Due to the inadequate amount of time given in the previous few weeks, I mentioned nothing about EHP's planned three-day trip. There are just a lot of memories I would like to put down, so let's just move on fast.
Still, Books are of Priority
I understand some people might be more eager to hear about my adventurous vacation on the island that is also called Pescadores, but it just would feel like a ME thing to talk about a trip first rather than the book of the week.
For the Winner by Emily Hauser brought me more happy memories than may other books. I made my first encounter with the book as well as its author during my trip to England back in 2017. It was a new release right then, the second episode to the Golden Apple Trilogy. I noticed the book when I entered the first bookstore in Greenwich, England, but it wasn't until my sixth or seventh bookstore visit that I decided to pick this book up with me. Back in Taiwan, I was glad that I did, since in Taiwan there is no way I would ever hear about this series.
Just like For the Most Beautiful from the week before last weeks, It is a story based on Greek mythology with a golden apple set as the core of each expedition, told through the eyes of female main characters. This one is about the famous heroine that was made famous through her fast-pacedness. Atalanta was, according to Apollodorsus of Athens, a daughter of a king. Left in the mountains to die, she was raised by bears and was later found and brought up by a group of hunters. She became known for her skill with bows and the hunt and soon rose to the ranks among men. She hunted a legendary boar but was under-acknowledged by the following male hunters. When she proved to her father (the biological one) her worth, she was to be handed off for marriage, before which she asked for a footrace with the suitors. The winner would get the hand of Atalanta, but those who lost, though those who lost would face death.
I read about her story around twice before For the Winner, and I already found it to a fascinating story, especially in an era several millennia ago. The name Atalanta actually means "equal in weight", signifying her personal traits.
In the novel, though, Emily Hauser gave her a really Mulan story, the girl who went on a faraway expedition under the guise of a man. The author decided to send her on one of the greatest adventures in the Greek mythology: boarding the Argo with heroes like Jason, Peleus, Nestor, sailing to the land of the Colchis and retrieve the Golden Fleece.
The story itself is a reminder that there are still people who believe in male chauvinism, that women are to stay forever under men, to stay in the kitchen baking a pie or two, to await at the dining table late until ten until the husband returns from work. It is something unfathomable in my family, where my niece is far smarter than I am, my cousin a lawyer who is supportive of my education abroad.
While the previous book focuses more on the deities-and-mortal relationship, this sequel zooms in on the mortal's relationship with destiny. We say that destiny is written in the stars, but we the people, have the right to choose which path we wish to walk upon until we reach the destiny, and it will always be the choices we made that make all the differences.
Penghu Experience in Three Days
It is a fresh experience for many of us.
The plan formed quite early, as we are already talking about the prospect of going on a vacation with people of EHP in June, before graduation. With the high effectivity of Amy and Selena, a trip to Penghu silently and perfectly fell into place.
So afraid to sleep in, I woke up an hour prior to the first alarm. To get to Penghu we had to first take the HSR down south, then we would have to cab our way to the harbor to board the ship. The ship ride was okay for me due to the calm waves, but Candy had her head hanging low, brows deeply furrowed, and was apparently seasick. I felt for her, since I knew how disconcerting it can be, judging from my experience of trying to read from my cellphone when my uncle was driving the zigzagging pavement in the mountains.
To be continued...
... Wait. What?
I know you might be thinking this part one should not end so quickly, and the fault is all mine. I have been stalling, yes. Whittling away my time like I'm drinking water from a tap, I didn't save up enough time for writing this. I could have made the excuse that I actually processing through something related to sentiments and something really private and occupying(now revisiting this letter, I want to point out that it indeed was about a certain person. You know, just for future references. 17.10.19), but that is not the case.
I'll make up for it next week.
Sincerely,
Hugo
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