Pearl of China Book Review

Pearl of China by Anchee Min

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It is rare that any of us find a friendship at a young age that lasts a lifetime let alone finding a friend at any age and having that friendship last a lifetime. The friendship that Pearl and Willow shared hit me deep in my core and I am so happy that I got to experience their stories by reading this book. Whether it was love for China, love for each other or love for their faith... This book showed what true love is all about - the characters truly "had known the fullness of love, which was absolute in height and depth." Many of the characters, even though they experienced much hardship, really did feel love on a different level then most people feel. It goes to show - you don't have to be rich or from some elite demographic to experience life's true beauty. In fact, if any of the characters in the book were rich a a young age, you wonder if they would have had such an amazing story to tell.

Isn't it also so true that we learn something new from each person we meet each day? I loved what Willow said about Hsu Chih-mo after he passed, "The most important lesson he taught me was that there was no one singular perspective on things or emotions in the universe-no one way of comprehending the truth." I thought this was such an important quote in this book because there were so many people who were so stuck in believing in their own individual truths at times, but when they truly evolved was when they embraced others truths and let go of their own to learn and become things they never thought possible. For example - if Willow's papa had never joined Absalom in helping with his church and becoming a Christian/Buddhist he would have continued to live a peasant lifestyle and wouldn't have fulfilled his true destiny. I think it is so important to be open to life and things its trying to teach us on a daily basis. How can one learn when being rigid in ones thoughts and beliefs?

There were so many things that happened in this book that made me believe that almost anyone can overcome any obstacle - whether through hard work or through spiritual means. And honestly, it did give me a renewed belief in my faith. I loved the part in the book where the "dead" trees that had been used to build the new church blossomed inside the church - "the green miracle" ha! "With the breeze from the window, the leaves swayed like dancers' sleeves across the room."

I loved so much about this book that it's hard to summarize my thoughts without writing a novel myself. I really enjoyed the poetry that was added within the pages as well - this was my favorite poem from the book-

I lived by the Yangtze River near it's source,
While you reside farther down its course.
You and I drink water from the same stream,
I haven't seen you though daily of you I dream.

When will this river water cease to run?
When shall I not love you, the way I do?
I only wish our two hearts would beat as one,
And you wouldn't disappoint me in my love for you.




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The Art of Racing in the Rain Book Review

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book was good for so many reasons. I am a dog lover, so it was great hearing a story from the perspective of a dog. When you think about it, dogs do seem more enlightened then most humans anyway (probably because they can't talk and they have to listen so much) - so it makes sense to right a book from their perspective.

"Learn to listen! I beg of you. Pretend you are a dog like me and listen to other people rather than steal their stories."

This book definitely made me look at my own dog differently. Dogs are a lot smarter than we think they are and we can learn a lot from them. Along with the listening thing, they are extremely loyal  and they live in the moment (which I know I could learn a thing or two about).

"People are always worried about what's happening next. They often find it difficult to stand still, to occupy the now without worrying about the future. People are not generally satisfied with what they have; they are very concerned with what they are going to have."

Some of the people in my book club refused to read the book because they heard it was sad. The book was sad, but life can be sad... and there were so many great moments in the book that weren't sad. In fact, I think one of the points of this book was to help people understand that life can be sad and death is a part of life - so why not embrace it? If you believe in reincarnation like Enzo did - Death seems less scary.

"To live every day as if it had been stolen from death, that is how I would like to live. To feel the joy of life. To separate oneself form the burden, the angst, the anguish that we all encounter every day. To say that I am alive, I am wonderful, I am, I am. That is something to aspire to."

I really loved the relationship between Enzo and his owner - how they helped each other escape fear. I loved all of the things they taught each other. It made me realize that it's so important to be open to learning things about yourself from places you don't expect - whether it's your dog, a friend, a family member, a co-worker, myself, etc. Learning's come from all directions at all times - you just have to learn to listen to find and learn from them.

"Such a simple concept, yet so true: that which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our success and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves."

The parallels between racing and life were very interesting as well. I never realized that racing was such a mental game. I've had a lot of friends give up in life and some that have actually ended their lives because they felt that they couldn't go on, but I think it's so important to remember that we are here on this earth for a reason - to grown and learn and defeat trials. It's not always easy, but it's so important to continue fighting through this life so that we can find our true purpose as Denny did.

"There is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose."

"A winner, a champion, will accept his fate. He will continue with his wheels in the dirt. He will do his best to maintain his line and gradually get himself back on the track when it is safe to do so. Yes, he loses a few places in the race. Yes, he is at a disadvantage. But he is still racing. He is still alive."

So many great quotes in "The Art of Racing in the Rain". Such a great book!



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