It is an unusual Jerusalem winter, although there is no nativity scene. It is 1945. It is about Felix, an orphan crossing over from childhood to adulthood. It is about a time of unsettling calm at the end of one war and the brewing of another conflict. It is about a place between two upheavals, and read by this reader just as the year is ending and another is about to begin.
…and maybe the story still matters to us because it is all about the state of in-betweenness, a state that we constantly find ourselves in; and because life itself is an entire in-betweenness. After all, “I suppose it means that life is a sort of school for love,” ponders Mrs. Ellis, and maybe the true test of our lives is in how we navigate through the uncertainty of this in-betweenness and treat others in their own in-betweenness.
The Book-Butterfly 
I just love Olivia Manning. I need to get this one. In 2023. With a bunch of other books! 🤣🤣🤣
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Haha 🤣 I have yet to read her larger works (the trilogies)! Do you have a favorite?
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I loved both trilogies so much, but maybe the Balkans one just a tad more than the Levant. Just. They are both great!
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Ohhh that’s great to know! Thanks! I’m planning to read at least one of the trilogies next year!
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Actually do the Balkans first, because even though they are two separate series the balkans is first chronologically and there is the odd mention of a character from the Balkans that appears in the levant. X
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Interesting! Thank you for this tip! ^_^
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Yes, absolutely MUST read the 2 trilogies. Start with Balkan because it’s chronological – brilliant
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Thank you! I did just that. Recently finished reading Balkan and can’t wait to take up Levant!
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Happy New Year Mira! You know what I did first thing this morning when I woke up!!! Retail therapy is the real deal! 🤣🙂🙂 All the best to you for the year ahead! X
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AHHHHH!!! I am so happy for you!!! Hahahahaha! Happy New Year, Anna!!! ❤ Cheers to another year of reading and living!
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