As I'm coming out of my fog, it's been a welcome distraction to find some really great writing.
As with Vanessa Diffenbaugh's The Language of Flowers, about Victoria Jones, just emancipated from the foster system. The writing is stellar and truly a great first work for Diffenbaugh. At first glance, the plot's not complex: Victoria has to figure out how to live on her own as an adult. But the story that unfolds, about Victoria's past, about mothers and daughters and longing for family; about forgiveness and mercy and anger and healing; about love and being a mother and being a daughter----it's brilliant.
There might be one questionable paragraph (I skipped it :)) but this would be great for a book club. I wasn't completely satisfied with the "now everything is happy and peachy and look it's fine" ending, but that's just me. The book had to end somewhere and Diffenbaugh didn't kill off her characters to get there, so that's an accpetable first-novel ending.
Because there really were moments of brillance. At one point, there's a character who has just had a baby and for five or six pages Diffenbaugh gets into her head: the exhaustion, the fear, the weariness that comes from a baby who wants to nurse for twelve hours straight, the mind-numbing crying spells, and women who swoop in and say "Oh you're doing great, everything is fine" and then swoop out and the new mom (who isn't doing fine, everything isn't great) doesn't know what to do . . . it's accurate, that's what it is. It's painful to read it's so accurate.
I'd recommend it. Love to know what someone else thinks about it. Mel? Laura? Meg in Sheridan? Sarah? Anyone?
2 comments:
I quickly put this book on hold at the library and started reading it right there while my kids continued to look for books. I finished it in only a few hours. It was really interesting and that chapter or so right after the birth was so true to life. I know I felt like that and I even had help. I can't imagine trying to do it all alone.
I loved the whole language of flowers element of the book and how the flowers were used to heal, uplift and encourage people. It will make me look at flowers in a new way and look for meaning in some of my favorites.
The descriptions of the Foster care system made me sick to my stomach and wondered how anyone could turn out even remotely healthy coming through that life. I am sure not every experience is that extreme but still it is hard to think that life is the reality for anyone.
Very good recommendation and one I am sure to think about long after it was read.
I finally got to this book. I've been meaning to since I first saw it here and I didn't realize how long it had been until I tried to find this post again. My library only had it as a book on CD so I listened to it while I cleaned my kitchen. :)
I liked it. It definitely got me thinking. Diffenbaugh has a way with writing emotion so you really feel it. When she wrote about the new baby it brought back memories of how hard it is. I do tend to forget over time, or rather just not think about it. But I can't imagine trying to do it all alone without a huge support system of family and friends. It really made me think about women who do make it as single mothers and I am amazed. I'm not sure I could ever be that strong.
I was also a bit let down with the ending. But I try not to analyze the writing too deeply or it takes out some of the enjoyment. The book left me thinking so it really did its job.
Post a Comment