SKC: I'm reading this now and am struck by the tone of near indifference ....very interesting read thus far...
FM: I think SKC goes right to the heart of why this book works so well. The author’s calm, understated descriptions of her parents pack a lot more power than any sensationalism ever could. She tells us what happened and lets us judge for ourselves. The humor, also, is as understated as it is unexpected – even easy to overlook. The mishap of the piano being tied to the car and then dragged all the way through the house and beyond is only funny after the morbid fascination with the event has subsided. Again, it is the low-key, almost deadpan delivery that is so brilliantly and consistently employed throughout this part of the book that draws us in and lets us forget ourselves.
CJ: I liked the intrigue with the introduction of Mom. It had me guessing for a bit if Mom was the speaker’s mom or just someone everyone called Mom. Character development is well done as well. At this point I can almost put a face on Mom & Dad and see the ragged, but educated children.
FM: The mother is indeed a puzzle. The father is an interesting psychological study as well. If you haven’t seen the movie, The Mosquito Coast, do so, and compare the roll played by Harrison Ford with the father portrayed in this book, and you may notice some interesting parallels. I had a different famous actor in mind here (had put a face on him, as CJ puts it!) almost from the beginning for him; the mother, much later.
CJ: I tend to forget the ages of the children until we are reminded. This book gives a whole new perspective to what we expect of our children. As Americans we have upped the age of adolescence into the 30's, when in fact young people are capable of much more responsibility. This book takes us to the other extreme and makes us look at ourselves as parents.
Next segment: Pages 73-144.
FM: The mother is indeed a puzzle. The father is an interesting psychological study as well. If you haven’t seen the movie, The Mosquito Coast, do so, and compare the roll played by Harrison Ford with the father portrayed in this book, and you may notice some interesting parallels. I had a different famous actor in mind here (had put a face on him, as CJ puts it!) almost from the beginning for him; the mother, much later.
CJ: I tend to forget the ages of the children until we are reminded. This book gives a whole new perspective to what we expect of our children. As Americans we have upped the age of adolescence into the 30's, when in fact young people are capable of much more responsibility. This book takes us to the other extreme and makes us look at ourselves as parents.
Next segment: Pages 73-144.
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