From: Kathleen Horning <horning>
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 19:34:19 -0600

I'm not sure this will enlighten anyone but... I thought the now/then structure added a great deal of tension to the story, perhaps not so much in terms of the mystery but in terms of Mattie's future. I was anxious to find out how she ended up with the summer job and what it was leading to.

Actually, I read the novel as having three distinct female characters, places, and time periods. In addition to Maddie and the wealthy young woman at the inn, you have the teacher who has a mysterious past. I thought these distinct storylines served two purposes:

1) They showed that all women were treated second class citizens in the early 20th century, no matter their economic class or education. The young woman who drowned and the teacher were as trapped in their lives as Mattie was in hers.

2) They underscored the theme of the power of words, as all three women sought to escape through writing.

Jonathan, it's interesting that you say "There were promises of mystery, danger, suspense, and secrets--and not a single one fulfilled to the degree to warrant the narrative structure." I thought the whole story dealt with promises, and the tragic lack of fulfillment, from Mattie's unfulfilled promise to her dying mother to the artistic promise she was not free to pursue.

KTH



Kathleen T. Horning, Director Cooperative Children's Book Center University of Wisconsin-School of Education 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 North Park St. Madison, WI 53706

horning at education.wisc.edu Voice: 608&3721 Fax: 608&2I33 www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Received on Thu 26 Feb 2004 07:34:19 PM CST