''The Language of Flowers'' is the

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

of American author

Vanessa Diffenbaugh Vanessa Diffenbaugh (born 1978) is the American author of the novel ''The Language of Flowers (novel), The Language of Flowers'' and the nonfiction ''A Victorian Flower Dictionary''. Biography Diffenbaugh was born in San Francisco and raised i ...

. It was published in 2011 by

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major American book publisher that is a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. Ballantine was founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. Ballantine was acquired by Random House in ...

. The novel follows the fraught life of a Victoria Jones, who by the age of 18, had lived in 32

foster homes Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family member ...

, and becomes a flower arranger. The novel was inspired by a flower dictionary, a type of Victorian-era book which defines what different types of flowers mean. Diffenbaugh also published a new non-fiction "A Victorian Flower Dictionary" to accompany the novel. The novel was recommended for use in book clubs.

Themes

The plot of the novel focuses on finding love, adoption, emancipation, homelessness, single motherhood and

attachment disorder Attachment disorders are disorders of mood, behavior, and social relationships arising from unavailability of normal socializing care and attention from primary caregiving figures in early childhood. Such a failure would result from unusual ear ...

, but the main focus is on the foster system. The SFGate reviewer Malena Watrous described the novel as much less "grittier" than other discussions of the foster system, which Watrous partially attributes to Diffenbaugh's own adoption of children from that system. Though the flowers within the novel largely function as symbols for Victoria, expressing emotional meaning, the novel also includes a large amount of information about the biology of flowers. ''New York Times Reviewer''

Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, who served as a film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1977 to 1999, serving as chief critic for the last six years, and then a literary critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000, M ...

described this information as sometimes becoming overly pedantic, saying "the pointed use of flower definitions in conversation begins to pale as a gambit." Conversely,

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

called this motif "organic," growing from the first scene in a flower marketplace.

Style

''The New York Times'' reviewer Janet Maslin praised the descriptive language, saying "There is sensuality to Ms. Diffenbaugh’s descriptions of flowers and food." The novel interlaces the main plot of an 18 year old Victoria, with snippets of her past in the foster system.

Reception

Reception of the novel was generally positive. Washington Post reviewer Brigitte Weeks called the novel an "original and brilliant first novel" which has "united her fascination with the language of flowers—a long-forgotten and mysterious way of communication—with her firsthand knowledge of the travails of the foster-care system." For Weeks, the "novel is both enchanting and cruel, full of beauty and anger." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' compared the novel to something "

Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by many as the great ...

might have come up with, had Dickens been deeply interested in flower arranging." SFGate called the novel "an unexpectedly beautiful book about an ugly subject: children who grow up without families, and what becomes of them in the absence of unconditional love." Waltrous compares the novel to ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The firs ...

'', identifying the novel as part of the "story of an orphan rising above her circumstances" with motifs like a tortured romance.

Film adaptation

In 2019, it was announced there will be a film adaptation of the novel starring Nick Robinson and

Kiersey Clemons Kiersey Nicole Clemons (born December 17, 1993) is an American actress. She is known for her role in the 2015 comedy-drama film '' Dope'', playing Cassandra "Diggy" Andrews. Subsequently, she went on to co-star in '' Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising ...

and directed by Michael Mayer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Language of Flowers, The 2011 American novels Ballantine Books books 2011 debut novels