Reviews

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

jol69's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 to 4 stars. Anything but an ideal introduction to the world makes Victoria a very flawed character, however she endeavoured to learn from her mistakes. There were some cliched aspects to the plot, and it got a little long winded about two thirds of the way through. Elizabeth was a touch too forgiving I think. But overall I really enjoyed this novel. And it resulted in me analysing the bouquet of flowers I received only a few days later. I'm hoping the florist wasn't using the dictionary of flowers; if so I'm not exactly sure what my husband is trying to tell me. LOL!

hli's review against another edition

5.0

Beautifully written. Loved this book enough to read in one sitting. Never thought about the language of flowers, but the author wraps the story of a struggling teen and her outlet to what eventually frees her to trust and love again.

pkm_mke's review against another edition

4.0

Great book!! I highly recommend it!

amwebster70's review against another edition

5.0

Well developed character, wonderful story!

lovelyloro's review against another edition

4.0

"Do you really think you're the only human being alive who is unforgivably flawed? Who's been hurt almost to the point of breaking?"

Wow, what a deeply emotive novel. Dense and rich and absolutely lovely!

jamiecakes0522's review against another edition

3.0

Not what I expected at all. Not sure how I feel about this book, really. I think it might take a few days to process it. In some ways it was very moving. And in other ways it was beyond frustrating the way Victoria continued to get in her own way. To the point of nauseum. I did enjoy the ending. I was pleasantly surprised that I was because through reading the book I had myself convinced that it was going to end terribly. Love the flower dictionary. I will certainly never look at flowers the same way again.

jenmangler's review against another edition

3.0

I wasn't sure if I would like the actual 'language of flowers' in "The Language of Flowers," but I really, really did. I found the discussion of flowers and their meanings fascinating. To have the main character struggle so much to communicate in every other way but shine in this one was interesting. I also liked how her customers were so eager to use flowers to communicate what they struggled to say. Sometimes we just can't find the words.

I have often struggled with students who won't let anyone in, and this book got me into that head space quite well. Victoria felt very real, even if I didn't always understand why she did what she did.

I'm not usually a fan of books that jump back and forth in time, but I didn't mind it here once I got used to it. It did take me a while to get used to the flow, alternating between the past and the present every other chapter (there are a couple of places where this format doesn't hold, and that was a bit of an adjustment for me), but once I did get used to it I actually liked it.

I didn't give this four stars because I thought the ending was too neat and pat, the characters too unbelievable. It went into "happily ever after" territory a bit too quickly/easily for my taste, especially given how many of them struggled for such huge chunks of the book. But I'm GLAD they got their happy ending, so I'm a bit torn.

coleen_nieto's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

banna_beads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

shelley47's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

4.0