Beautiful and warm and melancholy. Once more I get little bits of knowledge and a sense of life living in Hong Kong through this. Also, it's comforting to know that Ivy is doing well.
Can relate to the bottle opening, too. Have had to do this a few times!
I'm sad to see Ivy leave these pages here, but it's very generous of you to share the epub.
Thanks Nathan! I think the only way to portray life in HK is through fiction. There is just so much that’s too hard to explain, if that makes sense. Maybe it’s true about everywhere!
I'm sure you're right about HK, and that can only come from lived experience. You translate that so well into fiction here. It's a perfect medium for it.
Yes, drunken university days of realising there was no bottle opener, to a far more recent wedding anniversary away in the countryside where, once again, there was not corkscrew to open the bottle 😅
Such a rich segment. I relate to the incident with the bottle of wine! As well as the symbolism in it I enjoyed the comedy and the release the character feels when it happens. ( I once spilled a glass of wine on a hard floor and thought "oops, I'll just mop that up". I then looked up at my newly decorated lounge wall and it looked like a Jackson Pollock!). I also appreciated the tension between the human need for support, kinship and home, and being propelled by the need to be free. What is "home"? Can "home" ever be somewhere other than your place of origin? Perhaps it depends on the person. Perhaps you can search for a lifetime and never find it, but that might not mean it isn't waiting for you.
Glad you shared this and I can only second what Nathan said about your portrayal of Hong Kong, and having been there myself I feel this, too. Looking forward to reading the whole of Ivy's journey, Kate.
Thanks DKW for giving us a bit of the end after this journey. Bringing the blood imagery alive to get some closure for Ivy and the reader, moving through the narrative via the trauma of her miscarriage and pending divorce and to her modest acceptance of a new stage, was well crafted. And the pacing is spot on! I found myself running metaphorically) just behind her, always reaching to keep up with the story, not wanting to miss her at any turn (or maybe just wanting to catch her before she falls…oops fail lol)….thanks again!
Haha falling and failing are the key here I guess! Thanks a lot Brian. Happy you made the connection with the blood imagery and appreciate this message about pacing. It’s a tricky thing to articulate or edit!
“Even though she had no one to look to, somehow, she chose the better path. Laughter. Her joy filled the tiny kitchen and perhaps leaked out the cracked window as well.” One of my favorites among many wonderful lines!
The wine! Hilarious... I once dropped a gallon of milk coming home from the store, and the entire thing exploded all over the kitchen. 🤣 SO GLAD Ivy is out on her own! Kung hei fat choi, Kate!! 🐉💚🐲
Oh man, my son used to spill milk ALL OVER the flat and I still think we haven’t managed to clean it all up. 😆 it’s how we react, right? Thanks Troy 💜☺️
I do love the way you write Kathlene. Sad to say that having trawled for good authorship I am now reading too much that does not fit my current research. I must cut back to focus better. Here's wishing you well. Peace, Maurice
Such a rich segment. I relate to the incident with the bottle of wine! As well as the symbolism in it I enjoyed the comedy and the release the character feels when it happens. ( I once spilled a glass of wine on a hard floor and thought "oops, I'll just mop that up". I then looked up at my newly decorated lounge wall and it looked like a Jackson Pollock!). I also appreciated the tension between the human need for support, kinship and home, and being propelled by the need to be free. What is "home"? Can "home" ever be somewhere other than your place of origin? Perhaps it depends on the person. Perhaps you can search for a lifetime and never find it, but that might not mean it isn't waiting for you.
The writing here has such an exhilarating flow to it! Brava!
Thank you, Jeffrey 🙏🏽 💫
Beautiful and warm and melancholy. Once more I get little bits of knowledge and a sense of life living in Hong Kong through this. Also, it's comforting to know that Ivy is doing well.
Can relate to the bottle opening, too. Have had to do this a few times!
I'm sad to see Ivy leave these pages here, but it's very generous of you to share the epub.
A few times?! That’s impressive 🙃
Thanks Nathan! I think the only way to portray life in HK is through fiction. There is just so much that’s too hard to explain, if that makes sense. Maybe it’s true about everywhere!
I'm sure you're right about HK, and that can only come from lived experience. You translate that so well into fiction here. It's a perfect medium for it.
Yes, drunken university days of realising there was no bottle opener, to a far more recent wedding anniversary away in the countryside where, once again, there was not corkscrew to open the bottle 😅
Haha I like your persistence! Maybe you should get a good Swiss Army Knife with corkscrew so you’re not stuck next time 😉
Certainly owned a few of those over the years.
No idea where they are 😆
😂 airport security probably!
Hah. Too true. I was once gifted a lovely bicycle accessory kit. It lived in my bag, ready to be used.
It's somewhere in airport security, unused.
Such a rich segment. I relate to the incident with the bottle of wine! As well as the symbolism in it I enjoyed the comedy and the release the character feels when it happens. ( I once spilled a glass of wine on a hard floor and thought "oops, I'll just mop that up". I then looked up at my newly decorated lounge wall and it looked like a Jackson Pollock!). I also appreciated the tension between the human need for support, kinship and home, and being propelled by the need to be free. What is "home"? Can "home" ever be somewhere other than your place of origin? Perhaps it depends on the person. Perhaps you can search for a lifetime and never find it, but that might not mean it isn't waiting for you.
I read that quickly first and thought the wine had spilled on a Jackson Pollock for real 😆
I think it’s so telling the way we react to ourselves when we do something silly/klutzy. Are we angry at ourselves? Do we laugh? Cry?
Thanks for the anecdote as well as the lovely comment 💙💙
Hehe! Framed poster maybe 🙂
Glad you shared this and I can only second what Nathan said about your portrayal of Hong Kong, and having been there myself I feel this, too. Looking forward to reading the whole of Ivy's journey, Kate.
Thank you, Alexander! I appreciate your comments and readership so much.
I am lagging a bit behind but am always looking forward to your posts!
☺️ no worries!
Thanks DKW for giving us a bit of the end after this journey. Bringing the blood imagery alive to get some closure for Ivy and the reader, moving through the narrative via the trauma of her miscarriage and pending divorce and to her modest acceptance of a new stage, was well crafted. And the pacing is spot on! I found myself running metaphorically) just behind her, always reaching to keep up with the story, not wanting to miss her at any turn (or maybe just wanting to catch her before she falls…oops fail lol)….thanks again!
Haha falling and failing are the key here I guess! Thanks a lot Brian. Happy you made the connection with the blood imagery and appreciate this message about pacing. It’s a tricky thing to articulate or edit!
“Even though she had no one to look to, somehow, she chose the better path. Laughter. Her joy filled the tiny kitchen and perhaps leaked out the cracked window as well.” One of my favorites among many wonderful lines!
Thanks so much, Holly! 💙
The wine! Hilarious... I once dropped a gallon of milk coming home from the store, and the entire thing exploded all over the kitchen. 🤣 SO GLAD Ivy is out on her own! Kung hei fat choi, Kate!! 🐉💚🐲
Oh man, my son used to spill milk ALL OVER the flat and I still think we haven’t managed to clean it all up. 😆 it’s how we react, right? Thanks Troy 💜☺️
I do love the way you write Kathlene. Sad to say that having trawled for good authorship I am now reading too much that does not fit my current research. I must cut back to focus better. Here's wishing you well. Peace, Maurice
Thanks Maurice! And also for sharing my work in Notes.
Alors Kathleen, avec beaucoup plaisir
Such a rich segment. I relate to the incident with the bottle of wine! As well as the symbolism in it I enjoyed the comedy and the release the character feels when it happens. ( I once spilled a glass of wine on a hard floor and thought "oops, I'll just mop that up". I then looked up at my newly decorated lounge wall and it looked like a Jackson Pollock!). I also appreciated the tension between the human need for support, kinship and home, and being propelled by the need to be free. What is "home"? Can "home" ever be somewhere other than your place of origin? Perhaps it depends on the person. Perhaps you can search for a lifetime and never find it, but that might not mean it isn't waiting for you.