Book Review

Once again I have stumbled upon a novel of such brilliant components that I really cannot describe to you the beauty and amazement of this debut novel by Eowyn Ivey. Based upon a Russian fairytale, The Snow Child will take you on a magical journey through the frigid winters to tell you a heartwarming story of love, family, belief, and strength.

Taking place in the great Alaskan wilderness, The Snow Child is the story of Mabel and Jack creating a life in their new homestead in the desolate Alaskan mountainside. Moving away from Pennsylvania to start a life of quiet farming in an unexplored territory seemed like the perfect remedy for Mabel and Jack's tragic loss of their stillborn baby a few years earlier. They both wanted adventure, they both wanted to be a part of something new, and they both wanted to find something more to life than just what they new back east. But the adventure isn't what they had in mind--preparing the land for farming was hard, and Jack couldn't do it before the snows hit. And just when it all seemed like a lost cause, blessings came in all shapes and sizes, and the magic of the first snow changed Jack and Mabel's lives forever.

I have never felt as instantly emotionally connected to a character in a book as I do to Mabel and Jack, but I found myself smiling, laughing, and crying as they go through the joys and pains of their lives. Readers are introduced to Mabel from the very first line, and within the first 8 pages I found myself to be already a part of her--we know exactly where she is, exactly where she's coming from, exactly how she feels...and we've only known her for 8 pages. That's really a tribute to Ivey's beautiful writing style, intertwining her readers into the mind and heart of her character from the start. And then there is Jack, who is strong yet so desperate for things to be okay that he is willing to do the unthinkable and head north to the mines for paid work. You can literally feel the pain between them as they struggle to communicate their hurt and sorrow to each other. Ivey showcases her brilliancy by establishing this strong connection between the readers and her characters, pulling readers into her story while simultaneously nestling her characters into the reader's heart. This novel is, quite literally, the in-page/out-of-page experience.

Each and every character in this novel plays an important role in the lives of Mabel and Jack, and through each of them they both go through a beautiful transformation, from living in despair and pain to finding the joys of life again. And the most important of these characters is Faina. Faina the girl who magically appears in their lives one winter day. Faina, who becomes the center of their life, bringing a beauty and a grace that is indescribable. She brings them hope, she teaches them not only how to fall in love with a child, but also how to fall in love with each other again.

I find that I do not want to tell you any more about this novel because I think it would ruin some of the magic of your first reading if I told you a lot more about it. So I will just tell you that this novel is more than just a book--it truly is a transcendence of the soul. This novel will touch you in ways that other stories could never come close to reaching because this is everyone's story. Everyone needs a Snow Child in their life, something to inspire them, something to encourage them, something to teach them how to love. The Snow Child is not just about reading--it's about experiencing.

Find this item in the catalog The Snow Child

I do not exactly know what I was expecting when I opened The Language of Flowers and started reading, but I do not think that I was expecting to be completely and utterly amazed and captivated by the story right from the very first paragraph:

For eight years I dreamed of fire. Tree ignited as I passed them; oceans burned. The sugary smoke settled in my hair as I slept, the scent like a cloud left on my pillow as I rose. Even so, the moment my mattress started to burn, I bolted awake. The sharp, chemical smell was nothing like the hazy syrup of my dreams; the two were as different as Carolina and Indian jasmine, separation and attachment. They could not be confused. (pg 3)

Those lines provided me such a lyrical and intriguing introduction to a beautiful story of a girl-from-the-system.

This is the story of Victoria, an 18-year old girl just emancipated from the foster-care system who, after spending the last 8 years in a group home, is finally free to live on her own. With nowhere to go, and no one to go to, she turns to the only source of comfort and solace that she has ever found: flowers. This is the story of how her past meets her present, of how she uses her gift of the language of flowers to inspire and heal the lives of those she comes in contact with, and how she eventually is able to heal her own life.

Diffenbaugh does a brilliant job of meshing Victoria's past with her present by providing readers with two distinct storylines, which are told in alternating chapters. In her present, she meets a Russian flower-shop owner by the name of Renata, and after proving her worth in the flowering business, is hired as an assitant. It is while working with Renata and venturing to the flower market that she meets the mysterious flower vender who knows the language of flowers too. She comes to find out that she has met him before, a long time ago. In her past, we learn of her childhood on the vineyard with Elizabeth, the woman who almost became her mother, and who taught her the language of flowers.

Throughout the whole novel, we know that things in her past do not work out, obviously, because we are reading her present, and that keeps you wondering why, and how, and compelling you to continue with the story. And the beauty of the novel, and of the language, and of the writing, continues, and readers will fall in love with all of the characters, from the crazy Mother Ruby to the gracious Renata to the patient and loving Grant to the motherly and forgiving Elizabeth. But readers will fall in love with the heroine of this story and watch her as she stumbles and falls, and picks herself back up, over and over; as she grows and learns and then retreats again; as she learns to love and forgive herself, and as she learns to love others, and most importantly, let others love her.

This is a story of growth and of redemption, of forgiveness and acceptance, of family and friends, of mothers and daughters. But most of all, love: love of self and love of others. Vanessa Diffenbaugh captures so many things in this one 300-page novel, and each emotion is felt so strongly and so powerfully. She draws you in to Victoria's story, as if you are a part of her life, as if you are watching her learn, struggle, and grow right in front of you. Her characters become your family, too, and you can't help but love them.

I only have praises for Diffenbaugh's first work--and you would never know that this is her first novel--for The Language of Flowers is powerful and beautiful, and it nestles deep in your heart. Thank you, Vanessa, for this beautiful work.

Mrs. Diffenbaugh will be one of the authors at Southern Voices 2012.

Request this book The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Alan Bradley’s Debut Dagger Award winning Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is a delightful, old-fashioned romp through the English countryside during the summer of 1950.

The protagonist, Flavia de Luce, is a prepubescent Miss Marple with an inquisitive, precocious manner. When she is not roaming around on Gladys, her bicycle, looking for mysteries to solve, she can be found in her fully equipped chemistry lab in the crumbling manor of Buckshaw, the family mansion. She has a penchant for poisons and a nose for news, so when she finds a stranger dying his last breathe in the family cucumber patch she sets out to investigate. She gets further involved when her father, the colonel, is arrested for the crime. Her father proceeds to tell her a fabulous tale about a rare stamp and a boyhood friendship with a shifty character, both of which play pivotal roles in the current mystery.

Bradley weaves a colorful cast of characters that come to life on the page as they fall prey to Flavia’s detective bravado. Expect a top-notch mystery full of hilarity and spunk and keep reading because Flavia has more adventures in the follow-up The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag.

The First Thursday Book Group meets to discuss Alan Bradley’s Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie on Thursday, March 3rd at 10:00 a.m. in the first floor meeting rooms of the Hoover Public Library. Join us to discuss this pot-boiler!