Tag Archives: relationships

Ann Patchett’s ‘The Commonwealth’ covers decades, goes nowhere

Posted on by
Reply

CommonwealthCommonwealth by Ann Patchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Unfortunately, besides crafting thoughtful characters and well-written sentences, there is little good in Ann Patchett’s latest novel. Starting in the mid 1960s, “The Commonwealth” covers five decades in the lives of the Keating and Cousins families.
I enjoyed the manner in which Patchett tells her epic tale and stuck with it hoping to come away with a satisfying finish. However, the few characters with sound judgement get little time in this book. An excess of alcohol at the opening christening party kicks off a slew of poor decisions, starting with the kiss that dissolves marriages, blends families, erects excuses for self-absorbed parents, and molds gun-toting, gin-drinking children. Lives go up in smoke and people die. In the end, nothing much is accomplished.

View all my reviews

I feel you… And you and you and you

Posted on by
Reply

Recently, I was discussing (OK, commiserating) with some cousins about why some people have good relationships and others don’t. The discussion delved into how people who feel too much often do so to their own detriment. And then I saw the story below on Facebook.

If this describes you, you might not be crazy after all.

Empath Traits: 22 Signs You Are A Highly Sensitive Person
By Barrie Davenport
Have you ever walked in a room and had a wave of negative energy wash over you?
Have you had a conversation with a stranger and could tell, without them saying a word about it, that they were deeply troubled or sad?
Do you ever feel so profoundly moved by something beautiful that you start to cry?
If any of these ring true for you, you might be an empath — a highly sensitive person who has a more heightened awareness to subtle stimuli.
See more at: http://liveboldandbloom.com/08/self-improvement/empath-traits-of-highly-sensitive-person