"The hip bone's connected to the back bone...."
Lines from that novelty song, "Dem Bones" kept popping up randomly as I read this book. Although I found this book slow moving, and peopled by one-dimensional characters, I kept finding connections to other books, movies, and people that I have enjoyed in the past. The Language of Flowers focuses on wounded Victoria, unsuccessful child of the foster care system. Consequently, Victoria established harsh boundaries and barriers preventing her from bonding with anyone, or being able to see much potential in herself.
That is until she meets Elizabeth who slowly heals the girl's broken heart, to a degree. Elizabeth shares her knowledge of the secret messages those fussy Victorians assigned to flowers. That knowledge blossoms and grows in Victoria allowing her to, at the very least, survive. If you're getting the idea that I didn't find this a particularly happy book, with characters that charmed me, you are correct.
Connection one: ironically, it was a girl name Victoria. She had moved to town in her senior year, flawed, and troubled. She needed community service hours to graduate, and she needed them quickly. A school official reached out to see if I could help out. The contact came with a warning about her, but...I had a project and she had a need. Victoria turned out to be filled with personality. She was funny, hard working, respectful. She even brought her mom in to see what she was doing to help turn her life around. Everyone here enjoyed her. That's all. I wish we had stayed in touch.
Connection two: my favorite bock/movie, The French Lieutenant's Woman (Mary S. I know you and Nancy S. are cringing). Dissertations have been written on the floral symbols in John Fowels' book about the poor, melancholic Sarah Woodruff. The first time I saw the movie I remember wondering about all the Eden like settings, and the strange, seemingly over acted reaction to all the gifts of flowers that exchanged hands. The Languae of Flowers helped me understand.
Connection three: Nadia, the main character in The Mothers by Brit Bennett reminds me of Victoria (from Language, not my volunteer friend). Rebellious, grief stricken, and pregnant, Nadia trusts no one until several unlikely people recognize her needs and possibilities and slowly bring her into warm circles that allow her to rise above her challenges.
Gardeners will appreciate this book, packed with insights on the magic meaning of flowers. I am grateful it led me back to memories that made me smile...yes, grateful that reading it had added two book to my "to be re-read pile." I know I will never get to the bottom of all the piles...but I guess, in a ways, book piles help us understand the meaning of infinity.
To be fair, I have read countless favorable reviews of this book. Just not the right book at the right time for me. You know how that goes.
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Stay safe. Stay happy. Stay healthy.
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