NCantonLibrary Chat discussion

Our April 6th meeting will not be happening at the library, but everyone is welcome to discuss the book here! I'll eventually post some questions, as well.

Shelia

I'm updating where I'm at on my profile every day, but I figure I'll copy my thoughts here too as I go.

So, I'm on page 109, which has me through Chapter 7 in the current timeline and IV in the flashbacks.

Not going to lie--there's so much going happening in so many different timelines, I'm having trouble keeping it all straight. But, I suppose, time was always going to be a theme, so we soldier on. Perhaps I should take more detailed notes.

In the novel, it's mentioned that Laura Adler played all 6 Bach cello suites at Proms. Well, obviously, it's not Laura Adler, but here's Yo Yo Ma playing the 6 Bach cello suites at Proms 2015!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu9MD...

Another day, another new time line. I really am going to be interested to see if people 1) followed all the time jumps, and 2) liked or disliked the structure.

Just finished the book. I'll try to post some discussion questions over the weekend :)

Here's a good question from the publisher's book discussion guide to think about.

Storytelling is a central theme in the novel. When Elodie asks her father about the bedtime story from her childhood, he tells her that he thought it might be too scary for a child but that Lauren, Elodie’s mother, felt that "childhood was a frightening time and that hearing scary stories was a way of feeling less alone." (p. 20) Do you agree with Lauren? What other purposes does storytelling serve? How does Kate Morton connect the characters within The Clockmaker’s Daughter?

Anoher question from the publisher to contemplate:

When Ada learns that she is going to be staying at Miss Radcliffe’s School for Young Ladies, the narrator writes "School. Young ladies. Welcome. Ada liked words—she collected them—but those four hit her like bricks." (p. 159) What do you think of Ada’s school and how her parents told her that she would be attending?

I enjoyed this book even though I found it a bit confusing with the time jumping. I was glad Kate Morton always put the year before starting a chapter I enjoyed reading about Elodie and her famous mother Lauren Adler. I also liked reading about Ada from India and the way her parents tricked her into starting Miss Radcliffe school for girls. I was rooting for Ada since the older girls tricked her onto the boat. Knew Ada would turn out to be an archeologist Ada loved Miss Radcliffe whose brother was a famous artist his fiancée was shot but Edward was really in love with his model. Lily Once I figured out all the time jumping I enjoyed this book!

Tracey wrote: "I enjoyed this book even though I found it a bit confusing with the time jumping. I was glad Kate Morton always put the year before starting a chapter I enjoyed reading about Elodie and her famous ..."

The time jumps really were something to follow at first, weren't they? So glad you enjoyed the book!
Shelia

I also enjoyed this book. To me, the challenge of following the author’s movement among various time periods meant that I was surprised several times. There was nothing predictable in this story and I think that’s rare. I just finished it and I feel like there’s lots to talk about. Too bad we’re not able to meet for this one. I want to take some time to collect my thoughts, but I’ll post again. I hope others will as well.

Nedra wrote: "I also enjoyed this book. To me, the challenge of following the author’s movement among various time periods meant that I was surprised several times. There was nothing predictable in this story an..."
One benefit of online book discussions is the discussion never has to end. :) I look forward to hearing your thoughts when you post them.