Monday, September 11, 2006
On Beauty
A Girl Could Stand Up
I picked up A Girl Could Stand Up by Leslie Marshall at my fave local book store, Tattered Cover, in the bargin books section. I have to admit, I bought it because it looked like something my best friend would like and she is in Seoul Korea for approx 6 months, an avid reader, without a large selection. So whenever possible I pick up books I think she would like, read them and mail them off to Seoul knowing I will never see them again. I am perfectly happy with doing that, but it makes me sad when I read a good book and can not get myself to mail it to her because I want to keep it.
I picked it up thinking it looked like it could be entertaining and keep my attention for a while, and to my suprise it actually was really was! I liked it much more than I thought I would. I kinda assumed it might be smaltsy, or fluffy, but it had an interesting array of eccentric characters, all trying to do what is best for an orphaned 6 year old. What I probably enjoyed the most is that it is an incredibly unconvential story.
Elray is orphaned when traveling through the tunnel of love on her 6th birthday. Her parents are electrocuted in a bizarre accient. He aunt/uncle Ajax moves into the house to take care of her giving up her uncomplicated cross dressing life in New York City (dont get me wrong, she did not give up cross dressing). The other uncle a globe trotting photographer decides he needs to keep an eye on the two of them and sets up base camp in the same house. Two unrealated adults find themselves living together and raising a child. As you can guess it is not bump free, but the love is there. This is the story of Elray's childhood. How she communicates with her dead parents through the scar on her arm, explores the local cathedral, makes friends with Raoul her not so invisible friend, and basically grows up and figures out who she is.
I enjoyed the tale. Enjoy the wacky ride, don't expect it to follow convential rules, and you will be fine.
I picked it up thinking it looked like it could be entertaining and keep my attention for a while, and to my suprise it actually was really was! I liked it much more than I thought I would. I kinda assumed it might be smaltsy, or fluffy, but it had an interesting array of eccentric characters, all trying to do what is best for an orphaned 6 year old. What I probably enjoyed the most is that it is an incredibly unconvential story.
Elray is orphaned when traveling through the tunnel of love on her 6th birthday. Her parents are electrocuted in a bizarre accient. He aunt/uncle Ajax moves into the house to take care of her giving up her uncomplicated cross dressing life in New York City (dont get me wrong, she did not give up cross dressing). The other uncle a globe trotting photographer decides he needs to keep an eye on the two of them and sets up base camp in the same house. Two unrealated adults find themselves living together and raising a child. As you can guess it is not bump free, but the love is there. This is the story of Elray's childhood. How she communicates with her dead parents through the scar on her arm, explores the local cathedral, makes friends with Raoul her not so invisible friend, and basically grows up and figures out who she is.
I enjoyed the tale. Enjoy the wacky ride, don't expect it to follow convential rules, and you will be fine.
