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You are at:Home»Uncategorized»Book review: A lesson in living from the dying
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Book review: A lesson in living from the dying

Grocott's MailBy Grocott's MailNovember 12, 2013No Comments3 Mins Read
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Few authors have the ability to produce a first-class fictional gem that makes even the most insensitive reader shed a tear. Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt has done this and more, as he deals with themes of illness and death with honesty and wit in his novella, Oscar and the Lady in Pink.

Few authors have the ability to produce a first-class fictional gem that makes even the most insensitive reader shed a tear. Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt has done this and more, as he deals with themes of illness and death with honesty and wit in his novella, Oscar and the Lady in Pink.

 
Oscar and the Lady in Pink
By Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Published by Atlantic Books, an imprint of Grove Atlantic Ltd.
Received from Penguin Books for review purposes
ISBN: 9781843548867
Format: Paperback
Recommended Retail Price: R135
Rating: 3.5/5
Fiction


Imagine going through adolescence, having your first kiss and getting married all within 48 hours? For 10-year-old Oscar, time is running out and having being diagnosed with a terminal illness he is determined to make the most of his last few days.

On a daily basis Oscar is visited by the lady in pink, Granny Rose, a volunteer at the hospital. It is she who encourages Oscar to imagine every day for the next 12 days is equivalent to 10 years.

Oscar presents the reader with his heart-warming and often sad collection of letters written to God over the days that follow. His relationship with Granny Rose is highlighted throughout and celebrated in the form of engaging and thought-provoking dialogue.

The reader will learn of Oscar’s hospital friends, whom he assigns nicknames based on their reasons for being in hospital. One such friend is nicknamed Peggy Blue, who has a blood illness.

Granny Rose provides Oscar with the comfort and security his family fail to provide and the book takes the reader through Oscar’s interactions with his parents, doctors, Granny Rose and his friends.

This book is upsetting in parts, but overall it is uplifting. It's a simple book with a simple message: make the most of your life.

At 80 A5 pages, this book is just a nice story with a heart-warming message which will leave you appreciating every day of your life.

"You mean there isn't a solution to life?"

"I mean there are several solutions to 'life' and therefore no solution."

"Well, this is what I think, Granny Rose, there's no solution to life except to live it."

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