Book: The Ginger Tree

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The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received this book via care package (thanks to Heather) and had no idea what to expect. It was 100% enjoyable. The main character is a traveler who shares such insights and wisdom regarding traveling that make me feel 'connected' to the world of travels. It is a a story of life, exploring, accepting, changing, overcoming, and being set to the backdrop of Asian culture, conflicts and world conflicts - a fascinating read made even more so while living in an Asian nation.

A few quotes which stuck out: (For the blog, I'll add some additional thoughts regarding the quotes, in italics)
"Travel seems to put more than distance between you and the people at home, an increasing number of things you have seen and thought about which you can't mention for fear they would shock, and this is really sad." (pg.26)

This resonates with me to a certain degree, although technology, blogs, facebook, email, skype, etc - have greatly decreased the vastness of such distance. This quote however sums up an aspect of travel that is consistent and at times quite challenging. So often in my own travels I have yearned to share the experience and location with a number of good and cherished friends and family members.

"In Edinburgh it is easy to believe in Heaven as a reward for the good life carefully lived, but from what I have seen of the Far East I am having doubts of what once seemed certain." (pg. 38)

I've never quite felt this, yet understand where it comes from. I understand how things which once seemed certain, suddenly seem shakeable and changable. If anything, for me, travel stretches my view of heaven and the necessity of bringing Heaven to Earth.

"She isn't a restful woman to be with, your mind isn't allowed to go slack in her company, and this is what I needed." (pg. 149)

Ah, the joy of friends who cause us to think and act deeply. I am blessed to have an abundance of such friends the world over.

"I sometimes wonder if under the disguises I wear to make myself more bearable to me I am really hard and selfish, pursuing what I want and brushing aside anything that is likely to hinder me in acheiving this." (pg. 168)

Wearing disguises to make myself more bearable...can only imagine how often I am prone to such behavior.

"At the back of my mind is the feeling that there is a kind of virtue somewhere in not just being able to walk into a shop to buy a pair of shoes, but having to save for six months before you can re-shoe your feet, perhaps cutting out a meat meal a week in order to manage it." (pg. 221)

Yes.

"Some days, reading the papers, being forced to accept the truths lying under the exaggerations, I feel like a ghost returned from another age and, as a punishment for distant sins, forced to watch the crumbling away of everything I had once known, and lived in, and believed to be solid forever." (pg. 285)

Another statement that rings so true to my experience.

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Mary McKenzie, the main character shares these quotes and her experiences in journal entries and letters to friends. I love my blogs, yet reading The Ginger Tree encourages me to get back into my journals and perhaps send a few handwritten letters to friends back in the homeland.