Three Impactful Books

I love books and as long as it had romance in it, I considered it a good read. Then I met these three and in some ways they did change my life.

The Thornbirds

I’ve written about this one before. It is a sweeping saga centered on the love between Meggie Cleary and Father Ralph de Bricassart, a priest who is torn between his love for the young Meggie and his faith. This bittersweet love affair has several themes but the most poignant is that of ambition, sacrifice and the consequences of sin. You can’t help but root for them but the relationship is doomed from the start.

The impact it had on me was incredible. Here was someone, Colleen McCullough, who wrote with such grace, beauty, expertise and had the power to take you on a journey until the very end. Her words had the power to touch something deep within and I wanted to be just like her!

Wuthering Heights

It was written by Emily Bronte and is a story that revolves around a troubled relationship between Heathcliff, who is adopted by the Earnshaw family and Catherine Earnshaw. However, Catherine marries Edgar Linton for social status which in turn drives Heathcliff to plot revenge against those who wronged him. An intriguing story of class differences and the destructive power of love. A toxic relationship that keeps you enthralled to the very end.

The impact it had on me was that “love” is a painful thing and it has many facets. I still feel that way.

The Diary of Anne Frank

This one was captivating, heart-wrenching and it chronicles man’s inhumanity to man. Anne Frank and her family hide from the Nazis in a “Secret Annex” above a shop in Amsterdam. She goes on to detail her daily life with others in the annex and of her fears and hope amid the war. However, after years in hiding, the family is captured by the Gestapo and sent to concentration camps. Her father, Otto Frank, will be the sole survivor.

The impact it had on me was mind-boggling. I lived her journey right to their capture and later cried when she along with her mother and sister died in the concentration camp. It is a powerful firsthand account of life in hiding and one young girl’s will to survive under unimaginable circumstances. It also taught me that life and people can be cruel.