Hi, this is Judy!
In this post, I am going to share with you a book called “Gathering Blue.” First of all, I personally think the cover of this novel is quite unique. On the one hand, it is because the main color utilized to design is blue, which is associated with the title of this book. On the other hand, after reading through some pages of the book, I find that it vaguely conveys some crucial messages to me as a reader, such as thread, a needle, and cotton. Not until I finished reading some plots did I find the cover was actually a nice touch!
This story begins by introducing one of the main characters, Kira. She is an orphan, with both of her parents being dead. She even has a deformed leg which makes her life tough and challenging. Since she has disabilities, she is regarded as a relatively “useless” person and what’s worse, someone wants to expel her from this world. After understanding her life, I think to myself how terrible this world is. But hopefully, she always believes in herself and considers herself that she has a talent for sewing, which can definitely make her become worthwhile to stay in this world. Having a clever way with her hands is her expertise and passion. From my own perspective, she not only has confidence but also sticks to her point all the time. She once had a bitter dispute with the officials because those people thought her space of house was no longer needed. However, as far as Kira was concerned, it was a place full of her memories with her dear mom. Hence, she couldn’t help but quarrel with people who held the opposite viewpoints in an authoritative manner.
The beginning of the book had already mentioned that the main character, Kira, lost her mother forever. It made me stop reading instantly for a while because it occurred to me that I had a similar miserable experience. Last year, I lost my grandmother. I lost everything associated with her except for my wonderful memories. At that time, I had the same feeling as Kira who felt uncertainty, a great sadness, followed by an agony. Since I was still young, I hadn’t ever experienced death before. During that time, when I looked at the ambulance arriving at my grandmother’s house slowly and silently, it was implausible for me to believe this sad news. I was at a loss and paralyzed with fear, not knowing what to say or do. It was not until my grandma’s face had appeared in front of me again that I was completely falling apart. I could no longer resist my tears rolling down my cheeks.
Frankly speaking, it was my first time comprehending the meaning of a quote said by Octavian Paler, “Death is the only real thing from life.” But it didn’t mean I should not lament over the inevitable death. Besides, although death was a natural phase of our lives, I was somewhat afraid of dying after experiencing the loss and grief of my grandmother. But this feeling had indeed propelled me to seize every moment to seize the day.
In addition, there was something else that I wanted to share. When I read the passages “Kira was imperfect. She should not have been kept and left in the world,” I was furious. I was furious about the way other described her. Why couldn’t such a passionate person stay in this world? Why should a hard-working woman disappear from this world? In reality, in my opinion, she was definitely a perfect person who lived her own life to the utmost. I would use one word to characterize her personality which was “resourceful.” Even if she was crippled, she found ways to make herself useful from her childhood by gathering cloth scraps from the looms. She was hard-working, a constant help to her mother and a tireless weaver. She was compassionate, as shown in her interaction with other people including her mom. In our real society, actually, I quite often noticed the disabled people who survived hard. Also, I did find that most of people with disabilities were confronted with others’ oppression or discrimination. Based on what I had seen, most people were reluctant to talk with the disabled, and even unwilling to approach them. Consequently, the disabled often failed to make friends with others. From my own perspective, everyone is distinct, and no one should be ignored in this world. Furthermore, the meaning of life depends on how everyone ascribes it to be. Being alive is essentially the meaning.
To sum up, it’s a book which makes me emotional. Sometimes, the plot of the story makes me smile. Nonetheless, sometimes, I am annoyed at some passages. But in my eyes, Kira is perfect. It’s because she is not only hard-working, but also talented. Besides, she thinks positively. I learn a lot from her while I’m reading this novel. In the meanwhile, I reflect on myself what advantages she has that I don’t actually have, especially in terms of attitude and mindset. Although I haven’t finished reading this novel yet, I have already been fascinated with this story. I unexpectedly find pleasure in reading this novel even if I have a busy schedule and lots of work to do. :)
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