Sandra’s Comments (group member since Jan 21, 2020)

Sandra’s comments from the The Obscure Reading Group group.

Great comments! I really enjoy our “discussion” perhaps even more than the book. But I agree that there is much to like. Szabó combines mystery, politics, religion, youthful characters, all in beautiful prose. I know no language but English(and a few Chichewa words from my two years in Malawi), yet this translation reads easily and to me almost like poetry. I have tried finding Szabo’s poetry but with no luck. I wonder how the story might differ if told in first person from Gina’s point of view. Sometimes when I read how a character has matured and changed, it seems more believable if the character tells it. I am thinking about Holden in “The Catcher in the Rye” and Anne Frank. Probably just my own personal preference. The last chapter “Documents” intensifies the plot, and I am curious how it all ends. It was a good choice for us to read, and I have learned a bit about Hungary! I am thinking about you teachers and hoping things improve soon for your and your students.

Yes, Jan. I have one son who is a professor at Humboldt in California and another who teaches at the United World College in Singapore. They are in the midst of all the questions and confusion that you are. Life as we knew it is gone, sadly. I hope you and all who teach can find a way to overcome these challenges.

Does anyone else find much of the book...well... I don’t know...not very deep? I want to defend it. I want to acknowledge it’s certainly a worthy time period. I just hope it’s leading us somewhere suddenly brilliant! I don’t find many of the events as interesting as in most coming-of-age novels. So much time is spent on the essay assignment and its consequences for example...

Carol, that’s why I don’t read ahead! But I am happy you also appreciate Szabo’s lyrical use of language. Sometimes I find her sentences distract me from the meaning of the words. Such a beautiful rhythm. What other elements of style have you noticed in the book? I live to talk about style almost as much as plot, character development, and setting. It’s clear she uses symbolism.

Funny. Well I raised four sons, no daughters, and I don’t recall myself being so moody—but I probably was!

I agree, Ken. I actually noted in the text that their complete turnaround in their attitudes towards Gina was unbelievable to me. But I also thought Gina’s complete turnaround after her father confided in her was also unbelievable.

I also wish to add that surely those of you who are poets can hear poetry in Szabo’s prose? I heard rhythm and rhyme in her sentences even before Cindy mentioned she wrote poetry. Did you?

It was Jan who commented so astutely about the school and statue representing Hungary!! And Ken, I recall when a parent complained about my teaching “The Diary of Anne Frank,” I substituted “Night.” Haha!

I have predictions too so I an not looking at yours yet, Ken. But speaking of names,”Abigail” means “father’s joy.”

Now that takes the name symbolism to a fascinating place, Carol!

So interesting. Thanks for sharing so much knowledge about our author! You certainly throw light on some really important themes.

Welcome, Sue. I’m following these comments and you, Jan, and Ken all have mentioned the boarding school climate. I can attest to the amount of rejection teens experience; especially as a high school teacher I continuously tried to include every student. I recall many classes in which the popular cliques were the female basketball players. One year I actually held a sort of intervention in my classroom. I hope the teachers at Gina’s school observe the terrible behaviors more than they let on. I hope most teachers are not so myopic! I’m just beginning Part Two.

Thanks Yvonne for sharing that information about Hungarian Unitarians and the name Szabó! How interesting. Very sorry to hear of your recent family problems. So many comments on this thread that I would love to respond to in person. Jan, I couldn’t agree more about the school and the girls’ behaviors as almost a microcosm of the adult world. And as some of you have said, the political climate at the time will most certainly be connected to Gina’s predicament. And as I mentioned, I keep returning to Anne Frank in hiding and the deplorable concentration camps. How what is happening to Gina may get much worse. I wouldn’t classify Anne Frank’s Diary as young adult literature even though it was written by a young adult. And depending on how this novel develops perhaps I wouldn’t classify it as YA either. I hope the plot and theme become more complex. Coming of Age stories are one of my favorite types to read, though. And the author does a good job of introducing unique characters. I am very curious about Mitsi Horn. Probably not relevant but the name Mitsi means “bitter.”

Jan and Angela, such great observations about Gina’s character. She is quite stubborn and perseveres with plans to deal with her ostracism. I caught a glimpse of her softer side when she momentarily sympathizes with König. But then she buckles under peer pressure and rejects him. I am quite taken with his rescue of her in the last chapter of our part one reading. Didn’t we all know a teacher who was “unpopular” but we appreciated him/her? I definitely did. My high school English Literature teacher (1963) absolutely saved me from dropping out of school. The other students made fun of her, and I found myself an ally!

I like to predict the twists in plot but I think it may seem obvious that in some way König and even Susanna will somehow rescue her again (or she rescues them?)

I am always intrigued by adolescent characters, and Gina captures my interest. I also understand the cruelty of young girls, especially towards each other. I liked how Gina felt badly after betraying the secret “wedding” game. She disapproves of these immature behaviors and naive beliefs, but she wasn’t at the school long enough to appreciate the need for escape from the harsh and almost inhumane rules of the school. She is very clever but I sense she will need Abigail’s help!

I didn’t think of The Sound of Music. I was thinking about Anne Frank, a young girl from a nearby country and during WWII of about the same age as Gina but actually far more mature.

Yes! Welcome, Jeremy. Carol, that is so good to hear. I agree that it’s been difficult to focus on reading. Now I am hoping to enjoy this book.

Well, I still cannot read more than one book at a time! But I split my reading time with writing time. Sadly, reading time is allotted approximately 5% and writing gets 95%.

Thanks, Ken. Well, everyone, welcome to our “NEW NORMAL!”

“‘Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English)...”

Are we discussing the first third that first week of June? I vote for that schedule.

Thank you, Laysee, for reading my poem and commenting. I always enjoy your book reviews and personal comments! The “tragedy” in my life in the 1940s was not related directly to the war but rather to losing my father to divorce. Jan and Ken’s tragedies are of a different sort. I’m sorry to hear of such suffering. I agree with you, Jan. The personal connection with others through reading is so hard to recapture now that I am retired and my students aren’t sitting around a circular table in my classroom.

Jan, you have a good plan to decipher and understand your father’s story!