Name: Through a Glass, Darkly (originally published as I et speil, i en gåte)
Written by: Jostein Gaarder
Originally Published in: Norwegian
Translated by: James Anderson
Summary (from Goodreads)
As Cecilia lies ill in bed and her family prepare for Christmas, knowing she will not recover, an angel steps through her window. But Ariel is no ordinary angel - at least, he does not conform to conventional ideas of what an angel looks like and says. He likes nothing better than to sit around and chat about life, death and the universe. Through a Glass, Darkly is a springboard for a spirited and thoroughly engaging series of conversations between Cecilia and her angel.
As the weeks pass and winter turns to spring, subtle changes take place in the relationship between Cecilia and her family, as she swings from feelings of anger and denial, hope and despair, to a calm acceptance of her lot. She is preparing to leave...
Review
It's almost Christmas. Cecilia lies sick in bed as her family bustle around her to make her last Christmas as special as possible. Cecilia has cancer. An angel steps through her window. So begins a spirited and engaging series of conversations between Cecelia and her angel. As the sick girl thinks about her life and prepares for her death, she changes subtly, in herself and in her relationships with her family. I think the author made the book to give teachings or lectures to the readers in a fictional story way.
In this potent little story, Gaarder once again poses one of the biggest questions any human faces: What happens when we die? Bittersweet without being whiny or sappy in the least, this is a truly refreshing and thought provoking read.
Gaarder used the two little characters by means of talking to one another and they shared their thoughts about heaven and earth.
'Through a Glass, Darkly' will not only bring comfort to the bereaved. It will move and amaze everyone who reads it.
Quotes
“It's not we who come into the world, but the world that comes to us. To be born is the same as to be given the whole world as a gift.”
“As long as children are put into the world, the world is as new as on the seventh day when the Lord rested.”
“All stars fall at some time. But a star is only a tiny spark from the great beacon in the sky.”
“The globe plays it own music; a little musical top of an earth-globe spinning round a fiery sun in the Milky Way.”
Summary
It's very interesting. innocent but deep.
Reading level
All age
Rating
4 stars
