The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh has been on my to-read list for at least a year. Then a friend expressed something akin to horror when she heard I hadn’t read it yet. So I jumped it to the top of the pile and dug in. LOVED it.
The story is engaging, but what I really loved was the idea that a flower’s meaning affects the person presented with it. If you give someone a tulip, it’s a declaration of love–whether they know it or not. If you give them a rhododendron blossom, it’s a warning to beware.
So while I enjoyed Victoria’s story and how she overcame a childhood spent in the foster care system, it was the meaning of flowers that really captured me. The first section of the book is titled Common Thistle. That would be my dog’s name–less the common part. So now I know her name means misanthropy (distrust of humankind). If you met her you’d realize how funny that is.
I also know that my bridal bouquet of Queen Anne’s Lace and ivy meant fantasy and fidelity. Not a bad combination, I’m thinking. My headpiece was twined with more ivy and baby’s breath–fidelity and everlasting love. Jackpot.
If you’re curious, you can find Victoria’s Flower Dictionary here. Check it out and then let me know–what message would you like to convey with a bouquet? In the meantime, I wish you days filled with Canterbury bells and cosmos.
Some of those were a surprise and some of my favs were a disappointment!
Yeah, so much for cheery sunflower bouquets!
I loved the actual language of flowers part. Totally hated the book though. 🙁
I’ve heard that from several folks. Seems Victoria was so thoroughly unsympathetic some folks just couldn’t get past it.
I really, really wanted to like it and I was intrigued by the flower idea (I was, at that point, thinking, “Chocolat” only flowers instead of food). And yes, the protagonist was difficult to like (so many characters in this book seemed like they were mentally ill), though one couldn’t blame her; she had a horrible life. My complaints were more about not believing the plot; it was illogical. She lives under a bush in a park with a newborn? Really?