jihanski

I’ll try my best not have plenty of insight and awareness that I start to lose my point. I run after what gives me joy, and that includes you. When things were smooth, I always hoped that things will be better. If there were times you felt that I stepped back, those are the times you said you are broken, and I don’t want to touch that part of you, it’s your pace not mine. But didn’t you know that I want to make you feel better, better than what you made me feel (parang kanta).

So don’t frown, silly clown. You gotta see the sunrise with me.

I started reading this the night that you gave it to me, then it stayed on my bedside and opened it only when I want to fall asleep. I have a hard time focusing on a story when I am stressed, besides I’ve never heard of this author before. Her style is different, the narration of places and people is good, but still I find it boring on first few chapters. The story started to be quite interesting when the protagonist started to unfold her investigations. The plot started in London and ended in Italy, it was interesting because of mafia, deceit, dirty crimes, chateau, castles and rich people’s story.

Here’s the summary:

Celestria is from a rich family, she is 21 years old. Spoiled and all, for typical rich families in England, she is trained in language, literature, music and socialization. She’s also blonde, reason why often judged as stupid and senseless. Story started when her father died, and was staged as suicide because of the note that he left that says forgive me. She decided to conduct her own investigation so she ended up going to Puglia in Southern Italy. Later on she found out that her father is not really dead and was just hiding from mafia. With all the description ala Godfather, she met a guy named Hamish. Bitter as hell, his wife died from an accident with him while confessing she’s having an affair and at the same time carrying the child of the other guy, who turns out to be Celestria’s father. That is also the reason why Hamish hates Celestria and tried his best to avoid her, but she is persistent. Being always self-centered, she met her match and was conquered. They both play piano and found out that they share the same favorite book (Count of Monte Cristo). The story has a lot of twists, but most of it is mushy because it revolves around a young woman. In the end, Celestria left the busy London life, being an heiress to her grandfather’s fortune- to live and stay with Hamish in Puglia.

I have no idea how you found this book or you gave the store keeper a very rhetorical question that he’s able to recommend this. I should say that if the author was a little consistent with her writing and the flow of story, I could make this as one of my favorites- just for the fact that it is set in Italy, and the places she narrated is exactly where I want to grow old and die. You know that my favorite book is originally written in Italian and translated in English, also by the sea. I haven’t researched on the author yet but I think she grew up there. The description of people’s faces when they giggle, when they are amused, and I think almost all of the characters there have their own love story, cute! So, all in all, I liked it. You know when an author writes about the sea, you have to read between the lines, also this novel has all the necessary element that I’ve been wanting to see lately in a story, there’s music, books, paintings, rebellion, simple life, and love.

This is me and GV (blog here) in our attempt to get a jump shot using a self-timed digital camera.