At age 18, Victoria has aged out of the California foster-care system with nothing to help her make her way on her own - except a love of flowers and an understanding of their language that she learned at her longest and most-loved foster home.
Initially homeless, Victoria finally finds a job with a florist and gradually learns to make her way. Her inability to relate well to others or let her guard down long enough to make friends hinder her adjustment. It is only while working with flowers that she is truly complete and at peace. And not until she comes to terms with her past and that long-ago most-loved foster home will she be able to move forward completely.
The book is written in chapters that alternate between Victoria in the present day and Victoria at age 9. Gradually both stories are told and we come to understand why Victoria is the way she is and hope that she will be able to overcome those early obstacles.
I can't tell you exactly why I loved this book. Perhaps it was the emphasis on flowers and their hidden meaning (the author includes a brief dictionary in the back). Or perhaps it was the author's ability to make me completely understand the way the young Victoria felt, her fears and insecurities. Or perhaps it was the way the author was able to make the adult Victoria, surely not very likable at all, likable. Whatever the reason, I looked forward to reading this book, slowed myself down when I got near the end, and mourned its completion.
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