This is such a good read. I literally couldn't put it down. The girl is so self-destructive because of her early experiences and how she reacts to them. I was always cheering for her though. I loved it so much that I convinced my husband to read it. He usually reads murder mysteries and "pooh-poohs" anything I read. He had to admit that he really liked this book. I hope Vanessa Diffenbaugh will be writing more novels.

The plot is simple, but the tragedy of Victoria's childhood is never really explained, why did the system fail her? The symbolism of the flowers was fun, but of course contrived by the Victorians and anyone else who wants to use this 'vocabulary' to avoid speaking directly about emotions. In the novel strong characters suddenly become weak and cowardly. Boy loves hopelessly and is finally rewarded when he shows himself to be a dependable father and can speak the language of flowers. OK fast read but not memorable.

told through the voice of a young woman who was abandoned at birth and lost in the state foster care system. Her world is inhabited by strangely intriguing but dysfunctional people. she is continually abandoned and abandons in return, but is finally able to reach out to others through flowers. the action goes back and forth between the present and the past, but it is very well done and does not break the storyline. it is a story of survival and redemption, and ultimately love.

Pennie Clark Ianniciello, Costco's book buyer, has chosen The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh as her pick of the month for February 2013. "My favorite flower is the stargazer lily. It wasn't until I read this month's book buyer's pick that I started thinking about what it and other flowers mean. Curious about what the stargazer signifies, I learned that it can express purity, devotion and wealth. "Diffenbaugh also got me--and I'm sure all readers--thinking about 18-year-olds who are emancipated from the foster-care system. I can only imagine the feeling of being let go with next to no resources or safety net. "Before I scare off any readers, please know that this is a beautiful and well-crafted story. Victoria, the protagonist, uses her skills with flowers to not only help others, but ultimately help herself."

This book was such a good read. It was easy to read. I read it in 5 days! I never would have expected to like the character Victoria, but I kept rooting for her throughout the book. This was a beautiful and sweet romance without all the sex that often goes with romance novels. It is also a story about commitment, trust, and maternal love. I had a vague notion of the meaning of one or two flowers but now realize there is so much more to it.

In her original and brilliant debut, Vanessa Diffenbaugh unites her fascination with the language of flowers and her firsthand knowledge of the travails of the foster-care system. Indeed, her 9-year-old heroine, Victoria Jones, has already passed through at least 32 foster families before her social worker takes her to Elizabeth, the owner and operator of a vineyard who grew up on a flower farm. The engaging, twofold narrative creates a complex canvas that contains both Victoria’s tumultuous life as a foster child and her adult life as a florist. She shatters her relationship with Elizabeth, ends up back in a group home, ages out of the system and becomes homeless. While sleeping in the park and eating food left on restaurant tables, Victoria finds work at the demanding flower shop, "Bloom." She swiftly learns the trade and flawlessly chooses exactly the flowers with the right language to deepen her clients' affection and promise them future blessings. Ironically, in her personal life, Victoria flies in the face of every accepted emotion and behaviour. Full of both beauty and anger, "The Language of Flowers" enchants without hiding the cruelties of the world. I look forward to reading more from this talented writer and mesmerizing storyteller.

The heroine, Victoria, is a very badly flawed young woman struggling to come out of her fear of trusting anyone to like, let alone love her. Elizabeth and Grant are saints, as is Renata and Ruby. A little thick with fear and suspicion at times for me. I would have given up on her long before the conclusion of this book. It is an easy read so I persevered and finished. Would make a good movie.

This superb debut novel explores the depths of human emotion and family. Victoria is a troubled young woman. Passed from foster home to foster home until finally deemed a lost cause, she finally gains her freedom at age 18. But she is an emotionally damaged person whose only interest is the language of flowers, a Victorian construct where people learned to communicate using the meanings of flowers. Victoria's journey through childhood, and as a young adult on her own is heartbreaking and fulfilling. Vanessa Diffenaugh tells this story with a mastery that is thoroughly rewarding.

A lovely debut novel from Vanessa Diffenbaugh, The Language of Flowers handles a relatively common subject (foster homes and related trauma) in a unique way.

I had read the reviews and perhaps my expectations were a bit too high. Pleasant enough story, but a little too predictable. I enjoyed the symbolism of the different flowers.