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From: Tricia Gardella <trigar>
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 11:13:30 -0700
Steven, you voiced perfectly what distracted me in "Whirligig"
could think of no possible reason why a person would sentence the murderer of her daughter to this particular "punishment"...<
Not only that a mother would request this as retribution, but that a judge, social worker, and parents would go along with it? This boy is only 16. His actions are resposible for the loss of life. And he's sent out alone on such a quest? I'm not sure it would have been easier to swallow even had I known of the Hercules tie-in.
purpose of helping him evolve towards self forgiveness.<
Some of the characters/situations worked for me, but the ease with which he crafted these sometimes intricate whiligigs I found a bit hard to swallow.
I don't think the problems I have with this novel come from its non-linear structure. It's beautifully thought out. The writing is outstanding at times. I just could never quite "suspend my disbelief."
Now, in BAT 6, I was caught, and I deeply cared, until... But we're discussing this next. Right?
The notion that the form is part of the content makes for interesting discussion, but still doesn't do anything to get me more involved in the book or its world. The "Hercules" thing went right past me (Are readers supposed to "get" that parallel? Does it change the reading experience if you do? Does this mean I have to read it again?) The opening chapter is so much like a "ya problem novel," that I never suspected we were dealing with a mythological spiritual journey...instead it seemed like a contrived spiritual journey. An interesting one, and beautifully written at times, but my constant awareness of the author's hand lessened my ability to fully care and believe in the character's development. Maybe readers like me are not open minded or sophisticated enough to appreciate this approach? And are not the intended audience? I wonder how kids/teens are responding to it?
Tricia Gardella
"Write 'em Cowgirl" Jamestown, CA trigar at mlode.com
Received on Tue 13 Oct 1998 01:13:30 PM CDT
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 11:13:30 -0700
Steven, you voiced perfectly what distracted me in "Whirligig"
could think of no possible reason why a person would sentence the murderer of her daughter to this particular "punishment"...<
Not only that a mother would request this as retribution, but that a judge, social worker, and parents would go along with it? This boy is only 16. His actions are resposible for the loss of life. And he's sent out alone on such a quest? I'm not sure it would have been easier to swallow even had I known of the Hercules tie-in.
purpose of helping him evolve towards self forgiveness.<
Some of the characters/situations worked for me, but the ease with which he crafted these sometimes intricate whiligigs I found a bit hard to swallow.
I don't think the problems I have with this novel come from its non-linear structure. It's beautifully thought out. The writing is outstanding at times. I just could never quite "suspend my disbelief."
Now, in BAT 6, I was caught, and I deeply cared, until... But we're discussing this next. Right?
The notion that the form is part of the content makes for interesting discussion, but still doesn't do anything to get me more involved in the book or its world. The "Hercules" thing went right past me (Are readers supposed to "get" that parallel? Does it change the reading experience if you do? Does this mean I have to read it again?) The opening chapter is so much like a "ya problem novel," that I never suspected we were dealing with a mythological spiritual journey...instead it seemed like a contrived spiritual journey. An interesting one, and beautifully written at times, but my constant awareness of the author's hand lessened my ability to fully care and believe in the character's development. Maybe readers like me are not open minded or sophisticated enough to appreciate this approach? And are not the intended audience? I wonder how kids/teens are responding to it?
Tricia Gardella
"Write 'em Cowgirl" Jamestown, CA trigar at mlode.com
Received on Tue 13 Oct 1998 01:13:30 PM CDT
