A Watershed Year
Ratings2
Average rating4.5
15
Ratings2
Average rating4.5
Lucy never confessed her love to her best friend, Harlan, before he passed away. Two months after his funeral, she is haunted by the power of things left unsaid. But then she receives the first of his e-mails arranged to be sent after his death. So begins the year that everything changes--Lucy's watershed year ... In her grief, she suddenly rediscovers hope, journeying to Russia to adopt a four-year-old boy. When she meets her son, Mat, for the first time, she realizes he's also mending a wounded heart and is just as lost as she is."--Page 4 of cover.
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3/4/20
Why not continue the tradition of reading this in March, the month that signals the beginning of springtime in the U.S.? This story is a journey toward new beginnings after all. I do find it hilarious that all three of my readings so far have been in March. I couldn't have planned that if I'd tried, as my reading plans often change.
It was great holding a copy of the book in my hands this time. I'd only listened to the audio the other two times, but this time I was able to follow along in the paperback as I once again listened.
There is something about this story that resonates deeply with me, and I'm not even sure I can pinpoint what it is. Maybe it's the emotional journey. Perhaps it's the desire to become a mother. Maybe it's the fact that losing people you love is excruciating. It's probably all three and many, many more things. One aspect I enjoyed especially this time was how Lucy's journey was so affected by random people she met along the journey. Yulia, the adoption agent. Vasily, the boy's father. Lesta, the Russian taxi driver. They each had vastly different personalities; therefore, they each brought something unique to the plot and into Lucy's life. That is so true in our own real lives too. Everyone we meet on our life's path has a unique personality and something completely one-of-a-kind to bring into our lives, just as we have to bring into theirs. It's that push-pull, that give-and-take aspect of life that spews meaning into the very fiber of our days.
Note: I do not condone assisted suicide (or regular suicide), which is a theme in this book. There is always a better choice than that, which is to live well despite whatever pain you may be in. There is hope for a brighter, more joy-filled tomorrow.
Content: suicide, alcohol, praying to saints, Catholicism
