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The Language of Flowers

A Novel

A Novel

A Novel

By Vanessa Diffenbaugh

By Vanessa Diffenbaugh

By Vanessa Diffenbaugh

By Vanessa Diffenbaugh

By Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Read by Tara Sands

By Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Read by Tara Sands

Best Seller
Paperback $18.00

Apr 03, 2012 | ISBN 9780345525550

Ebook $13.99

Aug 23, 2011 | ISBN 9780345525567

Audiobook Download $20.00

Aug 23, 2011 | 650 Minutes

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    The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
    Paperback $18.00
    Apr 03, 2012 | ISBN 9780345525550

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    • Paperback $18.00

      Apr 03, 2012 | ISBN 9780345525550

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      Aug 23, 2011 | ISBN 9780345525567

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    About The Language of Flowers

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
     
    The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. 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 with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger 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.
     
    Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more.

    About The Language of Flowers

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
     
    The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. 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 with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger 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.
     
    Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more.

    Praise for The Language of Flowers

    “Instantly enchanting . . . [Diffenbaugh] is the best new writer of the year.”—Elle

    “I would like to hand Vanessa Diffenbaugh a bouquet of bouvardia (enthusiasm), gladiolus (you pierce my heart) and lisianthus (appreciation).  In this original and brilliant first novel, Diffenbaugh 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. . . . This novel is both enchanting and cruel, full of beauty and anger. Diffenbaugh is a talented writer and a mesmerizing storyteller.  She includes a flower dictionary in case we want to use the language ourselves.  And there is one more sprig I should add to her bouquet: a single pink carnation (I will never forget you).”—Washington Post

    “A fascinating debut . . . Diffenbaugh clearly knows both the human heart and her plants, and she keeps us rooting for the damaged Victoria.”—O Magazine

    “Diffenbaugh effortlessly spins this enchanting tale, making even her prickly protagonist impossible not to love.”—Entertainment Weekly

    About The Language of Flowers

    A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.

    The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. 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 realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. 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.

    Praise for The Language of Flowers

    “Instantly enchanting . . . [Diffenbaugh] is the best new writer of the year.”—Elle

    “I would like to hand Vanessa Diffenbaugh a bouquet of bouvardia (enthusiasm), gladiolus (you pierce my heart) and lisianthus (appreciation).  In this original and brilliant first novel, Diffenbaugh 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. . . . This novel is both enchanting and cruel, full of beauty and anger. Diffenbaugh is a talented writer and a mesmerizing storyteller.  She includes a flower dictionary in case we want to use the language ourselves.  And there is one more sprig I should add to her bouquet: a single pink carnation (I will never forget you).”—Washington Post

    “A fascinating debut . . . Diffenbaugh clearly knows both the human heart and her plants, and she keeps us rooting for the damaged Victoria.”—O Magazine

    “Diffenbaugh effortlessly spins this enchanting tale, making even her prickly protagonist impossible not to love.”—Entertainment Weekly

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

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    Reading Guide

    Listen to a sample from The Language of Flowers

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    See all books by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

    Also by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

    We Never Asked for Wings
    See all books by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

    About Vanessa Diffenbaugh

    Vanessa Diffenbaugh is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Language of Flowers, which was translated into more than forty languages. A mother of four, she lives with her husband in Monterey, California. In addition to being… More about Vanessa Diffenbaugh

    About Vanessa Diffenbaugh

    Vanessa Diffenbaugh is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Language of Flowers, which was translated into more than forty languages. A mother of four, she lives with her husband in Monterey, California. In addition to being… More about Vanessa Diffenbaugh

    About Vanessa Diffenbaugh

    Vanessa Diffenbaugh is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Language of Flowers, which was translated into more than forty languages. A mother of four, she lives with her husband in Monterey, California. In addition to being… More about Vanessa Diffenbaugh

    Product Details

    Category: Literary Fiction

    Paperback | $18.00
    Published by Ballantine Books
    Apr 03, 2012 | 368 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780345525550

    Category: Literary Fiction

    Ebook | $13.99
    Published by Ballantine Books
    Aug 23, 2011 | 336 Pages | ISBN 9780345525567

    Category: Literary Fiction | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $20.00
    Published by Random House Audio
    Aug 23, 2011 | 650 Minutes | ISBN 9780307878946

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    Praise

    “Instantly entrancing.”—Elle
     
    “[An] original and brilliant first novel . . . a mesmerizing storyteller . . . I would like to hand Vanessa Diffenbaugh a bouquet of bouvardia (enthusiasm), gladiolus (you pierce my heart) and lisianthus (appreciation). . . . And there is one more sprig I should add to her bouquet: a single pink carnation (I will never forget you).”—Brigitte Weeks, The Washington Post
     
    “A captivating novel in which a single sprig of rosemary speaks louder than words . . . The Language of Flowers deftly weaves the sweetness of newfound love with the heartache of past mistakes. . . . [It] will certainly change how you choose your next bouquet.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune
     
    “Fascinating . . . Diffenbaugh clearly knows both the human heart and her plants, and she keeps us rooting for the damaged Victoria.”—O: The Oprah Magazine (book of the week)
     
    “Diffenbaugh effortlessly spins this enchanting tale, making even her prickly protagonist impossible not to love.”—Entertainment Weekly
     
    “Compelling . . . immensely engaging . . . unabashedly romantic . . . an emotional arc of almost unbearable poignance.”—The Boston Globe

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