October 30, 2014

Like a sailor in distress, she would gaze out over the solitude of her life with desperate eyes, seeking some white sail in the mists of the far-off horizon.

Madame Bovary
By Gustave Flaubert

"Deep in her soul, however, she was waiting for something to happen. Like a sailor in distress, she would gaze out over the solitude of her life with desperate eyes, seeking some white sail in the mists of the far-off horizon. She did not know what this chance event would be, what wind would drive it to her, what shore it would carry her to, whether it was a longboat or a three-decked vessel, loaded with anguish or filled with happiness up to the portholes. But each morning, when she awoke, she hoped it would arrive that day…"

I have not read this book. But I did read Lena Dunham's Not That Kind of Girl, and this was printed on the page before the table of contents and I thought MY GOD, why have I never seen this excerpt I so completely identify with before? I have felt that to be me so many times. And I'm glad someone has already expressed those feelings so beautifully.

As far as an excerpt from Lena's book, I have none at this moment. I marked a few things mentally, but didn't jot any page numbers down & now I'm too lazy to go back and find them. I thought her memoir was OK. There are moments when I feel, maybe because I'm still in my 20s, that yes, I can relate to that. I know how that feels & what that is like -- and I felt that a lot watching GIRLS, especially during season 1. And other times Lena's life and experiences seem so separate from mine. But I don't regret reading it.

I am now reading Amy Poehler's Yes Please which, 8 pages in, I'm already in love with! Excerpts soon.

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