Wednesday 22 August 2012

Night Time Post Card from Saint Savinien

I'm still here in my beloved Saint Savinien Sur Charente. I know that beyond my time horizon lurks the cold darkness of the British winter. The swallows almost hovered in my face today as I walked up the narrow road past the castle. A journey lies ahead for them and now they must risk and gorge to put in the calories that will sustain their fragile lives on their pitiless migration south. I do know profoundly that all for my huff and puff, one of their lives values no less than mine and I have lived and gorged for so long.

I am posting a few pictures of the town at night. The Mayor, Monsieur Godineau, has pushed through a massive project to turn the town into something of a unique spectacle. I always have an admiration for folks who can do this kind of thing. Take a look and judge for yourselves.

As a writer, I guess that the thing I admire most about writing is a book that makes me forget about writing. I have just finished reading "Rebels On the Mountain" by Jack Durish. It is a ripping yarn about adventures during the Cuban revolution, a love story, a deeply educational piece of history and beautifully written and researched. To save repeating myself, here is my full Amazon review.

I have no hesitation at giving this book five stars. It is one of those stories that gives you a fix of everything. Having been born too late to be aware of the Cuban Revolution and all that followed it, I found this book to be educational and fascinating. Clearly the narrative owes a lot to careful research and also the military experience of the author. Beyond history, there is the fleshing out of historical figures and of course a part for Ernest Hemingway. In amongst all of this is a strong love story of Nick and Lucia set against the background of the period and confronting racial attitudes of the time. As I reached the last words of the book and I began to think of the review, I realised that I had hardly noticed that I had been reading and had not paused to take note of the style. The book romps along and reads itself as it goes. Whether it is an adventure, romance, history or everything combined, it was a joy to read.

Here are the links:




Emma thinx: Labour bears fruit, but not always the juice. 



























5 comments:

  1. Emma,

    I think Jack Durish's book on the Cuban Revolution is a modern day classic.

    And thanks for the remarkable pictures. I would love to see those sights in person one of these days.

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  2. Oh what a beautiful and evocative place in which you live. Thank you for sharing it with those of us who will likely never get closer than your photos. And as a complete aside, we watch a great deal of British TV and film, and Bert has taken to saying, every time a bus goes by, "Go on. Get on Emma's bus." You live in our hearts and thoughts.

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  3. Thanks Christina, Too soon I'm gonna be back in the UK, driving on the left and watching those mirrors. For now I'm soaking up the blue skies and garlic.

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  4. Beautiful town. Beautiful photographs. Beautiful words to describe it. I am so glad you reviewed Jack Durish's book. Rebels on the Mountain is a rare find about a rare piece of history that has escaped most of us. We may know the Cuban Revolution took place. Hardly any of us knew the inner workings of the war. Jack fills in the missing pieces in fine style.

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  5. The photos make me want to jump in the car and head over ... withdrawal symptoms BIG time! Jack Durish is new to me, will check him out, thanks!

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Thanks so much for stopping by. Always so happy to get your feedback. Emma x