Thursday, July 08, 2010

A Suggestion


I thought it would be nice if you started off with Uncle Podger and Josephine March. Or, even an Oliver Twist. You need one character to make you smile (no matter how old you are) and one character to feel like his/her story was yours in writing.

Growing up, Little Women was where my heart was and Wuthering Heights was the love-story that diverted a child's mind to the exploratory regions of adolescence. Heathcliff was the man my adolescent heart yearned for - one that appealed to a girl's fantasy. Soon, that too gave way to Gone with the Wind. For me, it had always been fashionable to look down upon Mills and Boon romance stories. But, it is Jerome K Jerome that my mind turns to when I need comfort, familiarity and humor on a cold, gray afternoon.

I hope you find some characters for keeps. I know I have. These books transport me effortlessly and swiftly to my school days when the school building looked no less exciting than the first glimpse Darryl had of Malory Towers. To a time when life's simplicity was bound in white starched skirts & pigtails and sucking on honeysuckle stems. When it was all right to move your head to rippling notes played on the piano without knowing it was Fur Elise. It was OK to be who you were. One could find comfort in a sea of white starched skirts and pigtails and occasionally, hardbound library books.

1 comment:

Deepanjana said...

Oh Heathcliff... the first antihero character (so much before Baazigar happened), definitely held my attention throughout my adolescence as well !!
Girls these days don't even like reading romances, forget about anything else! Atleast Silhouettes written by English authors used to be quite helpful where improving english was concerned! The Georgette Heyers and victoria Holts are long gone!
I also liked my poirots and perry masons! It's been a while since I read P.G.Wodehouse but Aunts Aren't Gentlemen is a must-read!

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