Fan Letter

Dear Miss Holly Chamberlin,
On Thursday morning I went to the library and picked up Tuscan Holiday. It is now 11am on Saturday and I have to tell you- that was the best read I've had in ages! Where have you been all my life? I've especially enjoyed your vivid detail of the Italian countryside and added yet another destination to my growing wish list of places to visit. The answer lady has become my new hero. I was up all night sharing her wealth of advice with my husband who has decided she's pretty much a female version of Simon Cowell. I'm going to miss that crazy psychopath. Coincidentally, at this very moment I'm having a lull in my own whacked out relationship with the demon who gave birth to me. The mother/daughter dynamic continues to fascinate me, especially now that I am raising my own future ungreatful drama queen. I suppose I should be thankful for surgical menopause. She's only seven and I'm already seeing faint traces of her mother and grandmother. When she gets her period only one of us will have to be bound and gagged. The other, I assume will either move out or just kill herself. By the way, were those mom quotes from actual books? Good stuff!

I have seen myself mirrored in the struggles both women have faced on this journey. (Does that make sense?) From young Marina, forced to make difficult choices about life and love and finally choose to live her own life to Elizabeth who eventually chose to leave her past where it belongs and move forward with gusto, I have been there. More than all of these, I saw the relationship between Marina and her mother and for the thousandth time wished that I could have known the depth of love between these two women. What is it like to communicate with a mother who chooses sympathy or empathy over martyrdom? What is it like to speak freely without fear of condemnation, verbal assaults, or self-pity from either side? In this book I had a rare glimpse of how it could be one day with my own child. I've also recognized the truth for what it is in yet another one of a million different ways. Dysfunction is more often than not a choice rather than unplanned circumstance. We choose how people treat us and we choose how to respond to that treatment. The result could be liberating or debilitating, depending on our level of maturity. As I was following Marina and Elizabeth through the streets of Tuscany, I decided that I'm quite comfortable with the mutual silence between my mom and I, but thanks for giving me some things to think about. I'm sure this subject will come up again in a few months when I'm forced to deal with visitation issues. I wonder what Answer Lady would say about all this...

To sum up, I have become an addict of your work. I think you are absolutely brilliant and can't wait to get my hands on another of your books. I may have to pace myself though. At this rate, the housework will be ignored, the fridge empty, and my appearance- well I think you get it. Well done, Miss Chamberlin. You had me at the graduation party.

Sincerely,
Sherry Castelluccio