The Language of Flowers

A Novel

By: Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Narrated by: Tara Sands

Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it's been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.

Now 18 and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what's been missing in her life, and when she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

Praise for The Language of Flowers

"Instantly enchanting... [Diffenbaugh] is the best new writer of the year." (Elle)

“I would like to hand Vanessa Diffenbaugh a bouquet of bouvardia (enthusiasm), gladiolus (you pierce my heart) and lisianthus (appreciation). In this original and brilliant first novel, Diffenbaugh has united her fascination with the language of flowers - a long-forgotten and mysterious way of communication - with her firsthand knowledge of the travails of the foster-care system.... This novel is both enchanting and cruel, full of beauty and anger. Diffenbaugh is a talented writer and a mesmerizing storyteller. She includes a flower dictionary in case we want to use the language ourselves. And there is one more sprig I should add to her bouquet: a single pink carnation (I will never forget you).” (Washington Post)

"A fascinating debut... Diffenbaugh clearly knows both the human heart and her plants, and she keeps us rooting for the damaged Victoria." (O Magazine)

"Diffenbaugh effortlessly spins this enchanting tale, making even her prickly protagonist impossible not to love." (Entertainment Weekly)

©2011 Vanessa Diffenbaugh (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“As a foster care survivor, I feel a kinship with Victoria Jones as she battles loss and risk and her own thorny demons to find redemption. Vanessa Diffenbaugh has given us a deeply human character to root for, and a heart-wrenching story with insight and compassion to spare.” (Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife)

"The Language of Flowers is a primer for the language of love. Vanessa Diffenbaugh deftly gathers themes of maternal love, forgiveness and redemption in an unforgettable literary bouquet. Book clubs will swoon!" (Adriana Trigiani, author of Very Valentine and Don’t Sing at the Table)

“A deftly powerful story of finding your way home, even after you’ve burned every bridge behind you. The Language of Flowers took my heart apart, chapter by chapter, then reassembled the broken pieces in better working condition - I loved this book.” (Jamie Ford, author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet )

Excellent Read!

I just loved this story and highly recommend it!!! Loved the narrator along with the characters and story!

Will look at flowers differently

Would you listen to The Language of Flowers again? Why?

No but only because I rarely listen or read to a book twice.

What did you like best about this story?

Triumph over circumstances.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes I liked the voice for the main characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The regret over the fire but being unable to change the course she set in motion.

A new favorite

Would you consider the audio edition of The Language of Flowers to be better than the print version?

Love this book. The characters are well developed and you feel like they are alive. I couldn't put it down so I listened whenever I couldn't read. Wanted to cry, scream, hug, and even pray at various times. My emotions rolled with the story.

Beautiful and heartbreaking

I really like this book. It was well written and the narration flowed easily.
Victoria was abandoned as a child, unwanted and unloved by her very own mother. She was unable to feel worthy enough to accept anyone else's love. This story parallels Victoria as a child and as an adult. You see how her actions as an adult are rooted in her abandonment. It is heartbreaking but this book does a great job in making the story real. It kept my interest all the way through.

Unique Story

What did you love best about The Language of Flowers?

How the author created a compelling story using flowers as a backdrop

What did you like best about this story?

It was hopeful

Which character – as performed by Tara Sands – was your favorite?

Elizabeth

Any additional comments?

Liked that the author stayed true to San Francico and its locations.

Very touching

Very well written. Although I didn't share Victoria's experience, I felt her pain . The experience wasn't mine, but the emotions were.

Perfect insight ...................

Perfect insight to how many lives are lived by children who don't have parents and end up in this counrty's 'system'......

I will have to read this one again. Very realistic....... so heartbreaking...... beautiful.... You can almost smell the flowers as they are described.

I look forward to more writing by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.

Great story, Great listen.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a great story. You will learn what different flowers could mean. It is a multi-layered story about love, commitment, survival, and consequences. It passes chapter to chapter from Victoria's childhood in the foster system to Victoria as a young adult just out of the foster system. The things that happen to her and what she does all seem realistic. The book in some ways reminded me of Chocolat. I loved learning about the meaning (language) of flowers.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Victoria. I thought the author really developed this character. Also, I loved Elizabeth. These two characters were so real that by the end of the book, I felt that I knew them.

Have you listened to any of Tara Sands’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

If you could take any character from The Language of Flowers out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Elizabeth. I thought she was so interesting. She lived alone, but had so much love to give and so much knowledge to share.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend this listen. The narrator was perfect for the book.

A pleasant surprise

I can't remember what inspired me to buy this book, but when I found it in my library I was a little leery of it. Re-reading the synopsis did not draw me in. However, it was next up in the library, so I began listening to it. I was pleasantly surprised by the story and how quickly it drew me in. The past and present of Victoria's story are intertwined through this novel, using the Victorian meaning of flowers as a story-telling mechanism. Enchanting and interesting. I loved it to the last minute.

Beautifully written

This was a beautifully written book. I had to look up some of the flowers out of curiosity to see exactly what they looked like.