The Thirteenth Gift [Kindle Edition]

Charlene Costanzo (Author)

Book Description

While on assignment in Eastern Europe, Claire, a U.S. journalist, learns of a local legend. The deceptively simple fable about the thirteenth gift has a profound effect on Claire, which soon transforms her marriage, her work, and the way she sees the world. The Thirteenth Gift is both a cautionary tale and an inspirational fable as it shows a way through the perilous consequences of greed, arrogance, and abuse of power to an uplifted state of consciousness and community. The Thirteenth Gift invites readers to renew their own sense of wonderment, which can lead to freedom from fear and a greater experience of hope, beauty, and joy in daily life. Like the message of the award-winning book, The Twelve Gifts of Birth, this novella from Charlene Costanzo reminds readers to see the dignity that is inherent in themselves and others.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Charlene Costanzo is an award-winning author, workshop facilitator, wife, mother, and grandmother. She holds a BA in Philosophy from St. Bonaventure University and an MA in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Her previous books include: The Twelve Gifts of Birth (with seven awards), The Twelve Gifts for Healing, and The Twelve Gifts in Marriage.

Product Details

• File Size: 143 KB
• Print Length: 106 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1891836137
• Publisher: Featherfew Ltd. (March 1, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004S1VA1U
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #359,977 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Okay... May 21, 2011

By Gillian K Burgess

Format:Paperback

"The Thirteenth Gift" by Charlene Constanzo is told as a story within a story, all presented in the neat little package of a story that is less than 70 pages long (not including the afterward, discussion guide, etc). It makes for a short read, I didn't time myself but it probably took me right around an hour to read the whole book.
I think to really grasp the impact of this story, one may need to be familiar with Constanzo's other works. I myself was not very impressed, but this is also the only book of Costanzo's 'gifts' books that I've read, so that may make a difference. The story is largely one of learning to value the small things in life, finding the 'wonder' in the world around you, from the gifts that others possess to simple beauties of nature.
The fable's connection to the main character seemed loose at best. She had a dream (though we don't learn it is a dream until much later) about meeting a woman named Baba who told her a story of a kingdom long ago that was taken over by an evil regent until the people were given a dream that ignited the gift of 'wonder' in them and they left the kingdom to live in other places, while the king and queen- who returned after a trip delayed by obstacles from the regent- found the kingdom empty and left to spread word that everyone has special gifts. After awaking from the dream of hearing this story, Claire went home and decided to focus her life more on her family and less on her job.
The whole plotline seemed to lack depth to me. The story could have benefitted from more detail about the experiences of the characters.
It is a light read, if you are looking for something that you can easily work through in a short time, this is a book to consider.... Additionally, it comes with a reflection/discussion guide that may be helpful for doing with a book club of some form. However, it is far from one of my favorite books and likely not one I will often turn to for reading.
Thank you to Nettie Hartsock at Booth Media Group for the reviewer copy of this book. Read more ›

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Little Book of Wonder March 10, 2011

By Grady Harp HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Charlene Costanzo writes with her hear and soul. That is in no way to say that she is not a gifted wizard of words: her style of writing finds that delicate balance of conveying tender thoughts that are available for readers of all stages of sophistication, but she also writes prose that is elegant and touches on philosophy and spiritual thinking in a manner few other authors of this genre are capable of competing!

Claire is a successful journalist who travels around the globe reporting on hungry, abandoned and abused children. At the opening of the story he has traveled form Atlanta to Bratislava and in a delayed return to her home she meets an elderly Slovakian woman named Baba who has noted that Claire has gathered a shiny stone and apparently treasures it. This introduction leads to a story, a fable about an ancient kingdom ruled by a kind king and queen who have two children to whom the twelve godmothers bring gifts on naming day, The gifts are strength, beauty, courage, compassion, hope, joy, talent, imagination, reverence, wisdom, love and faith. In the course of the fable the Royal family goes on a journey, having been told that the twelve gifts should not be for only Royal children but for all people. An evil regent is left in charge of the kingdom and while the Royal family is gone, he attempts to destroy the concept of the twelve gifts availability to everyone, fortifies the castle, and the kingdom falls into darkness. It is only with the return of an enlightened family that the regent is dismissed, and a thirteenth gift is offered - wonder! And the gifts are then made available to all people, because when each person is seen for his intrinsic worth, each already possesses each of the gifts.... The fourteenth gift is Peace - and with the ending of the fable Claire repairs her own fragile marriage and returns to her family, content to share the gifts she now appreciates.

So the author's stones are daily reminders to connect with the unique gifts we are each born with: appreciate your won dignity and you will recognize the inherent dignity in others. It is a prelude to appreciating the wonder of the hope, beauty and joy we experience every day. Charlene Costanzo deserves a place in the circle of humanity tenders. This is an excellent and very wise book. Grady Harp, March 11 Read more ›

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not enough originality in presenting an old story May 4, 2011

By Charles Ashbacher HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

There are few places in Eastern Europe that you can visit without experiencing the feeling of being in the presence of history. Fought over for millennia, the land there has a mystique that can awaken many different feelings in a visitor.
Claire is a writer/reporter, mother and wife that has just embarked on a trip to Eastern Europe where she is going to report on children that have been abandoned, abused and neglected. Leaving a hotel, she drives out into the country where her car fails to start; she picks up an attractive stone and meets an elderly woman. After a brief conversation, Claire finds herself back in time to a kingdom ruled by a king and queen.
The story is a very familiar one to readers of folklore, when the royal couple leave the center of government an ambitious noble tries to usurp power and there is a team of godmothers that engage in gentle resistance and help save the day. When Claire returns to the present she understands that it is time to heal her relationships with the members of her family and she does so.
While the message is a sound one, it is also one that has been delivered many times. Furthermore, the parable form of mentally going elsewhere and/or elsewhen in order to receive an important message has also been used many times. Therefore, in order to be successful such stories have to be extremely well done in order to be engaging and that is not the case here. The story is very predictable and does not have the necessary originality.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Little book March 17, 2011

By Robsmommy

Format:Paperback

Readers of this book will gain two stories in one. The main character, Claire, is finding that the majority of her time is spent far away on writing jobs, and less spent with her family. It isn't until she hears a fable about "the thirteenth gift" that she begins to re-evaluate her priorities. Claire is easy to relate to, in that most find that life has too many distractions, and not enough time to sit back and reflect on the "gifts" we are given at birth, such as wonderment, imagination, and joy.

The fable within the story is really well written, and gives a sample of the reasoning behind the action of picking up and keeping stones, often subconsciencly, when we come across them on the beach, or in a park. The fable, short though it is, is very sweet and inspiring, and made this reader pause to reflect on it's message; to reconnect with the gifts we are each born with.

Charlene Costanzo is talented with the written word, and was able to mold what seems like a short and simple story into something that was very entertaining and highly inspirational to read.

As an added bonus, the back of the book contains discussion questions pertaining to the story and to life in general, and we can read more about the author as well. This is a nice book to pick up when one needs a "lift"; I could see it brightening a dismal day.

More About the Author

Charlene Gorda Costanzo is an award-winning author, workshop facilitator, wife, mother of two adult daughters, and grandmother of twins. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy from St. Bonaventure University and an M.A. in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica.

Originally from New Jersey, she has resided in New York, Texas, Arizona, and Florida. During a one-year book tour to launch The Twelve Gifts of Birth, Charlene and her husband enjoyed living in an RV in 48 of the 50 states.
The Twelve Gifts series of fables began in 1987 when Charlene wrote The Twelve Gifts of Birth as a life message for her own, then teenage daughters. Twelve years later she published the book and discussed its message in schools, shelters, prisons, churches, and hospitals throughout the United States.

The Twelve Gifts for Healing was written while Charlene was in treatment for advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2001. "Cancer led me to examine my convictions and look at these life gifts more deeply. Truly, they helped me heal," she says.

The Twelve Gifts in Marriage comes from the ups and downs, ebbs and flows, and hurts and healings that are a part of every long-term marriage.

After she wrote The Twelve Gifts of Birth, Charlene mused about a scene in its opening. What might have happened when, "The wise women came to understand that the twelve royal gifts of birth belong to every child... yearned to proclaim the gifts to all children...but the customs of the land did not allow that."? What happened was The Thirteenth Gift. This fourth work in The Twelve Gifts series also explains why so many people world-wide are fascinated with stones.