Dixie Tenny's Blog: Born to Read, page 2

The Facts of Life

I just finished a remarkable novel, The Facts of Life by Graham Joyce. It tells the childhood story of Frank, born to a twenty-year-old, 'scatty' mother in post-WWII Coventry and brought up by her mother and six sisters, plus assorted husbands, boyfriends, and others. There is a vital but feather-light touch of the supernatural on this story, sometimes woven so cleverly into the narrative that it's impossible to tell for certain if an event was real or ... well, they are all real, one way or another. "The Facts of Life" assembles the most interesting cast of characters I have encountered in a long time -- a large one, but by the end of the story each major and minor character is clearly delineated in my mind, and lingering on. I struggled to put this book down before bed last night (hours later than I should have), and picked it up immediately this morning to finish it before doing anything else. Someone recommended this book to me; I can't remember who it was, but I thank them.

A Quote from "The Alchemist"

I am currently reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. This quote speaks strongly to me:

"...the boy was quiet. He was at home with the silence of the desert, and he was content just to look at the trees. He still had a long way to go to reach the Pyramids, and someday this morning would just be a memory. But this was the present moment -- the party the camel driver had mentioned -- and he wanted to live it as he did the lessons of his past and his dreams of the future. Although the vision of the date palms would someday be just a memory, right now it signified shade, water, and a refuge from the war. Yesterday, the camel's groan signaled danger, and now a row of date palms could herald a miracle.
The world speaks many languages, the boy thought."