This is a soft and pretty book about various flowers that grow in a meadow and how they are cared for and supported by a bumblebee who lives in their midst. The concept of flower meaning may go over the heads of very young readers, but this is still a calm, soothing book for quiet time. If a student found the story engaging I definitely wouldn't discourage them--sometimes a book that appeals to a special interest can be just the right motivation to encourage a kid to practice their reading and language skills! In the United States the first appearance of the language of flowers in print was in the writings of Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, a French-American naturalist, who wrote on-going features under the title "The School of Flora", from 1827 through 1828, in the weekly Saturday Evening Post and monthly Casket; or Flowers of Literature, Wit, and Sentiment. These pieces contained the botanic, English and French names of the plant, a description of the plant, an explanation of its Latin names, and the flower's emblematic meaning. However, the first books on floriography were Elizabeth Wirt's Flora's Dictionary and Dorothea Dix's The Garland of Flora, both of which were published in 1829, though Wirt's book had been issued in an unauthorized edition in 1828.

I had difficulty with "the willing suspension of disbelief" required by this novel. I was able to accept Victoria's behavior only because I felt she was in need of serious psychiatric counseling. However, the behavior of everyone else was completely unbelievable (possible exception was the social worker). This work of historical fiction was a book club selection and that is how I came to read it. It is without a doubt a must read for historical fiction readers as well as people who as with Victoria may seek joy in flowers by arranging them , smelling then, or just looking at them. This is the story of a girl who matures into a woman while dealing with some of the darkest times a human being can deal with and triumphing with a little help from her flowers. Based on your reading of the novel, what are your impressions of the foster-care system in America? What could be improved?Without spoiling it too much, I really loved the ending. Victoria is a flawed character and she is not always likeable. AT ALL. But I really appreciated the ending that she was given. I think I could have gone either way, but Ms Diffenbaugh chose the right one.

But survival is just the beginning. The more critical question is, will Victoria let herself love and be loved? Kate Penn is the editor-in-chief of Floral Management Magazine, pub- lished by the Society of American Florists. The Language of Flowers is the debut novel of American author Vanessa Diffenbaugh. It was published in 2011 by Ballantine Books. [1] 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. [2] Victoria’s negativity was so over the top. She finds out she’s pregnant and hates the idea of a baby, but won’t get an abortion because the idea that someone else would have control over her body for the time it would take to get the thing out (that’s how she thinks of it) is too horrid for her to think about. She is offered medical benefits by her employer, but instead she runs away to live under a bush. No, I am most certainly not kidding.

Later authors inspired by this tradition created lists that associate a birthday flower with each day of the year. [11] In literature [ edit ] A woman also had to be pretty precise about where she wore flowers. Say, for instance, a suitor had sent her a tussie-mussie ( a.k.a. nosegay). If she pinned it to the 'cleavage of bosom', that would be bad news for him, since that signified friendship. Ah, but if she pinned it over her heart, 'That was an unambiguous declaration of love'." [10]

Jobes, Gertrude (1962). Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore, and Symbols. New York: The Scarecrow Press.

The Public Domain Review is registered in the UK as a Community Interest Company (#11386184), a category of company which exists primarily to benefit a community or with a view to pursuing a social purpose, with all profits having to be used for this purpose. 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.

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? We all know what red roses symbolise, but how about other flowers? White lilies, perhaps, or French marigolds? You might beware of giving your loved one a bunch of lavender, for instance, as it symbolises distrust. And a wallflower has nothing to do with being excluded, or shyness, as you might expect. It is a symbol of "fidelity in adversity". Vanessa: Yes, both! I’ve heard so many readers say they will never look at flowers the same way again, and I certainly felt this way after learning about the Victorian language of flowers. It has been such a fun discovery for me. Sending a message through flowers—especially now, when technology has made most communication instant and digital—feels extremely satisfying. Of course, not all my readers will feel this way (and some will never forgive me for attaching a negative definition to their favorite flower!) but I do hope that many find as much joy in giving and receiving message-laden flowers as I have. So, again, not that first doctor visit and she knows a midwife, willing and ready to help her, but she doesn’t want that either. She’s going to give birth at home, alone, all by herself, because ... I have no idea what is wrong with her at this point. The Language of Flowers is a story about Victoria, now a young woman, who was recently emancipated from the court system at 18. She struggles with feelings of abandonment and low self-esteem, as a result of a series of events from her past, stemming from growing up as an orphan. She lives in San Francisco and works in a flower shop. She has no friends, limited relationships, and initially, pretty limited human interaction. Without directly stating this, it becomes clear that she’s afraid of getting close to people, for fear of hurting them as she expects she will yet again, be a disappointment.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. Floriography ( language of flowers) is a means of cryptological communication through the use or arrangement of flowers. Meaning has been attributed to flowers for thousands of years, and some form of floriography has been practiced in traditional cultures throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. Plants and flowers are used as symbols in the Hebrew Bible, particularly of love and lovers in the Song of Songs, [1] as an emblem for the Israelite people, [2] and for the coming Messiah. [3] This child, this self-admitted odd-bod, Victoria has been in the foster system since birth. Ask her who her parents are and she will say the Foster System. At age ten, she has been in thirty-nine different foster homes. She is used to, at a moment's notice, being removed or rejected by her foster parents. She travels light, everything she owns is in a small canvas bag which includes her Dictionary of Flowers. The story is told in two sequences of time; when she is ten, going to a new foster home, and when she is eighteen, upon her emancipation from the state foster system. She uses meaning of flowers to convey what she thinks and feels. Over the course of the novel, Victoria creates her own dictionary of flowers using paste cards, definitions, dried flowers and illustrations. My abridged version of Victoria's dictionary as follows: Flowers in Shakespeare's plays / RHS Campaign for School Gardening". schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk . Retrieved 2016-11-02.