Reviews

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

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finessa's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

librarydancer's review against another edition

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DNF. I was loving this book, and then saw some reviews and spoilers. I decided not to listen to the book go downhill in a way that I could not agree with.

stephwd's review against another edition

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3.0

The idea of this novel really appealed to me and it is evident that Diffenbaugh is attempting to be intellectual and engage contemporary readers at the same time so despite the rather insipid, romantic cover, I thought I would give it a go...

The novel is based on Victoria, who, after a fairly horrific childhood in foster care, is finally left homeless and desperate. She has had only one loving foster care home and yet, Diffenbaugh hints that something so devastating occurred there, that Victoria will never be able to love again. Nonetheless, she does find a job at a local florist where she is able to apply her vast knowledge of flowers and their potent Victorian meanings. For a time, she is happy until she meets Grant and as much as she is drawn to him, she is still reminded of her terrible acts as a teenager and is unable to really embrace the potential love that he so readily offers. The novel is at once her discovery of love and search for redemption.
There are some truly fantastic qualities about this book and given the fact that this is a debut novel, I was really impressed by Diffenbaugh's style of writing, which is at once poetic and darkly realistic. I also found the details about the Victorian meaning of flowers fascinating (particularly as someone who spends so long analysing Literature and exploring symbolism). Their ability to comfort and instill meaning in life was really engaging.

It was clear that Diffenbaugh also has a natural ability to create a sense of place (particularly the vineyard and gardens she describes so vividly) and thus we were effectively propelled into Victoria's world. Moreover, the strength of the narrative voice also seemed to drive the novel forward and propel us into Victoria's mindset really effectively.

As a result, the first third of this novel is really superb. I was especially intrigued and moved by her depiction of the foster care system in America and the horrific manner in which, clearly disturbed teenagers are pushed from one home to the next, given so little support and then foisted out into the world with no real support network the moment they hit the magical age of 18 and this is an element of the story I would have liked Diffenbaugh to explore further.

However, after the first third or so, the story simply fell flat. Yes, I was intrigued as to what Victoria had done that was so terrible she could not even bear to speak of her past, but otherwise, the narrative was deeply flawed. The primary problem was Victoria herself. She remains a deeply unsympathetic character. Of course, I felt sorry for her neglected childhood, but that does not, in my mind, give her carte blanche to behave as she does to those around her and who adopt her to their affections with nothing but altruism and her best interests in mind. She is clearly on a path to self destruction and after two thirds or so of the book, I simply wished she would get it over with as I didn't care.

Spoiler

SPOILER ALERTS: This is a woman who is given a dream job and yet can't really be bothered to do it and resents even the slightest of questions from the woman who has literally picked her up off the streets; this is a woman who is offered love and even a family by a loving individual and yet chooses to reject and abandon him in a really cruel and callous fashion; this is a woman who has a child and yet repeatedly jeopardises its life and then abandons it in a similar manner that she was evidently abandoned as a baby with no thought to the connection or her sense of maternal responsibility, but seemingly quite content for it to suffer in the same way. Even by the end of the novel, she does not seem to have redeemed herself, but is still living on the charity of others doing as she sees fit. I think there are millions of people out there who would desire the three things that Victoria is handed on a plate and chooses to spurn as if she is simply too self-engrossed to really acknowledge them or the feelings of others.

What is more, the story was ultimately unrealistic: a heavily pregnant woman sleeping rough and giving birth to a healthy child without problem virtually alone? A homeless girl establishing her own business with elite clients in the space of a year from a back room? It just all became rather silly and melodramatic. It was as if Diffenbaugh wanted to shoe horn Victoria into a splendid future of happiness that her character did not want and did not fit in with her circumstances or characterisation.

Her character was also so unpleasantly domineering that we never really gained a sense of the others involved in her life: Grant was little more than a rather insipid love interest who cooked her tea and Elizabeth was a shadowy figure in the background drawn with the barest of pencil dashes. The food in this novel was also another issue all together. Yes, I understand she was homeless and hungry and had had some bad food experiences at some bad foster homes, but what was with all the gluttonous indulgences and rather grotesque descriptions of Victoria's eating habits? Apart from the fact it was again unrealistic (no one who has been virtually starved can eat that much at one sitting), it was also rather disgusting and seemed only to serve the purpose of further illustrating Victoria's selfish and self-indulgent personality at the expense of others.

Having said this, this is a novel that has, elsewhere, received rave reviews and I do think that. as a first novel, it has some impressive qualities. However, it simply was not for me: it was a valiant attempt at something literary, but really it remained rather trashy chick-lit. I would probably go for 2 1/2 stars, but I am going to opt for 3 on the basis that it was a quick, engrossing read with a great first third or so.

erinthelibrarian's review against another edition

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4.0

I picked this up on the recommendation of a friend and was not disappointed. This is an excellent story with memorable characters and a heartbreaking "mystery" that helps propel the story in alternating chapters. Lovers of flowers and Victorian tradition will enjoy learning about the language of flowers. I grew up in San Francisco and I enjoyed the setting and the way it was evoked. Victoria (the main character) is at times tough to love, but you really do have empathy for her and ultimately understand her journey.

ecross_poppy's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

eyreibreathe's review against another edition

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5.0

I have a confession, you guys. This little gem of a book sat on my shelf unread for EIGHT years. Well, maybe I should rephrase that...I did pick this book up a handful of times over the years and read maybe the first chapter or two, but it never seemed the right time. Timing is everything, friends, as I'm sure you know. It can make or break your experience of a book. The same book picked up at the wrong time can be a 3-star read when it could have been a 5-star read at the right time. I have experienced this in my own reading life multiple times, and let me just say...it was this book's time.