Linda’s Comments (group member since Oct 07, 2013)

Linda’s comments from the Reading the Chunksters group.

I'm sorry I was not able to read this along with the group like I had hoped. I had the library book waiting in the wings, but I was unable to get my previously scheduled books read first, and then I finally had to return my book. I'm still interested in this, though, so I'm thinking I will try finding myself a used copy for purchase so I can hopefully get around to reading it at some point.

Brian E wrote: "and hadn't completely abandoned us Chunkster waifs."

ha ha! I'm laughing too. Glad Hugh is alive and kicking. :D

I still have my library book, but I also still haven't read the book intended to be done before I started this one. I still want to read this, though, but I don't know how it's going to go.

I received my library book this weekend - it is indeed a chunkster! I'm looking forward to this read. :)

I'm on the same page as Brian, so no worries, Hugh! I have 1.5 books I need to try and get through before starting this one anyway.

I'm also still waiting for my requested library copy to arrive, but the one copy my large library system has was located in Central Storage, and I guess it's taking awhile for its retrieval.

I’m interested in reading To Serve Them All My Days, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep up with the schedule so I’m not going to technically vote for it. There’s one copy in my library system so I’ll go ahead and request it and see how it goes since it looks like it’s winning the poll.

I don't think I'll nominate anything at the moment, but both nominations so far look good to me. I started Pickwick Papers with another group years ago but I didn't progress very far (but not because of lack of interest). And I read East of Eden over 30 years ago so it might be time for a reread.

I’ve only read book by this author titled Flights.
This one looks pretty interesting, but I think it would take more time and focus than I have at the moment. Enjoy the read, everyone. I’ll check in later when it’s time to nominate the next book.

If it’s less work for Hugh to continue to write up the detailed summaries than to edit them back, then I’m all for it. I know I appreciate the summaries. 🙂

I agree with Paula that starter questions are great. But I also agree with Hugh that I have a hard time coming up with them! :)

Summaries are great too, but maybe they don't have to be so detailed as Hugh has written them up in the past as that looks like a lot of work (but they have been super helpful!). Just a few bullet points to jog the memory of what was included in that week's reading would be sufficient, I think.

Sorry I'm just now visiting this thread!

I enjoyed my first experience of reading Collins as the beginning pulled me in right away and then even when things didn't go according to my expectations, I was still intrigued enough with the characters and plot to continue on. It was certainly easier reading than Dickens.

I felt a bit let down by the ending. Like Jen, I would have preferred a less happy ending for everyone involved. I was happy for Norah and George, but I wanted more of the book with their story so I could know them better. As it was, my happiness for them was just on the surface. I really didn't care for Kirke being introduced early on in the book, only to disappear for the bulk of it, and then to reappear at the exact time that Magdalen needed to be saved. And really, he loved her because of a mere glance as she walked past him? Also, I agree with Brian that Magdalen will be manipulative behind the scenes in her marriage to Kirke. She is very controlling.

Thank you, Hugh, for posting the threads and summaries. I enjoyed my journey through this book, and reading everyone's thoughts and anticipations of what was to happen in upcoming chapters. Everyone's input made this read much more enjoyable than if I had read it on my own.

I think I might have nominated this last time, but I didn't get a chance to read it this year so I'm going to try again. I nominate Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen. I didn't realize when I received a copy last year that this is the first of a planned trilogy called A Key to All Mythologies. It's been a few years since I read Middlemarch so I didn't catch onto the title until I read this bit in Wikipedia:

The trilogy, A Key to All Mythologies, is named after Reverend Casaubon's unfinished manuscript in Middlemarch.[6] Franzen has said that the "mythologies" which interest him are "irrational belief[s]"[7] – "the fundamentally irrational basis for everything we think and do and espouse":

And under spoiler tags if you haven't read Middlemarch:

(view spoiler)[I have been thinking a lot about the inescapable nature of religion. Even if it is uncoupled from transcendent beliefs or metaphysical structures, everyone still organizes their life around something that can't be proved. I would say this goes particularly for the virulent atheists... [O]bviously, that phrase ['a key to all mythologies'] came to mind because if everyone has a mythology, it's only a matter of listing what they are, and suddenly you're thinking of a trilogy of novels. Of course, there is the fact that Casaubon dies in Middlemarch before he finishes his project. And undertaking writing three books in my 60s, I thought, 'Well, that's a funny little joke.'[6] (hide spoiler)]

That book looks really interesting, Paula. I second A Girl Is a Body of Water.

Thanks, Hugh! I'm now trying to remember what my thoughts were on this section as I didn't write them down. I might just wait until the last section is posted and comment on the ending and entire book.

Thanks, Hugh. I’ll need to think of a nomination and see which others come in that I may like to second.

I’ve already read Children of Time and its sequel, I thought both were amazing. I’m planning on reading the third book in the series when it comes out at the end of January.

Don’t entice me, Dianne!! I already have books from this year I’m hoping to catch up on in the new year. 😂

Well, being at home and snowed/iced inside for the past couple of days, I went ahead and finished the book. 😬 I usually have a hard time not racing to the end of a book by this point anyway. I’ll remember where my thoughts were at the end of week 11 in order to still comment.

Welcome to the group, Sean. I live in the Seattle area as well. I also embarked on reading all the “great” novels awhile back. I’ve slowed down in that regard, though, and have been leaning into a lot of SciFi and horror lately.

Welcome, Sean. I haven’t read Proust either, but In Search of Lost Time has been on my radar for a few years. I’d love to tackle it one day but I need to be in the right mindset to embark on such a long journey!

I agree, Brian. I don’t think Magdalen has any knowledge of Norah and George’s budding relationship. I just thought that Magdalen might see an opportunity to match up the two after learning from the letter that the money is meant to go to George. And that George’s wife can not be a widow (so not Magdalen, although her going by a different name confuses the matter). But that Norah and George might marry without any influence from Magdalen, Magdalen won’t see that coming.

Noel's quick death also took me by surprise. I certainly expected something more drawn out with the anticipation of the possibility of his dying with the new will in place while Magdalen and Lecount had some sort of confrontation. I was also surprised that his death wasn't investigated as suspect after just having made a new will. It crossed my mind that Lecount might have had something to do with his death and that I had missed it. Didn't she have the servants bring up the ingredients to her so that she could prepare a drink for him? Wouldn't any of them suspect her of maliciousness after Noel's death, especially after a couple of them were used as witnesses to change his will?

I didn't realize I missed Wragge in this section until Magdalen brought him up, that he was nowhere to be found and that she would be all on her own going forward. I certainly wasn't expecting her to take yet another acting gig in order to right this new wrong. I'm wondering how she will pull this off since the admiral is specifically looking for a young pretty woman, and so she won't have the ability to disguise herself as an older woman with a disfigured face. And who will she be presented as, what name will she use?

That's a great point that Hugh brings up about Loscombe and Magdalen's correspondence with him. I had taken a break from reading this section, so when Loscombe's name came up, I struggled to remember who he was, exactly.

Like Brian, I also found myself with more empathy towards Magdalen in this section. I do prefer to root for her, so I enjoyed seeing her hatch a new plan. It just seems a bit far fetched, though, to devise yet another plan like this, and so late in the book as well. But I guess if Noel's death can be comprised of only a single short sentence at the end of the chapter, I suppose Magdalen's new plan can be put into play in a shortened section. I assume she'll make it into the house according to plan, but from there, we'll see what happens. My original hypothesis was that Norah and George would marry without any knowledge of the money coming to them, but now I wonder if Magdalen will find the letter and convince Norah to marry. I actually don't see that second hypothesis as actually happening because I don't think Norah would want to be a part of that sort of plan. Maybe Norah and George will marry not knowing about the money, while at the same time Magdalen will find the letter and have knowledge of it, but not act upon having that knowledge.