Bookworm: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

In Victorian times people believed in flowers all having a meaning behind them. As a result there were flower 'dictionaries' created which identified the message behind each floral item. This book uses this idea to tell an emotional tale of an unexpected and 'different' family.

Being someone who's not particularly green-fingered or into flowers (I just like getting given big bunches of bright ones!) I was a bit dubious of this book's potential appeal to me. However, in this instance, Diffenbaugh's piece of fiction was recommended by an old friend, whose judgment I trust, so I thought I'd give it a go.

In actual fact I was glad to have given the book a chance and was pleased to be reading something on my Kindle after a long break too.

At first you may get the impression this book is going to be a depressing read, hearing how the main character has spent a life in care, rest assured this is not the case.

An enjoyable and relatively easy read, the story tells how a young girl who has emotional issues manages to express them through flowers and bloom into a happier woman.

For someone who isn't into flowers, I found I did enjoy learning about the meanings behind each type. Just when the book seemed to take a route towards a sense of fantasy and the idea of the flower meanings having some sort of power, it stopped and remained believable. This resulted in you getting caught up in the meanings and experiencing a magical feel, but still feeling the story being told was realistic.

Good bits
Interesting main character in Victoria
Strong messages and themes throughout
Overall positive feel, but in a realistic not 'cheesy' way

Not so great
At times I thought some of Victoria's behaviour was a little odd and perhaps slightly unrealistic
Perhaps swept over the idea of children in care, by keeping a light hearted feel when dealing with an important topic

Yet again I've found myself feeling sad upon finishing a great book. I was keen to find out the ending, but felt disappointed this reading experience had reached an end.

Next up I'm attempting another Jodi Picoult - last time I found myself a bit disappointed and that I'd tired of her style, let's see if Sing You Home fares any better...