Publisher's Synopsis
A Second Wind is the true story of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo, paralyzed at the age of 42 in a paragliding accident, and looked after by his carer, Abdel. The book begins a memory of the accident and the loss of the author's wife, Beatrice.
Much of the story focuses on loss - of his wife and the use of his body, and on di Borgo's sexual longing for women. Elements of humor are woven into the book, although the overall sense of the story is that of the author's internal pain. It is well-written, with beautiful word structure in places, though not an uplifting read.
A lot of the book focuses on di Borgo's earlier life, before the accident, and his family lineage. The relationship between di Borgo and his carer, Abdel, was not as well developed in the book as in the movie, which left it somewhat dry to read. The book is quite possibly more true to life than the movie - which has likely been adapted to entertain a cinema audience - and therefore it is harder to connect with the author and his emotions.
A well-written account of di Borgo's life, though it failed to create an emotional reaction in me as a reader.
Much of the story focuses on loss - of his wife and the use of his body, and on di Borgo's sexual longing for women. Elements of humor are woven into the book, although the overall sense of the story is that of the author's internal pain. It is well-written, with beautiful word structure in places, though not an uplifting read.
A lot of the book focuses on di Borgo's earlier life, before the accident, and his family lineage. The relationship between di Borgo and his carer, Abdel, was not as well developed in the book as in the movie, which left it somewhat dry to read. The book is quite possibly more true to life than the movie - which has likely been adapted to entertain a cinema audience - and therefore it is harder to connect with the author and his emotions.
A well-written account of di Borgo's life, though it failed to create an emotional reaction in me as a reader.
