Thursday
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.
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2 comments:
Hey Sarah!
Man this sounds like a complicated book! The most complicated stories I've ever read were historical fiction and, in terms of character-keeping-track-of, Jane Austen. But it sure sounds as if you're enjoying it! Do you think that the intricacy is what makes this canadian novel a GREAT canadian novel? I've always wondered that...for a novel to be 'great', must it reflect piece by piece the emotional and sociological complexities of lives? Reading my novel Life of Pi, I personally begin to think not.
However, Magdalena's Song seems to me a piece-by-piece story, which is probably a lot more difficult to write about! I like how your postings are done from different stages throughout the novel. It gives a different perspective than when you write after finishing the whole thing- you don't know what's coming and can more freely write about how you feel at that particular moment.
I most definitely agree with Laura on that-the complexities are very apparent. But my novel, A Fine Balance certainly took a similar tone, as I learned just about every intricate detail of the main characters' lives. For me this was one of the greatest means of effect, for if an author can write this detail well it opens up a whole new world of understanding for the reader. I think this development can tend to be a tradition of Canadian author's- I know it was mentioned in my writer's craft class that Canada in itself is defined hugely by the landscape. That in itself makes room for description, was that part of your book. That could be something you could talk about in your next writing projects. This sounds like the perfect book for you. Good luck!
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