Unlike many people who were captivated from the beginning of the book, I struggled with connecting to Victoria from the start. She was angry, and sometimes chose to bully her social worker, which is something I have little tolerance for. But as the book progressed, she grew on me and entered my heart.
If I could give Victoria one flower from her dictionary, it would be a Narcissus flower, for self-love. Her obvious feelings of unworthiness to her love interest and her foster mother made me want to be her friend and feed her the donuts the adores. I really think she was a well constructed character in the end, with flaws and charms like any other real person.
The story made me weep, which I always think is a good sign for a book. I was satisfied though, with what it gave me. But something didn't sit completely right at the end. Like many other readers, I thought the ending was rather predictable. I like optimism as much as any other misanthropic bookseller, but I felt that it was unrealistic. Maybe Vanessa Diffenbaugh's point was not to wow us with a twist ending though. Maybe her point is that of the floral arrangements her character made: just like receiving a bouquet of lily of the valley (return of happiness) and pink roses (grace) can make someone person who makes the world a better place...maybe a book containing the same lessons on forgiveness and love can make our world more loving, too. To the author, I would give bellflower. Gratitude.
