The blurbs alone would have led me to Vanessa Diffenbaugh's The Language of Flowers. Seems I've read the work of all eight authors who were offering glowing advance praise for Diffenbaugh's debut work.

Protagonist Victoria Jones spent most of her childhood in foster homes in San Francisco. She's a solitary soul, uncomfortable in the company of others and seemingly ill-equiped to make her way in the world when she is emancipated at age eighteen. Flowers are the one thing that speaks to her, and she places great weight on the Victorian meaning associated with each flower.

The structure of the novel, alternating chapters offer glimpses into Victoria's childhood and show her efforts to adapt to the situations she now encounters.

This novel is sure to be a hit with book clubs. The story is fraught with empathy, flawed and wounded characters, and offers solace in the comfort of flowers.