dtrpath27
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Posts posted by dtrpath27
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Planting flowers with daughter tomorrow afternoon -- if it's not raining, that is. Many other things on the schedule, but I'm going to squeeze in reading while I can. Next weekend is a big book sale; I'm so excited for it!
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Read one short story today; it was around 35 pages or so. Started on one of my TBRs. Left it in the car, so I'm going to read a bit of A Tale of Two Cities on my Kindle while I wait.
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I've just read that 'Rosie Project' review and then looked at the reviewer. She's reviewed 3 books, all with only 1 star! Maybe some of those of you who've read it should counter it with your own reviews?
I still haven't bought it but I definitely intend to. I read all of her reviews as well. :/ They were a bit tiresome and quite transparent all stacked up like that. I doubt that much but the heaviest and dreariest of classical literature would pass muster with her. I wonder why she bothers with contemporary novels at all?
At any rate, I signed up for an account so I can post a review later today when I have more time.
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I've heard that one might be worth reading. (Cough, cough, Pontalba
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Oh it is read-a-thon weekend! I completely forgot.
I have a bit of a jam-packed weekend, so I'm going to set a much lower goal for myself.Last time I had a goal of 1,000 pages, but wound up reading around 1,400 I think...this time I'm going to set a goal of reading two books from my pile along with one short story from a book I bought last weekend.
So who else is joining in the fun?
ETA: Yes, it was 1,400. Four books, four short stories, and bits of two other books. I think my goal for this weekend is right on track given my time constraints. Happy reading, one and all!
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Finally finished my Lexicon review. Now on to my TBR.
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I'm rather excited to see Astaire in a dramatic role.
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I think this is what I had a problem with. On the one hand, I take the point that, what else could they do? But the whole pretence of what they would be doing next year for instance....Moira was the only one who really seemed to get a bit frustrated at them pretending as though they would even be there the next year, which seemed odd to me.
But she was cut of a different cloth, wasn't she? I think Mary's husband got aggravated with her denial a fair bit, that's why he had to escape to work and such. I don't really fault him this. He was a good man who loved his family and really wanted to protect them, but it was just a bit much sometimes. I think he wished his wife could handle things differently. His acceptance of this came right at the end with the park bench. So touching!
Eta: I agree that Mary was probably the closest to being insane. I wonder if she's played that way in the movie...
Maybe she wasn't at first, but the kill your baby thing was starting to push her that way. I suppose if I had to do that, I'd go a little off, too.
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Insurance
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It just feels to me that they were all at very least in that state of numbness that follows a great shock. And yes although it can be argued it is a 'healthy' coping mechanism to block it all out for a bit and function on autopilot, there is also a lot of 'why' and 'why me' or 'why us' and 'isn't there anything I can do' type anger and questioning. There is only one time in the book when Moira, when extremely drunk, who gives voice to that kind of normal angry questioning, but at no other point do any of them do that. They do not refer directly to what is happening. They don't even say 'radiation sickness' it is 'that cholera thing' and they all say 'there isn't much time left' while planning what they are going to do next year, and the year after. Even at the end Moira goes and takes the pill 'to join Dwight with his family' not to die. There is vast collective refusal to face reality, even though they all know it on some level, as evidenced by both the deaths at the race and the response to them.
And they are all complicit in this vast refusal to face reality. Moira never says to Dwight, "now listen you daft git, I don't want to die never having known a man, so forget your wife and kids for a moment because they are dead and do something with the girl in your arms". No she goes right along with his delusion and goes and finds some one to make a pogo stick for his daughter. Its not exactly entirely sane.
Yes, but a state of numbness that follows a great shock is a far cry from insanity. Also, denial is not the same thing as shock. They are two very separate parts of the grieving process. Whether or not denial is healthy is debatable, but is it a common reaction? Yes. Does it serve a clear purpose in this case? Yes. Without it, how could they carry on? Was it a conspiracy to which they were all party? Unless the conspiracy was simply being humans having a human reaction to an unspeakable horror, then no.
As for Moira, I felt as though she'd been there, done that in regards to the whole town trollope thing. She wanted to end her life with dignity and with love, which I think is what she was looking for all along. The pogo stick was not about the pogo stick, it was about a selfless act of love and kindness. She did it because it was important to him. Completely unconditional, she stood to gain nothing in return. I don't find unconditional love to be insane.
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That's the one I'm going to watch. You can't beat Gregory Peck!
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Normal? Well, in my opinion, yes. Normal in an extremely abnormal situation. What else were they supposed to do? Run out in the street, crying, shouting and railing against Fate? Sit in a corner and waste away with a depression so deep they couldn't see over the edge? Stay drunk for the duration? Fat lot of good that would have done!
I really see your point. I think of the hypothetical question, "if you had a year left to live, what would you do?" This book is the ultimate answer to that question. How many if given this information in real life, say for reasons of illness or what have you, would answer this question "I'd sit around and dwell on the misery of my reality." Some might, but what a waste of a year! What state would they be in by the end of the year?
I think the average person would want do what these people did. Maybe they would actually live their dream like John Osborne racing, or imagine doing so if they couldn't physically like Mary, who could never fully realize her hopes for domestic bliss, did or do the next-best thing like Dwight, whose dream of being reunited with his family was an impossible one, did shopping for his family or the young man did leaving the submarine to die fishing in the shell of his hometown. Maybe they would finally figure out who they were, who they wanted to be, like Moira, and spend their final days in selfless acts of love. Some would surely swing to the opposite end of the spectrum, looting and pillaging as they talked about at the hardware store, and I'm sure a fair few would drink themselves to the end like the men at the club.
I think that if it was not just my last year, but everyone's last year, I wouldn't waste a second. I don't think what they did made them crazy, I think it made them human.
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I'm an absolute Jasper Fforde fan. I want to attend the convention. That's how nerdy I am about it.
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What did y'all think of Shute's explanation of how the radiation was spreading over the globe?
Dwight was not really deluding himself, he understood the reality and kept readjusting himself. How do you think he was able to do that? Discipline, or just his nature?
I wondered how it must have felt to Lt. Sunderstrom to go on land and find such an innocent and strange thing to be "sending" the signal. We know he couldn't have run into any live people, but the hope was still there. It was like another death.
To me finding the source of the signal was like watching a candle burn out. No matter how unlikely, it was a tiny beacon of hope, that one in a million chance that things weren't quite as grim as they knew in their hearts they were. Such a poignant moment. Finding the source, I feel, was the beginning of the end.
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Quoted from Athena: 1- Who was your favourite character? Were there any characters whom you disliked?
"I liked John Osborne (the scientist who likes to race), Peter (a kind man) and Dwight (he stays faithful to his wife). I didn't really like Mary, she seemed very passive and not wanting to believe their ultimate fate. Moira seemed allright, I didn't like her drinking but I liked her care for Jennifer, Mary's and Peter's baby daughter."----
I found Mary to be quite interesting. I think with Mary, the denial was definitely a survival mechanism, but also, at some point, a conscious decision. She was a new mother with her sweet little home, loving husband, and all the hopes and dreams that come with the territory. It's one thing to know that you as an adult are to suffer a horrible fate, but to hold your newborn baby and know that she, too, has the same sentence with no chance at life or happiness would be enough to drive a person mad. I think the reality was so unbearable, that she simply chose to ignore it completely so that she could give her child some semblance of the life that she wanted for her. How determined she must have been! I know someone who had quite a difficult life. Often, he used to say "I didn't like reality, so I created one of my own." It was either go mad, or only acknowledge what he was able to deal with emotionally. I think that was Mary's burden as well.
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Wonderful!
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Last night I made a portabella mushroom burger. YUMMY!!! I became a vegetarian near the end of last year so its been a bit of a struggle finding and creating meals that satisfy my hunger without making me feel as though I'm missing out. Anyways, I sauteed a large mushroom in butter w/white wine and a little garlic. The bread I used are these new flat wheat burger buns, which are a little thinner than sandwich bread. I topped it with Havarti cheese, hot house tomato, lettuce, onion, avocado with deli stone ground mustard. OMGosh!!! Talk about good eating!!! Guess what I'm going to have for dinner tonight?!
As the only herbivore in my home, I have to make two meals. For the menfolk, I made homemade broccoli and beef stir-fry. I think its safe to say they enjoyed it as there were no left overs.
It sounds so good! Have you tried black bean burgers yet? We get them pre-made in a four pack in the frozen section for about five dollars. Even my dearest who is a diehard carnivore loves them! I do them with remoulade on grilled flatbread. So good! I also like the chickpea patties from Costco. So good! My mom used to make stir fry with tofu all the time. You could make the base then just separate it at the end to add the meat/tofu. It might save you from double-cooking one night.
Tonight it's omelettes with bacon, mushroom and red peppers. Yummy.
I love breakfast for dinner. I think I'll do that Thursday...
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Have you been "in"?
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dtr...I think, in many ways Moira was the one that changed the most. I like to think that people don't actually "change", I prefer to think that they are able, somehow, to come back to their own self. Their true self. And I think she did.
I have to say that I agree with you. I think that the Moira we saw at the beginning was just a defense mechanism. Yes she was free-spirited and fun-loving, but at her core she was so much more. It took the end of the world and a man she couldn't have to give her the strength to see for herself who she really was. I think that was the key, seeing it for herself.
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No reading yet today. Just discussing On the Beach.
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Total stab in the dark...Ender's Game?
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I think it's the sweetest name for the sweetest looking girl!
Which book is this?
in Quiz Room / Thread Games Jokes etc
Posted
Another hint, please!