Review: SYMPATHY, COMPASSION, HOPE: INTRIGUING READ
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 16, 2013
(Quote) "Portia Marguerite Prudence Thorpe was the only daughter of the most ill favored man that had ever breathed in all England." (unquote) I always love to read the opening sentence of a story. For me, that's a critical moment. If you can draw me in here, it's very likely I will stay with you until the very end. In my opinion, this opening line, quoted above, is as good as any you will find nowadays.Here's what I thought to myself: What kind of person can Portia possibly hope to become with such a father? Sympathy and compassion and hope compelled me to find out what Portia's fate would be. I also raised the NURTURE VS NATURE question as I read on. That question namely says, 1)  that we are what we are born into. (poor Portia). or, 2) we can overcome our birth circumstances and become whatever we want to become (hope for Portia).As you can see, this was an absolutely intriguing read for me. In the end, there is an answer provided. Author Petronela Ungureanu has given the reader a glimpse into what possibly is her own unique perspective on this question, which ultimately makes you think about your own views of Nature VS Nurture.Obviously, I recommend this book highly, as I found it well written, intriguing on a number of levels, and clever in appealing to our background knowledge of "Pride and Prejudice", without actually hoping to be simply a spinoff. In other words, this is a unique read, and stands on its own merit.Reviewed by Thomas Jerome BakerAuthor ofStory Tellers: In Pursuit of Happiness