Reading the Chunksters discussion

1. The chapters we are currently discussing are quite short. Do you think it contributes to the pace of the novel? The plot is definitely thickening, and new revelations are aplenty. Does the chapter segmentation match the pace of the novel?

2. Martin Reckitt and Mrs. Shades are the two cameo characters that seem to be if not influential, then at least, tide turning characters for this novel. Whom do you find more intriguing?

3. Mrs. Shade is described as " a freethinker, an atheist, an abolitionist" . Did she belong to her own time? Is she a modern heroine?

5. Chapter 18 focuses solely on London's underbelly, Personally, when I was reading the chapter, I was haunted by two books, and I do no know if these books were really inspirational and instrumental when Steven Price was working on this chapter. The first one is Our Mutual Friend, especially the chapters when the Hexam family had to go to the river and the city sewage trying to find something salvageable for sale. Another one, and this one was an omnipresent one for me in every word of this chapter is Drood, which is, surprise, also about Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens, and their trip to the very bottom of the London society figuratively and literally when they traveled through the London sewage system.

Have any of you had the chance to read these two books, and if yest, do you think chapter 19 is very reminiscent of these two books? What other books did this novel remind you of or alluded to?

Mrs. Shade is the more interesting character for me. She seems to have locked herself in her house much the way Mrs. Havisham had caged herself in her room, one losing her husband the other her betrothed. Both imprisoning themselves in their their own way. And Foole's initial reaction to Mrs. Shade strikes me as slightly similar to Pip's reaction upon first meeting Mrs. Havisham. But there the similarities end. Intellectually Mrs. Shade is modern in every way and goes so far as to say she does not believe in corporal punishment for children, very much not the thinking of the day. And her other advice to Foole is good advice too.

Do you think Foole dresses the way he does because of the effect Mrs. Shade had on him?

I find it unlikely Mrs. Shade forgot Foole in her will. I find it more likely he was lied to. Does anyone else think that?

The description of the sewer system dominates chapter 18, and I am reminded of pirates chasing survivors who have had the double misfortune of being shipwrecked and then swimming ashore the pirates' island. And there is also the Morlocks and the chase underground.

Unfortunately I cannot compare the sewer scene with either of the two books you mention. I'm reading Great Expectation over at the Old Curiosity Shop and won't be getting to Our Mutual Friend until later in the year.

Did you enjoy Drood? I enjoy Simmons.

The pace is not especially fast. Price spends too much time building atmosphere and characters and their relationships for this story to move much faster than it does. Even the pace of chapter 18 is not particularly fast. This is one of those books in which the joy of reading is found in the descriptions and characters and the journey itself.

Will I be sad when this comes to an end?

Xan Shadowflutter wrote: "Unfortunately I cannot compare the sewer scene with either of the two books you mention. I'm reading Great Expectation over at the Old Curiosity Shop and won't be getting to Our Mutual Friend until later in the year.
"

If Mrs. Shade is Miss Havisham, is Charlotte Estella and Foole is Pip?
Hmm ... I like that thought!

Xan Shadowflutter wrote: "Did you enjoy Drood? I enjoy Simmons.."

I did in fact enjoy Drood, and I do enjoy Simmons in general. He is such a wonderful chameleon writer. He can write everything - sci-fi, horror, thrillers, adventure novels, and even some mysteries...
And yes, I do enjoy his literary citations here and there, especially references to Keats. I think every his book I read has a Keats reference or a Keats citation or an allusion to his works ...

That post about Simmons made me think - maybe we need to read something by Simmons here. His novels are mostly very chunky ...

Simmons is versatile. He refuses to be pinned down. I enjoyed Carrion Comfort and wouldn't mind reading it again. I've read Hyperion Cantos twice or thrice. Now there is a story filled with symbolism, mythology, religion and religious references, Keats, names derived from gods and goddesses, Teilhard, and AI. The Shrike and the Tree Ship Yggdrasil :-)

I want more information on Mrs. Shade; to me she is very intriguing. We get such a small sample of who she is and why she took in Adam. I agree about the will. I can't imagine that she would not have made arrangements in advance knowing that she was very ill.

I did read Drood but I was working quite a bit and read it on my own and I know that I did not appreciate it as much as I could have. I need to read Our Mutual Friend.

This novel has reminded me of why I love this type of writing and era. It has reminded me of Wilkie Collin's The Woman in White.

And I must say that reading this as a group has been so great. I love catching up and reading everyone's comments and observations.

I haven't read either of the books mentioned. I have read other books involving the London sewer systems, but I can't seem to remember what they are at the moment. hmmm.

I also find Mrs. Shade to be the more interesting of the two. although I will admit to finding characters that are ahead of their time in SO MANY beliefs as she is a tad unbelievable... But I won't hold that against the author. I didn't consider he may have been lied to about the will, but now that you mention it, it seems likely. I guess I figured the will had been written before he came, and she never got around to updating it.

It is interesting to me though. If, as is implied, Adam Foole and Edward Shade are one in the same... it is interesting to me he was using that name, when he was only in that home such a short time. I guess it made a huge impact on him.

Yet again, we might be talking literature here when it comes to Shade/Foole. The duality of the character reminds me of another famous literary duality trapped in one body in story told by R.L. Stevenson The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

It is a mystery if he was comfortable as Shade or Foole.

Good point Zulfiya - I would guess that being Foole is easier than Shade. Shade is smart, well-dressed and able to handle any situation. Foole is his younger self and feels less sure of his place in the world.