Generaly, the book is very good. I recommend it to everyone, but the people who don't like a detailed description of sex. Although the introduction is very different from the rest of the book and talking about her puppy loves doesn't interest me so much, her teenage story already starts to be connected to her prostitution story. The story is strong, emotional and very thoughtful. Not only that you can get to know a great, adventurous story, you can also find many interesting ideas and thoughts.
"And if nothing belongs to me, then there is no point wasting my time looking after things that aren't mine; it's the best to live as today were the first (or last) day of my life." page 27
This is a thought that comes to Maria's mind when Maria finds out that there is no reason to look back at the past and stay in Brazil, and decides to leave her homecountry.
"Since you can't open the windows in the plane (I have never expected that. What a shame you can't breathe in the pure air!), I will die here. But before I die I want to fight for life. If I can walk on my own, I can go wherever I like." page 45
A month after arriving to Geneva and still working as a samba dancer Maria wrote this in her diary. She was miserable, but didn't want to return to Brazil and be laughed at for not making it. Even though she felt awful, she was sure to overcome it and get back on her feet again and be happy.
"He wouldn't pay a thousand francs just to have an orgasm. He wants to be happy. I do too, everyone does and yet no one is. What have I got to lose if I decide to become a... it's a difficult word to think or even write... but let's be blunt... What have I got to lose if I decide to become a prostitute for a while? Honour. Dignity. Self-respect. Although when I think about it I've never had any of those things. I didn't ask to be born, I've never found anyone to love me, I've always made the wrong decisions - I've always made the wrong decisions - now I'm letting life decide for me." page 66
Deciding what she was really supposed to do Maria found out that there is really nothing to lose. She never had anything so why would she want to have it now? She decides to have sex with men for money without feeling bad about it, since there is no reason to regret it or feel bad about it.
"Every human being experiences his or her own desire; it is a part of our personal treasure and, although, as an emotion it can drive people away, generally speaking, it brings those who are important to us closer. It is an emotion chosen by my soul, and it is so intense that it can infect everything and everyone around me." page 178
Maria falls in love with Ralf Hart, a Swiss artist. She wonders what love really is and what we can expect from it. She is happy to have someone like Hart, because unlike other men, he is not trying to own her.
"Ralf was holding a bunch of roses , and his eyes were full of light, the light she had seen on the first day, when he was painting her while the cold wind outside had made her feel awkward to be sitting there." page 287
Until now I only used the quotes Maria used in her diary, now I wanted to show you how the book is written when Maria is not talking. This happens in the end of the book when Ralf Hart surprises her at the airport in Paris.
No comments:
Post a Comment