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Post by Admin on Jun 28, 2018 16:35:10 GMT
If you are not reading the book of month but some other book from the list (http://katiemcgrathbookclub.freeforums.net/thread/2/kmcg-book-club-list-books), feel free to use this board for discussion.
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Post by Martyna on Jul 11, 2018 9:03:42 GMT
Has anyone read "A Little Life" yet? I finished it several weeks ago and have a big need to talk to someone about it. So if you have hmu 📖
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Post by Admin2 on Jul 11, 2018 15:07:30 GMT
Has anyone read "A Little Life" yet? I finished it several weeks ago and have a big need to talk to someone about it. So if you have hmu 📖 Yes please!! I have a lot thoughts on it. Fair warning for those viewing this page there will be spoilers below... When I finished it was I heartbroken and angry. I knew what was going to happen, and yet it still hit me hard when it did. I thought maybe the author was leaving us feeling the same as Harold, Andy, JB. Moreover, going off of the title, and reoccurring theme of "a little life" in the end all lives leave a little something with those we care about. In this case it wasn't so little-as Jude thought he was. On a side note, I felt that Malcolm ending wasn't given any justice. It was like he was gone and forgotten.
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Post by Martyna on Jul 11, 2018 15:47:54 GMT
Has anyone read "A Little Life" yet? I finished it several weeks ago and have a big need to talk to someone about it. So if you have hmu 📖 Yes please!! I have a lot thoughts on it. Fair warning for those viewing this page there will be spoilers below... When I finished it was I heartbroken and angry. I knew what was going to happen, and yet it still hit me hard when it did. I thought maybe the author was leaving us feeling the same as Harold, Andy, JB. Moreover, going off of the title, and reoccurring theme of "a little life" in the end all lives leave a little something with those we care about. In this case it wasn't so little-as Jude thought he was. On a side note, I felt that Malcolm ending wasn't given any justice. It was like he was gone and forgotten.  I loved the book. I mean, there are some things I didn't like about it but it touched my heart and that's special. The story was tragic but kind of soft in the way it described its characters? They felt real and they weren't forced which isn't that easy to do, and when I read the book I kept forgetting they were just a creation. The reader is introduced to them in college and as they got older, my heart soared and broke along with theirs. What I didn't like about the book was the way therapy was treated. When you have a story with so many mentions of self harm and sexual abuse it's very risky to downplay the role of therapy in mental healing. And I do agree about Malcolm, he was treated unfairly. A statement to discuss - don't you feel as though, throughout the whole book, Malcolm was there to kind of be a background to the stories of his friends? Like he wasn't that much of his own person as the rest of these guys? And how did you feel about doctor Taylor?
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Post by Admin2 on Jul 11, 2018 20:27:38 GMT
Yes please!! I have a lot thoughts on it. Fair warning for those viewing this page there will be spoilers below... When I finished it was I heartbroken and angry. I knew what was going to happen, and yet it still hit me hard when it did. I thought maybe the author was leaving us feeling the same as Harold, Andy, JB. Moreover, going off of the title, and reoccurring theme of "a little life" in the end all lives leave a little something with those we care about. In this case it wasn't so little-as Jude thought he was. On a side note, I felt that Malcolm ending wasn't given any justice. It was like he was gone and forgotten. I loved the book. I mean, there are some things I didn't like about it but it touched my heart and that's special. The story was tragic but kind of soft in the way it described its characters? They felt real and they weren't forced which isn't that easy to do, and when I read the book I kept forgetting they were just a creation. The reader is introduced to them in college and as they got older, my heart soared and broke along with theirs. What I didn't like about the book was the way therapy was treated. When you have a story with so many mentions of self harm and sexual abuse it's very risky to downplay the role of therapy in mental healing. And I do agree about Malcolm, he was treated unfairly. A statement to discuss - don't you feel as though, throughout the whole book, Malcolm was there to kind of be a background to the stories of his friends? Like he wasn't that much of his own person as the rest of these guys? And how did you feel about doctor Taylor? The characters did feel real as they had their own unique qualities that made them stand out. I finished it in a couple of days so I really dove into this story reading a couple hundred pages at a time. I agree that there was something missing in the role of treatment and therapy. You asked I feel about Doctor Taylor, when above I used his first name Andy to address him. Which is a perfect way to describe my answer. I saw him as a friend, not a doctor. I felt that the relationship between Jude and him seemed unethical for a professional patient/doctor one. Though, someone tell me if I'm wrong about that-because he thought he was doing what was best for Jude. Yes about Malcolm, out of all the characters he we don't know much about him except that he lived at home with his parents whom his dad favored his sister, and Jude lived there for a time. His family has money, and he builds model homes. I think the biggest part of his character development was that he always tried to hold the group together ie making sure JB wasn't alone during the arguments with Jude. He was the glue that held everyone together. At least those are my thoughts, what are yours?
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Post by Martyna on Jul 12, 2018 13:45:28 GMT
I loved the book. I mean, there are some things I didn't like about it but it touched my heart and that's special. The story was tragic but kind of soft in the way it described its characters? They felt real and they weren't forced which isn't that easy to do, and when I read the book I kept forgetting they were just a creation. The reader is introduced to them in college and as they got older, my heart soared and broke along with theirs. What I didn't like about the book was the way therapy was treated. When you have a story with so many mentions of self harm and sexual abuse it's very risky to downplay the role of therapy in mental healing. And I do agree about Malcolm, he was treated unfairly. A statement to discuss - don't you feel as though, throughout the whole book, Malcolm was there to kind of be a background to the stories of his friends? Like he wasn't that much of his own person as the rest of these guys? And how did you feel about doctor Taylor? The characters did feel real as they had their own unique qualities that made them stand out. I finished it in a couple of days so I really dove into this story reading a couple hundred pages at a time. I agree that there was something missing in the role of treatment and therapy. You asked I feel about Doctor Taylor, when above I used his first name Andy to address him. Which is a perfect way to describe my answer. I saw him as a friend, not a doctor. I felt that the relationship between Jude and him seemed unethical for a professional patient/doctor one. Though, someone tell me if I'm wrong about that-because he thought he was doing what was best for Jude. Yes about Malcolm, out of all the characters he we don't know much about him except that he lived at home with his parents whom his dad favored his sister, and Jude lived there for a time. His family has money, and he builds model homes. I think the biggest part of his character development was that he always tried to hold the group together ie making sure JB wasn't alone during the arguments with Jude. He was the glue that held everyone together. At least those are my thoughts, what are yours? No no, doctor Taylor was the one who took him of the streets and then locked him in the basement. Unless I'm wrong? But I think that was his name. That part of the story felt a little forced to me. The author talked about Brother Luke a lot and Jude's years in the monastery. And in comparison to that, the bit with doctor Taylor was kind of rushed,like she mentioned him before so she just had to explain it quickly.
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Post by Admin2 on Jul 17, 2018 18:00:12 GMT
The characters did feel real as they had their own unique qualities that made them stand out. I finished it in a couple of days so I really dove into this story reading a couple hundred pages at a time. I agree that there was something missing in the role of treatment and therapy. You asked I feel about Doctor Taylor, when above I used his first name Andy to address him. Which is a perfect way to describe my answer. I saw him as a friend, not a doctor. I felt that the relationship between Jude and him seemed unethical for a professional patient/doctor one. Though, someone tell me if I'm wrong about that-because he thought he was doing what was best for Jude. Yes about Malcolm, out of all the characters he we don't know much about him except that he lived at home with his parents whom his dad favored his sister, and Jude lived there for a time. His family has money, and he builds model homes. I think the biggest part of his character development was that he always tried to hold the group together ie making sure JB wasn't alone during the arguments with Jude. He was the glue that held everyone together. At least those are my thoughts, what are yours? No no, doctor Taylor was the one who took him of the streets and then locked him in the basement. Unless I'm wrong? But I think that was his name. That part of the story felt a little forced to me. The author talked about Brother Luke a lot and Jude's years in the monastery. And in comparison to that, the bit with doctor Taylor was kind of rushed,like she mentioned him before so she just had to explain it quickly. Oh goodness! You're right I can't believe I mixed the names up. Whoops! But yes, I also felt the same way-that it was forced and we didn't get nearly as much of the story as we did with Brother Luke. To me those events with Doctor Taylor were a huge if not the main aspect of the book and who Jude was. My only theory would be as a reader we didn't experience it so it would place us in the same place as the other characters. Nevertheless, for a book that's what 700 pages long you would think a few more pages to built the story would be okay.
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Post by Martyna on Jul 23, 2018 15:02:04 GMT
No no, doctor Taylor was the one who took him of the streets and then locked him in the basement. Unless I'm wrong? But I think that was his name. That part of the story felt a little forced to me. The author talked about Brother Luke a lot and Jude's years in the monastery. And in comparison to that, the bit with doctor Taylor was kind of rushed,like she mentioned him before so she just had to explain it quickly. Oh goodness! You're right I can't believe I mixed the names up. Whoops! But yes, I also felt the same way-that it was forced and we didn't get nearly as much of the story as we did with Brother Luke. To me those events with Doctor Taylor were a huge if not the main aspect of the book and who Jude was. My only theory would be as a reader we didn't experience it so it would place us in the same place as the other characters. Nevertheless, for a book that's what 700 pages long you would think a few more pages to built the story would be okay. Yes exactly! I think the story of Doctor Taylor could have been more developed but that's the choice the author made. I'm curious, which character is your favourite?
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Post by Admin2 on Jul 26, 2018 3:16:02 GMT
Oh goodness! You're right I can't believe I mixed the names up. Whoops! But yes, I also felt the same way-that it was forced and we didn't get nearly as much of the story as we did with Brother Luke. To me those events with Doctor Taylor were a huge if not the main aspect of the book and who Jude was. My only theory would be as a reader we didn't experience it so it would place us in the same place as the other characters. Nevertheless, for a book that's what 700 pages long you would think a few more pages to built the story would be okay. Yes exactly! I think the story of Doctor Taylor could have been more developed but that's the choice the author made. I'm curious, which character is your favourite? Oh that is a good question! Hm... I think I have to say Harold. He is so supportive, kind, has good character depth, and I like how his mind works. Part of my degree in school was focused on law so when Harold is first introduced he is giving a speech to his students, part of which he explains how laws are the structure, mechanics and framework of society. He also says.... "In this class you will of course learn the mechanics of contracts-how one is created, how one is broken, how binding one is and how to unbind yourself from one- but you will also be asked to consider the law itself as a series of contracts. Some are more fair-and this one time, I'll allow you to say such a thing- than others. But fairness is not the only, or even the most important, consideration in law: the law is not always fair. Contracts are not fair, not always. But sometimes they are necessary, these unfairness, because they are necessary for the proper functioning of society. In this class you will learn about the obligations we have to one another as members of society, and how far society should go in enforcing those obligations. You will learn to see your life- all of our lives- as a series of agreements, and it will make you rethink not only the law but this country itself, and your place in it." (Page 133 in my book) When I read that my legal mindset couldn't of agree more and I was inspired by it. NOW, rereading that passage now that I've finished the book makes me wonder if this passage could mean more in the story. This is because, "life isn't always fair", and Jude's agreement with Willem. Food for thought. Who is your favorite character?
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Post by martie on Jul 28, 2018 16:05:25 GMT
have you guys read "gone with the wind"? i'm currently on chapter 31
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Post by Martyna on Jul 29, 2018 10:39:09 GMT
Yes exactly! I think the story of Doctor Taylor could have been more developed but that's the choice the author made. I'm curious, which character is your favourite? Oh that is a good question! Hm... I think I have to say Harold. He is so supportive, kind, has good character depth, and I like how his mind works. Part of my degree in school was focused on law so when Harold is first introduced he is giving a speech to his students, part of which he explains how laws are the structure, mechanics and framework of society. He also says.... "In this class you will of course learn the mechanics of contracts-how one is created, how one is broken, how binding one is and how to unbind yourself from one- but you will also be asked to consider the law itself as a series of contracts. Some are more fair-and this one time, I'll allow you to say such a thing- than others. But fairness is not the only, or even the most important, consideration in law: the law is not always fair. Contracts are not fair, not always. But sometimes they are necessary, these unfairness, because they are necessary for the proper functioning of society. In this class you will learn about the obligations we have to one another as members of society, and how far society should go in enforcing those obligations. You will learn to see your life- all of our lives- as a series of agreements, and it will make you rethink not only the law but this country itself, and your place in it." (Page 133 in my book) When I read that my legal mindset couldn't of agree more and I was inspired by it. NOW, rereading that passage now that I've finished the book makes me wonder if this passage could mean more in the story. This is because, "life isn't always fair", and Jude's agreement with Willem. Food for thought. Who is your favorite character? I loved Harold too! He was a character with such pure intentions. I think the trait that impressed me the most was his understanding and his patience. He was human and he made mistakes in his relationship with Jude but he always learned from them and adjusted his behaviour. He didn't push when Jude was clearly uncomfortable talking about his past. I'm sure he must have been super concerned and curious about what happened to Jude, but his son's happiness was more important than demanding answers. In some reviews online I've seen people saying that maybe Harold should have been more pushy with the subject, that he might have done something more to help Jude. But could he really had helped someone who didn't want to be helped?
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