I am drawn to reading well written autobiographies and memoirs and Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy is no exception. At the age of 9, Lucy was diagnosed with a rare and highly terminal form of cancer affecting her jaw. She underwent 5 years of radiation and chemotherapy, and another 15 years of surgeries to reconstruct her face. Most of the book centers around Lucy’s search for love and happiness in a world so mezmerized by physical appearance. Her schoolmate tease her unmercifully. Although I did not suffer a terminal illness as a child, I know the pain that can be felt from lack of acceptance by your peers. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Sadly, in December 2002, at the age of 39, Grealy died of an accidental overdose.

On a plane trip to somewhere, I lost my copy of Ethan Frome and I was sad until it was replaced. By far, my favorite novel by Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome is set in New England in the early 1900’s. The characters include Ethan, his wife, and his wife’s cousin Mattie, who comes to live with the Frome’s and with whom Ethan falls in love. A tragic novel set as flashbacks of Ethan’s life and his personal stuggle with loyalty. A simply beautiful novel.  

17^th century renowned Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer’s masterpiece, Girl with a Pearl Earring, is the basis of this novel by Tracey Chevalier that fictionalizes the circumstances surrounding the painting.   In her novel set in Delft, Holland, Vermeer is characterized as having very close feelings toward Griet, a young Protestant maid that comes to work in the Vermeer house. Recognizing that Griet has artistic talent of her own, Vermeer allows her to work as an assistant in his studio which causes his wife to immediately become wary of her. He is commissioned to paint a portrait of the girl by a loyal patron. Captivating novel and movie. I had the fortunate occasion to see three of Vermeer’s masterpiece paintings at Rijks Museum in Amsterdam.