Lisa - (Aussie Girl)’s Comments (group member since Sep 26, 2012)

Lisa - (Aussie Girl)’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

DQs Day 5 | Chapter 28 - end

17. What did you think about how the "black market Serbian violin debacle" turned out? Do you think it hurt Ray in terms of the competition?

It was a bit of a late red herring. Yes, definitely running around would have affected his ability in the competition even just the travelling aspect never mind the emotional toll.

18. Were you surpised at the outcome of the competition? I know I was rooting for him, but I instinctively assumed Mikhail would take first - perhaps solely for the plot. Do you think that was the case or did Mikhail genuinely win?

I think it was implied that because it was Russia Mikhail would have the unfair advantage and win..

19. When the missing papers are discovered in Ray's PopPops violin case, were you surprised at what they contained? Does the narrative they showcase further cement his family's provenance of the violin to you?
I actually did think some "proof" would show up so wasn't surprised that this went down the way it did. I'm not sure legally whether this would have been categoric proof but it certainly would have swayed things Ray's way.

20. It was (view spoiler)! What did you think of her reasons for committing the crime. Do you feel any sympathy for her?

Yes, I mentioned Nicole as a suspect in one of previous answers!! Sometimes the left of field character whodunnit. I really felt for Ray he didn't have much real love in his life, thank goodness for his Grandma and Janice.

BONUS - Author's Note
Brendan Slocumb reveals that the novel’s wedding scene and the Baton Rouge shakedown are based on his own experiences. How did this knowledge affect your experience of the book?

Wow, It was confronting but I shouldn't be surprised. Sadly accounts like this are in the media everyday, even in 2023. We've got to do better, people!

Judoon is exterminated!

Back to Human Monsters with.. Bob from Twin Peaks.

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "I've got this one too .

Tineye also says grey but it looks blue to me."

ah. I'm borderline. Do you have the physical copy? Can be hard ..."

Only the kindle. I'll leave it off for now and see if I can find a tineye friendly bluey.

I've got this one too .

Tineye also says grey but it looks blue to me.

If anyone wants to give the BOM a read, it's got merengue and bluegrass in it.

Oh that's very handy. We are already up to 8-9 individual genres. And Blues probably the easiest colour!

LISA'S POSTS FOR BOM CREDIT TOKENS

DAY 1 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 2- https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 3- https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 4 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DAY 5 - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

DQs Day 4 ~ Chapters 20-27

13. We have learned that Janice is Ray’s mentor and he finds light in her. She is still by his side at the competition giving him encouragement and hope. Do you have a Janice in our life? Have you ever served as a Janice for someone else, lighting the way for others who lack the tools (or the hope) they need to thrive?

Janice is wonderful, apart from Nicole the only person who supports Ray without wanting something from him.. Mmm.. my husband is a Janice, he mentors a lot of people especially in the work and charity space. I'm very proud of him.

14. After lots of talk about who owns the violin and multiple lawsuits, Ray offers his family a settlement. $100,000 each and a bonus of $500,000 to split between them for the Leon Marks papers, plus making them beneficiaries of the insurance policy (with conditions). That was quite the offer! Would you settle for that if you were part of his family? Why do you think he made this offer, especially against the advice of his lawyer?

This is a difficult question. On the surface the family seem like greedy money grubbers but really there is a part of me that understands how difficult it would be if really struggling and seeing the answer if Ray sells the violin! Easy to make judgements without walking a mile in someone's shoes. I'm sure Ray made the offer because despite the difficulties he just wants his family back!

15. Ray has a idea/thought that he can’t shake. Mikhail Lezenkov (his rival at the competition) have had anything to do with the theft of his violin? Upon calling his lawyer with the possible person and motive, he learns there was a black market violin in Serbia. What do you think of this theory? Do you think there is any way that his farfetched theory could actually be true? Do you have another theory (or do you still stick to your original one)?

Seems a bit convenient really.

16. Throughout the novel, we learn about the pieces that have special significance to Ray. Did you make note of these pieces to explore later or did you make a playlist and listen as you read the novel?

Umm. no. I'm not really a fan of classical music.

The BOM is the gift that keeps on giving. Just found another tricky word within - merengue! Means bluegrass can be returned to my other book.

is quite an interesting read, if anyone is thinking of giving it a try. Good story and quite thought provoking.

DQs Day 3
Chapters 13-19

9. I don't know how I feel about the school basically milking Ray owning a Stradivarius and him having to do an interview without even getting asked to do so. I personally would have preferred to keep it private, at least for a while. What are your thoughts on the situation?
I'm feeling a lot of sympathy for Ray. On one side he has the greedy relatives both black and white.. and then on the other having to deal with society with all its misconceptions and prejudices. He can't seem to win

10. I can see where Ray's family is coming from wanting to sell the Stradivarius and divide the money, but they never showed any interest in the violin even though it had been in the family for a century, and Ray's grandmother gave Ray the fiddle for Christmas. He had to take care of everything surrounding it and his school/education himself, and he never even had much money to begin with. Would you be selling whatever in your life might turn out be worth this much money, and would you feel like your family was entitled to fair shares?

That's such a tricky question. And I've been going back and forth on this while reading the book. There are a whole lot of issues here, the family hardship, years of generational and societal problems and the question of who technically and legally owns the violin. Any family would need mediation to work this out!

11. Another family claiming ownership of the violin - it was bound to happen. On one hand I'm surprised they're suing Ray for the Stradivarius since I doubt they can prove the fiddle was stolen in any way, but on the other hand the odds clearly are against Ray. And now his family is suing him for the violin as well?! Who do you think is the rightful owner of the Stradivarius?

Again, I've been going back and forth on this. It would be an interesting legal case, especially with the original owners being slave owners. Who indeed owns the violin?

12. We've been introduced to a lot of different people (whose names I don't even all remember) and they all (most of them anyway) seem to have different reasons to possibly want to steal Ray's Stradivarius - greed, jealousy, racism,... it's all there. Do you have any more guesses of who's behind it all?

There is certainly a litany of contenders. How about the girlfriend? She hasn't popped up yet!

Side note: I laughed out loud when [don't remember who] described the Tchaikovsky competition as a cross between the Olympics and American idol; what does that even mean?! 😂

Yes, that was a good line. 😁

What do you know.. the BOM has bluegrass in it.

Captains, I'll use bluegrass in it.. and keep the other book which I also found bluegrass in (what are the odds..) on the spreadsheet and will read it if the number of words we need opens up later on in the round and we can have duplications.

Andy
2023 books | 116 friends
see comment historyDQs Day 2
Chapters 7 - 12

5.His mother and Aunt Joyce had gone to the store - ostensibly because they needed more collard greens, but in reality because one of the biggest family traditions was to keep Aunt Joyce out of the kitchen
Do you have any unusual family traditions, Thanksgiving if it applies, or Christmas, if it's not too early, or any other significant cultural event that revolves around a convoluted family meal?

Probably the Christmas night BBQ where extended family come together at our house to celebrate together. Everyone brings makes their specialty dish - mine are Trifle and Rice Salad.

6. When Grandma gifts PopPop's fiddle to Ray, his mother's immediate reaction is that he can't keep it and she even scolds her own mother,
Mama .... what are you thinking?
What do you think motivates Ray's mother's resistance to his pursuit of music?
Is it purely because she wants his focus to be on earning money for the family, or does she anticipate the racism and resistance he could face and is trying to protect him from heartbreak?

I've been wondering about his mother's attitude to Ray since the beginning of the book. She doesn't seem to like her son very much.. is it because of his father who is never mentioned? Unfortunately some people's life experience makes them bitter and negative and they seem to have an inverted snobbery in them. It's almost like she doesn't want her talented son to succeed. It's quite depressing.

7. Ray's meeting with Dr. Janice Stevens seems a pivotal moment, giving him access to the connections that sustain the close-knit classical music world
Do you feel there is a message here that hard work and talent may not be enough to overcome barriers to success, or is Ray's progress and recognition simply a result of his dedication?

There is a huge theme of racism in this book. And the fact that people of colour have to work twice as hard despite oodles of talent. I hate this.. and really hope society is evolving!!. Sadly I think it will be a long time in some places where we will truly have an equal society and this sort of abhorent behaviour will be banished to history.

8. So... PopPop's old fiddle might be a Stradivarius, but before the appraisal Rowland offers to buy it for $25,000 dollars. Ray refuses, declaring
I'm not selling it. Ever
What do you think is behind Ray's attachment to the instrument at this point, the rarity of it and the legitimacy it will give him in pursuing his dreams, or the link to his family's history, back to slavery, or something else?

What a crook trying to take advantage of Ray. Thank goodness his sense of history and family made him reject the offer immediately. It's going to be really interesting to see how Ray's ancestor got the fiddle in the first place and whether the plantation owner was his father as Ray suspected.

Tammie (friend)
3849 books | 281 friends
see comment historyDQs Day 1
Chapters 1 - 6

1. Can you even imagine losing a 10 million dollar anything?! Have you ever lost something and felt as Ray is portrayed in chapter 1...constantly retracing your steps over and over? What are your thoughts on other security precautions, if any, that should have been in place?

He didn't lose it.. it was stolen in a very well executed maneuver. Although he did seem fairly lax with the security for something worth 10 million dollars.

2. At this point in the book, when/where do you think the Stradivarius was taken?

I was thinking when he got into the taxi on the sidewalk.

3. Money can be a keen motivator...the ransom note leads us to believe it's all about the money...do you think it's possible it's about something else?

I think the clue will be in the backstory.

4. It's eluded to that Ray is about to make history because of his race with the upcoming competition in Russia. His family sure doesn't seem to be proud or supportive. Should Ray be proud of this accomplishment or is putting the focus on race poor form by everyone concerned?

Anyone should be proud of such an amazing accomplishment. Given Ray's background and family dysfunction even more so. I couldn't believe what happened in Chapter 6. I shouldn't be I suppose, but I've never come across such blatant racism and would never in a thousand years treat someone like that because of their race!

I just added my last book. Onto Round 4!

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "So I'm assuming for words like Spiritual and Salsa.. the word has to be used in a musical context only?"

It doesn’t.
I wondered the same but under the spoiler it addre..."

That's great. 😁

So I'm assuming for words like Spiritual and Salsa.. the word has to be used in a musical context only?

Sorry to hear that Fiona. Hope things improve for you and your family soon.

I'll grab MAMBO

Keely wrote: "Oh, sorry. I guess I missed that bit of information the first few times I read it. I had to check AGAIN to finally notice it. Sorry for the confusion.

Lisa - if you don't mind holding off on your..."

No problem. Lots of other options for me to check out.

Keely wrote: "The rules just say only one bonus word per book. Nothing about finding the same word in multiple book"

Great. Thanks for the clarification.

Vicky wrote: "Also, I have a book for the sandals task but I'm not sure when I'll get to it. If I can fly through my current read AND it before the Wheel Round ends this weekend it'll be soon... otherwise it doe..."

Just see how you go Vicky. If you get through it great.. if not just get to it when you can. Lots of other unclaimed spots. 😊