Between Shades of Gray: Part 1 - Thieves & Prostitutes (Contains spoilers)

[Londa]

There are some good discussion questions at

http://www.betweenshadesofgray.com

I'll use those to get the discussions rolling


When Jonas observes his mother smashing her beloved china and crystal
before they depart their home, he asks her why she is destroying these
items. She replies, “Because I love them so much.” (p. 18) Do you consider
this an act of rebellion? In your opinion, is her reaction appropriate? In
what ways is she trying to control the situation?

[Mahsa]

I finished reading it to the end of this part,last night!I absolutely enjoyed it up to now and I'm waiting for more!However,I'm expecting a little development in their situation!The scene with the murder of the dead infant's mom was a real tragedy!I hope the ones that made it to this part,could make it to the end of the book!

[Mahsa]

Londa wrote:

When Jonas observes his mother smashing her beloved china and cr..."

When I read this part,the only idea that came to my mind was that she thought maybe the Russians may take all their furniture for themselves,so she broke them in order not to give them the chance!But now I'm thinking maybe her act was symbolic!And I think as long as I do not have the same experience,I can't tell whether it was an appropriate reaction or not!

[Meg]

Londa wrote: "There are some good discussion questions at

http://www.betweenshadesofgray.com

I'll use those to get the discussions rolling

When Jonas observes his mother smashing her beloved china and cr..."

Good question. It was very brave of her I think. The only way she could stand up to the Soviets. In some ways it was similar to Ona's act of defiance in not allowing the soldiers to have her baby's body - letting it fall on the train tracks instead.

I'm loving this book so far! It is very easy to read and a real page turner. I was worried that it would be so tragic that it would be painful and difficult to read, but so far it is manageable. I feel like it might get worse!

[Cristal]

Wow, what a powerful story, finished the first part last night, can't wait to carry on with the story to find out what happens next.

[Londa]

Mahsa I never expected the newborn and the mother to survive. The conditions were so harsh that I was surprised they lasted as long as they did. Such a powerfully tragic situation.

I also thought that the mother was using what little power she had to protest the injustice being perpetrated on her family. I would have done the same thing. If you are going to steal from me, I will destroy all I can first. Meg, you made a good comparison with the mother and the babies body. They didn't have much to resist with, but they defied the Soviets as much as they could.

[Kara]

I just finished this portion last night. This is a quick read!

I agree with you all about the mother's act of protest. I thought that was the second most memorable part of the book so far (the first being the baby's and Ona's deaths).

This is enjoyable so far, but I do wish it weren't written in the first person. I'm finding it a little distracting and would prefer an objective narrator. I'm also not feeling as much emotion from Lina as I would have expected, but maybe she's in shock?

[Londa]

Kara, I agree it was hard to get a good feel for Lina emotions.

How did you all feel about the 'flashbacks'?

Since I listened to the audio version, I found the flashbacks confusing. It would take me a minute to figure out that Lina was in the past. When I picked up the paper version, I saw that the flashbacks are in italics.

For some books, they work really well, but I found the delivery flat in this novel. The background information could have been delivered in another way and been just as effective.

[Kara]

I crazy dislike the flashbacks. They're clearly shown as flashbacks in the book, so at least I don't have the audiobook problem you're experiencing, Londa, but I have so far found nothing interesting in the flashbacks. All they seem to be saying here is that Lina is really smart and talented, her dad really loves her, and there were hints of things going badly for a long time. I think you're right and that all of this could have been delivered in a less direct way and been more lyrical.

[Meg]

I agree with you about the lack of emotion from the narrator. When I heard about this book - young girl, 1st person, extremely sad and tragic circumstances - I thought I would be crying uncontrollably from start to finish. I haven't shed a tear yet.

[Megan]

Kara, I agree with you about the flashbacks and lack of emotion from Lina. I'm really hoping its shock and won't be like this the remainder of the book. I love the character of the mother and find her incredibly brave!

[Jenn]

Just finished the first section. The book is a quick and easy read for me so far and not at all boring as I thought it might be. It's definitely more of a young adult read than I was expecting, which is probably why I'm finding it an easy read.

I think the mother is my favorite character and I liked that she broke the china. She is defiant at times, but generally smart about how she goes about it. I'm interested in the idea of Lina drawing what's happening to document it and also in hope of guiding her father to them. I wonder if part of the reason we're not getting a lot of emotion from Lina is that she's kind of playing the role of an observer so she can capture what is going on in her drawings.

[Albany]

I loved the way Jonas begged Lina to not say anything after the officer killed Ona. (That death was something I was hoping for ever since her baby died, I can't imagine the pain the poor girl (not much older than Lina) was going through and the relief that death brought her.) I like that Lina has such strong opinions that are almost shocking to others around her.