164. 100 Days of Happiness: a novel (2nd Reading)
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Recommended by:
Author: Fausto Brizzi
Genre: Fiction, Happiness
368 pages, published August 11, 2015
Reading Format: Book
Summary
100 Days of Happiness tells the story of Lucio Battistini, a resident of Rome, who is separated from his wife Paola and their two young children (Lorenzo and Eva) after she learns that he has had an affair. Lucio is sleeping in the stock room of his father-in-law’s bakery when he learns that he has inoperable cancer and only 100 days to live, give or take. Lucio buys a notebook and the first item he writes in it is to win back Paola. Lucio spends the next three months trying to do that and also enjoying every moment with a zest he hasn’t felt in years. By the end of the journey, Lucio becomes the man he’s always meant to be.
Quotes
“I know her by heart, and that doesn’t make me love her any less. Like a Dante scholar who learns the entire Divine Comedy and then just appreciates the poem even more profoundly.”
“The important thing is to make sure that when death comes, it finds us still alive.”
“Always remember that the only riches we possess are the dreams we have as children. They are the fuel of our lives, the only force that pushes us to keep on going even when things have gone all wrong.”
“Just work, work, work, even at the risk of making mistakes. And if and when you do make mistakes, and you do hurt someone, ask for forgiveness. Asking forgiveness and admitting you’ve made a mistake is the hardest thing of all. But if someone else does you good, remember it always. Showing gratitude is every bit as complicated.”
“Every one of us has already experienced thousands of last times without even realizing it. Most of the time, in fact, you never even imagine that what you’re experiencing is the last time.”
“It makes me sad. Everything, even good things, makes me sad.”
“A chitchat shop. Simple but brilliant. Not even Leonardo da Vinci ever came up with this one. It’s like a pharmacy that stocks friendship.”
“Sometimes real troubles give you a strength you never had before”
Papà was a professional bullshit artist so outstanding in his lying skills that if he’d set his mind to it, he could easily have become prime minister of Italy.
My Take
A mantra of one of my favorite writers and happiness guru Gretchen Rubin is that the best reading is re-reading. I took that to sentiment to heart when I re-read 100 Days of Happiness (the first re-read during my thousand book quest) (this time I read the book instead of listening to the audiobook). It was time well spent because I loved this book even more the second time through. While I still enjoyed themes and characters, on the second reading, I noticed all of the small details that give Lucio’s world texture and depth. His daughter saying “meow” instead of “ciao,” the marriage proposal to his wife that was spoiled by his best friend Umberto, his reminiscing about youth travel when he tries to relive the experience 25 years later, the folks who inhabit the Chit Chat shop, and the regular invocation of Leonardo Da Vinci. While 100 Days of Happiness made me think again about how I would live my life if the end was near, I also just loved spending time with Lucio, his family and friends. Highly recommended.
