The heat brought my great culling clean up to a stand still a couple of weeks ago. It really saps your energy. I hope to do the two remaining rooms before we get back to school. Time is running out! The up side being that in seeking to keep cool I have managed to read a few books.
When
Bryce Courtenay died a few months ago, I realised that I had never read any of his novels. Though familiar with his name and some of the titles it seems he began to be popular around the same time that I started having children. I know that I have read much less over those twenty odd years.
I chose to read
"The Power of One" as it was the one which most people seemed to have enjoyed. Did you?
I did enjoy the story, but I have to admit that I am very squeamish with books that have this type of racism and violence. Even knowing it is true and acknowledging the realism of it, it does make it a difficult read for softies like me.
Also, I was saddened by the representation of the Christian faith in the book. Again, realistic, but none the less sad and a little shameful.
We have several South African friends and I remember my shock on meeting one lovely Christian family, at how they were still very affected by both apartheid and Boar/ English prejudices. On mentioning a family we knew from SA I got the crisp reply, "But they are English!" It took quite a while for this family to accept that over here, we seek to treat everyone equally as regard to race and skin colour and they were amazed (appalled?) at our ease of communication with indigenous people. That's about fifteen years ago, and Lord Willing, those attitudes have changed.
I also enjoyed
"The Convent" written by
Maureen McCarthy. Being set through several generations of women in one family, revolving around the Convent, it was a book which I could identify with. Having had an Irish Catholic upbringing all the prayers and rites were familiar to me. The story is interesting just as a good read if you like those type of generational books but non-Catholics may find some of "over the top". One of the central characters enters an enclosed order of nuns in the early 1960s and experiences the changes which came about due to Vatican II. There are stories of a child being taken from her mother and placed in the "orphanage", a daughter becoming a nun, leaving and later becoming a mother, the meeting of the adopted child and her grandmother etc All this takes place around this one Convent which make it quite interwoven and in some places heart wrenching.
Because I have several nuns in my extended family, much of this was very real to me. I also attended a boarding school in the 1970s which was run by Sisters of Mercy and identified with many of the characters. This book, while having some heart breaking events, is not a put down or expose of Catholic institutions..
My aunt, after whom I was named and was my "God Mother" (another RC thing) entered the
Camelite Order in about 1965. This is an enclosed order where the nuns do not leave the convent and spend their days in meditation and prayer. This still applies to this day (she has never left to attend funerals, weddings etc but some medical visits) although their rules are much less strict. When I was a child we had no photographs where as now they may take photographs and make and receive phone calls. We still have to visit her behind a grill and pass photographs or gifts through a drawer underneath.
Here she is in a picture which appeared on her Christmas letter last year. Even in their garb she is quite easy to pick out!!! A true country girl at heart. (Top outdoor group photo)
The novel I have just completed is
"A Gathering Storm" by
Rachel Hore. I really liked this book. She uses the Cornish coast which is so vividly used in beloved books such as Rebecca (yes, I am a Daphne Du Maurier fan ) as her main setting and the time period is pre and during World War 2. I like reading this sort of historically based novel.
I have been thinking since reading about the class separation in pre-war Britain, about brave, ordinary people who risked so much to spy for their countries and about the enormous changes during and after this period. I believe in years to come this period will be of great historical interest to future generations ( should the Lord tarry) up there with Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece. Because of Hitler and the second World War, yes, but also because of the great advances in technology over that time.
For so long horses and slow mail deliveries were the norm, but now communication and warfare was forever changed with cars, phones, electronic devices etc. Even we who may remember a lot of "olden day" stuff do not have the experiences of this huge time of upheaval in the same way that our parents and grandparents did.
Last year I attempted to use a devotional for my Bible reading and I frankly admit, it was a dismal failure. Circumstances seemed to conspire to keep me from much in the way of profitable reading and study. As you know from old posts, I was also in a low spiritual condition and I realise that was my own doing. Both from my slackness in quiet time with the Lord and in allowing events around me to overcome me at times. But God.......is ever faithful!
This year I am purposing to be stricter on myself no matter what the outside pressures are.
This is my first post for 2013. May you all enjoy a full and rewarding year whether it be with family, church, schooling or elsewhere. May our great God and Savior bless and keep you and your family throughout. xo
Okay, Blogger is not allowing me to put pictures on so I have just linked everything.
Please note that both "The Power of One" amd "The Convent" have some bad language. The latter was loaned to me by a sweet friend who had already blanked out the offending words ;-)
