For some odd reason this morning, I was thinking about a few of the bazillion books I’ve devoured and thoughts of my childhood popped into my head. I don’t often think about those years. Very few of the memories are pleasant.
Home consisted of cruelties I couldn’t escape and at school, I was the bespectacled clutz that all the guys sought out for advice on how to get the pretty girls to like them. Then I was introduced to the world of Barbara Cartland.
A very perceptive neighbor rescued me and took me under her wing. An older lady and avid romance reader, she belonged to a book-of-the-month club. And she had been a loyal member for a while. Stacks upon stacks, she had filled an entire room with paperbacks. God rest her generous soul.
Under the pretense of helping her feed her numerous cats or clean her house, she squirreled me away into a corner of that wondrous room and I’d escape from my miseries for hours. Thanks to an elderly lady’s kindness and the wondrous worlds of Barbara Cartland, a young girl found sanctuary when she needed it the most. Never underestimate the power of a book when it comes to a hungry soul.
Has anyone influenced you or saved you from misery with the written word?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
What a wonderful memory to help combat the awful ones. I was fortunate to have a pretty uneventful childhood but my mom influenced my reading habit. She'd always been an avid reader (still is!) and got me started when she found some Nancy Drew books at a garage sale. I still have those books.
ReplyDeleteI loved Nancy Drew too!
ReplyDeleteIt is so inspiring to think that the written word is capable of this kind of transformation. I love this post.
ReplyDeleteI will never forget reading Francine Rivers' "Redeeming Love" as a 19-year-old. I'd been through a horrific relationship experience and felt like I couldn't believe in love again. But that book reminded me that redemption is always possible, and love will always come through in the end. Thanks for the great post, Maeve.
Thanks so much! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks,Maeve, I was lucky enough to be babysat by my grandparents and great-grandparents when I was very small, who read to me all the time. Later when things weren't as good I could escape into The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew and of course huge piles of comic books. They helped me forget some pretty bad things going on at home as well.Books are great friends.
ReplyDeleteThe absolute best, Kate!
ReplyDeletePoignant post, Maeve. Books can certainly provide a much-needed escape. Writing, as well as reading, did that for me along the way. Disappearing into another world is an amazing escape.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Cate. I think the power of the written word has meant all the difference for many of us.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a lovely memory, Maeve. I can't say I had a terrible childhood--except for 4 younger brothers who loved nothing so much as tormenting me! I'd escape to my bedroom and hole up with Trixie Belden or Jane Eyre or anything else I found at the library. My dad had a set of very old Bobbsey Twins books that I loved to read when I was younger. When I was a little older it was Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart and Phyllis Whitney--Wow...that dates me, doesn't it? Thanks again for the lovely memory.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I stirred those fond memories, Donna! :)
ReplyDeleteFor me it was Heidi and My Friend Flika. I wore the books out. And then I found Kathleen Woodiwiss...my life changed. I had lost the habit of reading and a friend who worked in the office next to mine asked me what I was readying. "Reading?" I said. She pointed me to Shanna and a whole new world opened and I am so glad to be here.
ReplyDeleteWow Maeve, we are kindred spirits. My escape from a childhood of things best not mentioned was books. I lost myself in another world. Barbara Cartland, Kathleen E Woodiwiss, Harlequins by the truck load curtesy of Grandma and her sisters, Elswyth Thane, Georgette Heyer, goodness, I once estimated I've read thousands of books, I used to read about five Harlequins a day for almost a year. Not to mention my Science Fiction stint with Anne McCaffrey and David Eddings, my mystery faze with the cozies of Carolyn G Hart and so many more ...I have a great life now, am writing my own stories, and don't need to read for escape but, my sanity was retained by those authors.
ReplyDeleteEveryone needs an outlet; whether it's books, music, exercise, etc.
ReplyDeleteMine was music. I started playing electric guitar and never looked back. I could crank it up as loud as I wanted (when parents weren't home) and bang the heck out of it.
You were fortunate to have someone special in your life that shared her love of reading with you. I'm sure you'll have those memories forever.
What a lovely memory, Maeve. I had a pretty uneventful childhood, but escaping into a book was part of my life back then too. How wonderful that you had an adult in your life who cared for you when you needed her most.
ReplyDeleteJana