With the pandemic, the physical and emotional distance we have had to adapt to has had major impact in my opinion on our ability to see one another. To be seen in our suffering and not have someone try to fix us, minimize our trials, or change the subject. The power of seeing and being seen in our struggles is something I have personally observed to be so significant to us as humans. But, they were able to show the significance of presence. How profound it was to see strangers in the book, each with their own suffering and loss, with these acquaintances that weren't able to change anything.

The cardinal is symbolic for the gift of presence. The bird who shows up when all the others have left for the winter. The bird that stays behind in the winter. In A Quiet Life, Ethan pulls in the significance of the cardinal. As a result, it will remain on my shelf, snuggled up to A Little Hope. This book contains multiple underlines and brackets now. I underline phrases, words, and sometimes I bracket paragraphs that speak to me or stand out as having something extra in them. And then? BOOM- they all came together in a beautiful story of heartache, disappointment, and loss. As the book progressed, I could see how he used this to keep me coming back, ending chapters in a way that kept me waiting. So, about the time I was getting to know one, a new chapter would begin and I had to dive in with another one. One of Ethan's strengths as a writer is his character development. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I struggled to keep all the characters straight at the beginning. This was the second book written by Ethan, and I read his first one, A Little Hope so I was elated to see he had written another book.Įven though I gave the book 4 stars, please understand that I loved it.

4 Stars for A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella.

A quiet life ethan joella summary