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Post by Dayna Jones on Mar 24, 2011 20:21:05 GMT -7
Here's the first question...
What were your emotional reactions after reading about some of the major events of the book?
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Post by Dayna Jones on Mar 24, 2011 20:26:03 GMT -7
I was very worried about the little boy in the closet...I kept thinking about how he would feel when he got scared. Since being a mom of a child the same age, I worry about them being alone and scared...and I could really put myself in that situation (as the mom, even though they didn't talk about her thoughts/feelings).
I was also frustrated with Julia because she was so obviously (to us) in a lousy relationship and the guy was so arrogant and kept wondering why on earth she didn't leave the guy!
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Post by aboyden on Mar 26, 2011 15:54:45 GMT -7
I was angry at the police when Sarah's family was rounded up. I was also angry at Julia's husband for being such a self absorbed jerk especially when he wanted her to abort the child she wanted so badly. I was unreasonably hopeful along with Sarah when she went back to find the brother. Even though I knew logically he couldn't be alive I still hoped against hope that something miraculous had happened.
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Post by angela on Mar 26, 2011 19:01:31 GMT -7
My emotional response to this book. I think that it was all over the place. I have to say I was scared and worried about the boy. Like Dayna, being a mother, and knowing what would happen to the boy just disturbed me. I can't imagine what the parents felt knowing that their baby was being left and knowing his fate.
I was shocked to learn about Vel' d'Hiv. I had taken a class about the Nazi era and have never heard about this. I had to go and read up about this. This also made me really sad.
I was also frustrated and sad about the relationship between Julia and her husband. I felt sad that she had settled to be in a relationship with someone who did not value her. She was being torn down by someone who should have been building her up.
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Post by angela on Mar 26, 2011 19:04:02 GMT -7
aboyden - Sorry I don't know your first name.... But I think that I was like you and was hoping against hope that the little boy was going to be okay. I knew logically that it was not possible but I wanted it to be different.
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Post by Dayna Jones on Mar 26, 2011 20:01:32 GMT -7
I agree, I kept hoping that the little boy had somehow managed to escape, or that someone found him.
I had never heard of this event either, so sad that it's virtually ignored in French history.
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Post by Dayna Jones on Mar 26, 2011 20:08:51 GMT -7
Okay, 'nother question. I stole this from the back of the book--
Did you enjoy the alternating stories and time-frames? What are the strengths or drawbacks of this format?
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Post by catherine on Mar 27, 2011 20:39:11 GMT -7
I think I cried about every second chapter during the first half of the book. I was hoping that little Michael would be okay in the cupboard, even though I knew that since he was so scared he would probably never call out. But I really didn't expect that Sarah would find his decaying body. That was just awful. I was so angry at the concierge lady, and I was horrified that the majority of onlookers did nothing to try to help. I also kept wondering how differently the story might have been if Sarah had taken the opportunity to escape with the boy that first day they were locked in he stadium.
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Post by catherine on Mar 27, 2011 20:41:48 GMT -7
I found the alternating storyline a bit annoying at first because I was so intent on finding out what had happened to Michael. I admit to rushing through some of the 'Julia' chapters in an attempt to keep reading the 'Sarah' story. I couldn't really see the connection at the beginning.
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Post by angela on Mar 28, 2011 8:04:14 GMT -7
I am not sure how I felt about the alternating story line. It seems that it worked to connect the two once you found out that Julia was researching what Sarah was going through. But until that happens it is a bit of a disconnect. The strength is you get Sarah's story through her own voice instead of one that is being told from Julia's investigation. I found I was disappointed not to continue with Sarah's voice later in the book.
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Post by aboyden on Mar 28, 2011 12:15:38 GMT -7
O.K. I'll admit it, I cheated and skipped ahead sometimes to find out about Sarah. Then I'd go back and read the Julia part. As a HS librarian who has read a lot of new books this year alternating story lines with one in the past and one in the present seem to be a trend. It was good though to get the modern point of view about incident in 1942, Julia's outrage, the decendents of the victims who were determined that all should remember, and those who wanted to just sweep it under the rug and go on. Alice
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Post by Dayna Jones on Mar 28, 2011 20:52:11 GMT -7
My daughter just started reading this book and when I asked her what she thought, she said it was confusing. When I explained the format, of jumping back and forth between 2 different people and 2 different time periods, she was considerably relieved. Her response? "Now, it makes sense." So, my point is- if you're accustomed to this style of writing it can definitely be confusing.
Personally, I enjoyed the way she wrote from 2 different points of view and eventually brought them together. I agree with Angela however, I wished it would've continued with Sarah's voice. But, the suicide note at the end pretty much summed up how Sarah felt throughout the rest of her adult life.
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Post by Dayna Jones on Mar 28, 2011 20:55:58 GMT -7
woops, i just reread my post...i meant if you're NOT accustomed to this style...sorry
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Post by angela on Mar 29, 2011 10:54:27 GMT -7
As heartbreaking it was for the loss of Sarah's brother, he ultimately saved her life. I think that if they had all been together they would have stayed together. There would have been no reason for Sarah to risk running away from the camp. Her determination to get back to her brother saved her life. The heartbreaking thing is that from losing her brother, finding him the way that she did meant she did not want to continue on with the life that had been saved.
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Post by Dayna Jones on Mar 29, 2011 19:52:37 GMT -7
Another QUESTION.
Ultimately, did you like the book? Scale from 1 to 5. 1 being didn't like it, to 5 being great.
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