Lost and Found is an enchanting novel by the brilliant Australian/ universally cultured author Brooke Davis. In this novel, the protagonist, Milly Bird, is abandoned by her mother in a clothing department. She is found by an octogenerian, Karl the touch typist, who has run away from his nursing home, and the bereaved Agatha Pantha. The novel’s main appeal is its sincere understanding of...
Read MoreI have just discovered Donna Tartt- and if you love literature, her novel The Goldfinch is a must read. The novel is luminescent- every word evokes a place, a feeling, a character. Set in New York , the novel explores the world of Theo, the teenage protagonist whose mother has been tragically killed in an accident. Aside from being a riveting plot, it’s the beauty of each word that makes...
Read MoreA few years ago, I was in New York, returning from a Yankees vs Mariners baseball game. On the subway, fans were discussing the game. I was listening to one man speak and within 30 seconds, I had ascertained that he was from Seattle. I said to him, “Oh, you are from Seattle!I’m from Victoria.” Shocked, he asked, “How do you know?” “I’m a linguist”,...
Read MoreSometimes students as me why I write. Writing is a form of seeing- of appreciating beauty. The direct experience of observation and becoming one with the item or idea is transcendent. Like artists who paint, I must relinquish myself. I become one with the idea, the movement, the beauty, the ballet of a tree, the aura of a tree at night, glowing white. Writing takes us beyond ourselves and back...
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