Hi!
Since we really haven't discussed the book, maybe we can do it on the blog.
WARNING!!!
If you haven't finished it you might not want to read the rest of this...............
First off, did you guys like the book?
When you read the prologue who did you think the "she" character was? Did you think it was Rosie or Marlena?
As you read the book did you think back to the prologue about who was swinging his silver tipped cane and got his head split in half like a watermelon?
Who were your favorite characters?
I have to say I like Walter and Queenie the best!! I wasn't very happy about what happened to Water in the end.
Do you think there was a reason the author included that August was Jewish and Jacob and Marlena were Catholic?
What was up with Camel getting sick from the bad booze? Did that really happen??
Was anyone else bothered by August being labeled as schizophrenic? He had some obvious personality problems, but it seemed odd for the time period that they would say he was schizophrenic; maybe crazy, mad or something like that. I guess I'm also sensitive when the evil character has a mental illness or disability.
What did you think about the ending of the book? Do you think it really happened, or as Rosemary said to Jacob about the man who said he carried water for elephants, that he wasn't lying; when people get older somethings become real in their minds.
What are we reading next???
I've kinda started to read What is the What, but I'm also interested in reading Memory Keepers Daughter and Three Cups of Tea.
And if anyone wants some chicken this week, we have plenty left over at our house!!!!
Love, Heidi
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1 comment:
Hey ladies!
Heidi, I’ll give my thoughts to some of your questions. Don’t read on if you haven’t read the book!
When I read the prologue, I definitely thought that the “she” character was Marlena, but I like how it ended up being Rosie. I also thought that the person who died was going to Uncle Al because there was so much hatred of him.
I’m not sure who my favorite characters were. I think it was Rosie. There were some parts that I thought were a little too forced. For example, I thought the idea of Marlena’s foot bobbing up and down was redundant. And the part in which Jacob keeps saying, “But, he hit her” got really annoying for me.
In regards to that drink that Camel had, I read the author’s notes at the end of the book and the author does mention that this was an actual occurrence in the 20s under prohibition. I mean, people were making gin out of their bath tubs. Who knows what kind of stuff was put into this illegal alcohol?
I understand where you’re coming from in terms of August being labeled as a schizophrenic. I took it as a sign of the times in which there was not a whole lot of help for people with mental illnesses and the best they did was label a person one way. I did not think that the author used it as a way to take a hit at people with mental illnesses.
In regards to the ending, I didn’t think that Jacob was out of his mind. In the nursing home, he seemed pretty lucid, but just forgot little details. I often think about endings to a book and can be pretty critical of them. I felt that the ending of this book fit just right. It wasn’t too forced and it flowed. It also allowed me to imagine the future beyond the book. Jacob came full circle and I really enjoyed this.
I’ve seen both books at the book store and I’d be interested in either one. I’m actually half way through Unaccustomed Earth. I’m really enjoying it, but it’s no surprise because I like Lahiri’s books.
What were your thoughts Heidi?
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