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Violet lives and breathes Hourglass Vintage. It’s all hers. It’s her baby, her concept and creation. Even before the shop was a reality, Violet was gathering and collecting items to sell. Items that all have a story. But now she’s in danger of losing it all.

April adored the wedding dress she discovered at Hourglass Vintage but with the wedding cancelled and a baby on the way, she’s not sure what to do. With a little help, April is offered a position as an intern at Hourglass Vintage. Violet accepts her return of the dress but finds it harder to accept the changes April suggests about running the store.

Amithi’s discovery of Hourglass Vintage comes at an opportune time. Thanks to events she’s yet to share with others, things that were once dear to Amithi are a burden to her now. She’s sure these things can find a new home with Violet’s customers, though.

These three women and so many more are brought together by Violet’s little shop and they will all have to work together if they are to save it before it’s too late.

Gloss introduces readers to a slew of women from all different walks of life, each of them undergoing a pretty big transition and the one thing that connects them all is Violet’s charming shop. As the story progresses Gloss shares more of their stories, drawing the reader into each of their lives. And yes, they are all fictional creations but it’s almost impossible not to get attached to them. Vintage is a fun and sweet read.

4/14 Becky Lejeune

VINTAGE by Susan Gloss. William Morrow (March 25, 2014). ISBN 978-0062270320. 320p.

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It was an almost normal Friday evening when Jeff Manning set off to walk home from work. Almost, in that he had had to fire the person who hired him at the company, but otherwise normal. A few hours later the police arrive at the Manning house with devastating news: Jeff has been killed in a car accident.

Claire is grief stricken at the loss of her husband. She tries to keep herself together for the sake of her twelve-year-old son, Seth, but she never imagined she’d be without her husband.

A few towns over Tish waits to hear how the firing went. When Jeff doesn’t call, Tish is immediately concerned. She worries that Jeff may no longer be interested in her but it’s not until the following Monday, when the company announces the tragedy, that Tish learns the truth.

Catherine McKenzie’s latest is a heart wrenching read about families and relationships. The story is told from three viewpoints—Claire’s, Tish’s, and Jeff’s—bringing the reader through each of the character’s lives and relationships as well as their intersections, allowing the reader an in depth look into the choices they’ve made along the way.

And it’s a sad story, to be sure. Jeff, dead at such a young age and Claire forced to face the possibility of her husband’s infidelity while unable to confront him over it. And Tish who must deal not only with the loss of someone she loves but must face the reality of her feelings and how they will affect her family if brought to light.

Hidden not only lives up to the expectations set by each of McKenzie’s three previous books (all of which have been personal favorites of mine) but also shows great growth on the part of the author. The previous three have all dealt with somewhat serious topics, they’ve also included enough comic relief to make them lighter in general. Hidden tackles infidelity, death, and so much more but in a more serious tone than the previous releases.

4/14 Becky Lejeune

HIDDEN by Catherine McKenzie. New Harvest (April 1, 2014). ISBN 978-0544264977. 304p.

What is the language of flowers? During the Victorian era, a man would present a woman with a bouquet, and she would run home to try and decipher his meaning; honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, red roses for love.

Diffenbaugh takes that language and uses it as a tool for our heroine. At the center of this story is 9 year old Victoria Janes, a product of the foster care system in northern California. She never knew her mother or father and has already lived in 32 foster homes. Her social worker describes her as “Detached. Quick-tempered. Tight-lipped. Unrepentant.”

Now the 9 year old is being taken to live with Elizabeth, yet another foster mother. “This is your last chance,” she’s told. “Your very last chance.”

Elizabeth lives on a working vineyard, but she grew up on a flower farm. All the tricks that Victoria uses to try and alienate Elizabeth do not work – Elizabeth stays calm, even in the face of broken memorabilia and prickly pear spines placed in her shoes. She constantly tells Victoria, “I will love you, and I will keep you.” But Victoria is not a believer, and she is almost impossible to reach.

When Elizabeth sees that Victoria has a fascination with flowers, she decides to feed that. She takes Victoria to the huge San Francisco flower market, and while there points out her nephew, working at one of the stands. Elizabeth explains that they are estranged; that she and her sister have had a feud going on for many years and do not speak and she doesn’t know her nephew at all.

Elizabeth teaches the prickly child the Victorian language of flowers. While the language has gone by the wayside, Elizabeth grew up learning it and she passes it along to her very willing pupil. And Victoria finally learns a way to communicate.

Victoria gradually settles in with Elizabeth. School doesn’t work out, so Elizabeth home schools her. Eventually Victoria comes up with a crazy plan to somehow keep Elizabeth all to herself; a plan that only a child could think would work. Instead, she manages to push away the only adult who ever truly loved her.

Victoria ends up in a group home for the remainder of her childhood. At 18, she ages out of the foster care system, and she becomes homeless. “My hopes for the future were simple: I wanted to be alone, and to be surrounded by flowers.” The story weaves back and forth between Victoria’s nightmare of a childhood and her adult life as a florist.

After she is forced out of the group home, she ends up sleeping in the park, under some trees and bushes and is not unhappy. Having spent most of her life hungry, she has some food issues but manages by eating food left on restaurant tables.

One morning she shows up at the nearby Bloom flower shop, leaves in her hair from her park bed, but the owner, Renata, hires her anyway on a temporary, cash basis. She quickly learns the floral business. Renata soon realizes that Victoria is a gifted floral designer and lets her loose, and finds her a place to live.

Victoria helps build up the wedding business at Bloom. She interviews the brides-to-be about their fiancés and their relationships, picking flowers for their weddings that reflect personally on each couple based on the Victorian language. Eventually, she moves out on her own and starts her own wedding business.

But her personal life is still difficult. When she starts working for Bloom, she is at the flower market every week. Victoria sees a man who looks at her in a way that she doesn’t care for, so the next week she brings him rhododendron, which means “beware.” He later hands her a sprig of mistletoe, which we understand to mean as a way of getting a kiss, but the Victorian meaning is “I surmount all obstacles.” They continue communicating this way and eventually she realizes it is Grant, Elizabeth’s estranged nephew. But Victoria is extremely introverted, bordering on hostile. Can this young woman find love and happiness?

Diffenbaugh’s debut novel is enchanting. She is a mesmerizing storyteller. I read this in one night, I simply couldn’t put it down. One of the things I love most about The Language of Flowers is that it is that rarity in discussion books, an inspirational, uplifting story with a happy ending.

The original hardcover had a close up of a begonia on the cover, which means “caution.” The paperback cover (above) has a spray of camellias, which means “my destiny is in your hands.” The flower that I’m taking from this book is a single pink carnation, which means “I will never forget you.”

01/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.  Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (April 3, 2012). ISBN 978-0345525550. 352p.