Because I knew I would be spending a LOT of time watching the Olympics this week, I picked a book that I thought would be a quick and easy read.
I’m definitely reading it quickly, but it’s not as light as I thought it would be. I knew the subject matter was heavy- a ten-year-old boy falls from a three-story window and is now in the ICU- but it’s even sadder than that. The story is told from the viewpoint of four different women whose lives intersect.
Each of the four women is privately struggling in a different way with her attitude toward motherhood, career, and marriage. So much sorrow hidden from the rest of the world! I know this is a work of fiction, and I certainly hope most people I meet are happier than these women- but it reminds me of the saying “Be very kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.” You just don’t know what people are going through.
Speaking of women… how about Simone Biles? Imagine the pressure she’s under. Everyone is watching her, especially after what happened in Tokyo. And on the first night of competition, she nailed it (in spite of hurting her CALF! I have some exercises for you, Simone!) That’s some mental toughness.
It makes me think of another woman- Kamala Harris. Imagine the pressure SHE’S under! All eyes are upon her- half our country hates her, and the other half has pinned all their hopes and dreams for this election (and the future of our country?) on her. And she wants it! She obviously feels that she’s up to the challenge. Now that is a TOUGH WOMAN.
Have you read The Whispers?
Did you watch the first night of women’s gymnastics?
Top photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash
23 Responses
Simone must have been spectacular! I’m hoping to see some video clips.
I often wonder how these athletes deal with all the pressure and scrutiny. Have you seen the Netflix documentary “Sprint”? Every split second counts and every slightest move can affect your performance. Adding to the pressure, the Olympics is only every 4 years!
Yes, these swimming races are so close- it’s less than a second between getting a gold medal or getting no medal at all. I can’t even imagine the pressure.
I read _The Whispers_ based on Sarah’s rec. Absolutely brilliant! Let me know how you like the ending :).
Speaking of sticking the landing–Simone Biles is a goddess. I hope Kamala can do that too!
Oh, that’s going to be my new saying- “Stick the landing, Kamala!”
Now I can’t wait to finish the book!
I don’t think I could read that book!!!! I think I’d be too traumatized. But I did just finish The Mother Act which was also very interesting for different perspectives on motherhood. Also dark, but no severely injured child.
Simone Biles IS a goddess (and Suni, Jade, Jordan, and Hezly are awesome too!). Tons of fun to watch. Rooting for all of them.
Yes, you guys must have a lot of fun watching, with the little gymnasts in your house!
I have to catchup on YouTube!!
No I haven’t heard of that book but it sounds like a good read… Ugh, my list is getting long.
It is good! I keep reading way too late at night instead of going to bed.
Did I watch gymnastics? Ha. I spent all day on the couch watching every team on every apparatus. I’m glad I only get this obsessed for the Olympics.
But did you watch the men’s team final? Nedoroscik! My husband sort of thought no one on the team liked him, but then when he killed it and they threw him up in the air, I got a little teary. And I am clearly an easy target.
Yes I did see that! I love that guy- with his glasses. And in the post-race interview (on late night) he talked about solving the Rubik’s cube in nine seconds. I love it.
I have to catch up on gymnastics but I’m really looking forward to seeing the USA women’s team compete!
I think women have to be so tough to not only survive but thrive in the world, and it’s amazing to have all these strong women to look up to!
i’m watching the women’s team competition tonight- luckily I’ve been able to NOT find out what happened ahead of time (everyone in my fmaily has been instructed not to tell me if they see the results.)
I have read that book and I really liked it. I know Nicole read it, too, and liked it. That author writes very interesting books about motherhood. Her first book, “The Push” was even darker! I thought it showed some of the less-scene/less-acknowledged aspects of motherhood, but obviously those are ramped up to make the book more compelling/page turny. I’m speaking mostly to women being pushed to their emotional limits.
We watched the women’s qualifying round on Sunday and are excited to watch the finals tonight. I’m glad it doesn’t fall on the night I have book club as I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it. I’m cheering for all of them but Suni has a special place in my heart since she is our local girl. There’s a good article in the NYT about her health issues and all the other things she has had to overcome, like having a stalker!! But the health issues were major and almost made her retire from the sport (she has 2 major kidney diseases which are unnamed by her choice but required significant drug regimens). And of course I adore Biles. And Chiles. And all of them really! This team is so strong and brings back memories of the 1996 women’s olympics team which included Dominique Dawes/Dominique Moceanu (sp?) and Kerri Strug, etc etc. In the past if someone asked who my favorite sports team is, I would say the 1996 women’s olympics team. Ha. I was 15 at the time and was so obsessed with the olympics!!
Yes, I remember that team, and Keri Strug’s last vault to clinch the gold. That was awesome. This team is so awesome as well! I’m looking forward to watching tonight. That’s right Suni is a local hero for you.
I also read The Push and enjoyed it. I feel like this book also looks at less-acknowledged aspects of motherhood, with Whitney’s decision to really prioritize her career. The message of the book right now seems to be “You can’t have it all,” and I’m wondering if I’ll feel differently about that when I get to the end.
We watched some gymnastics, but in the evening, so just the highlights. I can’t believe how high they gymnasts can soar! I’m actually really excited that we subscribed to Peacock so we can watch all the things and not just what they show on the evening broadcast.
I don’t think I can handle any heavy books right now. I tried to read The Push years ago and couldn’t get through that one.
If you didn’t like The Push then I wouldn’t recommend this one either!
We also have Peacock, but so far I’ve mostly been watching the evening coverage. Yes, the gymnasts are AMAZING- and if you’re talking about soaring high, Simone is the queen.
I think I would have a really hard time reading this book. I think some part of me is going for fantasy and science fiction books because it has less overlap with real life stories. I need reading to be an escape and I feel like this is going to be even more the case as the election gets closer. I had never heard the saying “Be very kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.” before but I do like the idea.
No olympics for me yet (even though my husband got a VPN so he can watch the German covering).
The books I have a really hard time reading right now are the dystopian novels where climate change has wreaked havoc on the world- those stress me out SO MUCH. This one could be a little stressful/sad if you’re looking for a pure escape, so you’re probably smart to avoid it.
We watched some women’s yesterday, and WOW, the US team is amazing. We were watching via the Peacock app, so I think they sort it out by country or something. Might be better to watch another way to get more representation, but it takes a LOT of time no matter what.
Please let Kamala stick her landing! Please please please….
Kamala- fly high and stick the landing!!!
I have been loving the Olympics and just saw Biles’ floor routine recap. It is so impressive and she just seems like such a lovely athlete and human, and so brave!
I’m glad there is still a lot of Olympics left to come because it has been really nice to have something exciting to “check in on” every few hours in the day!
I DNF-ed The Whispers, lol. I don’t think I’m the right audience for her books since they are so motherhood-centric, but I know a lot of people love her and feel seen by her books, which I’m really glad about.
SIMONE FREAKING BILES. I am so impressed by her. I was so nervous when she hurt her calf! But she just absolutely killed it. The whole team did! I also felt that way watching the men’s team final. They did so well! Just imagine working so hard for something like this and NAILING IT. What an amazing feeling!
I have not read the book, but I have an immense respect for (almost) all women and what they accomplish every day!