The Book Basilisks discussion

Hello everyone! January's polls have revealed that our group read for the month is Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell! In this thread you can talk about the book and what you thought about it. Have fun!

I finish my finals next week so im excited to start reading it then

I've already read Fangirl, but I'll still take part in group discussions!

I read this book over a year ago and loved it but I'm interested to see if my opinion of it has changed at all since then... I guess we'll see!

I started the audiobook yesterday and pratically finished it ( I got finshed like 90% yesterday). And I finished it early this morning. I really enjoyed it.

I really liked this book when I read it back in 2014! the only problem i had with it was the fanfiction - idk if this is just me but it kind of bored me.. i found myself skipping a lot of it. anyone else? :)

I enjoyed some of the fanfiction parts but others were ehh.

Bhavya wrote: "I enjoyed some of the fanfiction parts but others were ehh."

I agree Bhavya. The fanfiction was the best part - definitely better than the novel parts that the fanfiction is based off.

Hmm, I see that we have some mixed thoughts on the fanfictions! I haven't started the book yet, but I'm positive I'll start on it tomorrow! Super duper excited, I don't know if I'll like the fanfiction parts but I used to love to read/write fanfiction so I might be able to relate to the characters even more.

I'm only on chapter eleven but I'm loving the fanfiction so far! But I do prefer the real stories.

What are your thoughts on the characters? I love Cath, she's so relatable to me. But I feel like both Cath and Wren seem like the stereotypical twins, with one being the smart/nerdy one and the other the pretty one? Any opinions?

Cath is pretty awesome. I definitely relate to her.

I didn't think much about the differences between Cath and Wren. But now that you've pointed it out. They are kind of like the stereotypical twins. I feel like the stereotype is more like one is shy while the other is outgoing rather than nerdy and pretty. the But I haven't really seen that in real life, of one being nerdy while the other is pretty. Out of the two or three pairs of twins I know, both are pretty similar and neither seems more nerdy/pretty compared to the other.

I knew a lot of twins at school and your model, Bhavya, holds up. Usually there was one who was very outgoing and one more reserved. Weirdly, more so for identical twins over fraternal.

In the beginning, I liked Cath well enough. Her reaction to starting college, particularly her fear of the dining hall (I do not miss dining halls. They are the worst.), is a common freshman experience. But later in the book, there were some aspects of her personality that seemed so... forced. Like Rowell was reaching too far to emulate something she didn't understand (not saying she doesn't, just that it seemed so).

I'm not sure that was a good explanation, but I don't want to give too much away for those who have't read to the end yet.

Reagan is great though.

I'm starting the book tomorrow when I get it back from a friend who borrowed it. I'm so excited to finally read it! It sounds like everyone's enjoying it so far.

My mom is a twin (although not identical), but she and her brother is very very different and not at all like those stereotypical twins. And I do think that I really enjoy reading Cath and Wren's relationships a lot.

Your thoughts on Cath's personality is really interesting Trisha! I'm still only halfway through the book but I kind of see how Cath's personality is a little forced. Like Rowell didn't really have a clear picture of how she wanted Cath to be in her mind while writing the book.
Like how Cath suddenly (view spoiler)[decided to quite college mostly because of her father but also because of Levi and all that. I felt like her decision was out of character - in my head Cath was a very thinking-before-acting kind of person and her action to change schools so spontaneously (and more based on her feelings without thinking it out) was kind of out of character (hide spoiler)].

im about a hundred pages in, and I'm a bit ambivalent on the fanfiction-on one hand i like that its similar to harry potter, and of course being a drarry fan I'm already wayy too invested in Simon and Baz's relationship , but on the other hand its also a bit too much like harry potter and it seems unoriginal and it didn't have to be like she could have made enough changed to not make so obvious, or maybe I'm reading too much into it?,Other than that I'm finding the story enjoyable but I'm not sure how i feel about Cath.

When I read this book last year I definitely felt like I could relate to Cath since I myself am The Quiet Girl and at first I thought that I found a character that I felt, you know, 'got it'. However as the novel progressed her personality shifted further and further away from mine until I lost the connection almost completely. I did find other things interesting about her aside from her blatant introversion. Her obsession with Harry Potter Simon and Baz (I didn't like the fanfiction either :/ I tried reading it but still I found myself skipping most of it) and her inability to connect with the real world, to transition into adult life.

I know some twins as well, and they exactly don't fall under the stereotype like Cath and Wren did. One set have nearly the same personalities (although one is more reserved in some circles). The other set shares the same mind set/way of thinking but act differently in their personal lives. Like Wren, one has an impulse problem involving substance abuse and I-wanna-live-in-the-moment/partying-makes-me-interesting/I'm-an-adult-I-do-what-I-want mentality. The other twin though has shown more control in her impulses, boy does she have 'em, and she has been able to keep consistent with certain areas in her life like her religion. Maybe Rowell made the twins so different because of the stereotype, because she wanted a foil to highlight their characteristics, or maybe she wanted to show just how devastated the girls were by their mother's abandonment. Wren became impulsive and bold, yet her will was weakened by her carefree attitude. Cath grew reserved and anxious, but she showed strength by pulling herself out of her shell (not without a little kicking and screaming).

Sara wrote: "im about a hundred pages in, and I'm a bit ambivalent on the fanfiction-on one hand i like that its similar to harry potter, and of course being a drarry fan I'm already wayy too invested in Simon ..."

I totally agree Sara. The whole Simon story is definitely a rip off on Harry Potter. But maybe Rowell did that on purpose so people would understand the fandom and Cath's dedication to the books? It's also less work for her then, to use her reader's (likely) memories of Harry Potter obsession to justify Cath's with Simon Snow.

Now that Rowell is publishing Cath's fanfiction, Carry On, what do you guys think of the question posed in the book - is fanfiction legitimate literature or is it plagiarism?

I agree about what you said how the two twins have such opposite personalities from each other as a way to cope to their mother's loss. I still think they were too stereotypical.

And I didn't really like the fanfictions, but I don't hate them as well. As a fanfiction writer myself, some actions of Cath has actually motivated me to write more. I mean, that girl writes thousands of words every day, like, that's so amazing!

Excellent though, Trisha! I think fanfiction should be considered as creative writing. It might not be literature, but I agree with Cath when she says that even though she was "borrowing" the characters and settings from the book, it is still her words and her thoughts in that fanfiction.

Hi everyone, I just started reading this now and I found that Cath and Wren is really a fan of Simon Snow series. Does this fiction really exist? If not, then it seems like an imitation of Harry Potter only it has eight series. So funny. And btw, the name Simon Snow does exist and he's a writer from New Zealand. ^^

No, Eka, the story of Simon Snow doesn't really exist!

I agree Rai, I thought some parts of the fanfiction kind of interrupts the flow of the story. I think people would've liked them more if they were a parallel to Cath and Levi's love story. And although there are some similarities, I don't think some parts of the fanfiction should be inserted into the book at all.

Trisha to answer your question about fanfiction and if it's plagiarism or not, I personally don't think it is. As an ex-fanfiction writer myself, I saw it as more growing on an author's vision. Since most people don't make money off of fanfiction, I always thought that it was just a fun way to express your love for a story, and also express your creativity.

Same Julia, also with fanfiction, as this story already pointed out, the stories we read never really end. Harry Potter technically ended several years ago but i haven't truly felt the loss because of fanfics,blogs,etc.

Yeah! I feel like a book never really ends until the fans stop talking about it.

I totally agree, Julia! :)

What did you guys think of the other characters? I really liked Wren and her dad but I felt like the mom's storyplot was a little unnecessary, I felt like it was inserted just to add more drama into Cath's life.

I used to hate her, but now I kinda like Reagan. I wanna hear more from her in this book. I thought it was so funny when she randomly called Cath and asked if they should get a couch.

And I agree about the mom's story plot. I feel like the book would've been fine without the excess drama.

I just finished the book tonight, and I absolutely loved it! I gave it five stars

That's great, Julia! Which parts did you like most? And I agree Rai, I really liked Reagan, she was so fun to read about. Levi was a great character too, but he didn't really stick to me as well.

I think my favorite pats were when Cath was with Levi, I just loved reading about their relationship. I thought though that their characters were better when they were together, like their characters almost seemed incomplete when they were apart, but maybe that's just me.

I guess I'll try to read this since I already have the indonesian-translated version for sooooo loong. Even though I'm kinda traumatic with Rowell's style(?) I just finished attachment and to be honest I didn't really enjoy it quite much.

I sort of disagree Julia, I think Cath didn't really need Levi, they were cute and they did become a great couple, but they didn't necessarily become incomplete when they are apart.

Hope you had fun reading it, Maggie! Feel free to join in and update us on your thoughts for the book, even though the month is almost going to be over. Hope you enjoyed it more than you liked Attachment. I've never read it myself, Fangirl is my first book I read by her :)

I agree with you Ayunda - Cath's story didn't need Levi. I preferred the parts with her and Reagan. But I also wish that the story spent more time on Cath and Wren's dad instead of the drama-for-the-sake-of-drama with their mom.

What did everyone think about Wren's story?

I didn't like the drama with the mom either, Trisha.
I like Wren! Her relationship with Cath is great, one of my favourite parts of the book is when they are together. And I would've liked to explore more of Wren's relationship with her dad and her roommate.