By Julia Alvarez. 309 pp. Chapel Hill, N.C.: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. $18.95. he had four girls. Enough said.'' Those are the words that the mother of the Garcia sisters, introduced in Julia Alvarez's acclaimed novel ''How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents,'' wants inscribed on her tombstone.y Julia Alvarez. 309 pp. Chapel Hill, N.C.: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. $18.95. he had four girls. Enough said.'' Those are the words that the mother of the Garcia sisters, introduced in Julia Alvarez's acclaimed novel ''How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents,'' wants inscribed on her tombstone.
The Lxx translates it with the Greek verb sozo, which means to rescue one from peril, danger or suffering, to protect from loss or destruction, to heal, to make whole, to keep alive, to preserve life (physical but especially spiritual - compare Ps 6:4, Ps 86:2).
As the word sowa (or sova), has the same meaning, owl, in Ukrainian, it is found among Ukrainians both in Ukraine, and in the diaspora (especially Canada and United States). There are two spellings: Sowa and Sova. In Ukrainian usage, as in Polish, the w is always pronounced as v. It is unclear if the Ukrainian Sowas are related to the Polish Sowas, or if the surname originated separately. It is noted the name Sova (same meaning, owl) also exists among Czechs and Slovaks.