Robbie’s Comments (group member since Jan 21, 2008)

Robbie’s comments from the Books I Want To Talk About group.

I read this book a long time ago, and I remember liking it a lot.

I can believe that there was a special tent. In my understanding of Jewish laws of purity, men are not allowed to touch, or even talk to, women while they are on their periods.

Part of why I was fascinated with the book is because it's so rare that we read or learn about women in biblical times.

*SPOILERS*






FYI, to put my comments in context, I am a Christion who actively participates in my church.

What did you think was happening when (main character) was having those episodes of headaches and "visions"? I think I initially thought migraines or seizures (being a bit sceptical about visions for reasons I'll elaborate on if you'd like), and I found it very interesting that the phenomenon was interpreted as being a gift. It made me wonder how many times in the history of the church people with medical illnesses were felt to have such gifts. Why, in some circles and religious groups, or in some times, would these things be interpreted as possession by demons, and in this context be viewed positively? Is it really this positive interpretation that is the gift, or an example of grace? Would the group embrace the delusions of a nun with a psychotic disorder the same way? How would one differentiate between visions and medical illness? Is there a difference?

How did you feel when you discovered she had a brain tumor? That was something I really was not expeciting! Did you want her to have the surgery or not have the surgery?

I absolutely loved the part when she discovered her new gift of mentoring others.

I'm going to need to review some of the book to make more comments. At this point, though, I'm very interested in hearing your thoughts.

I feel like this is a book that can best be discussed after it's read completely. So much food for thought.

So, Kimberly--where are you in the book, and what do you think?

One of the things I loved about the book was the escape. A wonderful portrait of a very different life in a different time and place.

I just took these statements as obvious hyperbole, and perhaps reflecting stories she was told of the times, most likey told by her (bipolar) father.

Don't worry, you'll find some good hyperbole in RWS, too.

Oh, Kyle--I echo Sera's comment about the B & N next door. I might even add that it would become my only home if I allowed myself to spend money on books the way I'd like to!

And, honestly, I didn't enjoy Running With Scissors all that much. It kept me interested enough, but I wouldn't read it again.

One thing I was struck by in this book was, even though there was neglect here, there was no mention of the children being put down by their parents, in an emotional sense. There seemed to be unconditional positive regard, which is pretty rare these day, and perhaps it always has been. I think that is part of what helped these kids survive.

I also echo the comments above about kids establishing their norms early and being surprised at how different their norm is later. I've the opinion that pretty much all families are dysfunctional, and there are so many ways in which to be so. As adults, we end up being more comfortable with one kind of dysfuntion, usually whatever we grew up with. Or, we take great pains to create the *opposite* environment for our kids. Pop culture example...hmmmm...Gilmore Girls?

Cool, Kimberly! This is a book that was chosen for my live book club during one of the long periods that I couldn't participate. I never got to discuss it with anyone, and I'm chomping at the bit to do so!

Yeah, I was actually disappointed that I heard about a surprise ending and figured it out. I loved the book, but it would have been even better if I had been fooled in the Prologue.

Okay, not to make excuses ahead of time, but I was thinking about the child's point of view thing. So, you have an event, filtered through a child's categorization of the world and stored. You get some decay, loss of clarity of a memory, then when it's recalled, it gets filtered again, now through an adult's perception. Events get analyzed further and reinterpreted to make sense in an adult world. Then the adult tries to write in a child's voice and show a child's perception. The "fact's" of a situation, probably learned incompletely in the first place have been processed enough that it really is hard to say how something happened. What typically remains clear, however, is feelings.

Ramble, ramble, ramble. What was my point?

Some of these same themes appear in Atonement.

Okay, to clarify, when I first read it, I figured out immediately who the killer was. I think it was because I had read in a review somewhere something about a surprise ending or something. (Could I be more vague?) I can't say that I knew who was killed--just don't remember it that well. I read the book during a camping trip this summer.

Well, I don't think you're crazy. I've actually read a lot of criticism of this book on goodreads. I happened to enjoy the book.

The thing about memoirs, or even stories we tell to friends and family over the years, is that, if something was experienced as a child, it gets filtered through a child's categorization system. Kids like things to fit in tidy packages that make sense. Events that don't seem like a big deal to older people take on much greater meaning/have a bigger impact on the way children see things in later life.

I don't remember the specific piano part of the book, so I'm not sure if I can respond to that.

What other illustrations disturbed you? I'd be interested in seeing quotes, if you have the book available. Don't worry, I don't plan to try to convince you to love and/or believe the book. I'm very interested in others' points of view.

Kyle said:
"cool. ok let me try to put this into words....over the past 15 years or so, there have been an abundance of memoirs describing dysfunctional childhoods. i won't say ad nauseum...but...there have been a lot. now comes along another one, and THIS one everyone loves. so i pick it up 'cause i have a strong interest in memoirs (am trying to write my own as well at the moment)....

loved the first 2 pages. enjoyed the last quarter of the book (where she is a more reliable narrator)...but WAS DESPERATE to get through the rest (bulk) of the book because, for every little fable or situation she began, not only did i know how it was going to end, but i got very tired of being hit over the head with perfect little stories to illustrate, with uncanny certitude and a laser-like focus, some other aspect of her admittedly dysfunctional upbringing. where was the realism in those stories (don't get me wrong...i think a lot of bad stuff happened to her....maybe even worse than her stories, it's just that the stories are all too pat...too perfect in illustrating something or other while she's busy pretending they're from a child's point of view when, in fact, the realistic aspects of the stories have been stripped away by an adult narrator in order to maximize her point). aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh i'm breathless, but desperate for someone to agree with me. i mean....the piano goes through an entire house, ends up out in the sand somewhere and THEN THEY PROCEED TO PLAY ON IT FOR WEEKS??????? really.

thoughts? or am i just crazy."

I'd be happy to discuss it.

PLEASE! Tell me someone has read this!

Meghan, the book is Lying Awake. (I'm assuming that's what you wanted the folder "Lie Awake" to be for.) Nose in the corner, right now! ;)

I'd love to discuss Lying Awake by Salzman

Sort-of spoiler





Jacob walks in on someone masturbating. Isn't that like when Jacob walked in on his father in the tent? Or was it Esau? Somewhere around the time that Jacob stole Esau's blessing or the other way around.

It's in my 'on-deck' pile. I'll try to get to it soon.