The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk KiddMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am a fan of Sue Monk Kidd's writing. Her prose is elegantly beautiful. This story of 42-year-old Jessie Sullivan's journey to come to terms with the death of her father, her mother's erratic behavior and her own loss of self, feels very real. I think lots of women have felt this loss. Ms. Kidd tells this story with humor and truth, and with honest compassion. I enjoyed the story of the monks and the abbey, the fable of the mermaid chair, and the description of Egret Island and its inhabitants. I especially liked Kat and Benne. I even liked Jessies' mother, Nelle.
As a woman of a certain age, I could put myself in this story. Not all of it of course, but the parts of feeling that your life was lived in a small box. That your life was lived for others. I totally understand Jessie. I feel for her husband Hugh. I understand the part about "staying in the marriage", "the small acts of forgiveness", the relationship that changed.
I think I can put myself in her shoes as well.
ReplyDelete