Play Book Tag discussion

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.

I have to admit that I expected this book to be different. I imagined that this would be a story of a woman in her 40s who spends time at home taking care of her flowers. Definitely not about a girl 18 years old.

The story of Victoria is quite sad - what can be worse than being given hope and then being abandoned at the orphanage over and over again? I felt sympathetic towards her and eagerly wanted her to succeed. But then she disappointed me quite a few times. It was hard for me to understand her decisions. (view spoiler)[The chapters after she had a baby were the worst. I realise that she had no such experience before, she didn't know how to take care of babies. But it seemed so simple to me that she could ask any of the people who were still in her life, visited and supported her, for some help and guidance. (hide spoiler)]

The author created quite unordinary characters in this novel. I haven't liked any of them, but that's not because they were badly written. On the contrary, they appeared to be very realistic to me - I could see what made them the way they were. But still, I couldn't care much about them.

I loved this one - must have read it over a decade ago.

I also loved this one. Quite different from what I expected too. One I have recommended to others. Sorry it didn't do it for you.

I read this a few years ago, and felt similarly to you. It was unique, but I just couldn't understand a few of the girl's actions. A little too quirky in the end for me perhaps.