With a recommendation like this from the genius that is Tom Robbins:
“Are you familiar with James Stephens and his amazing book, “The Crock of Gold”? The Harry Potter books are ABOUT magic, “The Crock of Gold” IS magic.”
How could I refuse, so my last read was this magical book. It was perfect for me right from the outset – I love trees, I love magic, I love wisdom and I love Pan whom I first encountered in Tom’s very own book ‘Jitterbug Perfume‘ (another classic!) all of which are to be found within the pages of this wonderful book!
For those who are not aware of the book, there are but a few scant lines in wikepedia! The book was written whilst James Stephens was working as a clerk in a solicitor’s office in Dublin in 1911. It comprises of 6 parts, during which you meet two philosophers and their wives and children, who for reasons best known to them, they have swapped. Pan makes an appearance as do lots of leprechauns, gold is lost and found and in amongst all this you are treated to some most profound wisdom!
Such as:
“What the heart knows today the head will understand tomorrow”
― James Stephens, The Crock of Gold
“Women are wiser than men because they know less and understand more.”
As you can tell by the later the book errs on the side of political incorrectness but to be honest I loved it all the more for it!
I lost myself in this book on a glorious sunny spring day and the next day went on a bike ride through the woods and pictured leprechauns hiding under all the tree stumps!
It’s a magical read and I can’t recommend it enough! Thanks again to Tom for the heads up! Made me want to read Jitterbug Perfume again too!
To close with what Tom had to say:
“I’d like to think that more readers, young and old, might discover the book. “
