“She thought of books as medication and sanctuary and the source of all good things.” – The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

The bookish life of Nina HillThis great line from The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman, is one I couldn’t have said better myself. This book has been called a love letter to book nerds and I’m happy to stand up and claim to be one. It’s a lonely life in my house as the only book nerd. The one disappointment I have for my children is that, so far, they do not share my view of books as “the source of all good things.”

Mother’s Day 

And then, Timothée Chalamet took the role of “Laurie” in the recent movie adaptation of Little Women. I had been asking my daughter for weeks to watch the movie with me. We’re quarantined. What else does she have to do? Finally, for Mother’s Day, she agreed and last week on the rainy Sunday afternoon, we curled up together on the living room couch, (no boys allowed) and cued the film.

Celebrity Sighting

The second “Laurie” graced the screen, my daughter screamed out, “Omigod, is Timothée Chalamet in this? He is so hot, I love him.” Just like that, the classic story had her attention. And yet, there were no vampires, football players or tortured North Carolina outer banks inhabitants. If you have a teenage daughter, perhaps you understand my references or know the draw of Mr. Chalamet. Still, I wasn’t sure if the family drama set in such a drastically different time from our own would hold her attention. It did.

Little Tears

We cried when the youngest sister died (spoiler alert, but I assume everyone in the world knows that already) and when the primary character loses at love. We relished commenting on the hair and the costumes of the time, but the high point of the film for me was the ending. My daughter exclaimed, “I loved it. Should I read the book? I should read the book, right?”

A Book!

I’m not sure she’s ever seen me move so fast as I ran to my bedroom to retrieve my two worn copies of Little Women. She balked at the yellow pages and small print of the hardback. “It smells,” she said flipping through the pages and staring in disbelief at the old-fashioned sketch of the March sisters on the paperback cover. But she took the books to her room. As minor victories go, I’ll take it. Happy Mother’s Day to me.

From one book nerd to another, thanks Abbi Waxman, this is one great line.

If you can relate to this great line, I’d love to hear from you! Please scroll down and leave a comment.

If you’d like to read more about The Bookish Life of Nina Hill click here.

If you’d like to read about me and why I started this blog click here.

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Murray

    Sometimes the apple does fall far from the tree and needs to be retrieved. You did it.

  2. karen

    i havent read “little women” ; think i started it once. a couple nights ago, rick asked me if i saw the movie! …. and now i know that the youngest daughter dies! should i watch with my boyfriend or claim a girls night with my teenage daughter?
    love your writing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    1. sherylzkatz.com

      Definitely claim a girls night with your teenage daughter!

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