Part II -pg 355

[Angie, YA lovin mod!!]

Part II starts with a quotation from Zelda Fitzgerald, "I don't want to live, I want to love first, and live incidentally." Love is a major theme for this part of the book. Gloria admits her feelings to Jerome and they start making plans to runaway together. Clara tells Marcus about part of her past. And Lorraine reveals Clara's secret to everyone---including the press---at Gloria's engagement party.

Clara tells Gloria, "I'm no more expert on the subject than any other girl. But this much I know: Love is worth everything. If you really love someone, you'll have no regrets. Even if it turns out badly." Do you agree? How might this impact the characters in this story? How do you feel about our star-crossed lovers chances of success?

We also learn that Lorraine did not reveal Gloria's secret to Bastian, even as she does expose Clara's reasons for New York. Did either of these revelations surprise you? Did they change the way you feel about any of the characters?

[Angie, YA lovin mod!!]

Wow... that Lorraine character gets worse and worse. I feel bad for her. Desperate for any friend. No guys seem to notice her. Sad story.

I don't really agree about the whole love thing. What if you are married with a family? Should you just run off for love? I just don't know about that. As far the lovers chances...wow. In the 1920s for a black man and a white woman to be together was not good. Too much racism. But I will say that I have enjoyed reading about this. I myself am in an interracial relationship. I have only run into a few people who are surprised by it. Most keep it to themselves. Funny how people will talk about black people around me and then I have to say that I am married to one. That is the only time I mention my husbands race. Otherwise I just tell people I am married. But during the 20s was a whole different story. This is why I look forward to the next book to see how this part of the story turns out. Right now Gloria and Jerome really haven't run into too much racism, just gangsters.

I knew Lorraine didn't expose Gloria's secret only because of how the book read. But I NEVER expected it to be Vera! That was a shocker. And that Bastian was pretty much behind everything. I knew he was bad but I didn't know about that.

I am very excited to see where the series leads. How will the characters turn out in New York? And I love the whole romantic side of this book. Unexpected!!

A couple questions unanswered for me, what happened to Clara after leaving the club the night Gloria was kicked out of there. How did she get away from her cad Henry (I think that was his name). Also did Gloria and Jerome have sex the day they left for New York? And why didn't Gloria tell Jerome what she heard at Bastian's office? Maybe he would've high tailed it out of there faster and no one would've been killed.

[[deleted user]]

Angie wrote: "Wow... that Lorraine character gets worse and worse. I feel bad for her. Desperate for any friend. No guys seem to notice her. Sad story..."

Agreed with you Angie about Lorraine. The whole time i was reading this novel I felt so much PITY towards her character. I mean she's been buying everyone's attention and so much dependent on Gloria and Marcus. So much insecurities that was going on with her. Even though that was the case, in the beginning chapters she could still contain these emotions until Gloria became so judgemental of her and making assumptions about her best friend without actually hearing her side. Come to think of it Jerome actually listened to Gloria when she asked to explain her side but then when it was her best friend's turn to ask her to her out , Gloria just didn't listen....there's so much drama, issues and suspense that's going on. :D

[Stephanie]

I was surprised by Clara's revelation, I didn't see that coming, and it now makes more sense why she was so eager to leave her old lifestyle.

One thing that is a personal pet peeve of mine, in books and movies, is The Speech Scene, where the truth comes tumbling out in a grand speech by one of the characters while a crowd gawks. I get that it's a device to bring major revelations through, giving all the characters a chance to react and get mad, etc. It's overdone. So, I was rolling my eyes a bit at Lorraine's big speech.

[Angie, YA lovin mod!!]

Yea, you are right. It is dramatic. I would think in the 1920s when proper manners were VERY important that Lorranie would've been shunned by everyone. She is one of those people you would not want to be seen with. I guess though that particular scene when she says her speech in front of everyone was the climax of the book, so I suppose it was necessary to the story.

[Courtney]

The speech didn't bother me b/c I imagine her drunk and falling over and don't put much stock in what she was saying. I think Clara could have denied it all and no one would have batted an eye. This was the moment Clara grew up in the story. She took responsibility for her actions and stood up to her accusers and the Cad. It was a vital part of the story.

The part that REALLY bothered me was Gloria's reaction to Sebastian's betrayal. She hears this terrifying news that the love of her love is about to get murdered and what does she do? She goes to her house to pack, has a heart to heart with Clara then gets busy with Jerome. She had no sense of urgency. Was she just planning on killing everyone?

[Stephanie]

@ Courtney: the lack of urgency bothered me, too. I kept wanting them to hurry up and get out of there! Just b/c she had a gun doesn't mean she was protected from thugs.

I appreciated the imagery in this book; I never had trouble visualizing what the characters looked like or where they were. I think the Chicago setting helped the story a lot, and despite its flaws, I enjoyed it.