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Hey...Anyone Out There?

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Hey...Anyone Out There? topic started 11/22/2002; 7:09:08 AM last post 11/25/2002; 11:50:41 AM

Don Ginty - Hey...Anyone Out There?   11/22/2002; 7:09:08 AM (reads: 45707, responses: 5) Hey...Anyone Out There? Just thought maybe you'd rather discuss the book in general since specific questions don't seem to be illiciting too many responses! So what are you thinking about Bees so far? Anything you want to talk about??? - goto Posted by Don Ginty on 11/22/02; 7:09:27 AM from the dept. Janice Weiman - Re: Hey...Anyone Out There?   11/22/2002; 3:51:01 PM (reads: 14254, responses: 0) Hi, this is Janice Weiman, Jonathan Caro's Mom. I am trying to keep up with Jonathan on the chapter and he is surely in the lead and enjoying that too! Lily is at peace in the pink house. She is resonating with the love, affection and family household of the calendar sisters. She clearly does not want this to end..thus her secret! She has also begun to more better understand and feel the unfairness and hurt that discrimination causes; and I think she is even questioning her own feelings toward people of black decedent. It is very common in Europeon countries to see pictures of the Virgin Mary (Mother of Jesus)as a women of darker complexion. The Madonna is a symbol of a mother's strength and courage and for the calendar sisters, I feel particularly symbolizes their way to have their burden shared, lifted to help get through the difficulties and humiliation caused by discrimination. Jill Howard - Re: Hey...Anyone Out There?   11/22/2002; 6:20:29 PM (reads: 14341, responses: 0) Did anyone else see major symbolism when Rosaleen stands in the rain and looks to the sky allowing it to rain on her? I felt that was definitely a re-birth or a cleansing away of her old life and welcoming of the new.... Susan Brandell - Re: Hey...Anyone Out There?   11/22/2002; 6:26:55 PM (reads: 14310, responses: 0) I am thoroughly enjoying reading this book, mostly because I enjoy discussing it with my son. We also encourage each other to read which is great (what chapter are you on?). When he has assignments to do he is actually better at them than I am so I dont help him, but he can bounce ideas off me. This is a wonderful experience getting involved in reading with him. Karla Waid - Re: Hey...Anyone Out There?   11/24/2002; 7:37:59 PM (reads: 14331, responses: 0) I hate to admit it, but I think I may be a failure with my first involvment in a book club. I didn't really follow the procedures. I was so excited about reading the book and talking to my son about it (as much as he was willing, anyway), that I read three-fourths of the book within the first few days and finished the rest a few days later. (I loved Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise". It fit so perfectly with this novel.) I read the article "On Losing Your Mom" shortly after I started the novel. Every time I thought about responding to the discussion questions, all I could do was think of my mom and cry. Every single word of Anna Quindlen's article is my life. My mom died about 25 years ago when I was in college. I had seven siblings, five of them younger than me. So many children and,oh, so very young. As the author says in paragraph 6, "There's just a hole in my heart, and nothing to plug it." My heart goes out to Lily in every single sentence, both the sad ones as well as the uplifting ones, as well as to all the characters in this novel. I think the combination of the book and the article were (are) too heavy on my heart to respond to individual questions (at least at this point), but I love reading everyone else's responses. I can't wait to get started on our next novel, which I do plan to follow the book club procedures. Sharon Johnson - Re: Hey...Anyone Out There?   11/25/2002; 11:50:41 AM (reads: 14599, responses: 0) Hi, this is Sharon Johnson, Nick's mom. I'm jumping in a bit late here because I'm way behind on the reading. I'm also having trouble finding the web page, but the e-mail is coming through. Here are some of my favorites: Anne Rivers Siddons - fiction featuring contemporary women, Rosamunde Pilcher, and historical novels by Ken Follett. I think Lily hasn't talked to August about her mother because she's afraid. She's afraid of being rejected again. She is there under somewhat false pretenses, and that would take some explaining. I think she initially waits until she feels secure. Once she feel that security, she's torn between the peace she knows because of their acceptance and how that might change when they find out she lied to them. The unknown of her mother's relationship with them could put a whole different spin on her relationship with them. One of my favorite "pearls of wisdom" - if you don't want to hear the answer...don't ask the question. I haven't actually heard of a Black Madonna, but I could picture such a thing, possibly on a Byzantine icon. For the sisters the Black Mary is object of their faith, they can relate to her. She gives them strength and courage to persevere. I do wonder why a whole family of sisters has remained single. May needs to be taken care of , and June was once jilted. August seems to be the father figure. If she married, she would lose control of the business and the household. Is that enough to keep all three of them there together?