Reading Response 3

This plot just keeps thickening more and more with every page. The connections between the characters are confusing. I have learnt that Theresa and Johnny are not actually mother and son, though they might as well be. Sharona is a Gypsy and therefore, her daughter Pense is as well. Johnny, it turns out, is Pense's father and the reason for Sharona leaving her 'familia' and moving in with Theresa instead of traveling. He and Sharona are not married but he is still a big part of Pense's life. With the arrival of the Kumpania (band of Roma familia who travel and live together) comes many new twists in the plot and new information is learnt about the characters. It turns out that Daniel is part of this group of Gypsies and is, or was in fact their head. His Gypsy name is Palumb Furtuna which means Dove Storm, giving him yet another tie to the town and characters who live in it. The knowledge that Daniel, or Palumb Furtuna, was going to be in Millbrook was the reason that so many more Gypsies than showed up this year than normal. The arrival of Sharona's familia makes her think hard about her relationship with Johnny and how much she would like to rejoin the Kumpania. Pense is drawn to the Kumpania too but Sharona doesn't think it is the right thing for her to do. Plus she knows how much it would hurt Johnny to have both them leave him. Johnny, afraid of them leaving, is planning to ask Sharona to marry him. Theresa would also be heartbroken if Sharona and Pense left with the Kumpania. They are a huge part of her life, and the only loved ones she has. I find Daniel has become more mysterious and seems less like the polite old english man we knew in the beginnig of the book. He seems more dark and threatening to those who aren't on his good side. He is planning something with the help of Johnny, the factory workers and the men of the Kumpania.

Reading Response 2

After discovering that Daniel is a ghost, the next question is why is he in Millbrook. He has taken a strange interest in the Harris Factory which I guess is not surprising considering the entire town is built around it and depends on it for jobs. Some of the other characters think that he is a labour organizer who is looking into the factory but I think that his reason for being there is bigger than the factory, I think he is trying to personally attack Harris himself. I’m still not sure if he is looking to seek revenge or not, but he has joined a group of men in the town who are trying to get better pay and insurance, etc. from the factory and is also looking into the ownership of a piece of land that Theresa and her family (I use the word family losely as everyone who lives in her house and she considers to be family are not actually related to her) want, and rightfully deserve. Daniel has also taken a special interest in speaking with Lillian, J.P. Harris' daughter. It seems like he is looking to get information from her about her father. His views on the Gypsies, and the land he owns. Daniel has revealed that he is a Gypsy as well which doesn't make much sense to me considering he is a Count from England. The only people who know he is The Count Daniel Vincent Cudzinski are those who live at Knightswood. The fact that he is a Gypsy and J.P. Harris dislikes the Gypsies makes me think that perhaps that is another reason he dislikes J.P.. Daniel has also given Lillian information about Kenneth Walker for her to read. Daniel used to live with Kenneth back in England and he is coincidentally Theresa's love. Before going to the war, Kenneth had promised to marry Theresa, but never returned to Millbrook. This brings up another possible reason for Daniel's visit, to tell Theresa of Kenneth's death during the war. But what I'm wondering is why he gave the information to Lillian?

The relationship between Daniel and Johnny (who is like Theresa's son) has grown a lot. It seems as though they both have a great deal of respect and trust for one another even though they havent known each other all that long. Johnny seems to dislike J.P. a lot as well which I guess gives them something in common. During the war, Johnny acidentally killed his best friend in the middle of the night so he doesn't trust himself to sleep close to anyone, even his own dog isn't allowed to sleep near him. I think the reason Johnny feels so comfortable with Daniel is because they were both in the war and so Daniel is more understanding than others about his situation. Johnny is the one in charge of getting all the Harris employees together to create a union.

Reading Response 1

I will be the first to admit that I am hasty to judge a book and then throw it aside after reading only a few chapters, but with Magdalena’s Song, I had no such desire. The first page, even the first sentence, caught my attention and had me immediately asking questions. The main character, Daniel, draws the reader into the story. Pat Mattaini Mestern does a very good job of releasing little pieces of information about him at a time. In the first chapter of the book, I thought he was merely on vacation and his love for history brought him to the town of Millbrook to learn about the Anderson family. The Anderson estate (known as Knightswood) now belongs to an elderly woman named Theresa who was Magdalena Andersons companion. Living in the house with Theresa is a woman named Sharona and her daugther Pense who Daniel seems to be interested in learning more about. I'm still not sure of the relation between the two women. They accepted Daniel as a boarder in the house when he wrote a letter to Theresa explaining how he was looking for a connection to the Anderson family. Within a few pages, the reader starts to get the feeling that Daniel has more of a connection to the Anderson’s then he’s letting on. He seems to know his way around the house without much assistance and various paintings and pieces of furniture which he seems to know a lot about, stand out to him. Even with the author narrating his thoughts, Daniel doesn’t give very much information on his true intentions in Millbrook. One night, while sitting around the dinner table, Pense started humming a tune that caught Daniel’s attention and the next day he started asking her all these questions. When Daniel talks with Pense, he thinks "My God, they’re her eyes." referring to Magdalena’s eyes. Clearly he knew Magdalena and has come back to her house for some reason. The odd thing is that Magdalena had been dead for a while it sounds like, and Pense has no relation to Magdalena, she has never even met her. If he knew Magdalena, he must be quite old. Then Pense calls Daniel a Ghost, which his thoughts later confirm. What confuses me, is how is he a ghost if everyone in Millbrook can see and touch, and talk to him? And why is he in Millbrook? I could barely put the book down to write this response, I’m aching to know what happens next.