Author: Cindy La Ferle

ISBN: 0-923568-63-8

The following review was contributed by: Kathryn Atwood Click Here To View More Of Kathryn's Reviews 

            One of author Cindy La Ferle’s prized possessions is a card which reads, “The sacred is in the ordinary.  It is found in one’s daily life – in friends, family, and neighbors; in one’s own backyard.”  These words summate the theme of  her enchanting collection of essays, “Writing Home.”  Culled from previously published essays and newspaper columns, the diverse subjects covered in her book share a common thread: the joy and wonder that can be discovered in the every day.

            Divided into topical chapters, the book’s broad range of topics includes a neighborhood squirrel who found his way into La Ferle’s heart (“Willie”), a humorous discussion of household labor (“A Woman’s Place?), and musical memories that centers on an ungainly, presently unwanted piano (“The Family Piano”).  La Ferle is a working mother, so the chapter entitled “Child Care” contain especially poignant and insightful essays.  Because she’s a baby boomer, her essays included in the chapter entitled “Older and Wiser” also ring humorously true.

            She is clearly domestic and yet modern enough to be slightly embarrassed by the fact: in the essay entitled “Domestic Diva Comes Clean” she lets us know (blushingly) that she’s into hearth and home.  But her love for domesticity goes deeper than making soup, banana bread, and keeping her house clean (things she’s quite good at); she is able to articulate a clear philosophy on the subject.  In her essay entitled “Puttering,” she defines this homey activity as “a way of clarifying life’s myriad details, especially when it’s done with reverence for the objects at hand.  It’s an opportunity to reconsider what we most enjoy in our homes, and to make a mental list of what we’ like to edit later.”

            At times, I wished some of the essays were longer; the subjects she covers are so interesting and valuable, it seems a shame that they were hindered by a seemingly arbitrary word count.   But there it is: little gems of wisdom from a modern working woman who has a valuable and interesting philosophy on life. 

 To read an interview with Cindy Laferle CLICK HERE