Love, Desire, Children, etc.: Reflections of a Young Wife by Rica Bolipata-Santos
3 out of 5 stars
This is a collection of short essays about a young wife's reflections on love, marriage, desire, children and death. Poignant, touching, amusing and thought-provoking, she puts into words things that many women have struggled in vain to articulate to themselves in an attempt to understand the emotional ups and downs of life. In her vignettes about her teenage unrequited love, her husband's courtship, her anguish with a mentally disabled firstborn son, her struggle with the decision to sacrifice career for parenthood, and unresolved issues with her parents, many women can empathize with the angst and quiet wisdom even if they don't recognize the nuances of the Filipino culture.
Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg
3.5 out of 5 stars
This book was not an easy read - but it was fascinating, even if difficult to follow at times. Smilla Jaspersen is a Greenlander living in Denmark. Her neighbor and friend, 7-year-old Isaiah, is found dead one day, apparently having fallen off the roof of his home while playing. Despite the police's official verdict, Smilla doesn't believe it is an accident as she knows Isaiah to be afraid of heights, so she starts investigating - and slowly opens up a can of worms. I was fascinated by the setting and culture of Denmark and Greenland, so unfamiliar to me, but the story at several points bogged down and I found this a bit of a slow read for me. However, the language is haunting and eerie, weaving an atmosphere of quiet and mystery. There were several sections as the story progresses toward its climax when I felt that Smilla's survival in her encounters with the villains becomes a bit contrived, but it was still overall a good read. My actual rating is 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for the intriguing characters.
posted 5 months ago. ( reply )
