If it was true that moss did not have roots…perhaps the unattached, the unwanted, the unloved, could grow to give love as lushly as anyone else. 

Redonk Nutshell: Troubled young woman finds direction through a gift with flower design and the Victorian meaning behind each plant

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh is April’s book selection for The Dilettantes, the book club sponsored by The Raunch Dilettante.  If you’re interested in getting in on some discussion, feel free to pop by the group. Anyone is welcome to join the forum, though you’ll have to request to join.  We’re a great group of readers – don’t be shy.

Victoria Jones has just been released from her final orphanage. It’s up to her to lay down some roots and start a life. She’s emotionally stunted and rightfully cautious, having been in and out of foster homes her entire life. The only solace Victoria finds is through flowers. She takes what little money she has and begins to plant in a public park, pilfering buds from unsuspecting gardens and transferring them to her private, plain sight sanctuary.  She convinces a local florist to give her a job, and she begins to put her talent to use, designing unique and magical arrangements that leave an impact on the customers.  When Victoria meets Grant, her carefully constructed web is put to the test, challenged by their mutual attraction and their past. Grant is related to one of her former foster mothers, a relationship that went asunder when a temper tantrum went horribly wrong.

Victoria is incredibly flawed and complicated, and her story is heart breaking yet inspiring. Language is a beautifully written book, a story of a woman who violently unravels then meticulously puts herself back together.  It’s guaranteed you’ll never look at bouquets the same way again after reading this book.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Rating: B

Romance: 3/5          Raunch: 1/5