The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh Review

Her name was Victoria and she had been a troubled, misunderstood child- raised in the foster system and rejected from family to family and group home to group home.   We meet her on her eighteenth birthday when she is emancipated from the “system”.   Her story is told from the current day and reverting back to her past.   She was always angry, didn’t want touched, and did not trust anyone or anything they said.   Even when there was a glimmer of hope for the future, Victoria blew it and knew she was unrepairable, a lost cause, and no one would be able to love her.

Elizabeth truly loved this angry rag muffin of a girl. She wanted Victoria to be her daughter.   She taught her everything she knew about the language of flowers.  As life would have it,  with human frailty, doubts and misunderstandings, that was not to be .   With a one word lie, Victoria was ripped from Elizabeth’s heart and sent to a group home.

This is a heart rending story of a girl coming to terms with supporting herself once she is emancipated, finding love despite the terror she is overwhelmed with.   She must face her fears and her failures if she is ever to find the acceptance and love she so craves.   It is an excellent novel….one I found difficult to deal with at first, but I felt like I grew right along with Victoria as she matured and faced those ghosts of her past.