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Friday, July 11, 2008

The Czech Republic

The upcoming election leaves me lying in bed at night awake and yes, worried. (Thanks, mom, for this oh, so wonderful inherited trait.) I won't climb aboard my soapbox today. For which you should be thankful. But, I will recommend a wonderful book by Dominika Dery, The Twelve Little Cakes. (And, yes, it bugs me that I don't have the option in the blog layout to underline my book title.)

The authors voice is wonderful, I laughed out loud too many times to count! Thank you, dear Sue, for turning me on to this book!


The Twelve Little Cakes
by Dominika Dery

Long before she was born, Dominika first appeared to her mother in a dream, so when she came to be, she was welcomed with eager expectation and much love. Though her arrival was auspicious, as the child of recognized dissidents associated with the failed Prague Spring uprising, Dominika's life would be far from charmed.

Her mother was disowned by her parents, who were members of the Party elite. Her father was an inventor whose politics resulted in his working as a taxi driver, but who nevertheless remained an unrepentant optimist. Rounding out the family--colorful, even by local standards--were a beautiful, voluptuous teenage sister with many male admirers and an enormous St. Bernard who was a famous Czech TV star. In a village on the outskirts of Prague, full of gossipy neighbors, state informants, friendly old "grandmothers," and small-town prejudices, Dominika grows up a self-possessed child, whose openness and curiosity often lead her, and her family, into trouble. Yet the love, pride, and quirky ingenuity that bind them together will guarantee their survival--and ultimately their happiness--through the best and worst of times. The Twelve Little Cakes is equal parts testimony to the struggle of a bygone era and a love letter to a joy-filled childhood that no external forces could dim.

And, as an inspiration for you to read her book, take a look at her adorable face!

http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/conversations/stories/s1618537.htm?nsw


1 comment:

Rachel said...

That book sounds good! I'll have to see if our library has it or can get it.

Sometime I'd love to hear your worries/views about the upcoming elections. I have worries, too!