What's in a Name?

Clara del Valle Trueba

I've selected this Blog name as an homage to one of my favourite fictional characters from my all-time favourie book, The House of the Spirits (Isabele Allende). I like her for many reasons but this pretty much sums it up:

Clara (one of its translations is the equivalent of English "clear", although it is also a common female name, the equivalent of "Claire") is the key female figure in the novel. She is a clairvoyant and telekinetic who is rarely attentive to domestic tasks, but she holds her family together with her love for them and her uncanny predictions

Also she has a great line in one of the very first chapters that endeared me to her in my most formative years as a heathen:

Suddenly Clara breaks the silence in the church by saying: "Psst! Father Restrepo! If that story about hell is a lie, we're all fucked, aren't we..." Father Restrepo pronounces Clara possessed by the devil. Grin Grin...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_the_Spirits#Clara_del_Valle_Trueba