“Ladies of Light and ladies of darkness
and ladies of never you mind
this is a prayer for a blueberry girl…”
The opening stanza of Blueberry Girl

I discovered the poem “Blueberry Girl” when I went to hear Neil Gaiman speak a few years ago in Palo Alto. He read it at the end of his session and it was captivating. Gaiman had written it for his goddaughter, and hadn’t planned on publishing it, but it had become so popular that he was planning on turning it into a children’s book. It was the first book since Harry Potter that I ordered months in advance. And when I received it, I was not disappointed.

The words are a beautiful, magical blessing that sums up everything I want to say to my daughter. Fantasy artist Charles Vess illustrated it and the art is captivating and romantic. In short, it is everything I think a children’s book should be. It created in me a sense of fairy tale magic I have not experienced in a very long time. On the other hand, it speaks to me on a very deep emotional level as an adult woman. It is rare I feel so strongly about books, but Blueberry Girl is a very special exception. It is the gift I give to new baby girls, so much do I love it.

It takes a special kind of author to be able to write for so many different kinds of audiences. But again and again I find that Neil Gaiman never lets me down, no matter what my mood. Whimsical, depressed, happy, macabre, sad, motherly, fearful, Neil knows how to suit any frenzy my mind might be in. Maybe that’s why he is one of my favorites.

Give it to any woman or girl that you know or love.

Grade: A +

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Details are key. Anyone can tell you that, in any business. Now, in literature it can go a few ways. Lack of details can spark the reader’s imagination to put themselves in place of the characters or to personalize the setting. But the right details, it can bring a book to life in a vivid way. Ian McEwan’s Atonement is of the latter variety.

Atonement, for those of you who haven’t all ready seen the film, is the fateful tale of three young people: 13 year old Briony, her older college aged sister Cecilia, and their gardener’s son, also college aged, Robbie. On a hot summer’s day in pre-WW2 England, Cecilia and Robbie realize their love for each other and Briony becomes entangled between them. Her desperate and confused accusation against Robbie of a terrible crime forces the three of them onto distinct and hard paths. Spanning from pre-war England to 1999, it is the tragic tale of one woman’s journey for atonement, and the people who suffer because of her deliberate crimes and confused passions.

The story, all of its twists and turns, made this book wonderful, but the details in McEwan’s writing, make this book exquisite. There is simply no other word. One can hear the flies buzzing in the girls’ garden, one can feel the silk of Cecilia’s green dress, and one can hear the bombs over France during the war. To be able to create such a vivid picture enhances the roller coaster of emotions brought forth in this book, making it a cathartic experience in the true sense of the word. The ancient Greeks believed that the only good drama was one that inspired a great release in emotions in the audience. This is the experience of Atonement. Aristotle would be proud. I read it in one gulp, and felt physically exhausted after finishing after running the gamut McEwan set forth for me in it Atonement’s pages.

This is a book to be savored, not to be read in a hurry. And, because I know you wondering, the film is a quite excellent adaptation and beautiful in its own right, but it does not serve as a substitute for this masterpiece. Note for sensitive readers: It has adult subject matter (mostly contained within a few scenes in Part I) and content, and it is definitely not suitable for younger audiences. Beyond those few points, if you are looking for an amazing read that will change your view on all novels, Atonement is that book.

Grade: A