book the language of flowers by vanessa diffenbaugh

Reception of the novel was generally positive. Diffenbaugh’s descriptions of flowers and food.' The novel interlaces the main plot of an 18 year old Victoria, with snippets of her past in the foster system. The New York Times reviewer Janet Maslin praised the descriptive language, saying 'There is sensuality to Ms. New York Times Reviewer Janet Maslin described this information as sometimes becoming overly pedantic, saying 'the pointed use of flower definitions in conversation begins to pale as a gambit.' Conversely, NPR called this motif 'organic,' growing from the first scene in a flower marketplace. Though the flowers within the novel largely function as symbols for Victoria, expressing emotional meaning, the novel also includes a large amount of information about the biology of flowers. The SFGate reviewer Malena Watrous described the novel as much less 'grittier' than other discussions of the foster system, which Watrous partially attributes to Diffenbaugh's own adoption of children from that system. The plot of the novel focuses on finding love, adoption, emancipation, homelessness, single motherhood and attachment disorder, but the main focus is on the foster system. The novel was recommended for use in book clubs. Diffenbaugh also published a new non-fiction 'A Victorian Flower Dictionary' to accompany the novel. The novel was inspired by a flower dictionary, a type of Victorian-era book which defines what different types of flowers mean. The novel follows the fraught life of a Victoria Jones, who by the age of 18, had lived in 32 foster homes, and becomes a flower arranger. It was published in 2011 by Ballantine Books.

The Language of Flowers is the debut novel of American author Vanessa Diffenbaugh.

Book the language of flowers by vanessa diffenbaugh