Astrid and Veronika by Linda OlssonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Poignant and heartwarming, the novel sets you into a quiet mood, experiencing saudade in the middle of a heavy rainfall. The book opens with a cold winter welcome, it feels slow at first, but as you go along the story, you are slowly opening up - to the slow talks, to the longer sunshine, to the serense streams of the river bend, to the peaceful poems and prose, and to the sharings of the two women - of different generations, but having the same broken past and dark secrets.
I learned about their stories of loss, of longing and of love. Some are of melancholic tone - but most of them cuts deep, you cannot help but shed a tear. And oh, TEARS!
What I learned about is how the old woman named Astrid told Veronika this:
"...Love comes to us with no forewarning, and once given to us it can never be taken away."
This is for us to remember that love is a gift, and may it come in such a quiet fashion, it will remain in our hearts forever.
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