Moss doesn't have any roots, but it grows anyway, without any roots. That's what this book is about the roots that we have in our lives, or don't have. Who was your mother, what were her traits, where do you fit in, where did you come from, who are you connected to, your roots. Several Anglican churches in England have paintings, sculpture, or stained glass windows of the lily crucifix, depicting Christ crucified on or holding a lily. One example is a window at The Clopton Chantry Chapel Church in Long Melford, Suffolk, England, UK. Now, I'm guessing that this wasn't actually the reason why the looked at me in horror because...um, well, not many people know that flowers have meanings behind them never mind what they were. But I still thought it was interesting because red roses are always associated with romance and lurrrve.

The rest of the book didn't make a lot of sense to me. This broken young woman is saved and loved by many people as she embarks into her new life as an emancipated adult. Why? She's dirty and slow to communicate. She disappears without explanation. She isn't at all loveable. Reprints published by Robert Tyas, London, 1841; Houlston and Stoneman, London, 1844; George Routledge and Sons, London, 1869; George Routledge and Sons, London, 1875; George Routledge And Sons, London, 1880. 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? The flower you’re looking for is clearly the common thistle, which symbolizes misanthropy. Misanthropy means hatred or mistrust of humankind.”

READERS GUIDE

The storyline weaves skillfully between the heavy burden of Victoria’s childhood—her time with Elizabeth, the foster mother who taught her the language of flowers and also wounded her more deeply than Victoria can bear to remember—and the gauntlet of her present relationship with Grant, a flower vendor who’s irrevocably linked to the darkest secret of her past. At its core, The Language of Flowers is a meditation on redemption, and on how even the most profoundly damaged might learn to forgive and be forgiven. By opening up Victoria’s very difficult inner world to us, Vanessa Diff- enbaugh shows us a corner of experience hidden to most, with an astonishing degree of insight and compassion. So hold on, and keep the tissue box nearby. This is a book you won’t soon forget. a b Laufer, Geraldine Adamich (1993). Tussie-Mussies: The Victorian Art of Expressing Yourself in the Language of Flowers. Workman Publishing. pp.4–25, 40–53. ISBN 9781563051067. And she spent hours in the library comparing flower meaning dictionaries(and countless hours photographing flowers with old time camera which she spends money on the film development even though she has very little money), but didn't bother to read one single book on pregnancy or child care. Roses Color Meaning and Symbolism". www.petalrepublic.com. 2 March 2021. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022 . Retrieved 2021-04-20. Why do you think Elizabeth waits so long before trying to patch things up with her long-lost sister Catherine? What is the impetus for her to do so?

The idea of an emotionally damaged child/woman who can only really communicate through the Victorian language of flowers is essentially a good one but even that turns out to be quite an arbitrary medium with various possible meanings for each flower depending on the source. So the core of the story is a bit far-fetched and lots of things that occur seem unlikely, including how NICE everyone is to the main character who generally doesn't reciprocate. And, nearly done, here is some raspberry. Not to make a fruit salad with the pineapple but to represent remorse that it took me so long to read this book.... but you can eat it if you want. At the end of the novel, Victoria learns that moss grows with- out roots. What does this mean, and why is it such a revelation for her? So can you enjoy a book when you don’t really like the protagonist? I find it can be difficult, but in the hands of a crafted writer, you can still enjoy the story. I didn’t find that to be true here.Flowers in Shakespeare's plays / RHS Campaign for School Gardening". schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk . Retrieved 2016-11-02. This book had a great dreamy almost magical realism feel about it. And magical realism is my favourite kind of realism. I love the characters, even when I hated them, and the writing was just glorious without being too... wait for it.... *cough* flowery. The Language of Flowers is a mesmerizing, unforgettable hopeful story that beautifully weaves the past and present while exploring abandonment, love and finding what triggers a person to open up to others. In the past, we see Victoria’s self-destructive ways as she grows up in foster homes. Now through her connections to flowers, she starts to open up by speaking the language of flowers to help people find some joy through flowers. Flowers start to connect Victoria to others as she tries to learn to trust herself. I was surprised by this book. It was so much different from what I expected and well worth the read. Of course I never believed in floriography since it resembled the human impulse to box everything up without consideration of the unfairness of the action. For instance, how cruel can it be to attribute 'Hate' to the cactus plant? Or 'Deceit' and 'Materialism' to the sunflower? I have been involved in botany throughout my adult life and revel in the beauty and magic of all plants. Floriography in all its splendor was never part of it and won't be in the future. I simply regard it as a waste of time. I love flowers although my knowledge of them is fairly limited, and I really liked this story, where flowers played a central role.