Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Davita's Harp

My latest read - Davita's Harp by Chaim Potok. The book was published in 1985; not a new book, and I hadn't read any reviews but was intrigued when I read the cover. The cover was well-written and the book was even better...it completely bowled me over.

I have a lot of admiration and respect for a man who successfully tells a story in a woman's voice. It takes talent, keen observation and sensitivity. And this book has tons of all that.

The story is narrated by a little girl, Ilana Davita, whose mother is Jewish and father Episcopalian, both of them not religious. She is raised by her parents to embrace idealism and pragmatism, but is intensely aware of the harsh realities of life through exposure to war and discrimination from an early age. She is drawn toward Judaism and through practising it, develops a sense of belonging; but she feels betrayed by the barriers that exist between men and women in the religion. Through her life experiences, Davita eventually goes beyond her pain into a faith that will sustain her through life.

On another note, I was hoping to run outside today. But the gym has softened me. And I convinced myself that at the gym, I could get an hour of spinning in, along with my run. So, that's what I did...cycling + 30 minutes on the treadmill (walking + 2 1/2 mile run) + core work. I hope all this cross training will pay off when I am ready to start training for a race!

We are expecting snow / sleet tonight and tomorrow morning. I'm beginning to get used to this weather...don't mind it anymore; but I am not enjoying walking about the house in my sweater. I really must do something about my drafty door and windows. I can't even grumble that it's a man's job, because I'm such a freakin' feminist!

Brrr! Winter's in my living room!

5 comments:

Heather said...

Sounds like a good gym workout - you'll definitely be ready to start trianing for a race.

lauren said...

I am soft now too. that is a great workout at the gym though!

BeachRunner said...

Nice job at the gym.

Erica said...

owww- stay toasty over there :) Sounds like a great book. I'm not much of a reader- wish I was!

Ali said...

I've become an outside wimp and ended up running inside on the treadmill for the last 2 weeks.

I promised myself I will get back outside tomorrow ... but it's so cold