The Language of Flowers

I love this book. The Language of Flowers is a sweet story of the redemption of a foster system/group home kid who ages out of the system and finds herself homeless. It is ultimately a story of forgiveness. It reminds you that life is messy and when people make inevitable mistakes, even big ones, is it best to forgive. It's a story of unconditional love and forgiveness. A sweet story of mother daughter relationships and how messy they can be, how sweet forgiveness is, and how devastating the lack of forgiveness can be.

Those particularly fond of flowers will enjoy this book. This is Vanessa Diffenbaugh's first novel and she is a remarkable writer. While the story is sweet and well written and though out, it is the way she weaves the meaning of flowers into the book that gives it its depth. The characters in this book give coded messages to others based on the meaning of flowers. It is a smart novel.

Perhaps the neatest thing Diffenbaugh has done is to turn her passion and novel into a platform to make the world a better place. She started Camellia network to support kids as they age out of the foster care system. Those kids that never got adopted.

The Language of Flowers is now on my list of favorite books. I love the flowers woven in. I love the foster care spin. I love the actual story. The only thing I wish was different was that it was longer. Maybe more details about when Victoria was homeless. But, all in all this was a fantastic book!