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The Language of Flowers Gift Book

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When I saw this book listed on Netgalley, I knew I had to request it. I absolutely love the flower language and the symbolism of plants in general - so this seemed perfect. I am happy to say that this book was just what I had in mind. The Language of Flowers is an unusually wide-ranging anthology exploring the richly symbolic expressiveness of flowers through poems from around the world and across the ages. A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact. I was surprised by this book. It was so much different from what I expected and well worth the read. Of course I never believed in floriography since it resembled the human impulse to box everything up without consideration of the unfairness of the action. For instance, how cruel can it be to attribute 'Hate' to the cactus plant? Or 'Deceit' and 'Materialism' to the sunflower? I have been involved in botany throughout my adult life and revel in the beauty and magic of all plants. Floriography in all its splendor was never part of it and won't be in the future. I simply regard it as a waste of time. I also loved the message and the moral of the story that is the importance of encouraging others with nice and positive words in other to help others to grow and bloom beautifully, even to those that may look strange and different to you, which also teaches the concept of kindness.

Now, I'm guessing that this wasn't actually the reason why the looked at me in horror because...um, well, not many people know that flowers have meanings behind them never mind what they were. But I still thought it was interesting because red roses are always associated with romance and lurrrve. However,there are a few parts of this book that is not to my liking. But first i will list a few points that i like about this book. I find some of the facts and info stated in the folklores and facts section to be quite interesting like for example how the Hibiscus called the Shoe Flower is named so as the petals can be used to shine shoes and in the Pacific Islands, a red Hibiscus flower is worn by women as a sign of their interests, if worn behind the left ear means she desires a lover, if worn behind the right ear, means she already has a lover, and if worn behind both ears means she wants another one!. Or the story about wild barley,how in the medieval times, a type of divination using cakes made of wild barley was used to determine guilt or innocence known as alphitomancy, if there was a group of suspected criminals, all of them were fed with the cakes or bread and supposedly the person who got indigestion was the guilty party!. 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.During its peak in the United States, the language of flowers attracted the attention of popular writers and editors. Sarah Josepha Hale, longtime editor of the Ladies' Magazine and co-editor of Godey's Lady's Book, edited Flora's Interpreter in 1832; it continued in print through the 1860s. Catharine H. Waterman Esling wrote a long poem titled "The Language of Flowers", which first appeared in 1839 in her own language of flowers book, Flora's Lexicon; it continued in print through the 1860s. Lucy Hooper, an editor, novelist, poet, and playwright, included several of her flower poems in The Lady's Book of Flowers and Poetry, first published in 1841. Frances Sargent Osgood, a poet and friend of Edgar Allan Poe, first published The Poetry of Flowers and Flowers of Poetry in 1841, and it continued in print through the 1860s. Victoria was not a likable young girl and she did unforgivable harm to people, which she also had to forgive herself for. The word 'hate' came easily to her, but it would take a wise woman to teach her that hate can be passionate, disengaged, dislike, but also fear. Elizabeth taught her that her behavior was a choice, not who she was. In a way, i loved the simple and easy to understand approach of teaching the children as well as the adults on pollination and the important symbiotic relationships between the bees and the flowers to each other.

This lavish and beautifully illustrated reference book contains both aspects as each entry contains information on symbolism, folklore and facts. The entries are organised alphabetically by the scientific names of each flower. At the conclusion are indexes of both common flower names and common flower meanings. This was a very readable book, and I read it all in a day when I was lounging around a resort in Orlando while my husband went to some conference sessions. It made for a very enjoyable vacation read! Many people have shown her that they care about her, that they’re willing to help her, but she can’t accept it. I get that we’re supposed to believe that she’s so broken(she was an abandoned baby who never found a real forever home) that she sees herself as unworthy of anyone’s concern, but how it came off to this reader is that she’s too selfish and stubborn to do what’s right. This is when my connection to her broke down completely.I've always believed that giving flowers meant something . I knew that red roses meant love and somewhere along the line I learned that Baby's Breath , almost always in a bride's bouquet signified everlasting love . However, that was the extent of my knowledge of the meaning of flowers , originating in the Victorian era - until I read this book . Do flowers speak to us in this way ? I really don't know but it's nice to think so and the author has creatively wrapped this language around this story. The New York Times reviewer Janet Maslin praised the descriptive language, saying "There is sensuality to Ms. Diffenbaugh’s descriptions of flowers and food." [2] The novel interlaces the main plot of an 18 year old Victoria, with snippets of her past in the foster system. [5] Reception [ edit ]

I have received many a horrified look when I have told people that I don't like red roses. Their expression of horror only got worse when I told them I much preferred yellow roses. I was always really confused as to why which flowers I liked would cause such a strong reaction. And she spent hours in the library comparing flower meaning dictionaries(and countless hours photographing flowers with old time camera which she spends money on the film development even though she has very little money), but didn't bother to read one single book on pregnancy or child care.

The Complete Language of Flowers is a well-designed and fascinating book. It’s a good introduction to the world of flowers but I wish it was more thorough and the writing was much clearer. Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press for this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - Wellfleet Pressfor a temporary digital edition via NetGalley of ‘The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History” by by S. Theresa Dietz in exchange for an honest review.

Nonetheless, the memories of those floral customs, so deeply woven into Victorian culture, still resonated; floriography still permeated literature, ensuring the tradition was always in the periphery. Most notably, floriography plays a key role in Edith Wharton's 1920 novel The Age of Innocence, set in the Gilded Age of New York. Abandoned at birth Victoria is now 18 years old and "emancipated" from being a ward of the state . Her narrative alternates between her life at age ten, when she is taken in by Elizabeth and is finally looking at a chance to have a mother and present day, as she turns 18 and is being released from a group home. We learn of Victoria's " gift " for helping people convey their feelings , hopes and thoughts , through flowers and we learn what happened when she was ten. Probably the most beautiful book of the spring, The Language of Flowers by Dena Seiferling is not only beautifully illustrated, it’s a gentle and kind story about a little bee and the flowers. I love flowers although my knowledge of them is fairly limited, and I really liked this story, where flowers played a central role.So can you enjoy a book when you don’t really like the protagonist? I find it can be difficult, but in the hands of a crafted writer, you can still enjoy the story. I didn’t find that to be true here. This work of historical fiction was a book club selection and that is how I came to read it. It is without a doubt a must read for historical fiction readers as well as people who as with Victoria may seek joy in flowers by arranging them , smelling then, or just looking at them. This is the story of a girl who matures into a woman while dealing with some of the darkest times a human being can deal with and triumphing with a little help from her flowers. Thirdly, i am confused with the purpose or objective of this book. As a supposed to be a reference guide, i find this part to be a little confusing as i find this book focuses more on the superstitious mumbo jumbo,myths and legends which is a bothersome to me as for one thing, that isn't the only kind of information that i was looking for from this book and i am not a superstitious person. It is okay to include some superstitious beliefs and local folklores about those plants coz i am sure many people are interested to know about them (so do i) but they are just way too much info and focus on all of that until i begin to think that this book is actually a reference guide for magic spells and witch crafts!. I wish you could also add some beneficial info about those plants like how they are used in other culture as in cooking, as medicine or for other purposes you know more of that cultural and historical aspects to make it more interesting and something useful we could use or apply like for treatment or the medicinal aspect,for everyday purposes like to clean or remove something,etc. I seriously think this book could use a little more extensive and careful research and more editing as i find some facts of the plants to be misleading and confusing. Lily, Petunia and the language of flowers". Pottermore. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022 . Retrieved 2019-04-27. For eight years I dreamed of fire. Trees ignited as I passed them, oceans burned. The sugary smoke settled in my hair as I slept, the scent like a cloud left on my pillow as I rose. Even so, the moment my mattress started to burn, I bolted awake. The sharp, chemical smell was nothing like the hazy syrup of my dreams; the two were as different as Indian and Carolina jasmine, separation and attachment. They could not be confused.

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