Vanessa Diffenbaugh has 3 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 4 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 21 ratings. The most-rated is The Language of Flowers.
The Language of Flowers
Summary
A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past. The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it's been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now 18 and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what's been missing in her life, and when she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness. Praise for The Language of Flowers "Instantly enchanting... [Diffenbaugh] is the best new writer of the year." (Elle) “I would like to hand Vanessa Diffenbaugh a bouquet of bouvardia (enthusiasm), gladiolus (you pierce my heart) and lisianthus (appreciation). In this original and brilliant first novel, Diffenbaugh has united her fascination with the language of flowers - a long-forgotten and mysterious way of communication - with her firsthand knowledge of the travails of the foster-care system.... This novel is both enchanting and cruel, full of beauty and anger. Diffenbaugh is a talented writer and a mesmerizing storyteller. She includes a flower dictionary in case we want to use the language ourselves. And there is one more sprig I should add to her bouquet: a single pink carnation (I will never forget you).” (Washington Post) "A fascinating debut... Diffenbaugh clearly knows both the human heart and her plants, and she keeps us rooting for the damaged Victoria." (O Magazine) "Diffenbaugh effortlessly spins this enchanting tale, making even her prickly protagonist impossible not to love." (Entertainment Weekly)
©2011 Vanessa Diffenbaugh (P)2011 Random House Audio
We Never Asked for Wings
Summary
From the beloved New York Times best-selling author of The Language of Flowers comes her much-anticipated new novel about young love, hard choices, and hope against all odds. For 14 years, Letty Espinosa has worked three jobs around San Francisco to make ends meet while her mother raised her children - Alex, now 15, and Luna, six - in their tiny apartment on a forgotten spit of wetlands near the bay. But now Letty's parents are returning to Mexico, and Letty must step up and become a mother for the first time in her life. Navigating this new terrain is challenging for Letty, especially as Luna desperately misses her grandparents and Alex, who is falling in love with a classmate, is unwilling to give his mother a chance. Letty comes up with a plan to help the family escape the dangerous neighborhood and heartbreaking injustice that have marked their lives, but one wrong move could jeopardize everything she's worked for and her family's fragile hopes for the future. Vanessa Diffenbaugh blends gorgeous prose with compelling themes of motherhood, undocumented immigration, and the American Dream in a powerful and prescient story about family. Praise for We Never Asked for Wings “Deftly blends family conflict with reassurance: Wings is like Parenthood with class and immigration issues added for gravitas.” (People, Book of the Week) “This poignant story will stay in readers’ hearts long after the last page.... Diffenbaugh weaves in the plight of undocumented immigrants to her tale of first- and second-generation Americans struggling to make their way in America. Moving without being maudlin, this story avoids the stereotypes in its stark portrayal of mothers who just want the best for their children.” (RT Book Reviews, Top Pick) “Diffenbaugh is a storyteller of the highest order: her simple but poetic prose makes even this most classically American story sing with a special kind of vulnerable beauty.” (Bustle) “[A] gripping, heartfelt exploration of a mother’s love, resilience and redemption.” (Family Circle) “Satisfying storytelling... Diffenbaugh delivers a heartwarming journey that mixes redemption and optimistic insight [and] confirms her gift for creating shrewd, sympathetic charmers.” (Kirkus Reviews)
©2015 Vanessa Diffenbaugh (P)2015 Random House Audio
Il linguaggio segreto dei fiori
Summary
Victoria ha paura del contatto fisico. Ha paura delle parole, le sue e quelle degli altri, ma soprattutto di amare e lasciarsi amare; colpevole è un passato difficile. C'è solo un posto in cui tutte le sue paure sfumano nel silenzio e nella pace: è il suo giardino segreto nel parco pubblico di Potrero Hill, a San Francisco. I fiori, che ha piantato lei stessa in questo angolo sconosciuto della città, sono la sua casa, il suo rifugio, la sua voce. Attraverso il loro linguaggio Victoria comunica le sue emozioni più profonde: la lavanda per la diffidenza, il cardo per la misantropia, la rosa bianca per la solitudine. Elizabeth, l'unica vera madre che abbia mai avuto, è la donna che le ha insegnato il linguaggio segreto dei fiori e grazie a questo magico dono Victoria ha preso in mano la sua vita: lavora come fioraia, isuoi fiori sono tra i più richiesti della città, regalano la felicità e curano l'anima. Victoria non ha ancora trovato il fiore in grado di rimarginare la sua antica ferita, frutto di una colpa segreta, finché non incontra un ragazzo misterioso che sembra sapere tutto di lei. Il linguaggio segreto dei fiori racconta una storia di coraggio e di speranza, di abbandono e di incredibile sete di vita, mostrandoci la forza immensa dell'amore più vero, imperfetto e senza radici, che dà senza pretendere nulla in cambio.
©2011 Garzanti s.r.l. (P)2012 Adriano Salani Editore s.u.r.l.