The Language of Flowers

It was interesting to read The Language of Flowers so close to reading Pollyanna. The central character of The Language of Flowers, Victoria, like Pollyanna, is an orphan, but that is the only way Victoria and Pollyanna are alike. Victoria is a wild animal, a child who has spent her life going from foster home to foster home, who has suffered at the hands of many disastrously unqualified foster parents, who has learned to destroy relationships before the others have a chance to do the same. Victoria somehow is placed with Elizabeth and Elizabeth, because of her own difficult experiences with her mother, sees through Victoria's attempts to sabotage their relationship and bonds with her. But this relationship is doomed, too, as both Elizabeth and Victoria can't quite dare to make the commitments to each other that they want to do.

At times, Victoria's behavior in the story seemed too extreme to have been accepted by Elizabeth, but that is my one difficulty with the book. I loved the role of flowers in the story, for healing, for building relationships, for happiness.

Very good book.