I finished by the deadline!

I have to admit that I had trouble getting into this book, but with a deadline looming . . . I started skimming last night and then I got hooked. I read until midnight (even though I had school this morning) and just finished. Then I read everyone else's (is this a word?) comments before posting my own. I was excited to join the discussion, but discovered that I had forgotten my user name and password. Half and hour later, I am finally posting my commments/responses on Confessions.

First, like Katrina, I was very impressed with Greer's author's craft. There were so many powerful phrases and images. One that I underlined was, "I took the moment--snip--and coiled it in the enamel locket of my heart." Whoa! I'd love to write like that. The plot had enough of the unique and unexpected (maybe I am just a little slow), that I was intrigued. (At the end of Book II, I was genuinely surprise that Mrs. Ramsey was Mrs. Alice Ramsey. I felt like I did at the end of 6th Sense when I finally figured it out!) Also, the characters showed depth and humanity and growth. This book made me think.

The choices the characters made throughout the book, while sympathetic, were a bit frustrating to me. I wanted Max to be more insightful when interacting with Hughie, his mother and sister, Alice's mother, etc. The individuals and families all seemed to be out-of-sync with each other somehow; they never really connected in long lasting, meaningful relationships . . . with the exception of Alice and Sammie. Is this the one parent-child relationship that is going to work? One can only hope, but it doesn't seem likely.

This book was definitely worth reading. Thanks, Katie, for suggesting it. (By the way, I was sickened by the bear's death. It made me cringe!) Karen Buxton . . . you expressed the pain of the book: shattered dreams, missed opportunities and unfulfilled expectations. All of this was related so matter-of-factly, that it wasn't a downer; it was just thought-provoking. Laurenda, I am looking forward to the next selection. I loved Sarah Plain and Tall, but have not read the sequal. I bought it last week. (I can't read a book without marking it all up, so I have to own the books I read.)

Celia, I may have missed a few details (I was skimming the book), but Max' father ends up in Alaska, marries, becomes wealthy and when he dies, leaves enough money to Max that he can live comfortably. Greer doesn't spell out exactly why he walks out on his family and that is a good thing. I found that thinking about what was going on in his mind was a lot more interesting than having the author spell it all out.