Alexander Beck Beck itibaren Little Britain, Kimbolton, Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 0HQ, Jungtinė Karalystė
Great intro to Christian spiritual disciplines and their importance... fasting, prayer, worship, silence, celebration... etc.
** spoiler alert ** Beautifully crafted and filled with illusion, this book follows Sabine, the Magician's Assistant, as she seeks out the secrets behind Parsifal, her magician's tricks. I have enjoyed almost all of Patchett's books, especially Bel Canto, and her gorgeous prose and poetic style had me hypnotized. Going back into Parsifal's past, staying in his childhood bedroom and the comparison of the architecture of the homes in Nebraska and LA was fascinating. This exploration of the relationship between Parsifal, his lover and Sabine was complex and I also was intrigued by the feelings Parsifal's sister and Sabine shared for one another. I adored the rabbit, Rabbit, and Sabine's parents. One of my favorite scenes was Patchett's description of Parsifal making gin and tonics in their garden, with juicy limes, picked fresh from their tree. Not your ordinary book, but really good.
This book was riveting to me. It is a true story, and is written by a woman who is not a writer, so don't expect it to be a literary marvel. But the details she reveals about life in Saudi Arabia was eye-opening to me. I am not very familiar with the culture in the Middle East, and this book really detailed why the culture is defined by the Islam religion, and why it makes people do what they do there. The author married a half-brother of Osama bin Ladin, and she describes a little about him and his personality. She was Swiss-born, and moved to Saudi Arabia after she married her husband, Yeslam. So as an outsider looking in, the culture there was foreign to her. Her struggle to live as a Westerner fell flat on it's face, and she had to submit to the customs of the country. There is a range of emotions present in this book, and the fact that it is a true story made it even more interesting.