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The Midnight Library
So I had to find out what all the fuss was about with ‘The Midnight Library’ by Matt Haig and I am so glad I read it. Wow! This is one of those novels where I had to stop and either highlight sections or copy some of the quotes from it. The first thing I loved about it is the very interesting storyline that pulled me in from the get go. I don’t want to give anything away but once you learn what The Midnight Library actually is I think you will understand what I mean. It is original but not so quirky that you cannot keep up with the story or characters that are introduced (not to go off on another tangent but this is what happened with ‘The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle – I was so in hopes of loving that novel but to me it was just the weirdest story with so many characters it was hard to keep up).
I will admit that initially I started to feel that the author was trying to have the main character, Nora Seed, be somewhat like one of my all time favorite characters, Eleanor Oliphant of the brilliant novel, ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’, but fortunately after further reading I could see that this was not the case and I began to embrace Nora as her own. She is also one that I enjoyed following on her journey in this novel.
This novel introduced some wonderful characters at the right place and time and I love the many things Nora has to experience to value everything at the end. This novel is one that spoke to me on a personal level in many ways – in humor, questions about life in general, and grief.
Some funny, wonderful quotes I took away from this wonderful novel:
”It was one of life’s rules – Never trust someone who is willingly rude to low-paid service staff.” – True“Nora wondered, quietly, if there was any place Dylan didn’t or wouldn’t love. He seemed like he would be able to sit in a field near Chernobyl and marvel at the beautiful scenery.” – Lol! I could not help but crack up at this.“You could eat in the finest restaurants, you could partake in every sensual pleasure, you could sing on stage in São Paulo to twenty thousand people, you could soak up whole thunderstorms of applause, you could travel to the ends of the Earth, you could be followed by millions on the internet, you could win Olympic medals, but this was all meaningless without love.” – Amen!“A truth that was the beginning and seed of everything possible. A former curse and a present blessing. Three simple words containing the power and potential of a multiverse. I AM ALIVE.” – Amen!“But it is not the lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is the regret itself. It’s the regret that makes us shrivel and wither and feel like our own and other people’s worst enemy. We can’t tell if any of those other versions would have been better or worse. Those lives are happening, it is true, but you are happening as well, and that is the happening we have to focus on.” -Yes!
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