The Lovely Bones (1-110)

Summary: Sebold starts of her wonderful novel by giving a first person description of Susie Salmon, who was 14 when she was murdered. She was killed in an underground " club house " in a corn field near her school by her neighbor Mr.Harvey. This novel intensifies as it gives the reader all the detail and information about the murder. But draws us in as she explains how others begin to come upon the situation. While reading I realized the quote " Curiosity killed the cat " is quite true. Susie was drawn into the cave like structure by the interest of how it was made and what was inside. Not knowing that in the time she was there she would be raped and murdered, taking her last breath. This novel is narrated by Susie from her heaven. Susie has the options of letting go and resting in peace but feels she can't do that until Mr. Harvey is found. Soon it becomes clear that little Susie wasn't his only victim. Susie was unpopular and had many goals in life and had a great connection with her mother ( before her death ). After her death, Susie's family begins to fall apart and she has nothing left to do but watch. Her once loving mother is trapped behind a cold shell, her brother is clueless, father broken and sister angry. they all just want a way out, but will they be able to make it out in one piece?

Quote: " I would find a quiet way, and I would kill him " ( Sebold 88 )

Reaction: This quote was said by Mrs.Singh, the mother of Susie's crush and first kiss, Ray. It caught my attention because she said it to Hal ( Susie's ) father as they discuss his suspicions on Mr.Harvey. Sebold states that her words start to sink into Hal's mind which makes me wonder if this is a hit to help the reader foreshadow the ending.

I See You Everywhere 80-120

Summary:  These few pages of my reading where mainly narrated with Clem. Since I didn't post last week I will put you in the middle of the action. First of to inform you May ( Clem and Louisa's mother) has had her prize dog hounds dog napped as she like to call it by her not so loyal worker for 10 years. Clem is determined to help Tighty, her mother’s long time dog sitter and now enemy, recover his job. Still invading Clem's house is Louisa. During the planning of getting Tighty's job back the girls clash heads and have an abrupt argument. Tighty being used to it finds a way to calm the girls down and everything goes to normal. In the end of Clem's narration Tighty gets his job back and her and Zip are still together besides her constant attempts to end it. The birth of seven puppies seamed to help bring down the heat.

Louisa starts a narration where she speaks of her marriage problems as well as family. Her mother and father are lime her and Clem who are complete opposites. May is a heartless tyrant as well as Clem while Louisa and their father are quite calm and easy going but seam to have more of an emotional approach on life. In point Louisa is tired of her boyfriend's disturbingly calm personality and though she ran away for a while the author fails to give us enough context clues to foreshadow a break up or make up.

Quote: “Louisa never challenges these insults. She's been hearing them forever, I guess." (Glass 91)

Reaction: this quote was found in Clem's narration. She is speaking of Louisa always being insulted or made less by her mother. The author portrays the mother as such a tyrant that this would be expected but one would think Clem would have a better reaction than "I guess ". We all know that the two sisters are water and oil but blood is blood, or is Clem really as cold blooded as she is portrayed by Louisa?

I See You Everywhere 44-80

Summary: These few pages have been filled with drama and surprises. Ending of Louisa's story she informs the reader that Clem was pregnant and was abused by her baby's father. Completely opening my eyes as to why Clem acts the way she does sometimes. Then to start of Clem's chapter she expresses how she feels that everyone must depend on her when she is having a hard time. Clem has two part time jobs, is working on her thesis and is her mother as well as Louisa's therapist. Clem to the rescue!

Quote: " I know a lot, but around her, its never enough. "

Reaction: This quote means a lot to to me because it's Clem's first expression of jealousy towards Louisa. Throughout the book the girls go back and forth about experiences and life. Mostly Louisa complains but now Clem is showing her soft side. The heart braking rebel is expressing envy.

I See You Everywhere (1-44)

Summary:This first chapter of Glass' book holds background on the story and a double narrative that transfers from her [ Louisa ] to her younger sister [ Clem ]. After living a rough and rival child hood the sisters are forced back together by the death of their grate aunt Lucy. The girls both speak of their past with Lucy, although it is clear that Clem held a deeper relationship with her than Louisa did. In Louisa's explanations of the events occurred and occurring she expresses much jealousy towards Clem because of favoritism and boys. But in a swimming accident in which Louisa's life is saved by the calm words of Clem, she starts to want to reconstruct that sisterly bond to ask Clem a question. What that question is still remains a mystery to me.
Quote: "I ought to love living but I didn't." ( Glass 6 ) 

Reaction: This quote holds a strong purpose in the chapter because it is such a depressing way to start the story of death and rivalry. Also it contradicts the life styles of the girl's grate aunt Lucy. As described by both girls she was such a life filled character at such an old age that one would expect the girls to look up to that and want to live life to the fullest. Well that was correct for Clem but opposite for Louisa who I'm determined to find out why she is so sad and depressed. With such a strong quote comes strong emotion and trauma. This is a mystery I'm ready to solve :)

Once in a house on fire pg.84-120

Summary: Now living with her aunt back in England Andrea and her family seams completely happy. Andrea got accepted into an excellent grammar school, life seams set until her mother gets a job and they have to move to a rough neighborhood. Now they have to attend a new school and the kids around the neighborhood aren't very nice. They make fun of her hard accent and life's hard. Andrea's mother keeps seeing her step father now that everything between them is resolved and he seams to be recovered. My only hope is that they don't get back together because I fear the worst is yet to come. Quote: " We lived to tell the tale,didn't we ?" (Ashworth 97) Reaction: This quote made me hit a light bulb. This was said by Andrea's mother as she reminisced about life in Canada. The fact that she said that and is still seeing Andrea's abusive step father in a way makes me foreshadow that they will end up together again. These pages were full of memories and disappointment because of the family's living conditions. Yet I see nothing wrong with it because its better to be safe and poor than rich and abused.

Once in a house on fire Pg 40-86

Summary:  Andrea, her two little sisters, mother and step father all took a dramatic change, they moved to Canada! Andrea and her family moved to Canada to start a new life because during a visit her mother and step father decided it was a very good place to live. Half way across the world from their family and in a new continent with their abusive step father anything could go wrong, and everything did go wrong. Andrea’s mother had a far relative who lived in good conditions but also went through abuse, her husband died from a brain tumor. Everyone wished the same would happen to Andrea’s step father, besides the guilt. After a few months of living in terrible conditions and having went trough enough abuse, Andrea’s mother gathered enough money to move back to England and left her abusive husband, a happy ending, for now.

Quote:  “Life was to short, Auntie Penny had discovered over the years, to be anything less than sweet” (Ashworth 55)

Reaction: This novel so far seams to have some foreshadowing as shown in the last two quotes presented on my blog. Andrea shows that she as well as her other family members will learn and survive from the hard ships of life. In the end all of the events that are occurring in her life so far may be the things that made her who she is and allowed her to go so far in life.

Once in a House on firepg 1-40

Summary: So far this book is about Andrea's life after the death of her father. She undergoes a lot of pain and abuse by here step father who also abuses her mother. The catch of the story so far though is that the mother is going to make Andrea and her little sister have their step fathers last name so they can be a " legal " family. During the time the judge ask the girls question Andrea has a flash back of when her father once touched her the wrong way. Also how when ever he hits her he bribes her so she doesn't tell her mother. My main question is how will her mother ever find out about whats happening under her own roof.

Quote : " My grandmother had been forced to look at things differently years ago"

Reaction : So far in Andrea's writing I am able to see that she uses an emotional appeal to get the reader to understand her pain. Also she uses a lot of descriptive words that help me as a reader see how the events in her life happened. Every situation she describes in grate detail also she shows there's a meaning to it. The above quote has to be understood because its foreshadowing how she will also view life differently.