“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”- L.M. Montgomery
That’s how I think of this brand new year, as though it is fresh, with no mistakes in it. I’ve always loved that quote, partly because I love Anne of Green Gables and partly because it brims with hope. Hope is the predominant emotion I feel going into 2012. Perhaps that’s why I was so moved by this month’s book club selection, The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Despite the emotional tug-of-war I felt while reading, it is, at heart, a story of hope.
This novel will break your heart. It will frustrate you in ways you didn’t think a book possibly could. You will fall in love with a tenacious young women who does not know how to love or be loved. It’s a novel you won’t soon forget.
We are extremely lucky to have Vanessa Diffenbaugh on She Reads this month. This is her debut novel and its popularity has made her very much in demand. As of this week, The Language of Flowers has been published in over 40 countries. Yet Vanessa kindly agreed to spend time with us over the next few weeks. And her publisher, Ballantine Books, has generously provided a handful of prizes to our readers. The main prize winner will receive a copy of The Language of Flowers, a copy of A Victorian Flower Dictionary: The Language of Flowers Companion, and a custom flower arrangement/gift certificate to 1-800-Flowers. Rules of entry are simple: leave a comment on this post. One winner will be randomly chosen at the end of January.
The second prize is exclusive to readers who participate in this month’s online book club discussion. Vanessa’s publisher is giving away the full audio recording of The Language of Flowers to one participant. Each comment left on the forum equals one entry. There is no cost or commitment to join the She Reads book club. We provide this service for book lovers who do not have time or availability to join a local group.
January Book Club Selection
The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, aster 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 eighteen 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 that she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market inspires her to question 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.
Vanessa Diffenbaugh with her family
Vanessa Diffenbaugh was born in San Francisco and raised in Chico, California. After studying creative writing and education at Stanford, she went on to teach art and writing to youth in low-income communities. She and her husband, PK, have three children: Tre’von, eighteen; Chela, four; and Miles, three. Tre’von, a former foster child, is attending New York University on a Gates Millennium Scholarship. Diffenbaugh and her family currently live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where her husband is studying urban school reform at Harvard.
Vanessa Diffenbaugh is also the founder of the Camellia Network. The mission of the Camellia Network is to create a nationwide movement to support youth transitioning from foster care. In The Language of Flowers, Camellia [kuh-meel-yuh] means “My Destiny is in Your Hands.” The network’s name emphasizes the belief in the interconnectedness of humanity: each gift a young person receives will be accompanied by a camellia, a reminder that the destiny of our nation lies in the hands of our youngest citizens. For more information visit www.camellianetwork.org
About Ariel Lawhon
Ariel Lawhon is the co-founder of She Reads, novelist, blogger, storyteller, and life-long reader. She lives in Texas with her husband and four young sons (aka The Wild Rumpus). Ariel believes that Story is the shortest distance to the human heart.
I work in our local public school system – I see so much pain (and joy too) and I would love to read this book. As as avid gardener the title caught my attention quickly. Thank you for all you do!
I am so excited about this months book selection… I have always loved flowers and wondered about the meanings of many of the flowers I love. I am so excited that there is a book that will explain it all. I cannot wait to get a copy and start reading.
I used to live in a children’s home for a couple of years. Fortunately, God put wonderful people in my life that helped mold and make me who I am today. I wold love to read this book to see how many others struggle to find their way in life. Life is full of ups and downs, but as Christians, we still need to run the race with the victory line in sight.
This book sounds like a real winner! My mom is a floral arranger so I immediately think of her when I think of flowers. I think if I win, I’d give it to her, in hopes of restoring her firery faith for God. I know it’s still there but I haven’t seen it spill over like it did when I was young. Even if I don’t win, I’m glad that this book was chosen as the book of the month, her birthday is next month and now I know what to get her
Thank you!!
Wow! Such an inspiring segment of the book was sent to my email via she reads. It made me want to run right out and pick up the book. I want to know what happens, how she feels, how things turn out….. I know of a few foster parents. My heart goes out to them as they receive new little ones in need of love and reassurance. I would be more grateful to be entered into this giveaway. May God bless you all and keep you.
Michelle
I’m looking forward to reading Diffenbaugh’s novel. However, I’m number 44 on the library “hold” list. It would be helpful if we could get the titles of the monthly selections 2-3 months in advance, for those of us who take advantage of the local public library. I’m eager to see the feedback on this debut novel.
This sounds like an intriguing book and Victoria’s journey of discovery is so uplifitng. Imagine coming across a long forgotten book from another era on the language of flowers when browsing!. The messages from this book are applicable in a modern context and can be used to help us face our transitions through all aspects of our lives. I would definitely like to read this book and pass on to my friends.
This book sounds so wonderful. I am sure this is one story that I can lose myself in. My heart goes out to the children and teenagers that need a good, solid family to show them love and care. Plus I love flowers and enjoy how beautiful and uplifting gardens are. It is easy to compare the tending of gardens and tending the needy children, the “flowers” that desperately need nuturing. I am going to try my very best to get this book and start reading!
This sounds like a wonderful book. I’d love to read it.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
This book sounds so good and I look forward to reading it.
The book sounds very interesting and I look forward to reading it.
I’ve across this book before, [maybe goodreads?] but never really looked into more then just give it a passing glance. Now I regret that I didn’t pay more attention; not because it’s not the focus on She Reads, but because now that I’ve looked more into it, I realize it’s concerning something that’s been an essential part of my life all along. Even if I don’t win a copy here, it’ll be something that will be put on my wish-list, because it feels like I’ll be missing out on SO much if I don’t read it.
I can’t wait to get started on this book!
Both books sound really interesting.
I’m at a point in my life where I want to spend more time reading and this book sounds like a great place to start. I love gardening and watching God’s handiwork develop into beautiful creations!
This sounds like a great book, hope we all don’t get *too* heartbroken!
I really want to read this book. I love flowers and enjoy learning what qualities they represent. I’d really like to win the giveaway!
Sounds like an interesting book. Can’t wait to read it!
I’m looking forward to reading this book. I love flowers and I’m curious how that theme will be used throughout the book.
Having sadly watched young people transition in and out of a not always kind system, this novel appeals to me on many levels. It is ordered and I will devour it sheen it arrives! Thank you!
I finally bought the book and got started yesterday.. Looking forward to sitting down and getting into it more.
I LOVE to read and can’t wait to get this book to add to my collection. My dream is to open a coffee shop/bookstore someday. I am 58 years old but you never stop dreaming. Thanks for letting me be a part of She Reads.
I’ve finally read the book. It was a lot better than I had anticipated. I knew I would enjoy learning about the language of flowers; however, I was concerned about what my response would be to the rest of the novel. I have a family member who was adopted out of the foster care system. There were some issues there even though he was elementary age when adopted. I could only imagine the problems someone might experience who aged out of the system.
I admit the book’s beginning had me concerned. I thought, “I’m not going to be able to handle this …” Soon my feelings of anger toward the character, Victoria, were replaced with feelings of compassion. There were other times I became frustrated with her decisions but who is to say what decisions I would make if I had been grown-up with her experiences?
My biggest disappoint was some of the off-color language the author used, I know growing up in the environment, Victoria would have been exposed to a lot more colorful language than what was used in the book; however, I’ve read several authors who make the reader aware of the language without actually using the offensive language (ex.: Francine Rivers).
Thanks for recommending the book. I enjoyed it but would be hesitant to recommend to others due mostly to the few choice words that were discussed above.
This books sounds interesting! I can’t wait to read it. Is it available on the Kindle?
I can’t wait to get this book and read it!!
Absolutely loved reading The Language of Flowers. The author grabbed me from the beginning and I had a hard time putting the book down.
This book is beautiful and real. I looked up one evening to find my husband watching me read. He said he was amazed by the amount of emotion he could say play across my face as I was reading – I frowned, looked angry, looked sad, cried, and laughed. I asked him”Geez, how long have you been watching me.” His response, “Two pages.” Thank you for suggesting – I never would have read this book otherwise.
I really enjoyed this book. Victoria moved me from frustration and impatience to deep sadness for her situation and sometimes compassion. Elizabeth and Grant were perfect foils for her character. Great writing. And I loved all the details about the flowers. Must have been fun to see how flowers and their meanings were carried out in the Victorian times. Was everyone so tuned in to this way of communicating back then? I need to look back at some pictures from that era and see which flowers were prevalent in bouquets, etc.
Thanks for the great recommendation.
If there are only two things in this world that you can trust, the misunderstanding of others that leave you in the depths of despair or the constancy of delicate beauty found in flowers, what would you choose as your refuge? V. Diffenbaugh brings the reader a well-edited story that stays in the heart long after the last page is turned. The Language of Flowers may prove to be a classic someday. Thank you, Vanessa.
Sounds like a tearjerker…wow:) Our family of 6 lived in our van for a few weeks about 7 years ago…so we had a little taste of what it felt like to be homeless. Understand feeling scared and hopeless. I look forward to this book! Thanks for sharing your talent Vanessa. Would love to be entered for a chance to win:-)