Daughter of the Forest, Juliet Marillier

This is my favorite book of all time, I think. There's a little bit of nasty stuff in it, but  I love it for the love between Sorcha and her six brothers, the capacity of men for true gentleness and also rage, the truth about the frailty of quick judgment, the beauty of nature, and a dozen other things. Sorcha is one of the strongest women characters I've ever read. Her depth of compassion, humility, and insight astounds me each time I read this book. She is fictional - so hypothetical - evidence that women can be strong and gentle, firm and kind, capable and tender. I love her. I want to be like her. I wish she were real so I could be her best friend. Every now and then there's a book you read that makes you ache with a longing you can't quite put your finger on. This book is that way for me. I want to lose myself for a while in faery tales and mossy trees. I want to write fiction and poetry and just sit silently for a long, long time. It makes me want to pray and to ponder, to serve and to become someone truly great. Sorcha reached her potential within her beliefs that I want to reach within mine.