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| Flora by Gail Godwin |
A book about self obsessed child, Helen who is not able to look beyond her own nose to see what's happening around her and still able to hold on her own, when her mainstay of the life, Grand Mother dies. In the small cottage she comes to live with her relative Flora, while her father is working elsewhere... This is a story about her summer days with Flora, who is quite unassuming and her coming of age.
The language is beautifully simple and a child's psychology is truthfully portrayed. I love the way, there are slashes of revelations and how the tragic end cuts across the story line. The constant presence of her Grandmother in her thoughts and the subtlety with which her crush is revealed in direct contrast with the love affair that's taking seed right in front of her nose... which she so childishly refuses to see as usually the self obsessed children do.
I have two things to say on the story... I felt that the story should have ended with the tragedy and it should have been named as Helen rather than Flora.
I liked it, yes, It was a soft read but worth time spent on seeing a grown up truthfully portraying a child.
IMAGE : NYT click here to read the New York Times Review..
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Shashi
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
