So Much Serendipity in Two Recently Read Novels -- STORYLINE SERENDIPITY

SO MUCH SERENDIPITY

IN TWO RECENTLY READ NOVELS

Have you had the experience of something coming up in a book -- an event, place, idea, historical character, or even an unusual word -- and then shortly after, the same thing comes up in a different book completely by coincidence? I call this Storyline Serendipity.

Last month, I read two books that have so many similarities, it's uncanny. 

First I read The Severed Wasp by Madeleine L'Engle, famous for her children’s classic A Wrinkle in Time. The Severed Wasp is a novel for adults. It is the story of a woman in her 70s who recently retired from a career as a concert pianist. While she has a quiet demeanor, she is strong willed and can be prickly. As the story unfolds, we learn of her personal history going back to when she was a young bride of 19 living in Europe on the brink of WWII. She had a long but unconventional marriage, her son died in an accident when he was seven years old, and she has a difficult relationship with her daughter. 

Then I read the current buzz book, The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. It is the story of a woman in her 70s who recently retired from a career as a lawyer. She also has a quiet demeanor but is strong willed and definitely prickly. Through a series of letters spanning several years, we learn her history going back to when she was a young wife and mother focused on her career. She had a long marriage that ended in divorce after her son died in an accident when he was eight years old. She has a difficult relationship with her daughter. 

Both books explore themes of grief and guilt, aging, mother/daughter relationships, and friendship. 

How crazy is all that overlap? 

I highly recommend both The Correspondent and A Severed Wasp. The writing in both is first rate, the stories engaging. As I approach my 60th birthday, I greatly appreciate novels that center older women. These books are a reminder that old ladies don't have to solve mysteries to be interesting. 

WHAT IS STORYLINE SERENDIPITY?

A ONCE-IN-A-WHILE BLOG EVENT

Storyline Serendipity is more than simply reading two similar books. I don't mean like when you take a class in Russian history and read two books about the Tsar. Or when you read two mysteries and there are dead bodies in each.

I mean random coincidence between two books. I like it when this happens because it makes me slow down and pay more attention to how the event or idea, place or character was treated in each book. I get a little more out of each book than I would have if the universe hadn't paired them on my reading list.

If you experience Storyline Serendipity, feel free to grab the button and play along. If you want to, please leave the link to your post in a comment. Or leave the link to your post on the Rose City Reader facebook page. If you want to participate but don't have a blog or don't feel like posting, please share your serendipity in a comment.

This is a once-in-a-while blog event that I'll post as I come across Storyline Serendipity. If you want to participate, post whenever you want and leave a comment back here on my latest Storyline Serendipity post. If it ever catches on, we can make it a monthly event.