The Language of Flowers
The book club met yesterday, March 5th, to discuss "The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Sarah, our faithful Book Club leader, prepared a number of thought provoking questions for us to discuss -
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Question: The book touches on many different themes like love, forgiveness, family, and second chances. Which theme resonated most with you?
Follow-ups:
- Does Victoria deserve forgiveness? Does Catherine?
- Why does Elizabeth decide to forgive Catherine? What goes wrong?
- What is the role of acceptance in the book?
Question: Why does Message take off? What role does Victoria take on for her customers?
Follow-ups:
- Where are Victoria’s blindspots?
- What kind of flowers would she choose to represent herself? What kinds of flowers would other people choose for her?
Question: At the end of the novel, Victoria learns that moss grows without roots. What does this mean to her (or you!). Why is it such a revelation?
Follow-ups:
- Does Victoria have roots?
- How does Victoria think of “growth”? What are the turning points in her life?
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The discussion was really engaging and all 14 participants were unanimous in their love of the novel; however, there was a lot of conversation on whether we "liked" Victoria. Many were frustrated with her inability to break the cycle of trauma while others were more empathetic of the difficult experiences that this young child endured.
On the whole, I'd say we are giving this book a solid 9/10!
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The next Book Club meeting will be on May 7th at 3:30 pm and we will be discussing the book "The Seed Keeper" by Diane Wilson. Looking forward to seeing you then!