Woven Strands of Roses: Letters with Annotation That Sprung Forth from the Hearts of Lorenzo Garcia Tabin and Sinamar Alos Robianes Tabin

Manong, I got your masterpiece. Will work on it. Give me two weeks, and I will get it done, and send it back to you.
First off, let me Bellissimo! Beautiful work of personal history, beautiful love story as well. Bless you and Manang Samar more and more, and more and more. Let's see this book come to its own birthing--and soon.
And may I tender. Yes, the memory here is tender, so tender one can become teary eyed while reading every letter. Dr. Aurelio Solver Agcaoili

This book is divided into two (2) the Ilokano (original) and the English translation. It consists of three-year love letters of the authors, from 1966-1968, with annotation. It is not a mere love letters but also touches the private lives of partys families, many Ilokano writers and the Ilokano literature in general.

It started with a prologue which is divided into two parts each for the authors where they touched how they started their writing professions, how they metthrough the letters to the editors section where Sinamar congratulated Lorenzo for his noveland how they started to weave their fibers of roses. They are the first members of the GUMIL (Ilokano Writers Association) that were knotted together (four others got married outside the association, and or after them).

The letters were divided into three years. Before each letter, there is an annotation to explain how, when, where, and who were mentioned in the letter. There are letters where private lives of friends and relatives of both sides were touched that made the book differed from other books of love letters.

It ended with an epilogue, a part is The flowers that were spread all around the whole path we traversed were not entirely roses. And while looking back to where we had gone thru, there were occasions that we want to delete so that they wont appear in the leaves of the story of our lives, but they were written in the past, although some of them were not written in words. In our hearts we are pleading that the things that we do not like to look back were not supposed to be done or happened. But is there anybody who could unfurl back the past times? Unlike the writings that could easily be edited if we want to change a part that we want to revise, to make it better, more sparkling to entice the feeling to read again and again and again!

When time comes that all our children had settled down, and we are left alone in the yard of afternoon to wait the setting down of our sun, we will be left looking back the past, discerning the profundity of life being woven by our offspring. Oh yes, we will look up the stars together, and in spite of our shrivels, we will smile to each other that in our eye reflects the woven fibers of roses.

At the end of the English translation is where the 22 pictures were added.

The introduction is written by Dr. Aurelio S. Agcaoili, a prominent figure at the University of Hawaii in Manoa; with comments of Prescillano N. Bermudez and Cristino I. Inay, Sr. prominent writers during the authors time; and Lorenzo R. Tabin II who edited the translation. --#