The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

Historical novels are one of my favorites. History mixed with fiction it's the best combination.  I’ve learned about Cuban dictators, and Savannah sunken ships through these types of stories, and the Rose Code will go down as one of the best. 

There was so much going on as I read about Beth, Mav, and Sully.  They were hired to interpret communications from the Germans during WWII. Not only did I learn what this secret society did, but also how they kept some type of balance during war time in London.  These women fell in love, got married, and dared to dream of life after the war.  I also got to listen to a fictional affair with the future Prince Philip before he married our beloved Elizabeth.

This novel was jammed packed with events that most of us would not survive, like Beth's 3 years in an asylum. Falsely diagnosed and heavily drugged. She knew some had betrayed her and accused her of treason. No matter what, she never let go the hope her friends would show up and save her.

The girls lived to see days after the war, even after having lost so much (Mav and Francis deserved more time). They made lives for themselves but never forgot what united them, the work they did during the war and their sacrifices for king (or queen) and country.  They made beauty from the ashes left after the war.

There was a moment I felt only tragedy followed these women. They couldn't catch a break! I almost quit listening because the disasters just kept coming. I did take a break but I couldn't leave the story there, and I am glad I didn't. Of course, their lives was never the same, and I imagine that applied to everyone in the 1940s. People from all over the world felt the effects of this war, but to hear it from people so close to the events was incredible. I will keep looking for stories around this time because there were so many perspectives, and with different perspectives you get more captivating stories.

28 Summers Without Happy Endings

28 Summers follows Mallory “Mal” Blessings and her group of friends through the changes life causes in our relationships as we get old.  Of course, this Elin Hilderbrand novel is set in Nantucket where Mal lives throughout her entire adult life, after inheriting a beachfront cottage from her aunt.  She never marries but has two great life-long loves: Jake her brother’s college friend, and her son Link.

Although this book felt very long because it included summers 1-28, it was not boring or wordy.  Every summer had an event of its own which kept me engaged because it was how each character developed slowly, like in real life.

There was not villain nor hero, just human beings, being imperfect and extraordinary. This book is a love song to life long friendships, family, and love. Not the fairytale kind of love, but love nonetheless. No happy endings here. Maybe that’s because life doesn’t start or ends, but just keeps going even when we win, get hurt, or lose .

But it all ended sadly, not just because Mallory loses her cancer battle, but because I felt like I didn’t get to say goodbye.  One moment she was in bed saying goodbye to the people that filled her life, and on the next moment the story keeps going outside the room where she lai

d.  Mal didn’t get a happy ending, not in the usual sense.  In my opinion, she didn’t get an ending at all; but that’s ok I guess because like in real life, her son kept living for her just like our children, and our children’s children do. They keep our stories going.

Beautiful work Elin Hilderbrand.  You’ve gained a new fan.

Which One Comes First, Privilege or Purpose?

A few weeks ago I finished Matthew McConaughey's Greenlights audiobook, and it was better than I expected. What did I expect? Well, I expected a story filled with privileges and easy access to the best life has to offer since after all, he is an attractive southern white male in America. Don't get me wrong, I did find plenty of privileged opportunities throughout the book, but more than that his story was filled with perseverance, acceptance, maturity, wisdom, and purpose. Which in turn made me question, which one comes first, the privilege or the purpose?

As a woman of faith, I know the purpose comes first. God has plans for our lives before we are born and He uses life to prepare and guide us with this purpose. But at the same time my humanity, the Afro-Hispanic, immigrant-female side of me, can't help but notice how the privilege he was born with made the challenges he experienced vanilla compared to the average Joe. Throughout the book he talks about his family and the way his parents chose to raise him and his brothers. From childhood to the time he met the woman who would be the mother of his children today. His time in Australia and how he followed all the open doors and his jungle dreams as greenlights from the universe, and the closed doors as opportunities to grow or try a new direction. Which is the lesson or the point to the book. It is an invitation to the reader to be self-aware. Self-aware to take the opportunities given as a path to destiny.

Of course, he benefited from the privileges he was given along the way. He had more opportunities to try and fail without the fear of being blacklisted, unlike other actors. But that's the thing, privilege is only noticeable when one life is compared to another. Which is a problem on its own. Comparison is flawed as a metric system since it's dependent on the person's perspective, and can change on a daily basis. It can change according to weather, feelings, daily mood, or who you're talking to at the moment. You can feel your privilege when you compare your life to others while serving at soup kitchen, and later on that some day see someone else's privilege while you wait for the bus and they're driving their Tesla. What changed? the situation, which affects perspective or how we see things at a certain moment.

So then can we agree privilege is situational, but purpose doesn't change, and therefore, comes first?