothing more, which is what made it such a captivating read, though it may sound like the opposite. I just liked the simple narrative; it spoke to me more directly than many other novels I've read.
Also, I loved learning about the language of flowers and all their meanings. I am 10000% going to think differently about flowers now. I'm always gonna be looking up their meaning if I read about them in a book or if someone offers them to me. Truly interesting and unique.
So basically this book was amazing. Though I can't relate to the actual plot line of the book, the messages spoke to me and I think will stick with me. Forgiveness, the willingness to let yourself experience happiness even when you think you don't deserve it...anybody and everybody could find something to relate to in this novel. These types of books are the best; the ones that, when you strip away the storyline and get to the message, you find it is a universal one and one worth remembering.

The Language of Flowers A Novel

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