The title of this book caught my attention the first time that I saw it as a teenager. What intrigued me the most is that nothing in the title revealed what kind of book it was…
It wasn’t “Tragedy at the Cat’s Pajamas” or… “Mystery of the Cat’s Pijamas”… and well, what the crap is a Cat’s Pajamas anyway? haha!
My sister gave me this book for my birthday a few years back and I finally read it. It’s lovely! How can I explain? It’s quaint with a sprinkle of magic. The individual character stories are somewhat sad, but their journeys are uplifting.
I wanted to share my favorite quotes.
Here’s my favorite, faaaaavorite line from this book… possibly the most romantic thing I’ve ever read…
“Sarina realizes why people have children: to see the face of the one they love at the ages they’ve missed, to see his eyes on a son she could teach to use scissors.”
I mean… it gives me goosebumps. What a lovely way to think of parenthood. Expressed in a unique way, just like the rest of the book.
And a line that made me laugh…
“Clare Kelly never has shark fins when she combs her hair into a ponytail, and her braids always part diplomatically.”
This made me remember how much I complained to my mom as a kid whenever she didn’t get my hair into a perfect ponytail. haha! In Spanish, those “shark fins” are called “gallos”, or roosters.
And finally, a thought that I feel is a universal truth:
“He likes that everyone laughs at one another’s jokes, even when they aren’t funny, because it isn’t about being clever, it’s about being present.”
This. Being present is how you enjoy life and the people around you. If you’re busy resenting the past or worrying about the future, you miss the opportunity of living a moment that makes you see and be seen, hear and be heard.
Drifting away from the present often closes you off from those around you. They can’t mentally travel with you and feel what you feel. So, you go alone.
Sometimes, we need this. But most times, we don’t.
Thank you for reading!
Malu
(And thank you, Sis, for the gift!)
5 Comments
That’s the magical thing about the books. Sometimes they are OK, sometimes they suck you in so much that you just cannot put it down and just HAVE to know what’s on another page. And the best ones make you think, and feel, and speak to you. And those little bits stay with you for a long time. I had a similar experience with the one we talked about in stream – “A Man Called Ove”.
Such a shame that people read less and less nowadays, they don’t even imagine what they are missing….
December 4, 2018 at 1:52 pmWow… so cool and so thoughtful at the same time. It is always so interesting to read your stories here. I do think you don’t advertise them enough tho because I always read them days after they’ve been published. Or maybe I’m just unlucky and never see your message. Anyway, I loved the quote about seeing your loved one in your kids. I still don’t understand the meaning of cat ‘s pajamas tho. But hey, I’m french speaking so, I must be missing something or I’m just stupid? Take care! Daniel aka Letodan
December 21, 2018 at 11:44 amP.S. ohhh, I see now that I can be notified of new posts… Done!
Hehehe! Daniel, I’m mexican and I cannot understand the Cat’s Pijama’s. I actually just Googled it now… Turns out, the expression means “an excellent person or thing”. So… he’s a great person… he’s the cat’s pijamas. For some reason. hahahaha! 😀 Thank you so much for reading. It really means a lot to me to be able to share this kind of stuff and be able to chat about it with you guys. Happy New Year!!!! Sorry for the delay. I took a vacation. hehe!
January 1, 2019 at 9:49 pmSlightly off topic, but did you draw that cat? I love it 😀
January 1, 2019 at 8:33 pmHahahaha! Yes. hahaha!
January 1, 2019 at 9:47 pm