Customer Reviews

Elena

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Elena Franklin was born in Standhope, CT in 1910 and died of congestive heart failure at age 70. She was considered one of great minds of her time. Though her views were unpopular at times, she had the brains and the guts to stick by them and to admit it on those rare occasions when she was wrong. She had two great loves in her life, never had children and never married.

Elena Franklin never existed. She is a fictional character created by Thomas H. Cook. In this amazing book, Mr. Cook follows Elena from her birth to her death through her older brother's eyes. The premise is that Elena's biography has just been published but William, her brother, doesn't think it captures Elena's true essence, so he writes his own biography of Elena. A writer himself, he had long ago accepted the fact that his contribution to the world would merely be as a footnote in Elena's life. Elena wanted only to be true to her intelligence and at whatever cost. She realized that she missed out on passion and companionship, but she lived the life that she felt was necessary. And I think she died having peace of mind.

This is an incredible book. I was lucky enough to buy it when it was first published and this is one book that I will not lend to anyone. I've probably read ten times and I will be reading it again. It's a book to read when you are at a point in your life when you have to reassess your priorities and think about the life that you have lived. While it is not a fun book, it is ultimately uplifting.