2026 Reading Challenge discussion
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The Virgin Suicides
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The Virgin Suicides
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I think I'm going to start this one today.
I just got my copy yesterday, I will most likely be starting after this weekend. Looking forward to reading this together with all of you.
Same for me. I will start after July 1st.
I won’t be starting this one till later in the month. Still need to pick up a copy.
I've finished the book. Not sure how I feel about it. The subject is quite serious while I felt the 'tone' of the narrator was 'ironic'? Or is it me that missed something? Anyone has seen the movie made by Sofia Coppola?
I’ve finished the book. I agree with Lorraine that I’m not sure how I feel about it. I rated it as 2 stars. I can appreciate the writing itself, but I didn’t enjoy how the story was told. Overall, I didn’t like reading it, but I’m glad I read it.
I finally got the audiobook available today! I've enjoyed Jeffrey Eugenides's books before, so I'm looking forward to starting this.
I am sorry for not writing until now - I finished this a couple weeks ago but I got busy and haven't had the time. I have not yet seen the movie - but I hope I get the chance soon.
For me, this book worked. I would like to re-read it at some point and annotate it (with topics such as adolescence/coming of age, group mentality, decay of nature (I really liked the parallels and the way their house / nature changes throughout the book), loss/immortalization through memory, etc.) - I think there is a lot that could be discussed.
On the morning the last Lisbon daughter took her turn at suicide—it was Mary this time, and sleeping pills, like Therese — the two paramedics arrived at the house knowing exactly where the knife drawer was, and the gas oven, and the beam in the basement from which it was possible to tie a rope.
- To me, this was a great first sentence.
I really liked the song conversation between the boys and the Lisbon girls (~p. 196-197)- I took a break from reading and listened to it - did you?
The medical 'professionals' in the book - with all of their 'opinions' made me very upset/frustrated. For example:
"What are you doing here, honey? You're not even old enough to know how bad life gets."
And it was then Cecilia gave orally what was to be her only form of suicide note, and a useless one at that, because she was going to live: "Obviously, Doctor," she said, "you've never been a thirteen-year-old girl."
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"Basically, what we have here is a dreamer. Somebody out of touch with reality. When she jumped, she probably thought she'd fly."
Not sure what to say regarding this quote, other that it is a quote I really liked:
He hadn't suffered the eternity of the ring about to be picked up, didn't know the heart rush of hearing that incomparable voice suddenly linked with his own, the sense it gave of being too close to even see her, of being actually inside her ear. He had never felt the pain of lackluster responses, the dread of "Oh . . . hi", or the quick annihilation of "Who?"
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2026 Reading Challenge
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This buddy read is featured on the homepage and is pinned to the top of the January Buddy Reads folder. Otherwise it works just like every other buddy read!
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This thread is to discuss The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Pages: 250 pages
Length: 1 month (July)
Participants: Carri, Lorraine, Rebecca, Beth, Lina
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