Love is a Ridiculous, Wonderful, Powerful Thing

I read a great story yesterday, The Tale of Despereaux. Marcia,"Sister Whispers" recommended this book to me. (Even her name sounds like her with that little sh sound like a shush at the end.) (It's a quiet name.) Marcia has good taste in books. Everything she has ever recommended I've loved. Their Eyes were Watching God was one of my favorites. She told me about The Tale Of Despereaux, and also about These is My Words which I am still in the middle of reading.(It's a good one,too)
The Tale of Despereaux was fun to read, and everyone could read it to their kids.
It had many different levels/references to it, and reminded me of fairy tales, Don Quixote, and even bits of Scarlet O'Hara.(I love Don Quioxte because he goes mad from reading so many books. I also love his sidekick and friend, Sancho Panza.)
The beginning of Despereaux was so funny because the mother is disappointed by so many things and keeps saying, "Oh, so sad. Oh, such the tragedy. They are such the disappointment."
She even names her mouse baby Despereaux, for all the sadness and all the despairs.
Despereaux a mouse, falls in love with a beautiful princess, which is possible, but ridiculous. And the narrator tells us that. That,that is what Love is. Ridiculous. It's a Wonderful, Powerful Ridiculous Thing. Later, we learn that Hope and Forgiveness are sometimes also these things, as well.
One character thinks the meaning of life is Suffering, and another believes it is Light. And the Narrator warns us too. "Reader, you must know that an interesting fate (sometimes involving rats, sometimes not) awaits almost everyone, mouse or man, who does not conform." (I believe this, and read a very interesting book about conformity last year called The Chocolate War.)
The Tale Of Despereaux is a meaningful, cute story, and it seemed like something Mom could have written. I loved it. I think you will, too.