The language of flowers

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh is a moving story of hope and forgiveness, and an international bestseller. The Victorians used flowers to express emotions: honeysuckle for devotion, azaleas for passion, and red roses for love.

For Victoria Jones, flowers and their meanings are her only connection to the world – although for her, they are most useful in expressing feelings such as grief, mistrust and solitude.

After a childhood in the foster care system, Victoria – now eighteen – has nowhere to go, and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own.

When her talent is discovered by a local florist, she discovers her gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them.

But it takes a meeting with a mysterious vendor at the flower market for her to realize what's been missing in her own life.

As she starts to fall for him, though, she must confront a painful secret from her past – and decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.