This book is the darling of book clubs all over the country but I found it to be insipid and flawed. It showed great promise for about the first third. Diffenbaugh seemed to show an accurate and heartbreaking portrait of a young girl who is let down by the foster care system. She is angry and damaged. This was believable and felt very real. A woman also had to be pretty precise about where she wore flowers. Say, for instance, a suitor had sent her a tussie-mussie ( a.k.a. nosegay). If she pinned it to the 'cleavage of bosom', that would be bad news for him, since that signified friendship. Ah, but if she pinned it over her heart, 'That was an unambiguous declaration of love'." [10] 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!

So can you enjoy a book when you don’t really like the protagonist? I find it can be difficult, but in the hands of a crafted writer, you can still enjoy the story. I didn’t find that to be true here. In the United States the first appearance of the language of flowers in print was in the writings of Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, a French-American naturalist, who wrote on-going features under the title "The School of Flora", from 1827 through 1828, in the weekly Saturday Evening Post and monthly Casket; or Flowers of Literature, Wit, and Sentiment. These pieces contained the botanic, English and French names of the plant, a description of the plant, an explanation of its Latin names, and the flower's emblematic meaning. However, the first books on floriography were Elizabeth Wirt's Flora's Dictionary and Dorothea Dix's The Garland of Flora, both of which were published in 1829, though Wirt's book had been issued in an unauthorized edition in 1828. Beatrice is a little bee gifted to the flowers of the meadow. They keep her safe and warm and in return she learns their language and delivers their messages. She does such a good job that the flowers of the meadow flourish and she needs some help. So begins her harrowing journey to find more bees.At the end of the novel, Victoria learns that moss grows with- out roots. What does this mean, and why is it such a revelation for her? Although the format is so small, the book contains a wealth of entries. The list of roses details forty different kinds and colours, for instance, each having its own specific meaning. Altogether over 700 flowers are named, conjuring up nostalgic thoughts, reminding the reader of a slower, gentler era when people found the time to express their affection in a thoughtful and individual way. Paula McLain is the New York Times best-selling author of The Paris Wife. She grew up in Fresno, California where, after being abandoned by both parents, she spent fourteen years in the foster-care system. A graduate of the MFA program at the University of Michigan, she has taught literature and creative writing for many years, and cur- rently lives with her children in Cleveland, Ohio. I was hooked in early by this story of a foster child who suffered through the system until she was emancipated at 18. Once out of the foster care system she continued to struggle through homelessness, her own rebelliousness and feelings of not being worthy in any of her relationships in her young life. Through of all of this, she displayed such strength and will to carry on through her darkness. Her knowledge & passion of flowers sustained her through it all! The problems I have with this are that there isn’t any reason for any of the people who help this girl to want to help her. She snarls and sulks and is so hard and distant that I was left wondering why any of these people wanted to be around her let alone assist her. No one knows her sad/bitter/hostile history and she isn't talking so why should they feel anything for her?

The flower you’re looking for is clearly the common thistle, which symbolizes misanthropy. Misanthropy means hatred or mistrust of humankind.” I have received many a horrified look when I have told people that I don't like red roses. Their expression of horror only got worse when I told them I much preferred yellow roses. I was always really confused as to why which flowers I liked would cause such a strong reaction. And Grant, why is he attracted to her? Does he have a thing for mean women? More snarling and glaring. He seems like a very gentle soul to be that way, didn’t understand what he saw in her, other than her ability to send messages by flowers.Floriography" redirects here. For the album by Moddi, see Floriography (album). For other uses, see The Language of Flowers (disambiguation). Color lithograph Langage des Fleurs (Language of Flowers) by Alphonse Mucha (1900)

The New York Times reviewer Janet Maslin praised the descriptive language, saying "There is sensuality to Ms. Diffenbaugh’s descriptions of flowers and food." [2] The novel interlaces the main plot of an 18 year old Victoria, with snippets of her past in the foster system. [5] Reception [ edit ] a b c d e f g Maslin, Janet (2011-09-07). " 'The Language of Flowers' by Vanessa Diffenbaugh - Review". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2015-12-01. The Language of Flowers is the debut novel of American author Vanessa Diffenbaugh. It was published in 2011 by Ballantine Books. The bumblebee is the cutest bumblebee I've ever seen! We follow along and learn an excellent lesson in kindness from the bumblebee.The Language of Flowers is a story about Victoria, now a young woman, who was recently emancipated from the court system at 18. She struggles with feelings of abandonment and low self-esteem, as a result of a series of events from her past, stemming from growing up as an orphan. She lives in San Francisco and works in a flower shop. She has no friends, limited relationships, and initially, pretty limited human interaction. Without directly stating this, it becomes clear that she’s afraid of getting close to people, for fear of hurting them as she expects she will yet again, be a disappointment.