Lizzie's War

"Farrington's resolve is physically embodied by his two-inch-thick file, dating back 18 years, of ideas, sketches, notes, and quotations (there's one at the beginning of each chapter) for Lizzie's War. '[The book] felt enormous to me ... it covered a bigger canvas, and I consciously committed to it. It's so close to my heart, the theme of sacred vocation, of finding your calling in the world.' "  Linda M. Castellitto and Tim Farrington on Lizzie's War

 Are you reading Lizzie's War yet? I hope so.

It's an interesting book. Probably one of the easiest reads we have on the list. Easy in terms of reading level, sentence complexity, etc...

On the other hand, it might be one of the most difficult to read emotionally. At least, I think so. Even this being my third reading of the novel, I find myself both dreading to pick it up and dreading to put it down.

So real, and raw. 'True' is a good word to describe the book. Nothing happens for shock value. It's just the story of these very real people. And it's hard to believe that they aren't really alive somewhere right now. Could they really be made up? Fictitious? Can Liz not come over for coffee tomorrow morning? Did they really all come out of Tim Farrington's imagination? And how does this guy know so very well what goes on in the mind and soul of a woman. HOW!??

After I gave this book to a friend a few years ago, I called her up a few days later with an apology. "I'm sorry for all the cussing. I forgot about that."  She wasn't fazed by it. I'm not going to apologize now. Not that I go around my house in secret swearing like a sailor. I don't. I don't like cussing at all. But in reference to this book, and to the character of Mike in particular, I think it would be dishonest to portray him in any other way. If you were a man fighting in Vietnam in the 60's, you used bad language. To have him speak in any other way would be outside his character. And such a character he is... don't let his f-bombs keep you from loving him!

And, I won't apologize for Liz's attitude toward her pregnancy in the beginning of the book (no spoilers here). While it might not be the 'text book' response that we as Catholic women would want to hear from a friend, I think it is a very honest emotion, and probably an emotion that has been felt by millions of women in the past.

It all comes around. It does. Don't worry.

So, enjoy! Can't wait to meet up soon!

If you want to comment on your thoughts and have a bit of a spoiler, just place above the revealing paragraph <SPOILER>.