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A review by sa1twaterfish
The Kite of Stars and Other Stories by Dean Francis Alfar
3.0
3.0⭐ “Do you feel like you've wasted your life?”
**spoilers**
If you’re following my reviews, thanks for rolling with me ♡
We’re closing season four of Stitcher’s LeVar Burton Reads, and we’re gifted with "L’aquilone Du Estrellas (The Kite of Stars)" by Dean Francis Alfar.
Ugh. I was hard pressed to like this story. There was some good and bad. I love the writing, but it’s so painful.
As LeVar so kindly outlined, the optimistic part of this story is, Mission Accomplished on hard mode. There’s some commentary on love and devotion. About life’s absurdity. Timing. Aging.
But honestly, I see it as a cautionary tale. I am so afraid of being a leech in any relationship—I can’t stand the thought that I might be the only one getting anything out of it, or that I exhaust and burden the people around me instead of replenishing them.
I have more than one friend that just picks fruit off my branches, but never bothers to just say, “By the way, how are you?” I am constantly checking myself to make sure that I’m not taking more than I’m giving. I’m checking with my loved ones directly, because I may not be the best of judge of that myself.
Maria Isabella du'l Cielo is none too concerned.
Not until the final moments of a sixty-year journey, did she even consider that this did more harm than good to her cohort. I don’t think he had a demanding expectation that she fall in love with him, I think he hoped she would, but never went so far as to demand her affection. Maria didn’t have to love him, but she never even got his name. A name is identity—she took the best years from this man, and didn’t even give him the compassion of basic human friendship. All the while he gave her his life, and an impossible dream.
I just hurt for the baker’s boy. He didn’t see his life as wasted, but to me, that’s hardly the point. That’s what love does to a devotee, that’s why we call love blind. We can’t let the people who love us become Shel Silverstein’s Giving Tree. There’s a fine line between accepting a service from someone, and subjugating the people that love you. And if you’re in control of your faculties, it’s your job to let them go instead of using them to death.
This story reminded me of a song by Gregory & The Hawk, and like the story, the song is tragic with a beautiful outline on hopeless devotion and personal eraser.
On a closing note, this season really flew by. I may come back to this review to list the best stories of the season, but I’m holding out in case there’s a tour or a bonus episode.
Thanks for reading, and If you wanna chat about the latest LBR episodes, hit me up in the comments and come meet with us at LeVar Burton Reads: The Community on Facebook.
-
**spoilers**
If you’re following my reviews, thanks for rolling with me ♡
We’re closing season four of Stitcher’s LeVar Burton Reads, and we’re gifted with "L’aquilone Du Estrellas (The Kite of Stars)" by Dean Francis Alfar.
Ugh. I was hard pressed to like this story. There was some good and bad. I love the writing, but it’s so painful.
As LeVar so kindly outlined, the optimistic part of this story is, Mission Accomplished on hard mode. There’s some commentary on love and devotion. About life’s absurdity. Timing. Aging.
But honestly, I see it as a cautionary tale. I am so afraid of being a leech in any relationship—I can’t stand the thought that I might be the only one getting anything out of it, or that I exhaust and burden the people around me instead of replenishing them.
I have more than one friend that just picks fruit off my branches, but never bothers to just say, “By the way, how are you?” I am constantly checking myself to make sure that I’m not taking more than I’m giving. I’m checking with my loved ones directly, because I may not be the best of judge of that myself.
Maria Isabella du'l Cielo is none too concerned.
Not until the final moments of a sixty-year journey, did she even consider that this did more harm than good to her cohort. I don’t think he had a demanding expectation that she fall in love with him, I think he hoped she would, but never went so far as to demand her affection. Maria didn’t have to love him, but she never even got his name. A name is identity—she took the best years from this man, and didn’t even give him the compassion of basic human friendship. All the while he gave her his life, and an impossible dream.
I just hurt for the baker’s boy. He didn’t see his life as wasted, but to me, that’s hardly the point. That’s what love does to a devotee, that’s why we call love blind. We can’t let the people who love us become Shel Silverstein’s Giving Tree. There’s a fine line between accepting a service from someone, and subjugating the people that love you. And if you’re in control of your faculties, it’s your job to let them go instead of using them to death.
This story reminded me of a song by Gregory & The Hawk, and like the story, the song is tragic with a beautiful outline on hopeless devotion and personal eraser.
On a closing note, this season really flew by. I may come back to this review to list the best stories of the season, but I’m holding out in case there’s a tour or a bonus episode.
Thanks for reading, and If you wanna chat about the latest LBR episodes, hit me up in the comments and come meet with us at LeVar Burton Reads: The Community on Facebook.
-