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. I love flowers although my knowledge of them is fairly limited, and I really liked this story, where flowers played a central role.

The Public Domain Review is registered in the UK as a Community Interest Company (#11386184), a category of company which exists primarily to benefit a community or with a view to pursuing a social purpose, with all profits having to be used for this purpose. VANESSA DIFFENBAUGH was born in San Francisco and raised in Chico, California. After graduating from Stanford University, she worked in the non-profit sector, teaching art and technology to youth in low-income communities. Following the success of her debut novel, The Language of Flowers, she co-founded Camellia Network (now Lifeset Network), a non-profit whose mission is to connect every youth aging out of foster care to the critical resources, opportunities, and support they need to thrive in adulthood. She currently lives in Monterey, CA, with her husband and four children. At times I thought Victoria was intentionally dislikable, and constantly engaging in self-destructive behavior. I realized though that her abandonment issues played a big role in why she chose to do some of the things she did. Despite my dislike of Victoria for a fair portion of the book, I really enjoyed the story, although a bit darker than I was expecting. I did like the ending of the story too.Kate Penn is the editor-in-chief of Floral Management Magazine, pub- lished by the Society of American Florists.

This review has kind of been thrown together, I apologise. This book deserves better but I thought I'd finish off by sending Ms D a little message.... of the floral kind, about my feelings about this book. The ending wrapped up so well and left me with the most satisfying feels. Just what I needed right now. I highly recommend it. Abandoned at birth Victoria is now 18 years old and "emancipated" from being a ward of the state . Her narrative alternates between her life at age ten, when she is taken in by Elizabeth and is finally looking at a chance to have a mother and present day, as she turns 18 and is being released from a group home. We learn of Victoria's " gift " for helping people convey their feelings , hopes and thoughts , through flowers and we learn what happened when she was ten. The bumblebee is the cutest bumblebee I've ever seen! We follow along and learn an excellent lesson in kindness from the bumblebee.The book, though, is about more than what the flowers mean . It is about what it means to belong , to be loved , to be able to love. It's also about family and forgiveness . Kate: I found it fascinating that someone like Victoria, who is so hardened on the outside, is able to find solace in something as soft and sensitive as flowers—yet it was believable. What was your inspi- ration for her character? 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. A Bouquet of Flowers: Sweet Thoughts, Recipes, and Gifts from the Garden with "the Language of Flowers"