As I am packing for a move, I once again go through my shelves to see what I love enough to pack & carry around. Here is one of three faves: 'The Clairvoyant Countess' by Dorothy Gilman. I've read all of the Mrs. Pollifax novels, as well, but this book (& two others) top them in my mind.
Marina Karitska is what the title says she is, clairvoyant. This book is about the adventures of herself & a few of those clients.
Quote 1: 'The girl looked at her, started to say something, and then flung herself instead toward the door. Opening it she said over her shoulder in a choked voice, :"One of the girls at the office said you were great--just great." She was like a child who had been cheated as she said, "Good-by!" ' (page 12, paragraph 7)
Ahh...how many, involved in dealing with the public while selling our services & wares, have been faced with such reactions from clients?
Quote 2: ' "He has lost his kitten," she told him calmly. "You must not think, Lieutenant, that the loss of a kitten is not also a cosmic event. We hope, between us, to discover where he may find it." ' (page 46, paragraph 2)
Such a gentle reminder that the little things matter as much as the large scale.
1 Visual: 'She chose to walk to the store by a route that was colorful to the eye, and upon arriving at Banmaker's, she stood transfixed at the entrance, absorbing the marvels before her: broad aisles, brilliant lights and colors, books in bright jackets with letters fairly catapulting from the page to catch the eye; purses of leather and velvet and tapestry heaped in piles, a ribbon counter dazzling with stripes of fuchsia, melon, scarlet, pink, orange, blues.' (page 58-9, paragraph 1)
Choosing ones' path in matters large & small. I can smell the purse leathers as I read this.
This book is full of gentle insights into human behavior & how a persons' choices make such differences in how life turns for them. Love. This. Book.
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