Favorite Quote: "It was death—Davy's death—that was the severe mercy...A mercy as severe as death, a severity as merciful as love" (211).
My Impressions: So Joshua and I got bikes this summer because we got tired of running after our kids whenever they were biking, and we figured bikes were more economical than segways. Yesterday it was cold and wet and windy, and as I rode after my kids through the neighborhood, I was reminded very suddenly of Oxford, where I studied abroad for four months in my last semester of college. There is nothing quite like riding your bike full speed down Headington Hill on a cold, damp morning, with the wind ripping through your coat.
While at Oxford, I lived in a house full of other students from the States who were studying various liberal arts disciplines. I was there for Philosophy (getting credits for my minor) but many of my friends there were Lit majors. One book I heard mentioned again and again was A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken. Despite my understandable hesitancy to read anything recommended by a Lit major (totally kidding!), I made a mental note to look into it. Part of the book is set in Oxford, and having lived there definitely brings parts of it to life. But the story itself is incredible whether you've been there or not. A Severe Mercy is probably one of my most recommended books.
It was death—Davy's death—that was the severe mercy...A mercy as severe as death, a severity as merciful as love.
A Severe Mercy
I want to start off by saying that I don't know a lot about reading levels (which is probably why I'm letting my husband read Lord of the Rings with my 7-year-old), but let's just say this is on the higher end of the reading level spectrum. The vocabulary is pretty advanced and even I struggle to follow the sentence structure at times. It is the kind of book one would expect Lit majors to like (it has more poetry than I'd personally put into a book, is all I'm saying). But the story is absolutely breathtaking, in every possible way. The prose itself is beautiful, moving, heartbreaking.
Read more of this post
WordPress.com
No comments:
Post a Comment