Judith’s Comments (group member since Apr 15, 2015)

Judith’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

Judith's BOM Participation Tracking

Day 1: wrote questions
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/...

Day 5 - Twenty-Nine - Epilogue

21. A lot of themes in this book resonated with me especially as the UK is undergoing strike action in a lot of industries and Uk history is full of strike action and it’s effects. Have you been involved in strike action? Are strikes an effective demonstration tool?
I have never been involved with a strike action but I think if done right they can be very effective.

22. Migration is a big theme in the book with the thought of migrants instilling fear in the general populace. How would you show these people how to overcome that fear.
Fear is generally borne from a lack of understanding, at least fear of this type anyway. It's why a lack of diversity can be such a problem. I also think with the Great Depression happening, there was a lot of anxiety about who was going to be out of a home next. And anxiety is a self-feeding beast which just made the whole situation worse.

23. Elsa finally allows herself to become the woman in the red dress and seduces Jack. How has Elsa changed through the book?
I think she finally recognized her inner strength for what it was and I hope at the end saw her true self. Not the self her parents and Rafe (through his indifference and abandonment) lead her to believe.

24. The final scenes brought a tear to my eye especially as Loreda reflects on what she didn’t do. Is there a book that left you feeling this way?
Yes, there have been several. But right now none of the titles are coming to mind which is a bit annoying.

Day 4
Chapters 24-28 (78%)

16. My heart sank when Loreda got into that strange man's truck in the middle of the night. Anyone else concerned for the young lady at that point? Did you think he was meeting a group of communists in the middle of the woods?
If this was a contemporary set book I would of worried this is where Loreda meets the serial killer and ends up in a ditch. I'm glad the man was nice and it was an interesting way to bring in Communists. It's not an issue touched on often in books set in the 1930s aside from in Hollywood with the blacklists and such.

17. The hospital and the police department had little time for the migrants. What a picture of America at the time. I struggle to relate with this situation. Do you think there are parts of America that still feel this way? Even toward fellow Americans?
Yes, most definitely as I think most people who are POC will tell you. If you are brown or god forbid brown, poor, with an accent you likely experience versions of this often. Not to go political but in a planned speech Mitch McConnell said: Black Americans “are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans" implying when someone just says 'Americans' they just mean white people.

18. The communists swoop in with places to stay, food, clothes, friendly faces and yet, they are the enemy. I thought it was interesting that Elsa said, "we're proud. We believe in hard work and a fair chance. Not one for all and all for one." Does it have to be one or the other? Can we all work hard and get a fair chance, and still want our neighbors to succeed and get a hand up when they need it? Why is what Jack doing different than what Elsa and Jean and the other wives who handed down shoes and potatoes (or whatever was needed) were doing?
I get what Elsa is saying, but she also helps out her friends that are struggling. But there is a stigma with being on the dole and the implication if you takes advantage of some of the offered help, you are lazy. Which isn't the case. Maybe because Jack is other? Meaning not in the same situation as them? Or they feel there are strings attached?

19. What about that Welty Farm? Seems too good to be true. And maybe it is. I have thought a village that keeps people employed, housed and fed would be a good thing, but I guess it only takes a few bad (greedy) apples to make it terrible. Will Elsa and her family find a happy ending?
I know there was a catch to Welty farms and they wanted to keep them in debt. But I didn't realize how bad until she tried to give them cash to pay it down. That is messed up. I hope so, they deserve it, but probably not. I hope at least the is another jump forward and we learn how things turn out for the kids.

20. On another note. While reading this book with this group,
am also reading The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl. I do this from time to time when reading historical fiction. I happened to have this book on hand and found it really interesting to get a little more information on what happened before the Dust Bowl started and what else was going on. Does anyone else do this? Do you read non-fiction and fiction about the same topic at the same time? Do you have any non-fiction books about the Dust Bowl you can recommend?
Not while I'm reading a historic fiction but it may make me want to read a nonfiction when I come across it in future. Sorry I don't have any Dust Bowl books to recommend. I feel like it isn't as popular a topic as WWII where there is such an over abundance of books.

Bonus: There was a lot to talk about in this section! I picked out a few things and my own habit. Were there different things that stuck out to you?
Other than Loreda finally cluing into her mom's efforts, you hit on the main topics that resonated with me.

DQs Day 3:Sixteen - Twenty-Three (62%)
I apologize in advance, because this was a depressing section in the book. No need to apologize, depressing sections I think are required of this author's books. Light and fluffy is not what you pick up her books for :)

11.) When the family stops at the gas station, Elsa and kids get their first try realization of what they are in for, and you get to see some of Lareda’s true grit when she is prepared to kill a man to save her life. Do you think that you could pull the trigger if you had to? Could you put your kids through the crossing of the Mojave dessert on your own like that?
Yes, especially with my child's life on the line. Without question. Not sure of my mental state on the other side, but I'd do whatever I had to do to keep them alive.

12.) The squatter’s camp is hard to fully fathom. People dying of dysentery. Children picking to be able to have enough money to not starve to death. Being able to only survive off of previous season’s pickings and living in such terrible conditions with trying to purify water as best as possible. What was your initial reaction to this new way of life? What would you do if faced with this situation?
It was what I expected based on what I know of Hoovertowns. I guess I would make the best of it and do whatever I could to improve my life situation as hard as that would be to do.

13.) “$0.40 for 10 hours of work.” Man was I mad for Elsa when I read this! What a piece of crap to take advantage of people like this. How would you have handled this situation? Could you have walked away as easily as Elsa?
I would of taken the money, otherwise who knows what would of happened. Being taken to jail, that what about the kids? And this isn't far off how many people view and treat migrant workers, immigrants, and refugees today. The main difference is the volume of the people falling into these groups and the clustering of those people compared to the 1930s.

14.) “Do you ever get tired of being strong?” How have you found resilience when dealing with a time that seemed insurmountable? When you looked back on that time, was it better or worse than it felt at the time?
Yes, when I think about it I'd say it's about the same. And I use that experience to help others who experience something similar. I try to remind them and myself that there is life after survival.

15.) The small spots of kindness that breach the darkness in life are essential to mental survival. Jean and her family, as well as the man and woman at the beauty salon have helped add kindness into Elsa and the kid’s worlds. How did you feel when reading the beauty salon section> Is there a random act of kindness that stands out as making a different in your life that you would be comfortable sharing? If so, what it is it?
It's a reminder that people as a group can be horrible but individuals have a well of kindness. An act of kindness of this magnitude is not something I have experienced and thankfully have not been in a place to truly need it.

DQs - Day 2 | Eight - Fifteen (38%)

6. Early in this segment, Elsa sees Rafe crying and they experience the ground visibly cracking. Rafe asks Elsa “How can you not break?” Elsa replied incorrectly saying “Because the kids need us not to.” What do you think Rafe expected her to say? Do you have an opinion on what she should have said? ...and would it have made a difference?
I don't think anything she said would of been the right thing to say. Aside from giving him a pass about being a general unhelpful waste of space. He probably would of resented that as well. I mean he said to his daughter's face that he bad a bad choice years ago. Implying that getting her mother pregnant, with her, was a bad choice. I know Loreda didn't realize that, but who does that?

7. After trying to convince Elsa to leave behind the farm, and then he agrees with her they can’t leave…Rafe still abandons his family. Justified or cowardice? Was Elsa right in not supporting her husband to leave the farm? Do you think they’ll ever see Rafe again?
Coward. He's a selfish, lazy coward. If he was leaving to go make money to send back to the farm, that would be justified. I think Elsa maybe should of been more open to the idea of leaving. It's hard for me to answer this since I know CA was not the land of milk and honey that was promised to these people. So her concerns were valid. I kinda hope that don't, but wishing a family member disappearance be permanent seems harsh on those that love him.

8. In chapter 11, Elsa and Rose commiserate about Loreda blaming Elsa for Rafe leaving.
“I want her to go to college, Rose. To be brave and have adventures.” “A Girl?” Rose laughed. “Ant will be the one. Loreda will settle down. You’ll see.” “I don’t want her to settle down, Rose. I’m in awe of her fire…”
Should Elsa be sharing her dream for Loreda with her? What is your prediction for Loreda 10 years from this point in the story?
Hmm. I'm not sure Loreda is in the right head space for that conversation right now. But eventually, I hope Loreda pulls her head out of her butt and clues into who her mother really is and how much credit Elsa deserves. Hopefully that will come with age.

9. The government expert shows a movie and delivers some startling facts about the state of things. This reminded me a bit of what we all just went through with Covid…warnings not believed, fear of misinformation and lack of trust in the government. What did you think of the approach of the government rep and the denial that seemed to radiate from many of the residents attending the meeting? Any mirrors to our recent experience with Covid come to mind?
I think is shows a complete lack of perspective from the point of the government on how to communicate with people. They basically blamed them for their own problems and offered solutions that mainly put them on the dole. These are hard working people doing the same thing that had been done for generations.

10. Ant experienced extreme sickness from the impacts of the dust storms, and Elsa has indicated they must leave Texas. What do you think of Elsa’s decision and what do you think will happen next in the story?
I think some of Elsa's concerns will be borne out as they find Hoover towns, etc. But I hope they find a way to survive and manage to keep the family together. And alive.

DQs Day 1: Chapters Prologue - Seven (18%)

1.) Did you like the opening to the story? Did it draw you in and help set the stage? Are you familiar with this part of US History (Dust Bowl)?

2.) What are your thoughts on Elsa's family and early home life? What do you think the long term impacts of this environment are? How do you think that affected her initial choices involving Rafe?

3.) The Martinelli family seems a different type of family compared to the Wolcott's. Do you agree? What do you think of the relationship that develops between Rose and Elsa especially?

4.) Loreda. Oh the wisdom of 12 year olds. What do you think of her POV, does it add to the story? Do you think at some point she'll clue in and appreciate her mother?

5.) Does the author do a good job describing the transition of the land and life from the post WWI boon to Dust Bowl bust for both Elsa's family and the town as a whole?

Works for me! Thanks Cat

No, not always. I hated every character in Gone Girl but thoroughly enjoyed the book. And I’ve had similar thoughts about characters in other Flynn books.

Not really sure how she pulls it off. Her books are a bit of an outlier. Usually I need something or someone to cheer for.

BOM Token Tracking

Day 1: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 2: wrote questions
Day 3: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 4: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 5: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Day 5 - Jess - epilogue

17. The wrapping up of this was very hectic, with bonus tear-gas fueled bathroom sex! Was the ending satisfactory to you?
Umm, no? maybe? I think I would of preferred to have Ben not to of made it. I guess Foley has at least one weird sex situation in every book. Though in The Guest List it was only nearly have sex in a random cave.

18. Jess blackmails Sophie into helping out the sex-trafficked girls. What did you think of this plot line?
Jess didn't even give Sophie a chance to offer and then took a cut herself. And the thread of her stealing and running from her lech of a boss went no where. Not sure what the point of that was other than as a reason she can't just go back to London.

19. Any changes in your view of the characters over the course of the book?
Honestly the only people I liked were the Concierge, Theo (because if you can manage to get it up after getting a face full of tear gas, call me), and Irina.

20. Finally, do you think the inversion of the normal view of Paris as the city of love was effective here?
I do. It's probably closer to real Paris (or any large city) than the rosy picture of the cities people have.

Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "Cat.. I though the Concierge's daughter was possibly Sophie as well. The author threw out a few hints but maybe just a red herring."

This was a thought I had too, but the weird dynamic in the interactions between Sophie and the Concierge make more sense after reading day 5's section.

DQ Day 5- Nick - Mimi

13. There is a lot going on in this section with many twists. First we head to Amsterdam and the Ben/Nick encounter was this expected. What are your thoughts on how Ben treated Nick when he moved into the apartment?
I actually assumed more happened between them and that full intercourse had occurred. So I wasn't really surprised. I think Ben wasn't being a very good friend to Nick but their dynamic was strange anyway and I don't think either one of the is that great of a person.

14. Ben and Sophie embark on illicit rendezvous courting danger, while Mimi is on an obsessive mission to seduce Ben. Where do you see this ending?
With Ben in the flower bed? I'm not sure what Ben's endgame was with Sophie but I don't think he realized Mimi was ready to start boiling bunnies. However this ends, it is not somewhere healthy.

15. Jess and Theo succeed in gaining entry to the exclusive club owned by Jacques but are thrown out when they attempt to access the locked room, with one of the dancers being fearful when she spots them down there. Ideas on what is behind the door?
I'm guessing that's where the buying and selling of people happens. Whether just for the night or longer. Maybe some public sexual acts as well.

16. We learn a lot about Mimi’s heritage and her connection to the Concierge. Do you think she’s aware of the connection?
No, I don't think so. But I am curious about what Antione and Nick know about the situation. They are old enough to know Sophie isn't Mimi's biological mother and probably know Mimi came from a mistress of their father's. But I'm not sure even they know the Concierge is Mimi's grandmother.

DQs Day 3 - Mimi - Sophie
9. Now, we know they are one big (not so) happy family. What do you think of the family dynamics? Do you think it is odd to live in an apartment in someone else’s house? This also means that anyone could have a key.
I think this is really odd, especially since it didn't seem that Ben knew it was Nick's home and that they were all related. Clearly there are a lot of issues in this family, I wouldn't even know where to start unpacking them.

10. We have learned about the father and his view on sex/chastity with two of his children (“becoming a man” and his daughter’s outfit). How do these two scenes reflect on the family and character development?
Very old school in an unhealthy way. He clearly likes to rule the family with an iron fist and not let them be their own persons.

11. Ben seems to have been investigating the family business. What do you think is really going on and is represented by the “wine” transactions? I think there is one obvious choice, but I will wait for others to comment.
My mind at that point went straight to human trafficking. I have a hard time pointing to something specific that lead me to that conclusion. Maybe about how Sophie thought she was coming to France to dance but clearly that didn't happen. Made me think of how traffickers trick young women into leaving home for a modeling job or nanny job that's fake, take their passports, and force them into working in brothels.

12. Finally, do you have a favorite character so far? Do you think the characters have developed much or are they still mostly defined relationally?
Jess, mainly because she is trying to figure out what happened to Ben. Even though if she disappeared, I'm not sure he would return the favor.

Day 2 DQs Jess to Jess

5.) This section opens with Jess and Nick meeting which provides more insight into Ben and his relationships with friends. The conversation Nick and Ben had about the apartment rent seemed really odd, why was the rent for that apartment so cheap? And how could Nick really arrange it?

6.) More layers added to the Concierge, she seemed to like Ben because he treated her like a person. Anyone else think he had an angle there and he wasn't just being a decent person? However, she's following Sophie's instructions about Jess and vaguely threatened her. Any thoughts as to why?

7.) Things are not looking good for Ben, I'm back to pondering the freshly planted flower bed in the courtyard. Any guess at what he's been up to? The blackmail of Sophie?

8.) The police station. Do you think Nick told them what Jess think he told them? Or do you think he told them "this is my friend's nutter sister who thinks he's missing when he's off getting laid".?

DAY 1 QUESTIONS - PROLOGUE - CONCIERGE

1. Lucy Foley has been a very popular author over the last few years starting with The Book of Lost and Found in 2015, this is her sixth book. How many have your read? Have you a favourite? What is it about her writing style that keeps you coming back? And if you are a newbie what are you expecting from The Paris Apartment?
I read The Guest List when it was a BOM. I enjoyed it well enough so I figured I'd read this one as well. Her book The Hunting Party was recommended to me around the time it came out, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. Along with the hundreds of other books on my tbr list. LOL

2. Ahhh.. Voila. Paris the city of love and light. 💕 How important do you think the apartment's location will be to the story? Have you been to Paris or is it on your travel bucket list? Any memories/stories you want to share.
It probably will be at some point but I don't know Paris well so I'm not really sure how the location will be important. I've never been to Paris and it's not especially high on my European bucket list. There's just other places I'd rather go

3. And now to the prologue. Does is set the scene? What are your initial thoughts of Ben and what is to come? PS Isn't the key so cute with the Paris landmarks on it. I want one!
I think it does, it gives a glimpse of Ben the person and the creepy, secretive nature of the apartment building. And yes, that is a pretty cool key!

4. It's a bit of a femme fest with all the main characters at this stage women. Jess, Sophie, Mimi and the mysterious Concierge - all seem to be full of subterfuge and secrets. Compare and contrast these women and what do you think their ongoing role in the novel will be?
Jess - seems relatively independent but I am curious about what she did before she ran to Paris. She's had a really hard life and Ben seems to be a bit of a douche to her.
Sophie - rich wife of a man who probably has a side piece. Has a checkered past, wondering if she used to be a hooker or something. Or maybe committed a crime?
Mimi- I'm wondering about her like Louise. Something weird but not sure what.
Concierge - The apartment secret keeper. I'm fairly sure she knows everything that goes on there.


Anyone else wondering about the "freshly turned" flower bed in the courtyard? Coincidence?

Yay!

I have 4 going. LOL. 3 is normal but I have the BOM started since I'm up for DQs tomorrow which bumped it up to 4.

I don't know why the book is that long, for this genre that's just crazy. Which it what I thought about the length of Troubled Blood which didn't quite crack the 1,000 page mark.

It's like there is some weird rule in her head that the each book has to be longer than the last. I do this series by audio so I don't have the book weight issue. Luckily they are well narrated.

God help us if this page number trend continues.

Maybe you can use bookcases as legs for a dining table and just set a piece of plywood on top

Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "All good for me too.

Mods, can we still earn the BOM credits for extra entries or has that finished now?"

That runs year round, and you just bank the credits until you use them during a challenge.

Me too!