All kinds of emotion

At first I was excited to read 13 rue Therese because I thought it was going to be one of my favorite interactive kind of books (see Dracula's Heir - May blog post). It wasn't as interactive as I first thought (the letters and items were scanned pictures) but once I got past that I thoroughly enjoyed the story.  Then I got something completely unexpected. And how! Elena Mauli Shapiro's description of moments in Louise Brunet's life - from her habit of creating false lust-filled confessions for the priest to her very real lust-filled affair - completely hooked me. The conclusion was a bit too 'Looper' for me but I had to remind myself that it had been a very long day (for me and for the characters in the book). None the less, I enjoyed the book tremendously! (...and want to do my hair like the cover photo!) :-)

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"What if William Shakespeare had a sister?" Indeed. In a time when women were denied everything, what if a woman as intelligent as her brother, as spirited as her brother had also had the opportunities as her brother? What could she have done? Have had? Book of Ages by Jill Lepore introduced me to Jane Franklin, sister to Benjamin. My heart broke her. Her suffering, her struggles, her losses. My heart cheered for her spirit, her unbelievable strength and determination. The relationship between Jane and Benjamin had quiet echoes of my own relationship with my brother. Caring, supportive. Quiet waters run deep. It was an honor to meet such a beautiful woman.  

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