The continuous snow in Virginia is certainly helping me to work towards my annual goal of 52 books in one year. It's hard for me to believe that I am already blogging about book #10 and January isn't even over yet. I am even more proud to admit that I have not neglected schoolwork, I have done report cards, I have crocheted a baby blanket for expecting friends, and I have made sure that my kids are fed and in clean clothes. There's just not much else to do in January. Especially when it snows.
I picked up this book last week for one reason and one reason alone: the cover. I have admitted before that I am shallow when it comes to my reads and I do judge a book by it's cover. I love the hints the covers give to readers and I love knowing that to some degree, what's shown on the cover is what the author wants us to know about his/her vision for the book. But what drew me in this time was a quote on the cover of the book:
If Calling Me Home was a young woman, her grandmother would be
To Kill a Mockingbird, her sister would be The Help, and her cousin would be The Notebook. -Wiley Cash
If that doesn't make you want to read a book, if for no reason other than to see if the quote is accurate, I don't know what would.
I have to say that for the first bit, I wasn't blown away. But, if the truth be told, neither was I blown away by the first bit of The Notebook (which BTW is one of my all-time favorites. I could watch the movie every day and never tire of it). It wasn't until both stories came together at the end that I was able to see their beauty and their wisdom, and could feel the overall impact of these amazing stories. My eyes are just beginning to recover from the full hour of hysterical tears that I cried while reading the last 100 pages of this book.
My heart has been touched in so many ways--this is the sort of story you carry with you forever. Really. I know that I have the tendency to exaggerate, but not this time. And I think that's what Cash was hinting towards with his words. This book touches on issues as controversial as those detailed in To Kill a Mockingbird and The Help. Calling Me Home will force you to dig deep and think hard about your beliefs, just a To Kill a Mockingbird did for me long ago and The Help did a few years back. And the love story that is told piecemeal throughout the novel (through my favorite--alternating chapters!!) is as touching and moving as the one in The Notebook. It will break your heart and warm it all at the same time. Hence, my tears. This story will stick to your ribs and you will be better for reading it. I can easily see this novel being turned into a movie. If it does, I will be first in line to get my ticket!
People always ask me if the books I read are beach bag worthy. This one definitely is a book you could lose yourself in while sitting in the sun. With one word of caution: if you don't like to cry in front of others (and I feel certain you will tear up to some degree as you read the close of the novel), you should not take this one to the beach. Although your sunglasses could hide your puffy eyes. :)
Happy reading everyone! I'm off to find a new book on this snow day!
-Dodie
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