Customer Reviews

The Meaning of Flowers

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am extremely disappointed in this book. I expected to be enlightened to the symbolic nature of flowers, but instead encountered a book that reminded me of a fourth grader's book report written late on a Sunday night. The symbolism discussed was largely limited to one word per flower with little or no explanation as to why this word found itself attatched to the flower in question. I cannot express strongly enough the lack of depth in this book.

To make matters worse, there were not even pictures to accompany every entry! The sparing use of words, one might imagine, would require brilliant pictures to drag the book into respectability. The pictures that *are* included in the book do nothing to justify the purchase of this book. In short, I am sorry to be out my fifteen bucks :-(

If you are looking for something to lay on a table & look pretty, you may find something worth buying in this book: The cover is very pretty, and the subtitle, "Myth, Language & Lore" gives a suggestion of depth and sensitivity. If, however you have any intention of cracking the cover in search of useful information, go find something else.

Consider the following entry for heliotrope (quoted below in its entirety):

HELIOTROPE [Heliotropium Arborescens]

The sun-loving heliotrope suggested DEVOTION to the Victorians.

These pale mauve flowers have a strong sweet sweet scent of almonds or cherry pie. Thomas Jefferson once referred to heliotrope as "a delicious flower. One of its varieties has been known in Europe since the dawn of the West, though the variations brought from Peru in the eighteenth century stirred public amazement.

(End of entry.)

The entry, by the way, does not include a picture. In this book, which bases its appeal far more on the quality of its visual presentation than its insight into floral culture, almost half of all entries are without pictures.

I cannot even recommend this book as a starting point for further exploration, since the author has not seen fit to document any of her observations or facts: There are no footnotes, no bibliographic entries, and no hints to further reading. In short, I found it to be a substanceless work. I'd give it zero stars if that were an option, although I suppose it deserves credit for interesting pictures, where pictures have been included.

This book is not to be bought as a reference book for a complete history of flowers and their names. It is a synergistic combination of pictures and words. It is to be experienced as a greeting card from the flowers to you, a photographic essay about flowers and the way they can touch you. The words and pictures are witty and inventive. See this book not as a reference work, but as a special gift for a flower lover and you will be pleased.

While I must bow to the expertise of the first two reviewers, who seem to have done much more research on the topic of flowers and their meanings than I have, I found the book to be a useful initiation into a subject I previously knew nothing about. I am currently online looking for other books on the subject because I found it so compelling.

I think the book is more likely to serve as a resource for an artist--as a source of inspiration or ideas--than for a researcher. If you enjoy the study of symbols and tradition, and if you are looking for a jumping-off point for further investigation, or for some creative enterprise, this could be your book. If you are a serious researcher, you will--apparently--be badly disappointed.

I plan to use this book for my year as Worthy Grand Matron, O.E.S., for talks I will be giving at chapter offical visits as 'My Garden of Friendship' is my planned theme and the meanings of flowers will be very helpful.