Today is already our final day of the Literary Sewing Circle focusing on Riel Nason's All The Things We Leave Behind!
I hope you've had the chance to read the book, and both the first and second inspiration posts, and are getting lots of ideas for a project of your own.
This is our final and roundup post. Share links to your projects here: as soon as you are done your project, just pop a link to your post into the comments and we will all be able to visit your blog/instagram etc. and explore your creation -- remember, it can be sewn, or knitted, crocheted, embroidered... any textile art that you practice. Or you can just tag me, @sewmelwyk on IG and use #LiterarySewingCircle as a hashtag
We've discussed our reading in our first book talk post, and discovered more about the author and this book in the author interview post. You can add any additional thoughts now that you've finished the book and seen those posts too.
Here are a few more questions to ponder -- and add any of your own to the comments too!
How did you feel the sibling relationship was portrayed? Why do you think the author made the choice to have the parents absent for much of the story? Did you think any of the side characters were particularly important to your experience of this novel? How did the setting and the description of the landscapes affect your opinions of the book? Was there any moment that felt especially powerful or memorable for you? Anything that resonated strongly?
I have hesitated to comment on this book because I didn't love it and I don't want anyone to feel dumped on. It was well written. The descriptions of all the settings really put you into the scenes. I liked a lot of the characters. But I really have a problem with books written from one character's viewpoint and a key element of the "mystery" is withheld even though that character knows it the whole time. I don't want to spoil anything here. But why not have Violet discover the truth when we do and show us her reactions? Instead, it's like she's pretending not to know when she does. I think the story would be just as interesting that way, maybe more.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts.... I saw the withholding from a different perspective: as though she is in denial, and through the book is learning to accept the truth...
ReplyDeleteWhat's sticking with me after finishing the book is the pace of the storytelling- the book gave me sense of time slowing down. Details such as using a payphone for calls, traffic jams on two lane roads, summers breaks at a campground, having to wait to receive a phone call, reminded me of a different pacing of life which to me is reminiscent of both youth and (perhaps) a previous era.
ReplyDeleteTo the above commenter- so glad you posted, it's always nice to see varied interpretations of a book, it helps me think about the book more deeply. I thought of the ending in a similar way to the second poster- that the book's ending revealed the narrator's internal acceptance. And to me, her revelation made the parents' trip even more poignant.
I really enjoyed this book- as I do with all the selections for the literary sewing circle. I appreciate the variety in the selected books and how there are always textile elements present. Thank you so much Melanie for your time and effort to find books and put together this event!