ROSE IN THE SAND
by Julie Lindahl

“This place with all of its overwhelming power, yielded the beauty of its fine detail to me like a benevolent giant: there was the horizon and then the shifting of a tiny pebble as a wave washed the water onto the shore; there was the majestic forest with all of its preying creatures and then the single leaf, slowly blending into the soil; there was me, a part of the dominant species on earth, and a single human as fragile and impossible as a rose in the sand. Our world was so full of contradictions that we struggled to overcome. Here it was all right: our contradictions made us whole. Without them, life had no experience.”
Julie Lindahl, Rose in the Sand (2011).

Each of us has dreams that we inherit. The work of life is discovering our own.

Using the eight seasons of the indigenous peoples of Scandinavia as her guide, Lindahl reflects on an unexpected decade of raising her young family on a small, isolated island in Sweden. Through her story of breaking with a corporate career and a cosmopolitan life, and pursuing an existence in the often harsh Nordic wilderness, Lindahl captures the essence of the greatest personal challenge that each of us faces: to discover that there is no blueprint for living, and to find the courage to be authentic to ourselves.

“Rose in the Sand” is an intimate personal journey of discovery in the fine detail of an extraordinary environment. For anyone who has ever felt trapped by preconceptions about themselves, Lindahl opens the door.


Rose in the Sand was originally published in 2011 through a literary prize from Gather Community Press. 

About the book

“Nobody writes about the Swedish islands and the life that exists on them through the seasons better than Julie Lindahl. …she does for Swedish islands what Peter Mayle did for Provence!”
– Arshad Jamil, “Reviewer”, USA.

“Rose in the Sand is a delight to read. Julie Lindahl writes beautifully, combining specific detail with sensitive, lyrical descriptions of the surrounding nature during the constantly shifting seasons, together with her own reflections of life. At times her prose is truly poetic.”
– H. Arnold Barton, Swedish-American historian, America’s Swede of the Year 1988.

“Reading Julie Lindahl’s Rose in the Sand is not like reading a book at all. It is like listening to soothing music, or watching an elegant movie or even more so, feeling like you are part of the movie…If you have not read this book, you are missing something in life.”
​– Sundeep Waslekar, President, Strategic Foresight Group.

HOW TO ORDER THE ROSE IN THE SAND
Order Rose in the Sand at major online bookstores including Amazon.com and Author House Bookstore. If you are ordering in Europe, check on-line bookstores and Author House based in the UK. For queries contact [email protected].

Papilio’s concept is to develop unique stories of high quality that move, inform and entertain readers. Rose in the Sand is one of those. For queries please e-mail [email protected].