Shannon even though I am only 37 pages into this book I have decided that this is a great first book for us to read! I love his writing style, how he finds wonderment (is that a word? if not it should be because it is awesome...) in the simplest things around him. It reminds me of when I lived in St. Louis with my sister and would take her dog for walks around the neighborhood and think that the apartment buildings were so beautiful. They were just brick and mortar with wood doors and shutters but they were pretty. Why is it that we get so occupied with what we are doing, or not doing, that we don't take the time to go on walks or stop and appreciate the beauty that is around us all of the time.
I am so grateful for the creative people in the world that are able to see simple everyday things and notice that they are really miraculous...
"Every time I turn around here, I witness a miracle: wisteria pours up walls; slices of sky show through the high arches of a bell tower; water leaks nonstop from the spouts of a half-sunken marble boat in the Piazza di Spagna." p. 10
I mean who thinks like that? Mind you I am grateful that Anthony Doerr does because it helps me realize that the world needs creativity; that we need to stop and see all of the miracles around us and realize that all of the things around us are made by our Heavenly Father for our enjoyment, wonder and for us to learn from. I may not be the most creative person, I can't draw, I'm not a great writer, and I don't think I would be very good at carving anything, but I can appreciate to some extent the mastery of these skills by others. I can find beauty in architecture even if I have no talent for it myself, I can gaze in wonder at a painting even if I can't paint, and I can get lost in Rome even if I have never been there before thanks to a great writer. So excuse me I have a big bowl of spaghetti and a book to get lost in! :)
Isn't interesting how he has similar feelings 15 pages later? Only he was a bit more eliquint about it :) I love this
ReplyDelete"A good journal entry-like a good song, or sketch, or photograph- ought to break up the habitual and lift away the film that forms over the eye, the finger, the toung, the heart. A good journal entry ought to be a love letter to the world." p.54
I'm so glad you like it! This book contains some of the most breathtaking writing I've ever read. I love the details he gives, like "Two dozen Nutri-Grain bars. We have never eaten Nutri-Grain bars in our lives, but now, suddenly, it seems important to have some" (3). That detail captures perfectly for me the sense of excitement bordering on hysterical anxiety that comes with trying to pack for a totally new adventure in a new country. I took a big box of granola bars to China on a whim, and we rationed them with desperate care once we got there.
ReplyDeleteJessica, I hope you find a copy soon (Amazon has them for about $5), because it looks like Ashley's making some serious head-way already. One of the great things about this type of book, however, is that we won't have to put any "spoiler alerts" or anything, because it's not a plot-driven book. It's all about the details.
Oh wow, your comment posted one minute before mine. And yeah, I thought that was the coolest description of a journal entry I've ever seen. And since this book is taken straight from some of his journals, I'd say he definitely follows his own advice.
ReplyDeleteI loved that line too!
ReplyDelete