Greta

This wee post is a tribute to Greta … the wonderful protagonist of D’s book … I keep accidentally typing Great instead of Greta and I think that’s fucking fabulous … ;-D

Greta the Great

Which Book?

The book in question is The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff. I started watching the film a few years ago but I’m not sure if I ever finished it. The book then found its way into my home. And I finally read it !! ;-D These few words are here so that I can express my thoughts before they escape me …

Tenderness

First and foremost, I’d like to thank the author for all the tenderness (*). With so much conflict in the world these days, I appreciate the acts of kindness woven into this book. There’s of course some discord — otherwise there’s no story — but to my mind the chaos was kept to a bare minimum. Cheers to that.

California Brat

Alrighty folks, I shall now try to pay tribute to Greta the Great. Please kindly bear in mind that none of the following is intended as an actual book review …

I loved Greta’s disdain of her pedigree. Greta was expected to marry w/in a woefully boring social circle in California and she was like: “Nope !!”

So she leaves California, adamant of her need to explore. She falls in love. She constructs an impossible marriage w/ a small town boy (*).

Wifery

Against all odds, Greta manages to make wifery work for her … yahoo !! ;-D This lasts for awhile. Then wifery takes a funky trajectory …

Tsunami Surf Punk

OK so let’s be clear that there’s no actual surfing in this book nor is there an actual tsunami. But figuratively speaking I found both in Greta’s wifery.

Lemme ‘splain. There’s a point in the book during which Greta finds herself negotiating unexpected swells, riptides, hidden impediments. Tenacity keeps her in the surf. She graciously gives up the best waves, allowing others a sweet ride. She drags her loved ones out of dangerous currents, using her body as a protective barricade. She gets slammed. She gets up. She cleans up. And she goes back out. Greta the Great is my Tsunami Surf Punk girlfriend !! ;-D

I was fearful that Greta’s soul might eventually take a dark turn. When that didn’t happen (whew !! ;-D), I wondered whether the author had shaped Greta’s character based on some fabulous Surf Betty in his own life. I came across the interview below which was fun and entertaining, but I was deflated to find so little discussion about Greta …

Until finally … this Boom Club Mama stood up and asked about Greta … this doesn’t happpen until roughly 57 minutes in … I am forever grateful to her !! ;-D

Boom Club Mama explains briefly that she and her book club loved Greta … by her enthusiasm, I think they loved Greta the Great as much as I did. ;-D As I recall, a bit of easy banter ensues it the interview, but still not much about Greta. So you know what ?! I just thought of this. I’m going to write a few paragraphs about Greta. Picking up where the book ends. With Liss G, Chuck P & Heather O in mind. Here we go …

Chapter 30

(Viv / June 2025)

The Empress Brittania carves through the Atlantic like a mermaid in her prime. She whispers “Atraverssiamo” to her passengers. Very few hear the whisper. Only the widows …