Ponder Post: The Language of Flowers

This image came in a text message from my daughter-in-law with the brief, simple statement, "Must read!!"

I checked the hardcover version out of my local library and she was so right! The Language of Flowers ©2011 by Vanessa Diffenbaugh is truly engaging and I read it in a couple days' time. The story opens on Victoria Jones' eighteenth birthday when she is released from the foster care system as an adult to make her own way in the world. The morning of her departure, as she awaits the arrival of her social worker, she acquires a cluster of a particular flower from a local florist and leaves a stem of each beneath the door of each of her housemates. There are no notes. The flower itself is meant to be the message to the girls left behind based on its symbolism. Victoria appears to be well versed in the meaning of each of these flowers.

In Victorian times, a gentlemen conveyed his feelings about the lady he was courting by the choice of flowers in the bouquet he presented to her. Each bloom had its own interpretation. Pansies... think of me. Cyclamen... timid hope. How did Victoria get her education about this floral code? Who taught her? Was she self-taught? This knowledge of an elegant subject seems contradictory to the somewhat dire environment in which she was raised, moving all too often from foster home to foster home and eventually to a pre-transition hostel. How did she come to be so versed in the romance of flowers?

The author draws on her own experiences as a foster mother to portray the hardships and disappointments children in the foster care system have to endure and the odds that they face in being able to become productive members of society. The novel gives the reader glimpses into some of the harsh treatment Victoria gets in some foster homes. The role that a less intuitive social worker can inadvertently play in a child's placement and acceptance and confidence is portrayed very well. Victoria is emancipated from the system that morning of her eighteenth birthday (the exact date of her birth is no more than an estimate) with no job and limited means to feed and clothe herself. She sleeps in a public park and plants a small garden of her own there. She slips into restaurants and survives on food that diners have left behind on their plates. The front flap of the book jacket reveals, "Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them."

The book see-saws between two main time periods – the present and a fleetingly-brief, good-placement portion of her childhood. A substantial portion of the suspense in the novel is created by piecing together her path from one life situation to another while navigating the extremes of the emotions that motivate her – low confidence, guilt, forgiveness, and love – as she plods through her adolescent years toward adulthood. The Language of Flowers was a real page turner but with a much softer approach than the usual literary vehicle for suspense. There is no threat of violence or a fast-paced chase scene. There is a constant undertone of love and basic human kindness in several characters that supports a belief in the inherent goodness of humanity. Can Victoria find a self-supporting, fulfilling place in society? Since I liked this book one can guess yes, she does find her niche; but how she gets there is a spell binding tale. What role do flowers play in her journey? 

The definition and interpretation of the meaning behind different species of flowers was enlightening and captivating. I enjoyed the depth they added to the novel. Read The Language of Flowers with a branch of Forsythia by your side. Forsythia means anticipation and you can look forward to a great read from this novel.