Hippie is the autobiography by Paulo Coelho, told in third person. This is a story about people that travel the world, wear funny clothes and flowers in their hairs, and believe in peace, love and freedom.
I have read many of Coelho’s books, even since I was a teenage girl. And all of them share something in common – the path of finding yourself. After reading Hippie, I believe that this is the the best one that covers this subject quite perfectly.
‘’He was a human being, with all the fragility that entails, he didn’t understand everything that happened in his life, but he truly wished to believe he was travelling in search of the light.’’
If you are a fan of drama, history, romance, World War II related books, heartwarming read and words that will make you laugh and cry at the same time – The Night Raid from Clare Harvey is the perfect book for you.
In the time of the World War II, in a factory in England, women work their way to earn a bit of money for themselves and their families. All of these women have their own stories and their own secrets.
When a woman comes to the factory to paint the ladies working the night shift, a lot of secrets will reveal itself. The stories of love, broken hearts, never-haves, hopes and dreams for the future will be painted on that canvas.
Full with passion, mystery, warmness and moments that will stay with you forever, Clare Harvey captures all of these and more in this amazing book.
She describes the characters in a unique way, she gives them life and meaning, and in a page or two you will already be inside their world, going through their happiness and pain.
This book was quite fast paced – in the meaning of, the story goes on smoothly, and there aren’t any sideway streets where you can get lost into. It was easy to keep track of what is happening from the very first beginning and easy to stay on track as well.
Clare managed to capture the World War II period in England quite well. I would never know how it was then, of course, but by reading the book, I could find myself being there, stuck in that time, stuck with those principles that we don’t believe in now. Stuck in a time where people believed that if a woman becomes pregnant during her working time, she has to either give up the baby, or live in a house full of other women that ended up the same way as her. Stuck in a time where gender equality is not a thing, and how could it be?
I would definitely recommend The Night Raid to every one of you, because it is a perfect blend of history and romance, of sadness and happiness, and of such powerful women that fought against all odds to survive and achieve in what they believed in!
I was sitting in the park for a while and I was unsure where to look, what to think about and what to do. So, as usually, I’d make some photographs with my camera, stare at people, walk around, sit on one of the benches and stare at people again.
A conversation between a mother and a little girl caught my attention. The mother was sitting on the bench right next to mine, and the girl was the cutest girl ever. She had blonde hair, long up until her shoulders, and sparkly big blue eyes full of life. She was playing around, jumping and laughing and she came to her mum and said:
– Mum, can I have an ice-cream?
– No, sweetie, you can’t have an ice-cream now. It’s still cold outside. We need to wait.
– Why do we need to wait, mum? What will happen if we wait?
– Oh sweetie, we need to wait for the weather to be warmer.
– But why? Does the sun get bigger if we wait?
The mother smiled and said:
– No, but it shines brighter.
– Okay mummy, I’ll wait. Does that mean that my ice-cream will taste better too?
I was a witness to the cutest conversation between a mother and a daughter ever, and it made me think deeper. Do we really get better things if we wait? I wouldn’t say so. We just appreciate them more, just because we wait for them. Or sometimes, the opposite happens, We realize we don’t really need them, we just wanted them at the exact moment.
And this girl…she is on my mind all day. Her way of thinking is so different. The way she is willing to wait, so she could taste a better ice-cream. I believe it will result in her willing to wait for things, and to appreciate them when she gets them, which is one of the best qualities that one person can have.
We need to wait for things to happen. They will eventually come, and happen, and they will be the best things we have ever had. And we’d know how to appreciate them!
