One Smile At A Time
Notebook Number Nine by Jackie Carreira is the most beautiful contemporary novel that sank into my heart and soul. I never wanted it to end.
The tale is one of self-discovery. It begins in the year 2000 and ends in 2024. Bekki wants to discover the meaning of life, and the meaning of her life, in particular. She makes drastic changes. Notebooks are bought and written in over the years. “A journey of self-development doesn’t take you to a place on a map. It takes you to a place inside yourself.”
We learn that changes don’t happen overnight. For change to be consistent, we need to implement small changes regularly over time. We will always have the choice to do the right thing.
Along the way, Bekki meets people who will change her life with their care, kindness and compassion. There are those who look out for others – Ruth and Alf run a café and they have a heart to feed and help the homeless. There are some huge hearts within the book.
We ‘hear’ Bekki’s thoughts on religion, politics and war – the latter is particularly poignant, as we read:
“The only people that ever benefit from war are arms dealers and undertakers.”
We learn the value of a smile. To change someone’s world, all it may take is a smile. Practice kindness. “If you can make one person’s life a little better every day, then you’ve changed the world.”
We cannot change the whole world but we can make a difference in the lives of those we come into contact with. “I can’t sort out all the problems of the world… But… we can all do something no matter how small.”
The building blocks for tomorrow, begin today. “Everything you live today will build tomorrow.”
As Bekki examines death, after a close friend passes, I found the following incredibly moving (especially as my wonderful Dad died just a few weeks ago and grief is raw):
“When a person passes away, it’s absolutely evident to see that they were never their physical body, because that definitely stays right here on earth… Whatever it was that caused… the light in those eyes, it disappears in an instant… Life has left the building.”
Notebook Number Nine is a simply beautiful book with real nuggets of truth to take away. Let’s all endeavour to change the world, one smile at a time.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
Notebook Number Nine
When all the lies and hypocrisy of the world become too much to ignore; when you see it all so clearly that you can’t erase the image from your mind, what do you do?
When the thin veil of conformity drops from Bekki’s eyes she doesn’t know what to do either, so she sits down and writes a letter. Alice replies. But who is Alice? And is it even possible for ‘normal’ people to undertake a true journey of self-improvement without running away to a monastery up a mountain?
Bekki is going to find out.
Notebook Number Nine is a life-affirming, often humorous story of self-discovery and what it simply means to be human.
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Author Bio –
Jackie Carreira is an author, playwright, musician, and co-founder of QuirkHouse Theatre Company and the Foreword Book Festival. Born in England to Portuguese parents, she grew up mostly in East London, but spent part of her early childhood in the Old Quarter of Lisbon. These colourfully diverse cities and her ‘genetic nomad’ background have had a big influence on both her writing and general view of the world. Jackie now lives in East Anglia with a husband, two cats, and an awful lot of books. She is a proud patron of Halesworth Library in Suffolk.
Social Media Links –
Instagram: jackiecarreirawriter
Facebook: JackieCarreiraWriter