The Language of Flowers

I must be honest, I have seen The Language of Flowers in every bookstore, every book newsletter I get, and the bestseller lists.  Why I never picked it up, I have no idea.  I saw it on LibraryThing.com's list of books that could be requested.  I figured if I won a copy, it would be meant to be, and I would finally read this popular book.

I won and I am so glad The Language of Flowers found me!  I can't tell you enough how much I loved this book!  I devoured it in 24 hours.  This between raising 3 little girls, a cat and 2 puppies, plus my niece's birthday party in San Diego.  Needless to say, I read this book every moment I found myself with a extra minute or two.

The Language of Flowers tells the story of Victoria and begins when she is 18 and emancipated from the foster system she has been in her whole life.  The book travels back and forth from current time to Victoria's time with her foster mother, Elizabeth.  It is this relationship that shapes Victoria and her views of herself and love.

Victoria learns the language of flowers from Elizabeth.  The flowers that surround Victoria tell her story and speak for her many times when she cannot speak for herself.

I highly recommend this book!  It is seriously one of my favorites.  There were so many emotions I went through reading it, crying tears of sadness and joy, sometimes at the same time.

I have the copy of the book I was sent and would be happy to send it to anyone here.  Since there is only one copy, please leave a comment below and on Saturday, August 18, my 4 year old will pick random names out of a hat.  I will contact the winner via email, so make sure you leave your email address.

The Secrets of Mary Bowser

After having The Secrets of Mary Bowser on my wishlist for some time, I decided to was time to pick it up. The Secrets of Mary Bowser is based on real people in history.  Mary Bowser was a slave that was freed by the family she worked for and sent North to get an education.  As she is educated and the Civil War begins, Mary becomes a spy for the North.

The story takes place in the 1800's and begins when Mary is a small child.  She slaves beside her mother, her father works for a different owner.  The only time she sees her father is on Sundays when they are "off" from the family that owns them.

Mary and her mother are owned by the Van Lew Family.  It is Bet Van Lew, an abolitionist, that frees Mary and her mother.  The story really takes off from here and is beautifully written.  Because of her education and her determination to see slavery ended, she played a huge part in the Civil War, seeing that the North would succeed in its fight against the South, ending slavery.

If you like history and enjoy historical novels, this would be a great book for you.