Musings on Madeleine
Well I finished reading Code Name Madeleine and it brought up a mixture of reactions: part admiration/inspiration and part envy, (not that I would ever necessarily make her choices in my own life), and part reservation. I discussed it with someone who was taking the position of explaining Noor's choice to sacrifice herself as being the most authentic expression of who she was and of everything she believed. Here is my response to that: "In fact I do see what you say about Noor. My reservations doubtless have more to do with where I am on my path than with how far along she was on hers. In a sense she lived the perfect life, the life of a martyr who got to 'die young' and as a beautiful, pure human being, although she paid a terrible price in suffering to achieve that status. Since that boat has long since sailed for me, (😉), some part refuses to identify with her sacrifice; doubtless the same part which has given up on the idea of transcendence for my...