The Crane Wife

Registered by SpedBug of Wilmington, Delaware USA on 7/1/2015
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Journal Entry 1 by SpedBug from Wilmington, Delaware USA on Wednesday, July 1, 2015
In her dreams, she flies.

The Crane Wife is based on a Japanese folk tale, but Patrick Ness cuts into the words of that tale, adding layers and dimension with this small, but beautifully written novel.

George Crane is a nice guy. Perhaps too nice. At least that's what the women he's dated offer as their reason for abandoning their romantic relationships with him. He's friends with his ex-wife and her new husband and has a good relationship with his hot-headed daughter and his grandson, JP, but his life is (let's face it) somewhat empty. George owns a print shop that does all right. His employee, Mehmet, isn't going win any 'employee of the month awards, but he does free up time for George to dedicate to his hobby: book cutting.

(I hear my book loving friends shrieking. Don't worry, George only cuts the most unwanted, bargain basement books he can find. He, too, is a book lover.)

One night, George is awakened from his lonely bed to the sounds of keening. He finds a white crane in his garden, its wing pierced by an arrow. He helps remove the weapon, promptly fainting once its freed. When he comes to, the crane is gone and he's left wondering if it was a dream.

The next morning, a beautiful woman enters his shop. Her name is Kumiko, and George is immediately struck by her beauty, her poise, and her mysterious nature. Kumiko is an artist, making cuttings out of feathers and creating tiles of exquisite beauty. She coaxes George to add his cuttings to hers, and together their work evokes such strong emotions in those who view the tiles, they become more and more in demand.

Kumiko's arrival sparks growth in the life of everyone she touches, but she, herself, remains distant and enigmatic. On the cusp of their marriage, George pushes for Kumiko to share more of herself than ever. And it's this last, hard push that changes everyone's life forever.

At the back of Ness' book, he urges people to check out the artist whose book cutting graces the front of this edition of his book. I urge you to do the same. Her name is Su Blackwell and her work is fantastic:

http://www.sublackwell.co.uk/

Journal Entry 2 by SpedBug at Pike Creek, Delaware USA on Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Released 8 yrs ago (7/7/2015 UTC) at Pike Creek, Delaware USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Gave to my friend (and hair stylist extraordinaire!), Lisa, and told her to pass it on after she's done with it.

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