This is a very moving and touching novelette. It spoke to me because I know what it feels like to be shunned by others, to be ostracized and ridiculed for having a disability. I felt for Fei Fei. His own mother abandoned him, and perhaps her intentions were good, to get him educated in a blind school, but still, unforgivable.This takes place in China, not sure the era. An old woman who can barely feed herself, takes in a boy abandoned at the bridge. He's blind. She takes him to the orphanage and is dismayed to discover, he's treated like a baby, not the intelligent 5 year old he is. Nobody wants to or has the time to focus on a blind boy, to educate him. They just make him stay out of the way. How many of us with disabilities have faced this at some point in our lives??? Too many of us, too often.
To me, this story teaches that handicapped are not any less capable than others, that people judge too quickly, and that love isn't necessarily dictated by blood. Because the old woman falls in love with the little boy and even sells her last piece of jewelry to care for him.
A beautiful story with a strong message and eloquent descriptions. It does need an editor, however. There were lots of discrepancies with tense usage and some odd word pairings.
"As she watches, Fei Fei quickly ate the orange and sat quietly awaiting his next instructions."
Like that.
Favorite quote: "...you must realize that the world is a very big place. You must keep an open mind and learn new ways to explore beyond what you already know."
Four stars and I got this on Amazon Kindle.
The characters are very moving as is the story itself. You can’t help but want to get to know the characters better and step into the story yourself. A most wonderful and moving read.
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