It is a true story of a Bavarian noblewoman's life as she endured both World Wars and the decline of the aristocracy. Her descriptions of the beauty and simplicity of life before the wars was enchanting. She and her husband had deep devotion to Our Lord, His Church, and their country. They lived lives par excellence and watched the great men of their country, including their devout Emperor, be trampled over by the socialists and Marxists. Her family was part of the failed plot to kill Hitler.
I read this book at the beach and could not put it down. Her life was an inspiration as she encountered adversity after adversity with grace and faith. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it. I will read it again.
P.S. "Holding the Stirrup" is in reference to when men would go to war the woman would hold the stirrup as he mounted to leave.
After reading this book, I had to know more about WWI and how things went so wrong. I just read the book 1917 by Warren Carroll.
It, too, was just fascinating. World War I was SUCH a senseless war. No one gained anything- it was a fight with no winner. We now had machine guns, but no tanks to defend against them so young men were slaughtered in the thousands. As you go through the different players- Kaiser Wilhelm II, Woodrow Wilson, Czar Nicholas (and the truly evil Rasputin), Lenin and Stalin, Emperor Charles of Austria, and the French and British Generals- so many could have done so much to stop the endless slaughter. I am sure it seemed at the time that the whole world had gone crazy.
And yet this is the year that the Blessed Mother appeared to children on a hill in Portugal as Our Lady of Fatima. The year where we had the Miracle of the Sun.
One of the only leaders actually seeking peace was Emperor Charles of Austria. He was willing to give up lands, even give away Poland if only the war would stop, but no one would listen to him. In the end he was driven out of his own country.
He is now Blessed Charles of Austria, and I am enjoying learning about his holy life along with his dear wife Zita in A Heart for Europe by Joanna and James Bogle.
In other literary news, I finally read The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
It was a long, beautiful book. I am realizing that truly GREAT literature gets you immersed into the character's minds. You feel like you know them intimately and can hardly forget them. I feel that way about Kristin Lavrasdatter, Anna Karenina, Emma, etc. I lived in old Russia for the summer with the Karamazov brothers and it was lovely. (Caveat- it took a good long bit to get going- there is a LOT of set up).
I read The Death of Christian Culture by John Senior this summer as well. It was hard going at first, but towards the end it was really good and persuasive. There is a lovely book list in the back. He shows how education began dropping the liberal arts and classic literature in the late 1800s and moved into the sciences. The liberal arts education gave you a frame of reference and a world view. It introduced you to and showed you your place in the Great Conversation.
I have also read about 2/3 of How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler. I've always wanted to read this book and finally got around to it. Fortunately, I was already implementing a lot of his ideas for engaging in a book. I always read with a pencil and underline, star and number everything I read. I do not, however, read a book four times. :) I don't know if the book helped as much as this article summing up the book did.
I have been trying to read the Well-Read Mom group's book pick each month. This month it was Wit, a Play by Margaret Edson. It was a super easy and engaging read. I see why it won the Pulitzer Prize. It details a poetry professor's journey through cancer and hospitals. (Caveat- there is a bit of language including taking the Lord's name in vain- it's at the very, very end).
I also read The Great Divorce through the Well-Read Mom group and LOVED it. It is a fiction story of people from hell getting a chance bus trip to heaven to see if they will take advantage of this second chance. Each character has a journey and most choose to not believe that heaven can be a place for them due to a character flaw. Lewis had such a great way of creating "types" of people that we all know (or are).
A few years ago I read The Storybook of Science by Jean Henri Fabre to Marc and Julia. It was a huge treat for all of us. I remember sitting on the porch every afternoon and reading a chapter or two. It is truly magical in how it introduces nature. And "Uncle Paul," who is teaching his nieces and nephews in the book, is a devout Christian and sees the masterful work of the Creator in every part of creation. I have started reading it again to Tucker and Charlie. They LOVE it, and I have given them composition notebooks to write notes or draw pictures of their favorite parts while I read. It is so precious.
The first few chapters are all about ants and how industrious and intelligent they are. Worker bees actually "milk" aphids (plant lice) and take the milk back to the colonies. They have found ways to herd the aphids and keep them in one place. We watched several YouTube videos of ants milking aphids- so interesting. And Uncle Paul shows how they have the virtue of perseverance. They never slow down- workers they truly are!
Even in Proverbs 6, King Solomon told us to,
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
I loved this sweet book and ordered the whole series. We are going to use them as a basis for little unit studies this fall. I used to do this type of thing with Marc and Julia all the time, but the pregnancy/surgery journeys of the past years have slowed me down. I am feeling more and more like myself and having energy and creativity flowing. Even my ability to read so much is a sign that I am not just "getting by." :)
I signed up for so many field trips- I am eager to get out and enjoy the world and learn with these children- especially my two little boys. I guess I will have to re-gird myself to do all this with Anastasia, and I imagine I will still love it. I am grateful to spend my days with my heart's delight.
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