Somehow I have never read or seen the play Our Town by Thornton Wilder. I have seen clips when performed in various movies or TV shows, but I knew very little of the story line. Over the weekend I decided a classic was just what I needed. It’s an extremely quick read, around 100 pages, and since it’s a play it reads very quickly. If you’ve never read it or seen the play, it’s definitely worth reading.

The book makes you ask yourself questions. Do humans ever realize how wonderful life is while we live it? Even the mundane everyday tasks are beautiful. Life is a gift and so many of us don’t realize how truly wonderful it is till it’s over. The ending had me in tears and really made me reflect on how much of my life I take for granted.

I also want to mention one of my favorite parts of the book. In Act II when they are discussing a soon to be wedding.  The stage manager says:

    ” George and Emily are going to show you now the conversation they had when they first knew that… that… as the saying goes… they were meant for one another.

      But before they do it I want you to try and remember what it was like to have been very young. And particularly the days when you were first in love; when  you were like a person sleep walking, and you didn’t quite see the street you were in, and didn’t quite hear everything that was said to you.”

As soon as I read that I was reminded of the way I was when my husband Jeff and I first told one another how we felt about each other. It really described me so perfectly, I clearly remember his family teasing me because I seemed dazed all the time, and I never really seemed to hear them when they were talking to me.  I really love how he captured “young love”.

This book is a classic for a reason and I highly recommend it… 5 stars.