The Unsinkable Greta James
Every once in a blue moon you come across a book that for some reason or another, you just connect with. The Unsinkable Greta James was one of those for me. I could not have loved it more. The story was so well written, the characters so relatable, and the relationships were so complex and layered. Jennifer E. Smith tells the story of Greta James, an indie rock star who suddenly loses her mother. She is left with a career that may be falling apart, a brother who has a wife and family to keep him moving forward in the wake of his loss, and a father that has never accepted Greta’s passion for music and the life she has chosen. The story takes place over a week-long cruise that Greta is shoved onto now that her mother is no longer there to accompany her father. One thing that really made me think and still has me mulling over is Greta’s dad’s view on her life. She did not take the safe and stable path that he would have chosen for her and it is so hard for him to give up on that dream. But the thing is, his dream for her is not her dream for herself and never has been. I think it is only natural to have hopes and dreams for your children from the moment you meet them but as they grow and develop their own interests and desires, you have to realize that their happiness is what matters. My oldest child is 13, and already it is hard not to project my own fears on him and to gradually let him start making his own choices. Such a delicate balance. I can’t imagine how it will be 5 to 10 years down the road particularly if his views and goals are polar opposites of anything I had ever envisioned.
Gah…parenting is tough.
All that to say that you need to read this book. It’s really good.
FAVORITE QUOTES:
“…and you could survive like that for a pretty long time if you had to. But once you’re off, you realize you wouldn’t want to live that way forever. Not if you had a choice.”
“…being told by pretty much everyone that it was too much of a long shot, this dream of hers, as if dreams were meant to be reasonable.”
“It’s a complicated silence. But not an unpleasant one.”
“It’s a particularly strange kind of loss, when something you don’t even think you even want gets taken away from you.”
And here’s a shoutout to Book of the Month Club which is where I discovered this book. I have been a member for about 6 months and am loving it! You can pay for a year up front or you can choose month to month (which is $2 more per month). If you do the year, you get 1 credit each month for one of the 5-7 new books that are up for grabs each month. This option works out to $13.99 per month for a hardcover book. This is great considering that they are usually new releases and sometimes even advanced releases. As an example, The Unsinkable Greta James retails for $28. It is currently $22.25 on Amazon. BUT, you get it for 1 credit ($13.99) with your BOTM membership! Win! And, what’s even better is that your first month, you get your book for just FIVE BUCKS!!! #nobrainer
Also, you are not obligated to choose a book if nothing looks interesting to you one month. No penalty for skipping. =)
This is also a great Mother’s Day idea if the mama in your life is a reader.