Words from Gina

I can't get over how great this book was. I just want to buy a million copies and hand them out on the street. I have felt so humbled as I have read this novel. My curiosity has gotten the better of me and I've tried to find more information on Sarah Prine. It bothered me that this was "based" on her life, but not her real journals word for word. The real Sarah Prine didn't have time to keep a journal, nor did she have the skill apparently. I just wanted validation that someone really faced each thing that she encountered with that kind of integrity. So I guess fictional or not, I want to be the hard worker, doting mother and loving wife that Sarah Prine was in this book.

In the whole wide world of information on the web, this is the only factual information I could find other than this blog entry by Nancy Turner herself:

The real Sarah Prine is third from the left. Young girl is Nancy Turner's mother at age 11. The tallest lady is Nancy's grandmother, teller of stories and baker of pies, and the lady on the far right is Nancy's great- great grandmother, Roxie Virginia Stockman Reed."

Now, On to the review...

#1--1st person vs. 3rd person narrator
I guess after reading the book narrated by Death, I much prefer 1st person perspective. I like that we know what Sarah's views and feelings are on the matters she faces... I didn't like the way Death interpreted people's actions and why they might have done what they had done. Sarah just stated the facts plain and simply. She didn't judge people unfairly in my opinion, she just followed her honest gut feelings and I think they served her very well. Even in the case of Felicity.

#7--themes: thirst for education, etc.
I don't think it was odd for Sarah to thirst for education like she did. Even in her day. She had an instinct for survival and education was something that would have a hand in her means to keep her family safe. I personally loved how she questioned the doctor's diagnosis and went to find more information on her own. Sure, the outcome wasn't what she had hoped, but she did the right thing and kept all kinds of information at her fingertip even prior to Suzanne's scarlet fever. Also, her realization (per Blue Horse) that education is like a tree... that will stick with me forever.

#2 and #4 together--the heroic in women's everyday lives
I agree with Katie here. All women are heroes. They are! Each of us has a mission in life and each of us has a special work ethic and distinct drive to survive and move forward. It's amazing what we can accomplish in a day, with horrible environments, relationships and whatever else that might make us "fit to be tied" as Sarah would say. I could totally imagine feeling as low as Sarah did after Jimmy died. How did she keep going with a small baby and all that work on the ranch? I think if we each knew what each of us faces, we'd wonder how each of us could move forward as well. But we do and we survive and we are stronger for it.

#9 and #11 together--the relationship of Sarah and Jack
Passionate. Unique. Equal. Unconditional.
I found their relationship so humorous. I could tell they'd eventually end up together because she was always so peeved by him. And even when they were married she'd disown him on every other journal entry. Their chemistry was just wonderful and even though Jack's good-bye was heartbreaking, I knew she'd survive and be fine, just like he did.

My words!

What a delightful read! I not only had the print version but the book-on-CD version, so I got to "hear" Sarah's words as well as read them. I suspect, however, that this double-reading of sorts may have prevented me from seeing Sarah's spelling improve over the course of her story. I would happily read the follow-ups to this story, as Amanda tells me they exist. That makes me happy. For now, I will tackle the questions and wax academic.

1. Had it been written in the third-person, this book would change my relationship with Sarah and the other characters. It's hard to say if those relationships would change for the worse. Would I not feel as close to Sarah if I didn't get to read her, writing nakedly in black and white? In terms of character, there can be a sense of mystery in novels that use the third-person. The reader cannot know all a particular character is thinking. (Of course, the same could be argued for first-person narratives. But first-person points of view do tend to reveal more of an honest character: how she thinks and feels, for one.) Third-persons can leave the reader guessing. With Sarah, we did not have to guess how she truly felt about things. She was so frank in her journal (and with others). On the other hand, third-person narratives can be more illuminating when it comes to action. In this novel, the reader might have more information about what exactly Jack was doing out there in Mexico. We might have gotten more history had this book been written from a third-person point of view. I think I have successfully written in the first-, second-, and third-people (!) in this answer.

2. I don't remember exactly how education changes Sarah, besides the fact that she derives a sense of pride from her academic accomplishments. And, as I alluded to earlier, it may have improved her spelling. Education certainly changes her family; her brother went on to become an architect in San Francisco. Sarah's mentions of the Board of Normal Education and the new university in Arizona lead me to believe that she will further pursue her own studies. It seems to me, though, that her greatest "education" was not academic but experiential. Her life itself was her university. Her classes were not Art History or German, but Economics, History of the American West, Botany, Animal Husbandry. I got a great sense of her awe and wonder toward education, and her accomplishments in life as well as "school" prove to me that her mind was top-notch.

3. A physically handicapped friend (she had no use of her arms and used a wheelchair to convey herself) once complained to her mother on the phone: "I'm not special. I just do what I need to do every day to survive." She was griping about her alma mater's recent invitation to come and speak to graduates at an upcoming ceremony. I compare this attitude (of humility, perhaps?) to that of Sarah's in a way. Sarah had little choice but to do what she did to survive. Fortunately, she had enough steel and wits to make it a success. Did Sarah have determination and courage, as the back of this book describes heroism? I felt she did. She was very resilient. At many points, she could have just given up. But she had this sense of determination that was intense. She just kept putting one foot in front of the other, even though she was scared. And that's courage in my book. As for her mother, it seems like it was self-preservation that led her to isolate herself. She eventually healed. But I have to note that she did so only when someone else (Sarah) "dropped the ball." Her mother had to step up. I think that is how many of us grow: When we have to step up and take responsibility.

4. Sarah and Jack are up there with Jane and Mr. Rochester, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. The spark between them was palpable. As for the time-pieces, I guess the obvious answer is that they were always waiting for each other. Sarah had to wait for Jack to come home all the time. Jack had to wait for Sarah to realize she was in love with him. (And also for her husband to die!) I think also they knew their time together was precious. They always had an eye on it.
The book, "The Duchess," was just a fabulous inclusion. It seemed that as long as Jack had the book, he had a part of Sarah. At first, it seemed a sort of insurance policy. He knew how she longed for the book. She would always pursue it. I think, too, the promises and wonder of that single torn page really gave Sarah a sense of hope of things to come, of possibilities. I think her horizon opened tremendously just from that single page. Her sense of wonder, too, at this page, revealed an innocence and tenderness that really made her a lovable character. Consequently, it was a lovable book.

These Is My Words...

I LOVED this book. I would look at it every time I was in a bookstore, but for some reason, I would never buy it. So, thank you Karen for making me finally buy it. I will go ahead and address the questions Karen wanted us to discuss.

1. 1st person vs. 3rd person narration: The question at the back of the book states “…one may feel that Sarah is neither honest with herself nor correctly interpreting others’ actions or feelings.” Well, isn’t that real life? We all live our lives in our own 1st person. We all interpret others’ actions and feelings based on our own experiences. People can experience the same event without experiencing the same event. We all have our experiences, thoughts, knowledge, etc., which influence how we interpret what happens around us and to us. I liked that it was in 1st person. I loved that everyone around Sarah knew that Jack was in love with her, but Sarah didn’t see it? On March 28, 1882, Captain Elliot came to visit. Mama kept telling Sarah to fetch him stuff, but also to comb her hair. Savannah helps Sarah “spruce up.” On July 4, 1882, Savannah “accidentally” slops milk all over Sarah’s work dress, then tells Sarah that her other work dress was covered with mud so that Sarah will have to wear her new dress during another Captain Elliot visit. I learned more about Sarah from how she saw things around her than I would have learned, I think, from an all-knowing third person explaining Sarah.

2. Sarah’s thirst for education: Sarah’s education changed the whole book…literally. Sarah’s diary entries at the beginning of the book are grammatically rough. As she reads and learns, her narration improves. I’m glad Sarah wanted to improve herself – she wasn’t going to resign herself to her lot in life. However, I think Jack said it best (August 28, 1886), “Education doesn’t keep a person from being a fool, and the lack of it doesn’t keep a person from being intelligent.” Seeking education is a good pursuit – however, being educated doesn’t make one smart.

3. The heroic in women’s everyday lives: I think every woman is heroic. Let’s start with Sarah – a couple of events stand out. The first one is when she defends Savannah and her sisters from those filthy men. And although I don’t agree with Ulyssa’s not fighting back, isn’t she a heroine for living her Quaker beliefs even in the direst of circumstances? The second event that show’s Sarah’s heroism is the fact that she eventually forgives Jimmy. He was the person she should have been able to trust the most, but he ended up betraying her (from the beginning). It took awhile, and it took some suffering, but she ended up forgiving him in the end. There’s a paragraph Sarah writes on October 6. 1887: “After I got my bread dough set to rising, I cleared off the table of flour and got out my gun cleaning rags and brushes and oil, and made sure I was ready for trouble.” Sarah had to cook, clean and then “be prepared for trouble.” Although women today don’t necessarily need to cook from scratch or clean their guns, they still need to defend their homes from outside dangers. Mother’s today have the same desires as Sarah, I think, “[o]ur children weigh hard on my heart, and thinking about them growing up honest and healthy, or just living to grow up at all, makes a load in my chest that is bigger than the safe at the back, and more valuable than all the gold inside it.” I don’t have children, but I have the same desires for my nieces, nephews and their children.

4. The relationship between Sarah and Jack: I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between Sarah and Jack. They were each so independent, yet dependent on their love for each other. It gladdened my heart watching Jack treat her like an equal, not like a possession – not only did Jack treat her like an equal, she acted like an equal. I’m glad that Sarah finally got the experience the kind of love that she envied so much watching Albert and Savannah. I enjoyed watching Jack tease her, I enjoyed the fact that Sarah’s family kept trying to push her into a relationship with him, but she had no clue. The reading group question at the end of the book asks, “What is the significance of Jack and Sarah exchanging time pieces for their wedding gifts to each other?” What do you guys think?

The Book Thief (Karen Buxton)

I'm finally posting again after a very long break. With our move and
all of the things that are to be done, I haven't had much time to
read, but I did slowly make my way through this book. I really
really liked it. I think that I'd now be pretty good at swearing in
German, but I'll refrain.

I thought Gina's comments about listening to the book on CD were
interesting. I don't think that I would have liked listening to a
creepy guy read to me. I read through the author's comments at the
end of the book, and he mentioned that he kept revising Death's
character and personality so that it wasn't so creepy. It's
interesting that the publishers chose someone with such a voice.

Anyway, I loved learning about what it must have been like living as
a citizen in Nazi Germany. I really enjoyed reading the "Children of
the Promise" series for that same reason. Especially post war era in
East Germany.

Personally, I really liked Rosa. She seemed so gruff and angry, but
stereotypically thoses sorts are soft and loveable on the inside.
Hans, of course, was the ideal father figure. He was kind,
compasionate, with an endless ability to love. I don't believe that
he used Leisle as a replacement for his own children, she needed to
be loved, and he needed to love.

I was heartbroken that Rudy died, but prepared for it. I several
times in the book figured that Max and Leisle would find each other
in the end, but the author was never really said that they married.
That was my assumption considering that she spent the remainder of
her life in Sydney. I was left wanting to know more about her adult
life and marriage.

I've had the opportunity to visit Dachau. As I read, I remembered
the feelings that I felt in that place, and wondered how the the
German people felt as they passed by it while it still held
prisoners. It's a sacred place where many people grew to know there
God through their suffering.

I always post so late, that there really isn't anything that I might
add that hasn't been said already. Thanks for the great book picks.