What a story teller this woman is. Beautiful stories she tells, most of them based on personal experience, almost aways against a violent historical background. There is intense pain and sadness in her stories, the tragedy of what it is to be human, finding one's way through the horror and helplessness of what is going on around. She does it again with this very personal story of Victor, a Spanish man who somehow navigates his way through the Spanish Civil War, his wife Roser who has her won war experience, making their way to the far old land of Chile - the long petal of the sea - on the Winnipeg, an old ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda to rescue 2000-odd Spanish migrants with no where in Europe to go. As with all refugees, they were not welcomed with open arms, but over the years, Victor and Roser make good lives for themselves. Things are never calm for long in South America however, freedom and repression on repeat the name of the way things evolve in some of these countries. So it is in Chile. And yes despite the fear, the violence, the repression, us human beings, we keep going, living, loving those around us. So it is with Victor and Roser and those who are dear to them. It is a wonderfully uplifting story, perfect for the uncertainty, fear, loss and despair of the last two years. The book is dedicated to Victor who died shortly before this was published in 2019.
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