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That Same Flower
Jostein Gaarder Book Review

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Plot Summary of That Same Flower
"This short novel by Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder (originally titled _Vita Brevis_ -- "Life Is Short") purports to contain the translation of a lengthy 5th century letter to St. Augustine from his former mistress, Floria Aemilia. Long after their 12 years of cohabitation and parenting of a son in Africa, and their subsequent separation, she writes to him about their past, her feelings, and his ultimate choice of asceticism. The book has little narrative, but succinctly confront the clash of spiritual vs. sensual, faith vs. life, the love of humans vs. the love of God -- not to mention the nagging issue of what happened to the woman who appears so briefly but vividly in Augustine's _Confessions_."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of That Same Flower
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - distant past/middle ages
Romance/Romance Problems Yes
Internal struggle/realization? Yes
Struggle over - vague finding self/purpose in life (i.e. no plot to book)
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Lover is - of a different social class

Main Character
Gender - Female
Age: - 40's-50's
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - religious figure
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a lot
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 3 ()
Europe Yes
European country: - Italy
Africa Yes
Kind of Africa: - White Enclave
City? Yes

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references
Unusual Style: - written like a journal/diary/letters
Amount of dialog - little dialog
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Castle of Wisdom by Rhett Ellis
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The Fool's Tale by Nicole Galland
The Witches' Kitchen by Cecelia Holland


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