In a nutshell
Alternating between two points in time, this novel tells the story of a young girl who grew up in the foster care system. We are introduced to the younger Victoria when she has found what is seemingly the perfect setup for her. She lives at a vineyard and learns about the Victorian tradition of translating flowers into language (e.g., a thistle means mistrust). However, the story progresses and Victoria's time with her foster mother Elizabeth is cut short. Flash forward 8-ish years and Victoria has just turned 18 and is "set free" from the group home where she had been living. After a short homeless stint, Victoria finds her niche at a florist's shop and is able to use the knowledge she learned from Elizabeth to blossom (pardon the pun) as a professional and also finds love. However, she still harbours guilt over what happened with Elizabeth many years ago, leading to a myriad of bad decisions that make for a very interesting book.
Did I like it?
I loved it! Diffenbaugh is a fantastic writer. This book was compuslively readable and you really felt for Victoria as she grew up. The language of flowers was an interesting twist that Diffenbaugh pulls in nicely. This Victorian element seems completely at home in this modern text and I loved learning about the different meanings of the flowers.
Will you like it?
If you like strong, if troubled female characters, this may be the book for you. While you have to be able to tolerate some darkness as Victoria's past isn't an easy one, it's well worth taking the journey with her.
What else happened while I was reading this book?
Another long weekend (yay!). Saw a great movie musical - Sunshine on Leith, which is based on the Proclaimer's songs. Went on a great hike across the Skyline trail (beautiful views). Finshed painting our kitchen (finally). Bright and cheery indeed.
No comments:
Post a Comment