Jessica RouxRezensionen

I shall be making very specific bouquets from now on. Love this book and all the detail that went into it.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Taking inspiration from the stunning cover, I would say this book reflects the author love of flowers (rose) and her wisdom (iris) treating the subject matter with humility and faithfulness (bluebell). This book is full of beauty, the illustrations are gorgeous, and I love that the entries for the flowers are concise but comprehensive. I have seen other illustrated flower dictionaries before, but two things set this book apart: the addition of herbs as well as flowers and the inclusion of the last section for bouquets arrangement (it is good to have a place to start when wanting to create a bouquet and there is so much individual information). And again, that cover...stunning.

Myths, legends, fantasy, and more and all about merfolk!
A wonderful study in full brilliant color of everything there is and ever was to know about merfolk through the ages.
The illustrations by Jessica Roux are delightful, colorful, vibrant, imaginative, and FANTASTIC!
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age.
I really want to get one for my local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Quarto Publishing Group/Frances Lincoln Children's Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

***who sucked me in***
Beautiful Books on YouTube in their
40 Most Beautiful Books of 2020 | A Holiday Gift Guide video published on wo 2 Dec. 2020

But the books can also be found on their website: https://beautifulbooks.info/2020/12/most-beautiful-books-of-2020-a-holiday-gift-...

***Reason why I want to read it***
I have loved fairies since a child. My mom would point out trees that grew a certain way that it looked like it had a door. And sometimes some of the trees had furniture outside the 'door' (seriously thank you people who do this!). Also if mushrooms grew in a certain pattern she would tell us that leprechauns would dine there. My mom is very level-headed so I would kinda believe her when she told this.
Which is weird because I heard those kind of stories only after I was 8.

It was from that age I also began reading the old 'classic' fairy tales. Those from German, Scotland and Ireland. As a kid who grew up with comics and cartoons about superheroes, the fairy tales gave me the same feeling. Both terrifying. Both had some moral components to them. Both let me escape.

But the fairy tales never had people who looked like me or my mum (no not my mom). They had tigers, lions, dragons but every time someone looked like my mum the were called or portrayed as 'savage'. Which fine, historical perspective and all, still I'm glad that my mom also got fairy tales books which included tales from different countries, religions and cultures.

So when I saw the first few pages of A Natural History of Fairies it drew me in because it looked gorgeous but I also scoffed. Of course it had tigers and lions but only light-skinned fairies... UNTIL SHE FLIPPED THE PAGES!

First a saw a somewhat darker-skinned fairy and yes my first thought was: "Oh that's actually nice to include someone who actually looks somewhat like a person from India. Still a token effort though." OEH BOY I WAS WRONG.

A fairy with a big ass 'fro. I'm not ashamed to admit that I teared up. Even writing this I'm tearing up. Child-me wouldn't get this, but Adult-Me couldn't be any more delighted.

What most people don't seem to get when they are asking why representation matters is this: if you include animals from all over the world but still pair them up with light-skinned people you willfully ignore the people who actually live next to these animals. You imply something and to me that is:

"This world isn't meant for you. Your story isn't worth telling and you will never be included in mine. We still like the animals though."

Bit dramatic but even so, it does feel like that at times.

So I want to own this book. I want to flip through this at multiple times in my life. I want to remember my love for fairies and indulge (wentelen) in the feeling that Child-Me wouldn't have to look for other stories that included her.

This book reminded me/was exactly like The Language of Flowers.
But this book simplifies it, as well as uses updated terminology.
The images were pretty, but I would of expected a more scientific image.

“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember.”

This book was 50% informative-50% an art piece, and that's the reason why it was such a quick read.
Not that I'm complaining (Much, I would have wanted 500 pages, tbh.) since this was like a soft reset for the everyday reader. I feel lighter, happier, and wanting a flower tattoo more than ever.

Crafted with so much love, this was a celebration of an art form that must have brought colour into bleak times. When you aren't allowed to say certain things, do it with flowers (Ignore how slogan-ish this sounds.)

I mean, we're already dealing with a plague, we might as well go back to flower language too and feel the true Victorian vibes.

Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers by Jessica Roux is a stunning collection of artwork and explanations of how these flowers were used to express feelings.

I absolutely loved the illustrations, full page and beautifully rendered. The muted colors add to the appeal in two ways for me. First, it just seems more in keeping with the Victorian theme of the book. Second, I think it allows a lot of the detail to come out, we aren't assaulted by bright colors that distract from nuance and subtlety.

The entries include the basic meaning, why they have that meaning (anything from folklore to how the flower looks or grows), and what to pair it with to tweak the meaning to suit specific situations. The bouquets section highlights some of the more popular combinations of more than two flowers and explains why each is part of the bouquet.

I came mainly because I vaguely remembered something from coursework years ago about flowers and meaning. I wanted to learn more about that. I found that the brief entries served that purpose wonderfully. Enough information to understand but not so much that it ended up going off on tangents. The artwork, however, is what really made the book for me. I think I have mentioned and shown this to most of my friends and they have all been equally impressed with the book.

I highly recommend this for both the information (presented by flower alphabetically) and the art. I looked up the author/illustrator online and she does a lot of amazing work, take a look if you have the chance.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

This book is magic! I love all things Victorian, and this book is swoon-worthy. Because behaviors during the Victorian Era were widely scrutinized, any open display of emotions was limited and discouraged. So flowers were used as a secret form of communication, so romantic!

This book is a beautifully illustrated botanical encyclopedia that flower lovers will cherish. In this full-color collection of florals, each beautifully illustrated flower or herb includes its meaning, origin, and complimentary flowers to pair along with the meaning of the pairings.

A section dedicated to bouquets is also included. The bouquets are gorgeous illustrations and the details of which flowers are included and the meaning of the bouquet. While many flowers and bouquets communicated feelings of love and friendship, not all were intended to share positive emotions. There are florals and bouquets for warnings, bitter ends, and apologies.
Floriography would be a beautiful gift for the flower lover and the romantic in your life. It would make a lovely coffee table book

I love books--especially beautiful books!! This book is a little treasure for flower enthusiasts. Not only is the language of flowers fascinating, but the illustrations added a vintage feel that was fitting for a Victorian-era theme.

I received a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.