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(More customer reviews)Charlene Costanzo writes with her hear and soul. That is in no way to say that she is not a gifted wizard of words: her style of writing finds that delicate balance of conveying tender thoughts that are available for readers of all stages of sophistication, but she also writes prose that is elegant and touches on philosophy and spiritual thinking in a manner few other authors of this genre are capable of competing!
Claire is a successful journalist who travels around the globe reporting on hungry, abandoned and abused children. At the opening of the story he has traveled form Atlanta to Bratislava and in a delayed return to her home she meets an elderly Slovakian woman named Baba who has noted that Claire has gathered a shiny stone and apparently treasures it. This introduction leads to a story, a fable about an ancient kingdom ruled by a kind king and queen who have two children to whom the twelve godmothers bring gifts on naming day, The gifts are strength, beauty, courage, compassion, hope, joy, talent, imagination, reverence, wisdom, love and faith. In the course of the fable the Royal family goes on a journey, having been told that the twelve gifts should not be for only Royal children but for all people. An evil regent is left in charge of the kingdom and while the Royal family is gone, he attempts to destroy the concept of the twelve gifts availability to everyone, fortifies the castle, and the kingdom falls into darkness. It is only with the return of an enlightened family that the regent is dismissed, and a thirteenth gift is offered - wonder! And the gifts are then made available to all people, because when each person is seen for his intrinsic worth, each already possesses each of the gifts. The fourteenth gift is Peace - and with the ending of the fable Claire repairs her own fragile marriage and returns to her family, content to share the gifts she now appreciates.
So the author's stones are daily reminders to connect with the unique gifts we are each born with: appreciate your won dignity and you will recognize the inherent dignity in others. It is a prelude to appreciating the wonder of the hope, beauty and joy we experience every day. Charlene Costanzo deserves a place in the circle of humanity tenders. This is an excellent and very wise book. Grady Harp, March 11
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While on assignment in Eastern Europe, Claire, a U.S. journalist, learns of a local legend. The deceptively simple story about "the thirteenth gift" has a profound effect on Claire, which soon transforms her marriage, her work, and the way she sees the world. The Thirteenth Gift is both a cautionary tale and an inspirational fable as it shows a way through the perilous consequences of greed, arrogance, and abuse of power to an uplifted state of consciousness and community. The Thirteenth Gift invites readers to renew their own sense of wonderment, which can lead to freedom from fear and to a greater experience of hope, beauty, and joy in daily life. Like the message of the award-winning book, The Twelve Gifts of Birth, this novella from Charlene Costanzo reminds readers to see the dignity that is inherent in themselves and others.
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