キャミー・タング著「戌年」連載小説 プロのドッグトレーナーであるマリ・ムトウは、厄年を迎えている。 犬小屋と訓練所の改築をしながら、いつも不服そうにしている家族と同居することになった。母と姉に言わせれば、犬の毛とよだれかけにまみれる仕事は、家族にとって恥ずべきものだという。彼女は元カレを説得し、数ヶ月間犬を預かってもらうことにした。しかし、彼の兄は、数週間前に彼女が誤って車に追突した、怒り狂ったセキュリティ専門家であることが判明する。 アシュウィン・ケイトウは十分な問題を抱えている。叔母が玄関先に現れ、同居を希望している。彼は彼女にすべてを借りているので、断ることができません。母親が家を出て行った後、ネルおばさんはアシュウィンと弟を引き取り、愛のあるキリスト教の家庭で育てた。しかも、弟のダスティもアパートを追い出され、居場所を求めている。しかし、彼は犬を飼っている。そして、その犬の飼い主は誰だと思いますか? しかし、旧友でオアフ島のノースショアでデイスパを経営する私立探偵のエディサ・ゲレロから依頼を受ける。マリの施設で奇妙な破壊行為があり、3年前に失踪したエディサの妹の財布を発見する。エディサはマリが危険な目に遭っているのではと心配する。警備の専門家であるアシュウィンがすでにマリを知っていることを知ったエディサは、忙しい若い女性を密かに監視することを彼に依頼する。 アシュウィンは、活発でのんびりとしたドッグトレーナーに不本意ながら惹かれていく。彼女は、幸せそうな母親を思い出させる。その母親の裏切りによって、彼は人と距離を置くようになったのだ。マリは、アシュウィンの冷たい外見を見抜き、彼が家族に忠実な男であることを認める。彼は、彼女のキャリア選択を批判するだけの母親や姉とは違う。 マリのバラバラな家庭とアシュウィンのバラバラな家庭の中で、過去を隠そうとする人たちから、彼らの周りに危険が迫ってくるようになる。彼らは、影で動く秘密に光を当てることができるのか? 過去に発表されたパートへのリンクはこちら。 *** 第8章 - 恐ろしくも真っ白な不動産書類 『みんな仲良くできないのかな?』 マリは無用に力を込めて箱に本を投げ入れた。最近、なぜ彼女は人生の中で全員と言い争いをしているのだろう?もしかすると、これは本当に悪いアイデア
Captain's Log, Stardate 04.11.2008
I’ve been in such a Jane Austen mood that I finished this book, which was given to me a few weeks (or maybe even months?) ago. I’m glad I had it—it perfectly matched my current Austen frame of mind.
A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith
By
Lori Smith
From the back cover:
Step into a Life of Grace
At thirty-three, dealing with a difficult job and a creeping depression, Lori Smith embarked on a life-changing journey following the life and lore of Jane Austen through England.
With humor and spirit, Lori leads readers through landscapes Jane knew and loved–from Bath and Lyme, to London and the Hampshire countryside–and through emotional landscapes in which grace and hope take the place of stagnation and despair. Along the way, Lori explores the small things, both meanness and goodness in relationships, to discover what Austen herself knew: the worth of an ordinary life.
Camy here:
This is a well-written travelogue/memoir that struck me as Blue Like Jazz for single Christian women. Or even married Christian women. So many of the things she talks about made me relate to women’s struggles about being the Proverbs 31 woman, or the conflict around being like faithful, conservative Elisabeth Elliot (Passion and Purity) and also trying to be a 21st century Christian woman.
Since it is a memoir, there are some personal things mentioned, and I have to honestly admit I didn’t feel any interest in some of them. But her romance with Jack and the mono-like virus was a strong thread through the book that held my interest and played an intriguing, significant role in her faith journey.
I got a favorite quote from this book:
“With my apologies to the stellar Christian single guys I’ve met in the last few years, it’s a truth universally acknowledged among single Christian women that single Christian guys beyond a certain age are weird.”
How true is that!
I think that readers who are Jane Austen fans will enjoy this more than those who are not. There are lots of quotes and references that won’t have much meaning for people who haven’t read the novels, although I don’t think a non-Austen person would have difficulty following any of the narrative. It just has much more depth of meaning for someone who loves Jane Austen’s works.
Someone hoping to only find out about Jane Austen should read a biography. This is an intimate travelogue that delves into some of the events in Jane’s life, relating it to real life, real faith, and the author’s own conflicts and struggles.
I enjoyed this book a lot, learned a little more about Jane Austen, and felt renewed in my own faith and identity in Christ. This is a winner for any postmodern Christian woman.
I’ve been in such a Jane Austen mood that I finished this book, which was given to me a few weeks (or maybe even months?) ago. I’m glad I had it—it perfectly matched my current Austen frame of mind.
A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith
By
Lori Smith
From the back cover:
Step into a Life of Grace
At thirty-three, dealing with a difficult job and a creeping depression, Lori Smith embarked on a life-changing journey following the life and lore of Jane Austen through England.
With humor and spirit, Lori leads readers through landscapes Jane knew and loved–from Bath and Lyme, to London and the Hampshire countryside–and through emotional landscapes in which grace and hope take the place of stagnation and despair. Along the way, Lori explores the small things, both meanness and goodness in relationships, to discover what Austen herself knew: the worth of an ordinary life.
Camy here:
This is a well-written travelogue/memoir that struck me as Blue Like Jazz for single Christian women. Or even married Christian women. So many of the things she talks about made me relate to women’s struggles about being the Proverbs 31 woman, or the conflict around being like faithful, conservative Elisabeth Elliot (Passion and Purity) and also trying to be a 21st century Christian woman.
Since it is a memoir, there are some personal things mentioned, and I have to honestly admit I didn’t feel any interest in some of them. But her romance with Jack and the mono-like virus was a strong thread through the book that held my interest and played an intriguing, significant role in her faith journey.
I got a favorite quote from this book:
“With my apologies to the stellar Christian single guys I’ve met in the last few years, it’s a truth universally acknowledged among single Christian women that single Christian guys beyond a certain age are weird.”
How true is that!
I think that readers who are Jane Austen fans will enjoy this more than those who are not. There are lots of quotes and references that won’t have much meaning for people who haven’t read the novels, although I don’t think a non-Austen person would have difficulty following any of the narrative. It just has much more depth of meaning for someone who loves Jane Austen’s works.
Someone hoping to only find out about Jane Austen should read a biography. This is an intimate travelogue that delves into some of the events in Jane’s life, relating it to real life, real faith, and the author’s own conflicts and struggles.
I enjoyed this book a lot, learned a little more about Jane Austen, and felt renewed in my own faith and identity in Christ. This is a winner for any postmodern Christian woman.
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