Echo

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That's only 4, Muggles!

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Two Women by Marianne Fredriksson Date of Publication: 1999, Ballantine Books Number of Pages: 195 Synopsis (from back cover): They meet on a spring day in the local garden center: Inge, a native Swede, lovely and refined, a woman ruled by reason and her own deeply held moral beliefs; Mira, a Chilean immigrant who still feels out of place in the cold Scandinavian north. Through many shared afternoons in Inge's garden, Mira slowly reveals the horrors of a shadowed past and the heartbreak involving her beloved daughter. As Mira and her family begin a wrenching journey of discovery, Inge unwittingly uncovers secrets in her own life that make her question the very order of her world. An elegant novel of time and memory, love and distance, and the wounds they create and conceal, Two Women is Marianne Fredriksson's most affecting work of fiction to date. Review: There are many novels out there that deal with relationships between women, but Two Women is unlike any of them. This book deals with extraordinary issues, like rape, torture, and incest, as well as the usual issues, like marriage, sex, and trust. Inge and Mira are very different. One is restrained by her logic, while the other is caught in a web of violent emotions stemming from her tragic past. Important questions arise early: Should the past remain buried? Or should it be sought? How easily should we trust other people? At what point does love become a burden? Like all Fredriksson's books, love is dealt with openly and frankly, almost unrealistically. There's none of the common coyness that one usually encounters, both in books and in the real world. Instead, people are heartbreakingly honest with each other, if not entirely honest with themselves. Lessons are learned by everyone, and often in unexpected ways. One character finds his true self by learning to paraglide , while another finds rebirth in a violent storm. In the end, the two families are strengthened by their connection, yet their imperfections persist, making them believable. Any reader will find themselves relating to these characters, despite their sometimes extraordinary circumstances. Rating: 8.5/10

17) The sea raged, the wind howled, and the sand was just plain irritated. That one's great! Thanks for these!

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There are only a few that I read. Victoria Magazine Lucky

You mean the Eltons? Oh, they make me laugh! I think, for me, the fact the Emma goes through a lot of soul searching and really grows up redeems her for me. She's a snob, yes, but I think she's genuinely good-hearted.

Since I've already done my 5 facts, here are 5 facts about my boyfriend: 1. He loves to work on cars, especially Hondas. 2. He's majoring in history and is particularly interested in Classical history (Greek and Roman). 3. He started going bald around age 21 and decided to just shave his head. So, I only saw his hair for our first year together and he's shaved it for the past 9 years. 4. He loves animals and is able to make even the unfriendliest animals fall in love with him. 5. He always sits in the same chair, given to us by my parents, when he's studying. So now you know the kind of person I have to deal with everyday!

I just finished this tonight and am about to post my review on the reviews blog, and on my own book blog. I really enjoyed it, and found myself liking Emma much more than I thought I would. I don't know why I always consider this to be my least favorite Austen. Now I don't think I even HAVE a least favorite Austen!

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Cool! I'll let you all know when I start One the Road...it's next on my list. Probably next week.

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I'm doing my own challenge this summer, at which I'm failing miserably. I'm reading a selection of Bohemian literature, just as something different. You can find the details here.

I wasn't forced to read Austen or even Dickens in high school, and I love both now. But I did hate a lot of the books we had to read, and some are considered masterpieces, like The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Ugh...that book was soooo slooooow. I didn't even finish it.