In a truly authentic novel, author Vanessa Diffenbaugh gives us a character, Victoria, who believes that she is “unforgivably flawed”.  Diffenbaugh is to be commended for her brilliance and the bravery in breathing life into a genuine character that the reader aches for and with–and hopes for right up to the last page. Adult fiction can be a wasteland of hope and affirmation so The Language of Flowers is a welcome breath of fresh air.  The writing is elegant, the premise is fresh, the characters real, the story touching, the plot unpredictable, and the ultimate message is oddly hopeful. 

“Perhaps the unattached, the unwanted, the unloved, could grow to give love as lushly as anyone else.”

Highly recommended!

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  1 derogatory name; 1 scatological word; 1 anatomical term; 3 F-word derivatives.

Violence/Gore:  Report of a death; report of injuries from a fire; report of a character putting sharp objects in shoes, resulting in injury; destruction of property without loss of life; a character hits another with a backpack.

Sex/Nudity:  Incidental characters are observed making-out; it is implied that a marriage is no longer intimate; characters kiss passionately; it is stated that a character dreamt that another character took photos of her naked; nudity when characters change clothes (non-sexual); it is simply stated that characters made love frequently; a character leaves bathroom door open when showering (non-sexual); one brief scene of sexual activity (adults) with a few, brief details.

Mature Subject Matter:

Homelessness, Foster Car, Arson, Child out of wedlock

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Minor social drinking.  A reported death might have been due to a drug overdose.