language of flowers – and so she thinks https://andsoshethinks.co.uk CREATE:COMMUNICATE:CONNECT Sun, 05 Mar 2017 18:44:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://andsoshethinks.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cropped-FAVICON-90x90-1-32x32.png language of flowers – and so she thinks https://andsoshethinks.co.uk 32 32 The magic of flowers https://andsoshethinks.co.uk/the-magic-of-flowers/ https://andsoshethinks.co.uk/the-magic-of-flowers/#respond Sun, 05 Mar 2017 18:44:16 +0000 https://andsoshethinks.wordpress.com/?p=7610 There’s something about receiving fresh flowers that just makes everything better. From the moment that the door rings and a parcel arrives from someone unknown and you get a frivolous shiver, from feeling loved and wanted as you read the card, and throughout the following days and weeks when the scent wafts to your nose and your eyes are thrilled by the wonder and beauty of nature. Seeing flowers always lifts the spirit, and even more so when the day starts off with them.

There’s a whole language and meaning to the practice of giving flowers, as Vanessa Diffenbaugh explored in her wonderful novel. Or Caitlin Moran said in an open letter to young girls in her column for The Times, ‘Buy flowers …blossom – and put them at the end of the bed. When you wake, look at it, and tell yourself you are the kind of person who wakes up and sees flowers. This stops your first thought being, “I fear today. Today is the day maybe I cannot survive anymore,” which I know is what you would otherwise think. Thinking about blossom before you think about terror is what girls must always do. Various studies show the health benefits of flowers, from the anxiety soothing fragrances, make you feel more positive about your home and space, encourage connection with nature and boost self-compassion.

The big bunch of oriental pink lilies, charming roses, lush green leaves, all dusky pinks, simmering amaranth and rich cerise, that sits at my desk right now makes me feel happy and alive. But it’s not just young girls who need this lift. It’s not just girls who need blossom in their lives. So this spring share flowers with your mum, celebrate a birthday, or just say thank you. I’m also a big believer in treating yourself, just because. The simple things can be the most magical.

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]]> https://andsoshethinks.co.uk/the-magic-of-flowers/feed/ 0 The Language of Flowers – Vanessa Diffenbaugh https://andsoshethinks.co.uk/the-language-of-flowers-vanessa-diffenbaugh/ https://andsoshethinks.co.uk/the-language-of-flowers-vanessa-diffenbaugh/#comments Sun, 04 Sep 2011 20:11:45 +0000 http://andsoshethinks.co.uk?p=96 Call it a mistrust of popularity, or lone girl in the playground syndrome, but the knowledge that The Language of Flowers was the subject of a bidding war between nine publishers over last year does not immediately endear it to me.

What earns the publishers pennies is not necessarily what makes a good read, and in a world where X-Factor voting style reigns supreme, popularity does not always been quality. Added to this, any novel where the words flowers is used is always going to have the potential pong of schmaltz.
But this début novel from Vanessa Diffenbaugh shatters all these negative preconceptions. Protagonist Victoriahas only one true interest – floriography, the language of flowers.
It is this that has been the one constant through a maze of foster parents, care homes, broken promises, missed opportunities and fractured friendships. Victoria learns the language of flowers from the one carer who seems to be verging on becoming her mother. Throughout her life, in situations where emotions are not easily expressed, Victoria’s giving of flowers becomes an outlet for communication.
After a painful twist of circumstance, Victoria leaves the care system aged eighteen and homeless. Her passion leads her to a part-time job in a florist, and through floral interplay she meets a figure from her past who threatens to drag up a whole host of emotions – among them, love and happiness. It is this risk that Victoria must wrestle with, and the reader sees her engage with the world around her using the only means she knows how.
Weaving vine-like between past and present, the novel deals with the question of identity. Its mesmerising portrayal through romantic language of a flawed character who is sad, lonely, bitter and frustrated, but immensely likeable, is an inventive and courageous way to tackle the telling of emotions.
Rather than floral in a Laura Ashley way, the language is subtle, the different plants carefully capturing the nuances of an emotion in a way that words sometimes fail to express.
Elegant and emotive, the beauty of the natural world is combined with the gritty emotions of life to create a medium that is indistinct from the message. Like all great novels, the story is difficult to separate from the lexicon, the combined effect being one of mesmerising power.
Published in August by Pan Macmillan, you can buy the hardback for £7, or get the Kindle edition for £5.

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