{"product_id":"a-breath-of-air","title":"A Breath of Air","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“We are such stuff\u003c\/strong\u003e as dreams are made on: and our little life is rounded with a sleep,” cries Prospero in Shakespeare’s \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Tempest\u003c\/em\u003e—from which play Rumer Godden took the story of this novel, \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA Breath of Air\u003c\/em\u003e. In cast of character and plot structure, parallels are certainly present—Mr. van Loomis is the novel’s magician and ruler; Charis, his literate, island-bound daughter, is Miranda; the playwright Valentine is Ferdinand; and the exiled, brutish Mario is Caliban. Yet the novel transcends its own source of inspiration by its poignant—at times even unsettling—development of such themes as the limits of civilization, the need for liturgy, and the inexorable facticity of the natural order.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eHe had sat on his island away from the tides that had washed the world; now he was caught up in a larger tide that was even more ruthless: the tide of time.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA perceptive combination of myth and parable, \u003cem\u003eA Breath of \u003c\/em\u003eAir is a distinguished literary effort, evocative of the imaginative genius and luminous artistry synonymous with the storytelling of Rumer Godden.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRumer Godden\u003c\/strong\u003e (1907–1998) was among the most distinguished English authors of the twentieth century, writing dozens of novels and children’s books, as well as an assortment of non-fiction works. A convert to Catholicism, she placed the mysteries of God, salvation, and sin at the center of her most popular works, among which are \u003cem\u003eBlack Narcissus\u003c\/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eIn This House of Brede\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaperback:\u003c\/strong\u003e 244pp.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 978-1952826573\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cluny Media","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53100029739375,"sku":"978-1952826573","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0970\/5337\/6879\/files\/ProductImages_5.5x8.5--1472_1f0e1ab1-8102-4fa6-8508-205304556755.jpg?v=1781124624","url":"https:\/\/www.heavenlychristiangifts.com\/products\/a-breath-of-air","provider":"Heavenly Christian Gifts","version":"1.0","type":"link"}