“It wasn’t as if the flowers themselves had within them the ability to bring an abstract definition into physical reality. Instead, it seemed that Earl, and then Bethany, walked home with a bouquet of flowers expecting change, and the very belief in the possibility instigated a transformation.”
Who knew that flowers had meanings? I suppose I always knew that roses meant love and trilliums and snowdrops are a sign of spring, but a dictionary of flower language? Some of the meanings are surprising and I wonder how they were determined at all, but apparently it is an ancient art called Floriography and was widely popular in Victorian England. Click here: Victoria’s Dictionary of Flowers
Victoria, the troubled main character in this novel, helps people by making flower arrangements according the meanings of the flowers. 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 realises she has a gift. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning 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. Victoria’s story is beautifully and elegantly told but is painfully sad and at times hard to read, albeit real. There is redemption in the end, but it is hard won.
I’m taking my own advice and discovering novels on my shelf that I never read, now that the libraries are closed. This is a book that I’ve had for ages and will now pass on to a neighbour who LOVES flowers and knows a lot about them…but does she know that Lavender signals ‘Mistrust’ and ‘Scarlet Geraniums’ hint at ‘Stupidity?’ 🙂 She’s a friend who is a ‘Constant’ help and solace to many, so it makes sense that she brought me a Hyacinth (which means ‘Constancy’) along with my groceries while I’m in pandemic quarantine!!! Thanks Nel (and Bill)!! Hope you both enjoy the book, and here’s a virtual bouquet of ‘Freesias’ for you as well! 🙂
Joanne's Reading Blog 