Paula by Isabel Allende

I must admit that Isabel Allende has been on my list for quite some time. And like everything valuable, I kept receiveing information about her from different people, I came across interviews with her and numerous books in the library till the day I bought the book Paula and opened it.

Everyone who has ever seen interviews with Isabel Allende knows she is quite an open person, honest about her feelings, true to her ideas and beliefs. But Paula is not just honesty or truth, this is revelation, a bleeding wound of a woman whose young and beautiful daughter is dying gradually turning into a plant, a shadow.
The book is obviously autobiographical, this is a memoir written in the form of a letter to Paula for her to read when she comes out of the coma to remember everything that had happened in the past and to learn about all that was going on while she was in the coma. The book brings us to Isabel Allende's childhood and adolescence, gives an idea about the history of Chille and introduces us to remarkable relatives of hers.
However, what appealed most to me was an incredible balance created by the writer beween tragic and ironic, touching and hilarious. I went to such extremes while reading the book. The truth is I couldn't help associating myself with Paula (she was my age, also recently married with the whole life full of prospects ahead). That is why it was physically hard to read those parts describing the efforts of her family to save her, their feelings and their inconsolable grief. On the other hand, Allende's unbelievable humour kept me from falling into complete sadness and I quite often found myself giggling in the middle of the night.
Well, there is not much more to say, apart from the fact that it was probably the most moving book I have recently read.
For more on Isabel Allende, her works and The Foundation see
www.isabelallende.com and www.isabelallendefoundation.org/iaf.php

Charlotte's Web by Elwyn Brooks White

Having an idea to write a children's book I fearlessly plunged myself into the children's literature. The first book on my way happened to be Charlotte's Web (maybe, because I had on my mind a sweet girl called Charlotte). It was a one day journey I could not stop half way through. I was amazed by simple wisdom of this book, the wisdom we often search in special sections in bookshops called New Age or Esoterica. We go through hundreds of pages about building relations, working at relations... Funny enough but here they are - 180 pages of unselfish friendship.

The main character of the book is the piglet Wilbur saved by the farmer's daughter Fern from being killed and later sent to live in her uncle's farm. The girl attached to Wilbur and enchanted by the animal world in the farm tends to spend a lot of time there listening to their conversations (as you may guess, animals speak and you can definitely hear it too if you are open for it). However, being only a human Fern soon finds other things to do including falling for a neighbour boy. On a farm where everyone seems too busy with their own things Wilbur feels forgotten and lonely (you should never trust humans concerning friendship). And then a miracle happens. Wilbur hears a lovely voice belonging to the grey spider Charlotte. She is willing to befriend Wilbur and moreover to save him from being slaughtered at Christmas (at least I am vegetarian and didn't feel that guilty when reading about poor Wilbur's feelings after the news reached him). Unlike many promises made by people, Charlotte succeeds so by making Wilbur Some Pig, Terrific, Radiant and Humble. And please note, Wilbur does not get cocky and has nothing like star fever. Quite the opposite, he feels immensely grateful as he knows he is just an ordinary pig having a true friend willing to save him. How many of us can admit we are quite ordinary? (Ok, I have one person on my mind but he is dead for quite some time). Naturally there comes time for Charlotte to die and Wilbur takes care of her children and later befriends three of them.
I think that one of the biggest discoveries on my way lately is that treasures are often in simple things, that there is so much knowledge and truth around us, that we have forgotten about miracles since the day we stopped believing in speaking animals and toys moving at night when everyone is asleep. And I also think that the reason why children are so much smarter and kinder than us is that they still remember all these stories containing tons of wisdom impossible to substitute with Hollywood movies (no matter how good they are) or depressing newspapers.