Gift From The Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Rated: C)
Overall, this book was liked by the members of my book club. Although the book was written in 1955, we felt as a group that the author's reflections on a woman's life were appropriate and even more so for our day. Some members thought of the author as avantgardist in her views, ahead of her time.
Our discussion revolved around the imagery of the shells used as a symbol of the different stages in a woman's life and around the author's life, both as a wife and mother, and as the well-known accomplished wife of pilot Charles Lindbergh.
It was interesting to note how each woman in the group related in a different way to how the author described the stages of life. We focused primarily on the theme of simplifying one's life and taking the time to be alone to replenish our resources, something that mothers and women in general feel guilty about when pursued. This led to opening up about where we are in our present situation in life, allowing us to glimpse into each other's lives and feel connected as women, mothers and sisters.
The book is in reality a woman's collection of personal essays filled with gems of wisdom that will stay with the reader and should be read more than once to grasp its full meaning, however, as it is also based on personal opinion and experience, several concepts or ideas can easily be rejected by the reader without losing the beauty of the book's message.
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