This book I read when it came out, thinking that maybe once it got to paperback it would make a good summer reading selection. I gave the first couple of pages to my spring semester honors class, and they all said "We love it." It's all about loss, grief, desire, self-discovery, family dynamics, and lots more.
Here are a couple of optional supplemental readings:
- An article about the author, entitled "In Praise of Prose". (It mostly mentions her other works, but you should find it insightful.)
- An article about Shakespeare's Hamlet, focusing on the melancholy prince as grief-stricken over the death of his father. (I have a lot of issues with the play, but it is still Hamlet, after all, and we'll be covering it some fashion early in the semester.)
- Hamlet itself. (If you're done early with your summer reading -- I know how dedicated you Honors kids are [wryly ironic smiley face goes here] -- and want to get a headstart.)
Oh -- and here's what Nico looks like after she gets her haircut.
Don't forget to leave your name when you blog.
"If all the clocks and calendars vanished, children would still know when Sunday came."
ReplyDeleteThis is so true! It is day five of summer, and I'm soaking up the sun and reading Francine Prose's Goldengrove on this lazy Sunday afternoon. I just started reading this novel and I am already loving it.
Margaret and Nico's relationship reminds me exactly of my relationship with my sister. As I started reading this, I knew I had to comment on this. Although Nico and Margaret are four years apart and my sister and I are only one year apart, our sisterly relationships exhibit similar traits.
For instance, I couldn't help but giggle when Nico questioned Margaret about if she was fat while the two sisters drifted out to the depths of Mirror Lake. It seems like a superficial question to ask, however, my sister and I constantly find ourselves asking this silly question. Margaret's response to Nico's ignorant question, " You. Are. Not. Fat.", definitely resembles my sister's and my attitudes towards situations like this. That is always the answer "You. Are. Not. Fat.", and it is amusing to read that these sisters react with each other the same way that my sister and I do. It makes me wonder is it simply because we are sisters that we have this connection or is it something more special than that? I always wonder, if I didn't have my sister, and only had my little brother, would we have similar conversations?
Are the special relationships that my sister and I hold and that Margaret and Nico hold pure gifts or do all sisters posses this common bond?
Toodles for now!
- Brianna Ricciardone
Brianna --
Delete(If I'm posting this twice, forgive me.) But, congratulations are in order since you will be the recipient of the coveted "Early Bird Award" (2012-2013), for the first poster. Hope you like Gummi Worms.
Mr. Mac
Mr. MacArthur
ReplyDeleteDoesn't everybody love gummy worms?! :) Thank you! People need to hurry up and read their books. I don't want to have to respond to my own posts.
-Brianna
I really loved the way Francine Prose introduces her characters. For example, when Elaine is introduced, there is no paragraph describing her face shape, eye color, etc. All we get are casual mentions that she has a "mane of bristly, colorless hair" and that she can be described as "unglamorous." Unlike many authors who feel like they must describe every trait of a character down to the earlobe shape, Prose provides minimal physical description and allows the reader to visualize the characters based on his or her actions. This also maintains the mentality of Nico. No 13-year-old mourning for her sister is going to ponder another character's everyday appearance for no apparent reason. It is refreshing that Prose skips right to the more important parts of characterization like dialogue and actions.
ReplyDeleteMarissa Bedard
Oh man, you are so completely right. That's one of the main reasons I like the book. Each character really came alive when I was able to make up Nico's family in my head with people who would have otherwise (and still are, haha) complete strangers.
DeleteI also agree! When I was reading A Moon for the Misbegotten I specifically remember getting tired of reading the tedious paragraphs about the characters' physical descriptions, like Hogans, for example. I definitely think Josie's description about her somewhat masculinity is an important asset to the story and an important characteristic to be stressed, the fact that Hogan is wearing overalls isn't so significant. While description adds so much to the stories, I eventually decided to imagine the characters how they appeared to me...I just couldn't but it together like O'Neill! So I think the way Prose allowed us to "paint the picture in our heads" like books are supposed to do was a nice touch as well :)
Delete-Megan DeRoy
Marissa, I didn't even notice this until i read your post. I guess I just imagined what I thought they would look like based on who they were (role in society; mother, father, friend, etc.) and didn't even think about how little I actually knew about their physical description. I agree with Megan that I like how Prose used less description than Hardy who wrote every little detail about the farm or the characters. In a way, I think the lack of detail makes the story easier for the audience to connect to because the audience can just imagine someone in their own life who has a similar role as the character in the book. You're also right about how it makes the story more realistic because no one can possibly notice every little detail about a person or a place like most authors make it seem. I also think, and I may be thinking too far into it, that Prose did this to show that Niko wasn't really interested or payed attention to other people as much as she was interested and thought about Margaret. If I recall correctly, there was a good amount of physical descriptions of Margaret.
Delete~Brianne Gaudio
I'm in the same boat as Brianne when it comes to the physical descriptions of the charachers. I didn't even realize it. Just shows how observant I am. Anyway, I really like how you can imagine the physical aspects of the characters youself. Everyone has their owm vision of what a writer father and a hippie mother should look like and the fact that Prose allows you to create this own vision is really refreshing.
DeleteI think the reason why there is a physical description of Margaret is because that you learn about her through Nico and Prose wanted you to have the same image of Margaret that Nico has throughout the novel.
I found myself agreeing with Marissa’s comment, like the others. It wasn’t until Marissa pointed out that Prose rather focused on the character’s actions did I finally have the light bulb click over my head. I think I had subconsciously noticed that the author hadn’t provide an actually description of the characters’ eyes, nose, height, etc…as typical authors do. Instead he wrote about the characters in a way left the reader to create their own image. I believe that all writer’s should use this type of description or a better fitting phrase, “lack of description,” because that way it allows the reader to create their own physical description. It leaves for a more open interpretation on the reader’s part because everybody imagines a character their own way and from there the story can be different depending on the that image. It’s like when popular books are turned into movies and when people who have the read the books venture to see the movie, they are sometimes left disappointed. Whether it be they created their own image of a character or saw the character as described by the author a different way than the actor playing that character on the movie screen. Books are a blank canvas where images can be created not by being drawn but instead with words. It takes a talented author to paint an image with words into a readers head. It takes an even more talented author to paint an image into a reader’s head without physical description but with actions, in my own opinion. Prose did it and ended up with a splendid piece of work. For example, I realized with Nico’s father he was never was given much too physical description but was still able to generate a well-rounded depiction of how and who he was as a person.
DeleteSamantha Riley
After reading these posts, I didn't realize the lack physical descritions until now too! I keep thinking about my image of each character and wondering what others might think...
DeleteYet, I actually LOVED the character descriptions in A Moon for the Misbegotten. I liked knowing what the characters looked like instead of guessing, and trying to stick a face to a name.
That makes me sound so uncreative, but I swear I love crafts! Haha.
-Tori Withee
I think both complete description and lack of description have thier place in literature. In a play, how the characters are described is exactly how they will look on stage. A novel, on the other hand, isn't written with the intent of giving a specific visual image. While the author is still trying to tell a meaningful story, it doesn't really matter if a character is pictured differently than imagined by the author. Giving very little physical description also allows the reader to make the story more personal because everyone's image of the characters is different.
DeleteSam, I like how you related this to what happens when a movie based on a book comes out. I'd be interested to see who each character who be casted as if this book were to become a movie (like we did for the Catcher in the Rye last year).
I also wanted to mention how Prose repeatedly mentioned that Margaret smelled like cookies, but never gave a full physical description. Maybe this was to emphasize the comfort and sweetness Nico associated with Margaret.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeletePhoebe, it is true that Prose repeatedly mentioned that Margaret smelled like cookies, but she did go more in-depth than that. Aaron had Nico wear the vanilla oil that Margaret wore. So yes, the smell was described as cookies, but we were also given more information; the smell was the vanilla, which is a prominent smell in many cookies.
DeleteMegan Tunila
Marissa...
ReplyDeleteYour observations about Ms. Francine's characterization throughout Goldengrove makes me wonder if this is typical of her writing style or if she purposely provided minimal physical description to paint the picture just within this book? Has anyone read any of Prose's other works? I'm curious to see if this is typical of her writings. Either way, I think that her choice of descriptions really works for this novel. Her minimal descriptions regarding some characters make it such an easy read. What are your thoughts?
-Brianna Ricciardone
I have only just begun reading Goldengrove, and I already feel sorrow for Nico. She is clearly trying to make up for the sorrow of losing her sister by trying to act more like her, such as distancing herself from her parents. Nico must not only deal with the loss of her sister, however; she must also deal with the stress of the now constant fighting between her parents as a result of Margaret's shocking death. Nico will most likely carry a part of her sister with her for the rest of the novel.
ReplyDeleteI finished this book a few days ago and now have the time to blog abut it. I have to say that Prose's novel was one of my favorite summer reading books that we've ever been assigned. It was definitely a page turner and I truly wanted to find out where each new chapter would take Nico. It was deep, interesting, and contained characters that high school students can relate to. I found the plot very interesting and I appreciated the fact that Prose found a way to bring so much emotion into the book. I felt as if I knew Nico at the end of the novel and I really felt sympathetic toward her. I think that even if we had not been assigned this book, I would have enjoyed reading it on my own. I loved it! Bye for now,
ReplyDelete~Courtney Schramm
Courtney, I agree that I enjoyed the book and probably would have even read it on my own. Considering the books we had to read last year, I would say this is definately one of my favorite summer reading books. I also feel like at the end of the book, I knew Nico really well and I definitely was able to easily understand all the things she went through because of Prose's way of writing it.
Delete~Brianne Gaudio
While I don't think I would have picked up this book and read it on my own without it being assigned, I was glad it was assigned for us to read. It was a true page turner. I only picked up the book 3 times. The first time I read about 30 pages, the next time I read to about page 150, and the next time I read all the way until the end, that's how attached to the story I was. In the beginning, I thought the book would be torture since it seemed so depressing, but I really cranked through that book. I too enjoyed it a lot.
DeleteI'm not sure if I would have picked this up at all, but after reading it I'm glad I did. I found the diction in the story to be particularly powerful- I felt like I was part of the story by the end of the first chapter.
DeleteFor example, whenever there was a dialogue between Nico and her family, I could feel my heart drop even before Prose told me how the other characters reacted. I think that Prose really captured the emotions of grief and distress in a very rare way. They are not feelings that can be described through a paragraph or even pages, but rather described every now and then, throughout the entire plot of the story.
-Garret Tirrell
If someone told me about this book, I would definatly read it if it wasn't assigned but I don't think I would have picked it up if I saw it in a bookstore. From the synopsis on the back of the book, the story sounds almost whiney (and honestly, the praise from various reviews doesn't do anything for me). Goldengrove turned out to be a book more about grieving and more complex emotions than I had anticipated.
DeleteI'm in the same boat as Garret and Corey, I probably wouldn't have read this book on my own but I'm glad that this book was an assigned reading. It is very different from the usual stories that I read and it was a refreshing change.
DeleteI loved the conversations that Nico and her family had after Margaret died. They were so akward and sad which made the story so realistic. I completely agree with Garret and that you really get a sense of the grieving process throughout the entire novel and that the reader can't get a good sense of it in a single chapter.
I also agree with Brianne. By the end of the novel I felt that I completely understood Nico, which was a nice change becasue in the book I ususally read I always have a question about the main character and with Nico, I didn't have any. The way that Prose wrote Nico was so well done.
Warning: this might be a little lengthy.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that this book was difficult for me. I found myself struggling with the darkness of the novel. It affected me in more ways than one. Basically, I felt inadequate of anything positive or praiseworthy. I did a lot of research in order to understand why this novel had such an adverse effect on me. I came across an article by Valerie Strauss in the Washington Post. This article was entitled “How ‘Twilight,’ Other Dark Fiction Affect Teen Brains.” This excerpt especially helped me understand how exactly Goldengrove was able to affect me so strongly:
"We have always known that encounters with art and literature affect our senses. We feel joy, sorrow, fear, anxiety, grief. We empathize with the characters. We learn from them about ourselves and about other people. What we know today from neuroscience is that there are spots in the brain that are responsible for these feelings, that it is possible to identify parts of the brain affected by reading or watching a film. The adolescent brain goes through a significant and rapid change; everything that affects it leaves deep imprints. Very dark fiction creates and amplifies a sense of insecurity, which is typical of adolescence; but it can also be a liberation, when readers "share" their personal experience with that of fictional characters. So yes, all readers’ brains are changed after they have read a book, but teenage brains are especially perceptive and therefore vulnerable."
Yes, I was uncomfortable by the darkness of the story, and through the course of reading this book my mind was very perceptive and in turn very vulnerable. But this is not to say that I didn’t find Goldengrove to be an incredibly well-written novel. In fact, I read the whole book in a day. Francine Prose was truly able to create a work of literature that handles such a heavy topic, sudden death, with radiance. I agree with Marissa that the way Prose introduces her characters is pure genius. The first two pages of the story are written in such a way that is both relatable and beautiful. Also, her use of the poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins throughout the novel is fantastic. That poem, by the way, is stunning. So to sum this up, I truly disliked the darkness of Goldengrove; however, within it I found real literary value. I’m sure this comment took a whole week to read, so thank you for patiently putting up with it!
Hey there, Chiara!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post, I couldn't help but think back to my first post. Do you think that you found this story to be so dark and disturbing because you have a sister? I know that you and your sister are very close, as you are with your brother too... Despite your age differences. So, I was just wondering if readers with close siblings find this book to be darker because they can relate personally to the relationship and sibling connections that Francine Prose portrays through Nico and Margaret. I know I felt that the book had a depressing effect on me because I couldn't help but think of my relationships with my siblings.
As for anybody else reading this who doesn't have siblings or who doesn't have a close relationship with their siblings, was this book not as dark to you? Or did you find it just as disturbing and saddening as Chiara And I found it to be? What are your thoughts?
Toodles!
Brianna Ricciardone
I don't have a great relationship with my sister and this book was still quite depressing and dark in my opinion. I believe that I felt this way because the feelings that this book brings up aren't limited to close siblings but to anybody close to you. I have many friends that I consider as close as siblings and would be devastated if I lost them. The whole topic of this book is rather morbid any ways so most people would be affected by the topic.
DeleteHonestly, I think I have a pretty close relationship with my siblings, but I didn't quite get that "dark" and depressed feeling you're talking about. I think part of it has to do with the fact that until something tragic like that happens to me or someone close to me personally, I don;t believe that it ever could. It's part of that "invincible" feeling i learned about in psychology last year, I think. I just feel that something like this would never happen to me or anyone close to me even though I logically know that it can and that just because I'm me,I'm not "invincible." Does anybody else feel this way or is it just me?
Delete~Brianne Gaudio
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteBrianne, I think its a common assumption that teens view themselves as "invincible", and I feel like it takes going through something tradgic to realize we aren't. I feel especially sorry for Nico having to go through something as devestating as losing her sister, but we can see it undoubtedly diminished any sense of invincibility she may have had.
DeleteBrianna, I absolutely feel that having a sister made this book a little harder to read. Being she is my younger sister, I think subconsciously I kept putting myself in the place Margaret and her as Nico to relate somehow to it. I do have a good relationship with my sister, but even if I didn't I still think I would have some depressing feeling about it.
Rachel Takes
I have a younger brother who is now 15. As the older sibling, I tried to imagine what would happen if I died and he was still alive. Because I'm not him and don't know how he would actually react, I ended up placing myself in Nico's position for most of the novel.
DeleteLike Brianne, I didn't find the novel completely dark as a whole. To me, it was more emptying and numbing. I think this is because if I ever lost someone, I would just try to move on and try to forget as quickly as possible to avoid the pain.
I have to agree with Chiara. I found this novel to be extremely dark and it affected me so much that I had to put it down for a day or more at times. I have a close relationship with my sister, and I think that made the book almost too real for me. I also know people who have lost family members and I have watched and experienced their grief. The idea of losing someone, whether you are close to them or not, so suddenly is terrifying to me. About halfway through the book, I had to put it down for a day; I couldn't even look at the cover. I found the novel extremely dark throughout, but I also felt similar to Phoebe. I didn't agree with how Nico dealt with the loss and spent a lot of time contemplating how I would have dealt with it, which is not a happy subject.
DeleteMegan Tunila
Hello there ladies!
DeleteI find everyone's opinions on this very interesting. I didn't know if I only felt that the book was so dark because I had a close relationship with my sister. That's why I was curious about everyone else's relationships with their siblings and how the novel affected them.
Brianne, I completely understand what you're saying about teenagers feelng as though they are "invincible". I guess that some people might not have been so affected by this book because, hopefully, not many of us have had a situation like this in our lives. Even though I have been fortunate enough to not have anyone really close to me pass, as I read "Goldengrove" I felt as though I was in Nico's shoes. And it was scary how much Nico's and Margaret's relationship reminded me of my sister's and my relationship.
Megan & Phoebe, I think that many of us can agree that if someone close had passed, we would have probably handled it differently than Nico did. Although I don't think that it was wrong for her to contact Aaron to try and grieve with him, I think it was wrong the way that it was actually carried out. Nico had no one to turn to, so it was only natural that she would turn to someone who was felt the same closeness to her sister as she did. Her parents were practically useless in helping her, as they were struggling to get through each day as it already was. However, I do wish that Nico and her family would have been more open on the subject of Margaret's death. A family is supposed to stick together through even the roughest times, and, as I read, I found myself longing for Nico and her parents to connect and support each other through it all. Did anybody else think that it was strange how Nico's family kind of fell apart through this tragic time? Does anyone else agree that it would have been more comforting if the family had gone through the grieving process together?
-Brianna Ricciardone
Brianna,
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that I have a sister definetely played a huge role in how saddened I was after reading this book. The story definetely is relatable, despite being so dark. The ability that Francine Prose has to connect so strongly to the reader is remarkable. I found a great quote by Robert Louis Stevenson that says, "The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean; not to affect your reader, but to affect him as precisely as you wish." I think Prose does exactly that! Her book definitely has a serious effect on the audience.
Thanks for your thoughts!
I just saw this, Chiara, and woah, that quote fits this book perfectly! As I read everyone's blogs about the story, I can see that everyone is affected by this book in some way. I feel like I should have saved this book for last, because I'm not enjoying the other two as much as this one... Anyways, Prose definitely targeted her audience in this great piece of literature. If Prose's writing didn't emotionally affect its readers, I don't think the novel would have been very successful. I think that the fact that the story is so touching is what makes it a good read. Anyone else feel the same way?
Delete-Brianna Ricciardone
ps- Chiara, thanks for the great quote!
I am finally almost done with this book, and I am not suprised with what has happened. Aaron is currently trying to make up for the loss of Margaret by kissing Nico. This, of course, was very horrifying for her, but I am also saddened for Aaron. He really did have a good relationship with Margaret, and has been so traumatized by her death that he is trying to go out with Nico in order to fill in the void formed by Margaret's death. A tragedy for everyone, evidenced in different ways.
ReplyDeleteI really did enjoy this book, however Aaron's actions toward Nico, actually just their entire relationship bothered me. I did see the beauty in having two grieving people that were so close to Margaret helping each other come back to real life. However, as much as I didn't want to feel this, I reaaallly hated Aaron's character by the time the novel was done. I don't know if it's maybe because I am a girl and Aaron is a boy, or maybe because the thought of that ever happening to my little sister disgusts me, but I was very curious how a boy reading this would feel about the situation. So it was really nice to see the way you sympathized with him and saw it as another tragedy in the book.
Delete~Cayla Mitzkovitz
Cayla...
DeleteI was just reading your post over... and I feel the exact same way! By the time the novel ended, I was so grossed out with Aaron's behavior. I started to feel uncomfortable while reading because I found myself not trusting Aaron's character. I began feeling scared for Nico because as I read I knew that Aaron was starting to take his grieving too far. Maybe, like you pointed out, I felt this way because throughout the book I felt a connection with Margaret and Nico's sister relationship. I definitely don't like the thought of that ever happening to my younger sisters. I'm glad I'm not the only one who grew to hate Aaron by the end of the story.
I find it interesting that you were curious about how a boy reading this would feel about the situation... Now I'm curious too! I know that Matt already said that he felt sad for Aaron... did any other guys feel the same way? Or any other girls? Or was anybody else super creeped out with Aaron's actions towards Nico?
-Brianna Ricciardone
When I was reading through the book, I was extremely disgusted with Aaron with his actions toward Nico and I couldn't forgive him for that. But after reading your comments, Matt, I can see how it is not completely Aaron's fault. He was coping with Margaret's death and could not think right. Since Nico looked very similar to Margaret, Aaron wanted to believe that Nico was Margaret and things would go back to normal. That is why Aaron asked Nico to wear Margaret's favorite shirt and the wear the vanilla essence and watch old movies with her. Although I do not approve of Aaron's actions toward Nico, I can see why he did those things and maybe forgive him. I'm still not sure.
DeleteNick Sardo
Aaron's behavior was in no way acceptable. I don't really care that he was grieving in his own way because it was really creepy to go after a 14 year old girl because she is your dead girlfriend's sister. I also thought Nico was being very stupid for not seeing through Aaron and into his alterior motives. Sure the girl was blinded by love, for her sister's memory and her feelings for Aaron, but to not connect the dots about the vanilla and the shirt? That's just stupid on Nico's part. Nico's dad was right when she said that Aaron "had a screw loose" because he just really disgusted me. Sorry about the rant but this whole part of the story line absolutely horrified me.
DeleteI don't approve of Aaron's behavior at all, but I can understand why he acted the way he did with Niko. I think Aaron felt so guilty about fighting with Margaret the morning Margaret died that he wanted to ease his guilt by bringing Margaret "back to life." Also, Aaron revealed that the argument started because Aaron said Niko was cute (or something like that- I don't exactly remember what it was) and by turning Niko into Margaret, Aaron got back Margaret and made Niko disappear which helped ease his guilt and pain. I still think it was entirely inappropriate and disgusting- I mean, she is his dead girlfriend's YOUNGER sister!
Delete~Brianne Gaudio
Sorry guys! I keep misspelling Nico with a 'k' when it should be with a 'c'. I'll try to pay better attention to what I write.
Delete~Brianne Gaudio
I believe that Aaron took full advantage of Nico in no way of a proper manner and should have done what he did. One of the instances of major loss of innocence’s is Aaron and the relationship that Nico had with him. First of all, I understand where they both came from, they were looking for comfort from one another that they felt no one else had. However, it is disturbing that Aaron preyed on Nico, someone who was a couple of years younger than him and his deceased girlfriend’s younger sister. He took advantage of his dominance over Nico and used it to become involved with her in a way that was highly inappropriate. She was innocent then and didn’t know any better. The other major factor for the loss of innocence is Margaret’s death and the fact that it is played out unintentionally right in front of Nico. She watched her sister jump out of the boat; the very same boat she was sitting in, into the water. The moment that Margaret’s body hit the water was the moment that her loss of innocence began instantaneously. Nico learns that death is something that can take anyone from you no matter who they are or how much they mean to you. She learns that death is a harsh reality and cannot be stopped. The final factor in Nico’s loss of innocence is the fact that she was left on her own to grieve after Margaret’s death. Nico too soon became aware that there are times in a person’s life when they feel like they are truly alone. She shouldn’t have had to experience that at such a young age but she did. Prose really connected with me on an emotional level. I was contemplating about the theme of the book and came across this quote that in my opinion fits Goldengrove perfectly. “But Prose's focus is less about the psychological repercussions of the tragedy than about the passing of youth and innocence that is a tragic fact of human existence.” I came across this book review in the Los Angeles Times from a couple years ago and felt the need to share it. Heller, the author of the review stated my thoughts exactly as the type of book Goldengrove is. If I was to choose a general theme for the book the loss of innocence would have been exactly what I would chose. Nico grows up in the course of the book, starting it as a 13 year old girl and ending it no longer with her childlike innocence. The world can do that to people, cause them to lose their innocence, and it got to Nico before she even had a chance to protest.
DeleteSamantha Riley
Sorry for the rambling!
DeleteBefore it became inappropriate, I thought Nico's and Aaron's relationship was ok because it helped them both get over Margaret's death. Once it was no longer a balanced, mutual relationship, I lost all respect for Aaron. I know he was grieving because of Margaret's death, but he should have been mature and responsible enough to see Nico was in a vunerable state and not take advantage of this. Hurting Nico just prolonged the pain they both felt. I don't think he wanted to harm Nico, so I think I ended up feeling sorry for them both: sorry that this all happened to Nico and sorry that Aaron was so blinded by his pain that his judgement wasn't clear.
DeletePhoebe, I felt bad for them both in the end, as well. While I was so disgusted with Aaron's innappropriate behavior, I can't even imagine how it would feel to lose someone you love. I felt bad that he felt the only way to deal with his girlfriend's death was to do what he did. After reading all of these posts... I also feel like Nico should be blamed for everything that happened, too. She could have stopped visiting Aaron as soon as he started pushing things like making her wear Margaret's shirt and vanilla scent. Nico could have stepped in and spoken up for herself. It's almost creepy that she felt comfortable wearing her sister's clothes. If someone super close to me passed, I don't think I would even be able to enter their room without crying. I wouldn't be able to let myself into their closets and touch their personal belongings. I'd be too upset.
DeleteI don't think that Margaret would have approved of Aaron's behavior towards her sister, either. I'd like to think that Margaret loved her sister as much as Nico loved her. Aaron should have realized that what he was doing was wrong, and that Margaret wouldn't have liked it. Even though Margaret had passed, it isn't right to go after her sister, even though he was really going after Margaret in her sister's form. (So confusing, but it makes sense... he wanted Margaret and was using Nico to "get" her.) I understand that he was hurt, but there were better ways for him to handle himself. That's just my opinon.
-Brianna Ricciardone
Brianna,
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that having a sister gives this book a stronger impact. I have a sister the same age as Nico, and sometimes I couldn't help imagining her in a situation like Nico's, which was quite disturbing. Some parts were hard to read, which goes along with what Chiara said. It was very easy to make connections to my own life, but doing so made the book so much more dark and real. It's amazing that Prose can cause the reader to have his or her own inner conflict while Nico and other characters are dealing with theirs.
Marissa Bedard
I finished the story a few days ago, and I was actually pleased with it. I'm not going to lie, a lot of times if I can't get into a book its a lot of work to finish it. I found this story to be very well written and it held a lot of cultural references that related to my generation. I thought that (like others) Prose did a very good job of making you feel like you were in Nico's shoes. You could almost feel the conflicting emotions of Nico and she tried to overcome her sister's shadow, all the while becoming more and more like her. It was masterfully executed by Prose and I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThe story also made me think of my little brother, he's going to be a freshman next year up at Cathedral in Springfield and it really made me think about how much of a role model I am for him, and how much he takes to heart what I do, say and how I act. It was actually uncomfortable to imagine what would happen if the events in the story happened to me and he was left alone. Luckily I'm a lifeguard and I can swim pretty well, but still its scary to think about.
I'll try to post in another novel soon, I just have to finish The Prince for Euro first...
Hope everyone is having a good summer!!
-Chance
Chance...
DeleteYou prove a good point about the role model situation. This book makes me appreciate the relationships I have with my siblings. After reading it, I became aware of all of the little things that my younger siblings may look up to me for. (Just like your similar realization.) After Margaret died, Nico thought about her sister and all of the little things that made up her sister's life. Nico couldn't find herself to watch old black and white films for the longest time, until Aaron agreed to watch them with her. She couldn't even handle going out to get ice cream anymore. It makes me wonder, how would my siblings be affected if I were to pass? What little parts of my life would they cherish? It's sad to think about, but this book made me very curious. Anyone else feel the same way as Chance and I?
-Brianna Ricciardone
I think you guys made a very good point. When I was reading the book, I did not immediately think about my brother like you did. I could not really relate because my brother has always been around me and there has never been a long period of time where I did see him or hear him. Therefore, I do not really know what the loss of sibling feels like. However, I know what being a role model feels like. After reading your post, Chance, I can start to relate to Nico's situation when I think of what would happen to my family if I wasn't there for them. I'm not sure if my parents and brother would have reacted the way Nico and her parents did but it would definitely take a while to cope. The ways Nico's parents reacted was surprising. I didn't expect Nico's mom to start taking drugs or Nico hanging out with Aaron. They both had good intentions, but without Margaret, they didn't know how to stop or move on. The relationships between characters and their unique characteristics were definitely pluses for this book and I thought it was good book.
DeleteNick Sardo
Going along with what Nick said... it is amazing to see how one girl could affect the lives of so many people. Margaret's death changed everyone's lives. Like Nick pointed out, her mother started taking drugs, her father kept himself busy in his bookstore, and her sister and boyfriend got creepy together. I wish all of these grieving people came together to solve their problems. Together they could have grieved and remembered all of their happy times with Margaret. The fact that each of the affected characters took matters into their own hands ended poorly. Also, the fact that all of these people were so heavily affected goes to show that they had very close relationships with Margaret. When Margaret so peacefully slipped into the lake to never be seen again, I don't think that she wanted to have such a negative affect on the people she loved. It's unfortunate that the story developed that way though. At least they had a somewhat happy ending and everyone was able to move on... (except we don't really know about Aaron.)
Delete-Brianna Ricciardone
I am still reading this book, but I just wanted to agree with most of you that related this story to having a close sister or brother. I have two younger sisters and a younger brother and it is almost difficult to comprehend how great of an effect we have on our younger siblings. Being the oldest in my family, I've never had a sibling to idolize like Nico idolized Margaret. This book opened my eyes to how much the presence of an older sibling can impact the younger one. It also put into perspective how fragile life can be and how quickly and unexpectedly it can end, leaving loved ones scrambling to cope with their emotions. As I continue to read this book it becomes clear how different everyone in the story, and everyone in reality deal with greif.
ReplyDeleteAshley Childers
I enjoyed reading this book, it was a page turner and it wasn’t excessively predictable or filled with Nico complaining. I agree with the others that it was dark and I hate to think that anything like that could happen with my sister, but I also think Prose made the best out of a forlorn concept. Prose’s ability to capture the emotions of a grieving person seemed very sincere and realistic, and I thought it really added more to the story and made it more relatable. I also liked how Prose used Nico’s thoughts of escape into a painting or Margaret’s snow globe as a mirror for the departure you make at death. It was clever, subtle, and showed how the young are naive.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I questioned was how throughout the story Nico says she has a purely scientific mind and how she envied her sister’s artistic thoughts, but Nico shows the ability to appreciate art numerous times. Between the art book and Rome Nico said how the art would stun her and how she would feel the emotions in the art and be absorbed by it. At the end, when Nico was in Rome complaining how her parents could ever think St. Peter’s was “gaudy” when she “worshiped it” I was almost certain her failure to see that she could appreciate art would play out into a revelation by the end, but it ended up being unimportant. It may have been the way I read it, but it still surprised me to see that detail just fall flat. Overall I thought Prose shared some important complex and simple ideas, and I’m glad to have read the book.
~Melissa Noryk
I like how you noted Nico said she was scientific yet understood art. I think here appreciation of art has to do with how she always had admired Margaret's artisticness. She like it because it reminds her of Margaret. I see what you are saying about a revelation by the end and I think that would be interesting. I think Nico said she was scientifically minded to make herself unique and not just artistic Margaret's little sister.
DeleteThose are good thoughts Phoebe and I suppose that Nico did want to be someone other than "just artistic Margaret's little sister" and that science would make her her own person.
DeletePhoebe & Melissa,
DeleteI think that her appreciation of art showed how well rounded she was. It also showed how much she looked up to her sister. The fact that she considered herself 'scientific' but was able to think artistically, as well, proved that she was like a sponge, absorbing every characterstic of her sister. Before Margaret's death, she was always around her artsy sister, and after Margaret's death she had this new appreciation for art that she had gained while being around her sister so often. It showed how much of a role model Margaret was to Nico and how much Margaret's actions affected Nico's life. It was cute to see that Nico was trying to be like her artistic sister! Did anybody else find it to be as sweet as I did?
-Brianna Ricciardone
I found this book to be quite a page-turner, and also very realistic. Many people around the world have to deal with grief everyday because of losing a loved one or loved ones. I agree with many of you who previously commented. I have a very close-knit family. Losing one of my sisters would be very tragic to me. I feel like if I were in Nico's situation I would also look to reach out to someone like Aaron who shared a close relationship with Margaret as Nico had also. I will admit that I found it disturbing when Aaron was trying to turn Nico's clothing style and scent into what Margaret used to smell and dress like. It was clear to me the Nico wished she shared similiar characteristics with her sister Margaret. Margaret's death seemed to open new doors for Nico. Nico began to value not only science, but also art and music. I agree with Ashley when she mentioned that everyone deals with grief in their own ways. In this book it was clear that Nico, Daisy, Nico's father, and Aaron all dealt with grief in their own way.
ReplyDelete-Tori Cronin
I also agree that Margaret's death opened doors for Nico. I think that Nico almost had somewhat of an identity crisis. She wanted to preserve who her sister was, but at the same time she needed to be her own person. I think there was a period of time when she really did start to become Margaret, mainly with the encouragement of Aaron. As much as Nico wanted to be Margaret, I think she finally realized she was losing herself. I believe her awakaning was when her parents brought her back the gift from Boston. She really remembered who she was. At that point she was able to be herself, as well as take some of Margaret with her like her appriciation for art and music.
Delete-Ashley Childers
Ashley, that is very true. As Aaron encouraged Nico to act like Margaret, he pushed away Nico's true identity. As a young girl, Nico didn't realize this. She was just going with the flow and trying to make someone happy. Her parents were hardly any help to her, so she had to have someone to turn to. She enjoyed the fact that she had things in common with Aaron because of Margaret. But, like you said, when her parents brought her back the gift from Boston, it was like an eye-opener for her. She couldn't go on living like two people, it would end up destroying who she was. I'm glad she realized this by the end. It wasn't healthy for her to try and become Margaret. She really needed to stay true to who she was while remembering her sister through art and music. Everything in life happens for a reason. Although Margaret's death was tragic to the loved ones she left behind, it ended up bringing Nico and her parents closer together(by the end), and it helped Nico to claim her own identity. Margaret wouldn't have wanted Nico to act like her. In the end, I'm glad that Nico got her act together and discovered her true self. At least something positive came out of such a negative experience!
Delete-Brianna Ricciardone
I also agree with Chance, Prose drew you into the book so well that it felt like you were feeling the grief that Nico was experiencing. When Nico explained how she watched Margaret gracefully dive into the water, but didn't see her surface my pulse began to quicken. I felt nervous for not only Nico, but also of Margaret's fate. I felt like Margaret was my own sister and I was determined to find her.
ReplyDeleteI also wondered that what if Nico hadn't seen Aaron's mom that one time in the library. Would Aaron have ever showed up to see Nico. If Nico had never hung out with Aaron would she ever eat ice cream, watch old movies, or listen to music ever again? Would Nico ever be able to move on with her life? There are so many questions.
-Tori Cronin
But Nico did move on with her life, even with the presence of Aaron.
DeleteAriel...
DeleteI think that Tori means that she wonders if Nico would have ever moved on without the presence of Aaron? Or did Aaron play an essential role in Nico's grieving?
Tori...
I think that Aaron was an important part in Nico's grieving. I don't think that she would have been able to accept her sister's death without the help from Aaron. She was always curious about Aaron and Margaret's relationship, so it only seemed right that they would get together and mourn. Nico was Margaret's best friend... the only other person who might know her like Nico did would have been Aaron. She wanted to remember Margaret and learn about the side of her that Aaron knew and loved. Together, Nico and Aaron were able to piece together Margaret's life and reminisce on Margaret's life as a whole. They both held different memories with Margaret, and in order for Nico and Aaron to remember Margaret as a whole, they needed to share these personal memories with each other. It was nice for Nico and Aaron to have each other to talk with about Margaret's death. Aaron's mother didn't know how to handle her depressed son (considering she went to the bookstore to purchase a book about grieving children), and Nico's parents didn't talk to her about Margaret's death because they were just as depressed. Nico and Aaron only had each other to talk to about the situation. Tori, if Aaron's mother did not go into the bookstore that one day, I still think that Aaron and Nico would have gotten together eventually, just not as soon. Nico was always curious about Aaron, so I feel as though she would have turned to him at some point. Also, the fact that Aaron came into the bookshop meant that he too wanted someone to talk to. He must have been curious about Nico and Margaret's relationship, so he would have found his way to Nico eventually. We could spend our whole life saying "what if"... so I guess we'll never know exactly! Thank goodness for Aaron's mom and the bookstore! Does anybody else reading this feel as though Nico and Aaron would have met up eventually even if Aaron's mother didn't stop by the bookstore that one day?
-Brianna Ricciardone
Totally agree with the statement you made Brianna.
DeleteI really enjoyed Goldengrove as an overall piece of literature. Mainly, it was so realistic. Each character had some sort of dimensional aspect to them, and each of them changed in some way. Nico was so real to me that every time I go to type her name I have to make sure I'm not typing the name of the student who I picture her as.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a lot to say about this book, other than that I enjoyed it for what it was when I read it.
I feel like looking for some deeper meaning in the crevasses of of people experiencing grief would lead me no where.
Oh, and I decided to listen to "My Funny Valentine." I think I have to disagree with the negative tone the book attaches to it. I found it comical, but not in a way that was disrespectful. It was basically the expression of this guys innocent, subtle confusion of how he came to adore someone who other's would deem unlovable. He expressed genuine interest in the idiosyncrasies of this unexpected candidate for love.
ReplyDeleteAnd i'm not sure if "confusion" is the right word. Maybe almost just slight.. bewilderment? But not even that strong of an emotion. It just seemed he was thinking "How did I fall for a girl like her." It was as if he was implying her imperfections were what made her completely perfect, but he wasn't sure why.
I've been working on Goldengrove lately. I'm only about half way through so I am wary to read comments yet because I don't want to spoil any endings or surprising twists. I just really wanted to share a quote that stuck in my mind for a long time.
ReplyDeleteOn page 100, Nico talks about the paper cranes she folded in Mrs. Akins' class.
"Some kids had trouble folding the cranes. But I felt as if the bird was already there, nesting inside the paper, waiting to be set free."
Not only can I vividly picture this and what would be going through a fourth grader's mind, but I find it very poetic and symbolic. Doesn't it seem as though Nico is resting in her own "paper" (or body) waiting to be set free?- Just waiting to be set free of sorrow and pain? The real question is just how will she "fold" herself back to the happy and original Nico?
~Martha Denisky
Martha-
DeleteI really like your connection of Nico and the paper crane. I completely agree that she is stuck inside her paper and is just dying to get out. I believe that in the middle of the book she is still not sure of who she is or what she wants though. Toward the end she starts to come into her own. I don't know whether you finished the book or not, but just in case I will only say that I think you will enjoy the way that the cranes get tied in at the end of the book.
Brenda,
DeleteI definitely did enjoy how the cranes made a reappearance at the end of the novel! I was actually very excited that I had picked up on something that I had no idea would show up!
~Martha Denisky
Martha, that was some pretty awesome predicting you did there! I didn't notice until the crane made another appearence that it had been forshadowing the future events (and not just the significance of the crane). I think that when Nico gave the crane to Aaron at the end it was like Nico was giving freedon to the bird and, in return, herself. Awesome job picking out the significance of the cranes, Martha!
Delete~Brianne Gaudio
Martha, I like your first comment a lot. It was really like Nico was resting in her own "paper". Everything she went through caused her to lose herself for a little while. But, I see at the end how she just needed to find herself again, be she was always there, all along. This is also like her mom, when in the end she scatters the pills and begins the road to recovering. She too, found herself again.
DeleteRachel Takes
Now that I have had a few weeks for this book to sink in, I can bring up a part of the story that bothered me. This contains major spoilers.
ReplyDeleteAriel,
I am glad you said that Goldengrove is "mainly realistic," because that is exactly right. I felt that it really was realistic... up until the very end. By that point, I think Prose was just trying to finish her story and tie up loose ends. Nico finally finds out that Tycho is not her father's. (It's too bad that subplot led up to nothing.) Nico goes swimming again. Suddenly, her mother gives up the pills and has no problem with it. Then they go on a family vacation and have a blast. Upon returning they sell the house and move to Boston. Then her mother's arthritis goes away. Finally, Nico never sees Aaron again.
I didn't really feel connected to the story at this point because everything was being resolved so quickly and easily. It was such a quick transition from the events at Aaron's to being grown up and moved on that it just bothered me. Maybe I am being too critical. Did anybody else feel the same way?
Marissa Bedard
Marissa,
DeleteI don't think you're being too critical! I feel the same way, I just didn't know how to say it. While I didn't want the book to have a completely depressing ending, it was almost too much of a happy ending. Everything works out perfectly for Nico and her family, they've moved on, and everything is hunky-dory. It was a shame that such an emotional plot could end so abrubtly. It could have been developed further, but Prose just ended it with everyone moving on to a better life. It definitely could have had a deeper ending. Anyone else agree with Marrissa and me?
-Brianna Ricciardone
I also agree with you two. I thought the quick happiness made it a very rushed ending. Of course, I always enjoy a happy ending, but I feel like Prose built everything up so sadly, that the ending was too drastically different. I mean, I'm elated that Nico and her family moved on with their lives, but again, it seemed very rushed. Yet as I think about it, I don't know how I would have ended the story. How would Prose have made it a deeper ending? I guess we won't ever know.
Delete~Martha Deniskyy
Marissa, I agree with your assessment. It felt really rushed and almost as if Nico's and her family's lives went from ordinary to horrible and miserable to absolutely perfect. It doesn't make any sense. The mother had arthritus before Margaret died, so it wasn't like she just made it up to get the medication. How does arthritus just go away like that? Also, I know that their recovery from Margaret's death wasn't exactly quick, but I would think that it would take a few years at least until Nico would feel comfortable swimming since her sister had drowned in that lake. I think Prose was using this to show a change in Nico and the family for the better and to show they were moving on, but I think that the fact that Nico left Aaron and was never going to see him again was enough to show some progress in the right direction. I think Prose was also trying to give a happy ending to relieve some of the tension built up by all the bad stuff that happened in the novel, but I wish she had been able to do it without it sounding so rushed.
Delete~Brianne Gaudio
While I agree the ending was quite abrupt, I think the ending was perfect. Everyone moved on like everyone needs to after a traumatic event, but they still remembered what happened and it still affects them. When Nico goes to the museum in France, the image of the lake still reminds her of that summer when her sister died. I think the ending seemed abrupt because the last 10 pages cover years while the rest of the book covers the event of one summer.
DeleteI think the story could have even ended before chapter 16. While it wouldn't show exactly what happened to each character, the final passage would leave the reader with a sense of resolution when Nico forgives the lake.
I didn't really enjoy reading Goldengrove, yet I didn't dread it, either. I thought the books writing was both a positive and negative. It was insanely easy to blow through and comprehend fully, which is a plus for readability. However, when I read a book, I want thoughts to be provoked, questions to be raised. Goldengrove didn't really do either of those things for me, mainly due to a heavy use of cliches. 'Older sibling dies, leaving the younger sibling to live in their shadow' and 'Older non-parent figure is cool, experienced and knows what to do' are some of the cliches I'm talking about. I also really agree with Brianna and Marissa about the ending being disappointing. It kind of seemed like a deus ex machina was used, though I can't really identify what it would be. One of the reasons I didn't mind the novel was because the characters Prose presents to us, minus the parents, are decently realistic in my opinion. The ending ruined that feeling for me, and it felt like Prose made the ending like it is to give the more fragile people reading hope. Hope that when you lose a very close loved one, eventually your life will be 100% better, minus a thought here and there. Is that necessarily false hope? Absolutely not. However, in terms of literature, I would've appreciated Goldengrove more if the ending was a bit more "dark". If you disagree, I'd be happy to hear why.
ReplyDelete-Joey Morrone
This book looked fairly lengthy, but it was a page turner and I finished it in a matter of days. I was surprised by many of the comments about the novel's darkness. I personally thought this novel was very light, and I was shocked that people thought it was disturbing. I have a younger sister, but I guess because our relationship is very different than Nico and Margaret's relationship I wasn't as effected as much as others were. One thing I liked about this book was how the author showed different reactions to death. For example, Nico's father buried himself in his writing, and Nico's mother began using prescription drugs. I also liked how this novel showed the impact death had on a family the weeks and couple months after it happened. Most of the books I've read have shown the immediate reaction or long-term reaction to death, and I enjoyed the different view on the grieving process.
ReplyDelete~Meera
So I just finished this book and it was okay. It wasn't the best book I've ever read but it certaintly wasn't the worst.I completely agree that this book is very dark. This whole book is about grieving over the lost of a beloved sister. However, the way that Prose writes about this topic is done beautifully.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that surprised me was when Margaret died. I thought that it would have been a couple of chapters before it happened but no, she drowns in the first chapter. I find it really intersting that your learn about Margaret by hearing what Nico thought about her.Most of the time, you are given details that allow to make your own opinion about a character but your not given that option in this book.
Rebecca-
DeleteI agree with you about the death of Margaret being so sudden. We learned a little about her in the first chapeter, but most of her character development was through Nico's thoughts about her, as well as Aaron's. The fact that Nico is always thinking about what Margaret would think, say or do gives us an insite in to who she was. Just like the development of a living character, as the book went on we learned more and more about who Margaret was. I agree that the opinion Prose wanted you to have about Margaret was pretty set in stone, which was suprising because she wasn't even alive, yet she was as equally developed at any other living character.
I also was surprised how sudden Margaret's death was. When she jumped into the lake I said to myself, "Is she dying already?" Ashley, I like how you recognized that most of Margaret's character development is through how Nico views her. This method of characterization shows how much Margaret influenced Nico and how much Nico missed her sister.
DeleteI haven't read any posts prior to this one because I'm afraid of spoilers, so I apologize in advance if this post is unintentionally redundant.
ReplyDeleteI just began this book today and I've already blown through 100 pages. This book is easy to read- perhaps because it is more relatable to me than the other two books.
So far, Goldengrove reminds me of a cross between Speak and Twins by Caroline B. Cooney. Like Miranda from Speak, Nico isolates herself from the world because of the crushing emotions she has inside. Nico's outlet for her depression seems to be books, like Miranda's was art.
I read Twins forever ago but it is basically about two identical twins who go to separate schools- Madrigal, who is more popular, and Mary Lee, the one who is the "loser." Like in Goldengrove, Madrigal, the more popular twin, dies. When Mary Lee changed to her sister's old school she also became involved with her sister's boyfriend. This boyfriend turned out to be evil (he got pleasure from dropping off random girls in the middle of the ghetto and driving away.)
So based on these two books and my own intuition, I am guessing that Aaron is going to turn out to be evil- or at least not as great as Nico thinks he is. This is also foreshadowed by Nico and Margaret's father's description of him as having "a screw loose."
Nico puts her sister on a pedestal because she was everything that Nico herself wishes she could be. However, no one is perfect and that is why I'm hoping Nico sticks to her own personality and her own decisions instead of trying to become Margaret.
Amanda-
DeleteWow, I am so glad you made that connection to Speak.I didn't even think of that! The way the majority of the book goes through Nico's thoughts due to her isolation from the world does remind me a lot of how Speak was written. The way the authors create the connection between the reader and Nico/Miranda makes you really feel the depression and isolation they feel. If I had Speak available to me in my house, I'd love to skim through and see if my memory serves correctly to how Miranda thinks and views the world, since it has been two years since we read that book.
~Martha Denisky
*melinda
DeleteOh you're completely right, Ariel!
DeleteIt is Melinda. Thanks:)
First I mix up Janie and Josie and then I mess up Melinda and Miranda?! Thanks for catching that.
Deletehaha :)I watched the movie the other day so its fresh in my head.
DeleteI thought of Speak too! Something about how both Melinda and Nico went through life trying to avoid people and thier problems made me compare the two books. Like Martha said, I would love to have a copy of Speak to compare the grieving of each character since it has been a while since I read that book.
DeleteI can see why this book would be seen as something dark, especially having a little sister close to Nico's age, but I also think all the different paths Prose creates with the remaining characters makes the book very light. Tragic events are always going to happen, and an event like the one portrayed in this book would always bring dark feelings to family and friends, but I think the point of the book is more about living again afterwards. Nico and her family were able to be happy again and continue living.
ReplyDeleteIn the book you get to see a handful of different ways tragedy can effect someone, in family, friends, and even boyfriends or girlfriends. Meera, I liked how the author showed all the different reactions to death too. I also enjoyed how it truely showed in a more realistic amount of time, "the road to recovery". It showed a couple months in everyone's lives, and the feeling of grief never did go away. You even hear about it years and years later in Nico's life. I also liked that the ages of characters and the setting was something we'd be able to relate to. Tho I didn't like the feelings it gave me, I thought it was kind of powerful in a way to be able to connect so much to such to a smaller book.
~Cayla Mitzkovitz
Cayla, you are so right! I think I've been dwelling too much on my own sad reactions to the dark beginning to realize that Nico is still live and well, she has the chance to make her sister proud. She has the chance to urge Margaret's legacy on, not let her name die with her. Under the face of some adversity, Nico struggled from its effects for a long time. Franklin Roosevelt once said, "when you come to the end of your rope, hang on". When Nico refused to go to school or see her friends, it seems like she was giving up, as if there's no hope in being happy again, and she made it harder for herself to hang on to that rope.
DeleteThe pain I felt for Nico while she coped from her loss is indescribable. The dysfunction we see her family go through was not fun to read about(I cried, a lot!) Like you said, the feeling of grief can never go away, and the road will be tough at first but getting through a tragic event like that should be seen not as being dark, but as if there was that ray of light poking through giving hope!
~Katy
Recently I was thinking about the relationships in this novel as I contemplated which essay topic to write about, and I wondered if Aaron had some other psychological issues on top of the fact that he had lost his girlfriend? Of course it makes sense that Aaron would be in shock and might go a little crazy after Margaret's sudden death, but the fact that he made Nico into Margaret in his mind makes me think that there was possibly something else going on that Prose never mentioned because Nico was so young and wouldn't have recognized a problem. Just my thoughts!
ReplyDelete~Courtney Schramm
Court- I think you bring up a really good point. Aaron's behavior is completely inexcusable, but still I have been wanting to know the reason behind his actions in more words than just "he's grieving." I think it is definitely a possibility that Aaron has some other problem that he needs to have addressed. Even Nico's and Margaret's dad commented on how Aaron had always had a screw loose, and it would totally be plausible that Nico, being so young, wouldnt recognize Aaron's psych problem. Great point!
DeleteTori-
ReplyDeleteAs I finished this book it really hit me that there are so many people around the world that have to deal with the grief of losing a loved one everyday, just like you said. When Nico's family went to Rome, the people that they saw or met never would have known that such a tragic event had happened to them in the months prior. This made me think that the people that I pass on the street could be coping with their own pain. Even as Nico grows up and gets married and has her own family, you would never have known. I think that this proves that time can heal unimaginable pain. At the time of Margaret's death Nico though it was the end of the world, but time proved that it was not.
I also agree that in Nico's situation I would have reached out to someone like Aaron because he was the only one who could possibly understand how she felt. I agree that it was sick when Aaron began trying to turn Nico into Margaret, but I don't think it is a rare reaction of someone in love. It must have been hard for Nico to deal with her reaching out to Aaron, but Aaron reaching out for Nico, as Margaret. Death brings out some very difficult situations.
-Ashley Childers
Goldengrove is so far my favorite book. The story was easily connectable if you had ever lost someone, just not to the extreme of the family's situation. Just like Tori said, there are many people losing loved one's everyday and I can't imagine losing a close one of my family members.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the story, Aaron's obsession about Margaret becomes visible. He wants Nico to be like Margaret and I think it's disturbing when he kisses her, but I also feel bad for them both. They both loved Margaret and were the only one's who really knew her. For example, Margaret smoked and only Nico and Aaron knew that. I also felt like Nico wanted to be like her sister, who was the rebel of the family, because she lied to her parents about hanging out Aaron. I can see why Nico felt guilty about hanging out with him, because she was hanging out with her dead sister's boyfriend; but I can also understand why she liked hanging out with him because he was someone who knew exactly how she felt. Like I said, she was only 13 and Aaron was older, so she probably felt cool hanging out with someone that understood how she felt. She was just starting to get real feelings for guys, and while kissing Aaron was good, it also made her sick to think that he was using her to be like Margaret. I was also disturbed that Sally was preying off the mother and I'm glad that their friendship ended. I'm also glad that her mom threw away the pain-killing pills so that she could finally move on along with the family.
Overall I liked the ending because all of the family knew that they couldn't live in the house and then went on to sell it. I'm also glad they Nico moved on and while she still thinks of her sister, she knows that the past is the past.
I agree with your thoughts on Nico. It's really important to remember that Nico was only 13 and she was going through something that she had never been through before. She was extremely confused and was quick to grab on to anyone that knew Margaret like she did and could understand how she felt. She was so naive and she wasn't seeing things clearly, so she may not have seen Aaron's motives at first.
DeleteMary
I must say that this book made me want to go hug my older sister. I agree with most everyone that Prose did a great job of tying you into the story. Nico's emotions seemed very realistic and convincing. Throughout most of the book I was able to sympathize with the pain Nico was going through.
ReplyDeleteNot only did Nico have to deal with the death of her sister, but she also had to deal with the fact that people are not interested in her being herself. She struggles with her lack of identity throughout the book. There are some points where she wants to be just like her sister and others when she wished people would accept her for herself. Nico constantly felt as though her parents merely wanted to turn her into her sister. I was glad to see that they seemed to work it out in the end though. I thought when her parents gave her the spider watch it showed that they truly appreciated her for who she was. Nico's main struggle with her identity is when she is around Aaron. Aaron gradually attempts to turn Nico into Margret. Every time Nico comments on the fact that she is Margret's sister and not Margret, Aaron simply denies any suspicion that he is trying to turn Nico into Margret. However, it is clear to the reader that Aaron is still attached to Margret and Nico is the next closest thing. These moments with Aaron were some of the times I felt the worst for Nico. She was dealing with the pain of Aaron just wanting her to be someone else.
My overall reflection on the book was that it was a good read. It was slightly depressing and had a sullen tone for most of the book; however, it did keep me entertained and I was interested in what happened next.
-Brenda Kittredge
I also was glad when everything worked out in the end, and I really feel that Nico found her identity at the end after she had stopped seeing Aaron.
DeleteShaheer-
DeleteI agree that Nico really found herself after she stopped seeing Aaron. I must add that although I enjoyed the happy ending I was not expecting it. The novel as a whole had a very depressing tone. I was slightly surprised that Prose chose to make such an uplifting end.
I don't really think that the end of this book is uplifting. Prose just shows that Nico and her family move on with their lives. That trip to Rome was the best thing for them becasue it reconnects the family after Margaret's death. And by moving out of the house, it shows that they want to live a productive life and not feel haunted by Margaret.
DeleteI thought the end of the book was done really nicely because it shows that even though Nico grows up and has her own family, there are moments that she thinks about her older sister, which I think makes Nico more realistic. Prose did a really nice job in describing how with time the pain does become duller after losing a loved one.
~Rebecca Heilman
Yeah for me happy is being able to overcome personal demons and struggles, as well as being able to settle down with a family and have children. So that's the reason I thought it was a happy ending. I absolutely agree that by moving away form their old house they were able to get away from bad memories of Margaret, such as her death in the lake near her house, and remember the good things
DeleteI personally did not enjoy this book, though I did not find it unbearable. One of its redeeming factors is the readability, if only because I could get through it more quickly. I must admit that I did enjoy the end of the book because of the sense of closure (finally). As for what I did not like, lets start with Nico. She had a habit of finding little tidbits of poetry in everything. This could have been interesting, except for the fact that none of it was ever followed up on, and the sheer number of things she found it in was rediculous. The result is Nico's inner self coming across as some sort of incredibly depressing beatnik. This also led to an incredible irony that undermines one of if not the main plot line of the book. Nico seems smart. Smart enough to find all sorts of poetry everywhere, but she can't figure out that Aaron has gone off the deep end and is (not very subtly) attempting to turn her into her dead sister. As a side note I also did not like that the author waved that theme directly in front of our faces when Elaine shows her Vertigo. Thats no fun, at least let us figure it out for ourselves. Some might say that Nico's ignorance could be pinned on grief and her desire for someone who understands, which makes her willing to do anything Aaron wants, if only so she can hang out with him. Even with this excuse she is still painfully slow in realizing Aaron's perversion. This leads me to my final complaint on this book. For a book entirely centered on grief, it was remarkably unrealistic. It was highly romanticized, and having experienced the loss of a loved one and its effect on a family, I feel qualified to say that maybe one person would have reacted as badly as everyone in this book did. But then again I'm just a teenage boy and clearly know nothing about feelings. I can say that the author did a good job of engineering her individual characters, even if it was unrealistic that so many people so susceptible to grief would happen to be affected by one person. In the end I found myself glad when the family members became themselves again, and genuinely happy for them.
ReplyDelete"Nico seems smart. Smart enough to find all sorts of poetry everywhere, but she can't figure out that Aaron has gone off the deep end and is (not very subtly) attempting to turn her into her dead sister. "
DeleteDude I totally feel like that was done on purpose though. It was as if to say that her naivety was a two way street. Her innocence allowed her to find beauty in all sorts of stuff people generally look over. It gave her the advantage of an alternative viewpoint on her depressing situation. I feel like thats why her ability to cope was less threatening than her fathers complete absorption into his work, and her mothers love for ugly old ladies with botox and prescriptions.
And at the same time, being completely innocent makes you vulnerable, which is why she was so easily manipulated by Aaron. I dont think it was because she was stupid, she just didnt have the life experience to really know any better.
"But then again I'm just a teenage boy and clearly know nothing about feelings."
BAHAHAHAHAHA. so great.
I also didn't exactly enjoy this book, but I didn't hate it either. It was and easy read. I agree that she was slow in realizing how wrong Aaron's actions were, but I believe this was due to the conflict between the mending of the pain from Margaret's death when she was around Aaron, versus how wrong it was for her to start to smell like Margaret, look like Margaret, even taste like Margaret (Aaron made her eat pistachio ice cream and rubbed it one her lips before kissing her).
DeleteYeah when you think about it both of them were perverted because for a while they both wanted her to turn into Margaret, thinking it would help them. In the end Nico realized how absolutely and outrageously messed up that was and luckily stopped before it got real creepy.
DeleteNico definitely was giving into the temptation to be a copy of Margaret and to be with Aaron. She was just as guilty as Aaron was in what happened. Nico was smart enough to realize what was happening was wrong, and what Aaron did from that point on was all Aaron's fault alone.
DeleteWell I would like to start off by saying this is my second time typing all this out. I had a nice comment going, but I hit tab and backspace and somehow it acted the like back button so I lost it all.
ReplyDeleteThis was the first book I read this summer and I'm glad because it was like a warm up. I found it a breeze to read and I finished it in two reading sessions. That's an accomplishment for me because I'm not much of a reader. Next I read a Moon for the Misbegotten which was also very easy since it was a short play. Now I'm reading Far from the Madding Crowd and it is kind of a slap in the face. It reminded me that not all books are so easy to read.
I was so impressed by Prose's ability to develop so much character for all the characters, but mostly Margaret. She was only in the book for a few chapters, if even that, and I felt like I knew her my whole life. I was genuinly sad and sympathetic for Nico when Margaret died and it almost caught me off guard. I was not expecting to be so into the book a few chapters in (unlike Far from the Madding Crowd where the beginning is painfuly boring).
The relationship between Nico and Aaron was both intersting and predictable in my opinion. I knew pretty early on where Prose was taking the relationship, but I wanted to know how she was going to develop it, which made me keep wanting to read. Then the side conflicts with her parents and with Elaine added a lot to the story as well. So many books are one dimensional with simple, underdeveloped characters and a predictable, linear plot. This story had extremely realistic characters and not just one conflict, but it had multiple...plus it was easy to read. That's why it was so enjoyable to read in my opinion.
I feel your pain. I had to type mine twice too. I know what your saying about the whole complex plot thing and i was interesting but I hated how Nico made all these acute observations and never followed them even though any of them would have been, in my opinion, more interesting than the actual plot.
DeleteEthan,
DeleteI agree that Prose did a great job with the characterization of Nico and Margaret. They were both such interesting characters with a likeable relationship that it really put the reading in their emotionally when Margaret died. I hadn't really noticed how much it did seem like you knew Margaret despite the shortness of her part in the book until you mentioned it, even though she didn't really leave the story when she died, she was always there in everyone's mind, which I think helped develop even greater likeability and sympathy for her from the reader.
Dan Gadoury
THIS WHOLE STORY MADE ME SO SAD.
ReplyDeleteI have a younger sister who acts like the older sister half the time, and while reading this book, i periodically had to go find her and hug her and be all "TURNER I WONT DIE I PROMISE, GOD, DONT DATE MY GRIEVING BOYFRIEND IF I DIE, HE'LL CREEP ON YOU AND MAKE YOU SMELL LIKE MEEE AHHHHHHH!"
I actually liked Aaron at the beginning, but after that whole "WEAR HER CLOTHES, WEAR HER PERFUME, BE YOUR SISTER FOR ME" i just got really creeped out and hated him. like seriously! who does that!? UGH.
I saw myself as Margaret through the whole book as well, so i felt like i was yelling at all the characters to "DONT DO THAT" or something. I always felt like I was piggybacking on Nico all the time, telling her not to cry or to be careful with nasty Aaron.
Goldengrove had a sort of Speak vibe to it, i dont know, thats the whole thing it reminded me of, so i imagined all the characters from Speak's movie as Goldengrove's characters. I drew a lot of parallels between those two.
YUP.
HURDUR IM RICHTER AND IM DUMB.
DeleteHIRR DURRRRR IM ARIEL AND IM BALD <3
DeleteUhm but anyway, hair issues aside, young Kristen Stewart would totally make a good Nico.
DeleteOh and I actually knew this guy who knew this guy who knew this guys cousin, and apparently its not completely unheard of to embody someone who has died. Obviously in moderation, I mean once you start pulling a Hannibal Lechter and wearing peoples skin, thats a different story. But I know a lady who dyes her hair blond, and always will have it blond, as a way to sort of commemorate and embody a person who had died that was close to her.
Well at least she doesnt make the sister of her dead girlfriend smell like stuff!
DeleteHonestly I found Goldengrove depressing, dull, and a little bit intriguing. I thought that it was depressing because the whole book centers on the death of a family member and how various people deal with death in various ways. I could relate to Nico when she saw certain movies, belongings of Margaret, and heard songs that Margaret would have liked or would have commented on, because when my grandma past away, all the photos and possessions she left brought back happy memories of spending time with her, as well as the sorrow from the fact that I wouldn't be able to do all those things anymore. Margaret had many things that she would say or do that had defined who she is, such as her Ginger Roger’s salute. I have two brothers that I spend a lot of time with. They both have trademark actions and sayings that I would miss a lot if I were put in Nico's shoes. The book made me realize how it feels to have to meet the expectations of your older siblings, which is something I had never experienced as the oldest sibling in my family. The reason I found Goldengrove dull was the conflict throughout the book was internal conflict, whether it was the mother resolving her conflict with prescription meds, the father’s declining involvement at home and devoution to his book “Eschatology for Dummies,” Nicco spending time with her dead sister’s boyfriend and Aaron trying to transform Nico into who Margaret was. The parts of Goldengrove that I found intriguing where the references to movies, poetry, history, and artwork used throughout the book. For instance, the references to Vertigo, the Millerites, Sienese paintings, and the poem “Spring and Fall.”
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! I love all the allusions and I think it adds another dimension to the book. By listening to My Funny Valentine or reading the poems or watching the old movies, you get a better appreciation for the story and understand the characters and situations better.
DeleteMary
I also have a sister, and I felt the same way as Richter, Brenda, and Tori did. Losing a family member isn't typically something I give any thought to on a day to day basis. I've heard before that youth can make people feel invincible. This book proves not only that that is true, but that that invincibility is not guaranteed for any age.
ReplyDeleteAs Margaret and Nico drifted along in their boat on Mirror Lake, I definitely think they felt invincible. Nico describes herself and her sister as "two Cleopatras in our royal barge." Margaret knew she had a heart problem and yet she was smoking a cigarette as if her actions had no possible repercussions.
Margaret's death was a huge wake up call for Nico, obviously. She realized that she and her beautiful sister, who she glorified as though she was a movie star, were just as vulnerable as anyone else in the world.
Mirrors were a huge symbol in this book. They reflected back reality to Nico at times where she was wrapped up in her safe little blanket of innocence. For example: Mirror Lake served as a reality check for her because every time she looked at it she thought of her sister's death.
Nico also mentioned a scene where she saw her sister reciting a diologue from a movie while standing naked in front of a mirror. Nico herself looked in the mirror many times throughout the story, and as the plot progressed she saw herself growing older and looking more and more like Margaret. Does anyone else have any comments about this symbolism?
While I have this nice long post going, I also feel the need to express my dislike of Aaron. WHAT A CREEP. It was so sick and twisted of him to try to take advantage of Margaret's grieving sister to fulfill his immature desire to relive the past.
I saw earlier that a few of my classmates mentioned they think that Aaron helped with Nico's healing process. I agree- except I do not think that it was the drives or ice cream or movies with Aaron that helped her. I think that after Nico saw Aaron for who he really was she realized that she was strong enough to overcome her grief without him.
I agree, I got a tad creeped out when Aaron started doing his "here, be your dead sister for me" thing. I wasn't really sure why Nico played along though, I mean, the book explained why she did it and how she wanted to overcome the obstacles with Aaron etc but still, she clearly didn't have the common sence to be like "hey, he's creeping really hard, maybe I should stop this". Which I think is kinda dumb. But then again, it is a story and if that didn't happen, then no book so I guess I'll let it slide.
Delete-Chance Foster
Chance- I believe that Nico allowed her situation with Aaron to develop as it did because she was finally becoming what she had always envied- her sister. Throughout the book, you can see how Nico envied Margaret's beauty, her talent, and her strong personality.
DeleteWhen Aaron begins to ask her to essentially become Margaret, I think that Nico is so thrilled that she is wanted and liked as Margaret was that she does not process or question his motives.
While I see your point that we wouldn't do as Nico had, we also have to realize that we are not in her same situation. After months of grief, someone is finally showing her something other than pity, and she is grasping at a chance to return to reality, when, in retrospect, it does the opposite.
-Garret Tirrell
I definitely agree with Garret about Nico being confused and flattered about "becoming" like her sister, who was always her idol. I think the difficulty in this book for the reader was trying not to judge all of the hard to understand, or to even think of, actions going on when we are, while sympathetic, just objective readers and they were highly traumatised and volnerable characters. I found it hard to justify Nico and Aaron's actions, yet at the same time don't have any idea what it must have been like for them. Therefor I tried to contain my disgust at Aaron at parts and see him as a highly grief stricken teen who had been lost in overwhelming sadness. I will admit however, it was definitely difficult to do at times.
DeleteDan Gadoury
Something that I really found interesting about this novel was Prose’s ability to display all the different reactions to death and coping strategies. Death, although inevitable, is a strange and confusing concept and Prose was able to capture this confusion effectively through her development of the characters throughout the book. The reader was able to see the characters evolve from happiness and normalcy before the death to their lowest points during the grieving period to finally the point where they can move on with their lives.
ReplyDeleteAs one grows older, death becomes more prevalent, so I think this is something we all can relate to and understand. I know my parents have always said to never judge someone who is going through a tough time, like the death of a loved one, because everyone responds to it differently. But this principle is a little hard to apply to Aaron. I don’t know if I should feel bad for him or if I should just be appalled by his behavior. Death can make people do crazy things, so does Aaron get a pass for his actions because his girlfriend died? Would he have acted any differently if he had seen a therapist or grief counselor? Did he have any other mental problems that would cause him to act that way, or is he just a creep? What he did was disgusting and sick, but is it understandable? I’m having trouble figuring him out and I really don’t know how to feel about him. Let me know what you think!
Mary
Mary,
DeleteThis is why I wish we could know how Aaron turned out years later! How he eventually coped with Margaret's death would have said a lot more about his true character. I agree that you can't really judge him by how he was after experiencing this terrible loss. I think he just made some really messed up decisions and should have sought help.
Marissa Bedard
I also noticed how everyone in the family used different coping strategies when dealing with the death of Margaret. But what is even stranger is that they all had the same goal. They all wanted the pain of losing Margaret to go away. It was really interesting to see how the family interacted with each other as they each grieved in thier own way. The tension between the family grew, especially with the Mom addicted to drugs and Nico lying constantly to her parents so that she could hang out with Aaron.
DeleteI also agree with Marissa and that Aaron should have sought help. The problem is that he had access to help. His mom took him to see a counselor and bought books for him. Aaron was so mad about Margaret's death that he was so blind to see that there were people who were trying to help him.There is a part of me that feels bad for Aaron and yet I'm really creeped out by him at the same time.
~Rebecca Heilman
Mary,
DeleteRegarding your question, "Should Aaron get a pass because his girlfriend died?"... I say no! People die everyday, and like you, Rebecca, and Marrissa have pointed out, people have different ways of coping with the death of a loved one. However, what Aaron did with Nico was unnacceptable. I think that their plan to grieve together was great (in the beginning). Nothing but a few harmless pistachio ice cream dates. What better way to get over their loss then to relive the happy moments that they remembered Margaret for? But then Aaron took it way too far when he started to ask Nico to dress in Margaret's favorite shirt. He pushed it even further when he asked Nico to start smelling like the vanilla scent that he loved on Margaret. At those two points, Aaron was abusing Nico. He was treating her like Margaret, and I don't think that was fair to Nico at all. Nico is an individual, and the fact that Aaron was trying to change her to be like her older sister was wrong. I don't see how that could help anyone get over Margaret. I feel as though it would just remind them more of the girl they missed. And, it was altering Nico to be someone she wasn't. Aaron should have gotten help. And I feel like his mother should have made a little more effort to help him out... she could have kept him busy or something... that way he wouldn't have had time to contact Nico and do what he did. Many things could have happened to prevent Aaron from treating Nico as he did. Does anybody else feel like Aaron's actions were okay just because his girlfriend died?
-Brianna Ricciardone
I agree with Marissa in that I wish we could have seen how Aaron turned out later in life. I think Prose put Aaron's character in the book to show that not everyone is able to let go of the past and move on from that sort of trauma. I think Aaron was so determined not to go to the therapist because he wanted to hold on to Margaret, not let go. I think this explains why Aaron tried to turn Nico into Margaret. It's also possible that because Aaron felt so guilty about fighting with Margaret the morning she died that he wanted to bring Margaret back to life, in a sense, in order to make himself feel better. I think Prose didn't tell us about Aaron later in life because the end of the book was all about how Nico and her family moved on and Aaron was, in Nico's mind, part of Margaret. Therefore, Nico wouldn't have really let go if she contacted Aaron again.
DeleteI agree with Brianna. Aaron shouldn't get a "pass" for his behavior. I think everything was fine when they just hung out together and did things Margaret use to do with them, but then Aaron gradually started taking advantage of Nico by making her do and wear things that Margaret use to. His behavior was unacceptable even if he was dealing with the loss of Margaret.
~Brianne Gaudio
Marissa - That's a really good point! Maybe if we were able to see him years later, we may be able to make a better judgment of his character.
DeleteRebecca - I agree with you're idea of Aaron. I do sympathize with him a little bit, but overall he does completely creep me out.
Brianna and Brianne - I totally agree with you. Aaron's behavior was completely unacceptable and I am in no way condoning that kind of behavior. But although it is completely unacceptable, is it still understandable?
-Mary
Mary, I don't think it is understandable. I do not understand why the heck Aaron felt the need to transform Nico into a Margaret look alike. It's creepy and not normal. I've never heard of anyone grieving this way, maybe that's why I can't understand it. I just don't get why Aaron would try everything with Nico. I feel as though it would just bring back old feelings and make matters worse. That's just my opinion though. Does anyone else think that it is understandable? I think he could have found other ways to grieve.
Delete-Brianna Ricciardone
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI didn't feel any sympathy for the characters in Goldengrove. I guess this stems from the fact that I couldn't connect to their situation because I have never been a part of anything like it, but I also couldn't connect to the characters. Nico's string of bad decisions paired with Aaron's creepy substitution method of coping frustrated me, but I must admit it made for an interesting read. I did enjoy all the cultural references, but it was hard to believe a girl that spent so much time watching golden age movies with her older sister had never seen Casablanca.
ReplyDeleteI think that Prose did a good job writing the character of Nico, I cannot doubt how real she seemed.
Margaret seemed fairly realistic as well, but I had trouble believing the perfectness of the character. She seemed like the kind of person who built up an image around herself with pop culture and clothing to seem more interesting.
I thought Goldengrove was an okay read. I was expecting a novel but got a character study as well. I just didn't like the characters.
I kind of agree with you, I have had someone close to me past away, but the lengths the characters went to in order to cope with their loss disgusted me. All the characters knew that the members of their family(and Aaron)were dealing through problems but it seemed to me that they didn't put much effort in helping each other out (besides when Nico tried to go along with her father's research for his book). They all didn't try to get professional help, even when the situations in their lives were getting out of control.
DeleteI agree with you Bruno it was frustrating to say the least. I mean really? Even I know about Casablanca. It seemed like the author made these really good characters but then made them do uncharacteristic things and pinned it on grief. I personally didn't find it believable but to each his own.
DeleteOverall, I thought Goldengrove was a well written book. Although I was not a fan of this book, the author wrote a plot that was easy to understand and gave each character unique qualities. I could not connect to the characters' situations since I do not have a deceased sibling and at times, this made the book hard to relate to. With that being said, this book also gave another way to look at death and how others cope with it. Nico and her family took Margaret's death very hard and it took them a very long time to recover. Nico and her family could not move on and Nico's parents could not forgive themselves. I thought that the author did a good job of familiarizing the audience with Margaret before she died. It gave me an idea of how close Nico and Aaron were with Margaret and why Aaron would snap at the end. Aaron's relationship with Nico made me incredibly mad and puzzled. I know that Nico started to look like Margaret after she died but Aaron knew that Nico was Nico. Why did he have to treat her like Margaret. Their relationship got more and more dangerous. Although I could predict how it would turn out, it still made me mad. What really confused me was why Nico's family could not recover from Margaret's death and actually got worse. Nico's mom started doing drugs and Nico thought that her dad was having an affair. Why were things getting worse when they should be getting better? This book was an easy read and I thought it was one of the better summer reading books.
ReplyDeleteNick Sardo
I think Goldengrove was a good read because it really gave the reader insight on how different people cope with the same loss. I was surprised at how quickly everything progressed at the end of the book. Everything seemed so sudden. Nico's mom threw away her drugs, Nico's dad sold Goldengrove, and Nico stopped imagining that her sister was still there. The overall plot and purpose of the book was expressed very easily because the book was written using Nico's point of view. If the book was written in anyone else's point of view, I don't think the book would have been as easy to understand. Also, Nico was the one character who seemed to be in the middle of not only her own greif, but eveyone else's as well. Nico had to deal with both her parents' grief, including her mom's drug abuse, and Aaron's grief along with her own. As much as I don't agree with the way Aaron conducted himself, I think the whole situation did actually help Nico move on. The way Aaron acted, especially towards the end, really gave Nico the push she needed in order to cope with Margaret's death. Like I mentioned earlier, everything seemed to speed up from that point on and so in a way, Aaron is the catalyst that caused Nico to start healing and, in turn, her parents to start healing.
ReplyDeleteAt times, I found this book to be too detailed and a little confusing. A conversation would be happening between the characters that would remind Nico of Margaret and then Prose would write a paragraph about that particular flashback or quality of Margaret that Nico had thought of. I felt that by the time we understood why Nico was reminded of Margaret, I had already moved on from the conversation that had started eveything and had to go back and read it again for the following paragraph to make sense.
Overall, I liked how Prose used all the characters to show the different way poeple cope with loss as well as how sometimes people, like Aaron, are unable to cope. Though, I found that I could not relate to the characters, I did develop a sense of sympathy for them and waas able to understand how they felt. I think Prose did a good job with the book, especially because death and coping with death can be very difficult things to write about.
~Brianne Gaudio
Goldengrove was the first book I read, and I can honestly say that I was pleasantly surprised about how much I enjoyed reading this book. The premise was interesting, not like anything I had read before. I was able to sympathize for Nico through her behaviors and actions, although I have never been through such a devastating circumstance myself.
ReplyDeleteJust after Margaret died, I could only imagine what types of relationships Nico would be able to maintain going forward now that her best relationship of all, her sister Margaret, was gone. So it seemed only normal that Aaron, who had been familiar to the family, would be a good shoulder to cry on. But Aaron's requests for Nico to wear vanilla extract perfume and Margaret's favorite shirt raised a major red flag when I was reading. Magaret's death must have been distressing for them both, but that kind of manipulation (whether Aaron originally intended to exploit the situation or not)is not healthy in my opinion, and I was genuinely troubled by it. Aaron was striving to find the satisfaction he had with Margaret, and unfortunately, that will not happen again. It was upsetting that he had to push Nico so hard to fufill desires that will never be able to live up to the initial desires.
And did anyone catch when the staircase spirit came in? Nico kept mentioning it, and I couldn't figure out if it came up when Nico was confessing or talking about Aaron or if she was reflecting on herself and Margaret... Or maybe I am just overthinking it!
-Hannah Fay
What is the staircase spirit? Was that a part of Nico's imagination/Margaret's ghost's presence in her mind that told Nico things while she was in the middle of talking to someone? It also commented on her actions, and almost mocked her at some points. I found it a little creepy that she was sort of talking to herself through the staircase spirit.
DeleteI was thinking the same thing every time she mentioned it throughout the book!! I was just worried I read too late at night and was half asleep when it was introduced! But I'm glad I'm not the only one a little confused by that. I think that it was possibly Nico's memory of Margaret...I don't remember exactly, especially now after reading other books, but I wish I payed more attention to what the spirit was saying. For example was it advising Nico in a way that Margaret might have? If it was making suggestions that it seems like Margaret would have made maybe it was Nico's way of keeping Margaret "alive," by believing Margaret was advising her. Let me know if anyone has any specific references and we can try to piece it together!
Delete-Megan DeRoy
Well this is weird, I commented on this a few days ago and now I don't see it!! And I don't really remember what I said either! Basically, I agree with you all about the staircase spirit. I felt as though I was missing something big, and that maybe I wasn't reading carefully enough. Yet, it seems as though I'm not confused alone. The only pattern I could pick up about the staircase spirit was that it was almost as if it was Nico's second thoughts about what she had said or did.I just really don't understand it either!
Delete~Martha Denisky
I also agree with you all. At first i thought maybe the staircase spirit was the logical part of her mind that she was trying to ignore because she was trying to hold onto something that was no longer there, but as I kept reading, I became less sure about that. Maybe it's sort of like a conscience? I have never heard of anything like it before, but had just assumed it was from story or something that Prose had been told as a child. I wish someone knew what it was because I have no idea.
Delete~Brianne Gaudio
Hi Hannah :3
Deletei love the staircase spirit thing. I've been applying that to all the things i could have said in arguments after they're already over :) im just all "OH YOUUUUU!"
Okay thank you so much for your imput! I thought I totally missing something! I guess it is up for interpretation.
DeleteHannah Fay
I found the book Goldengrove by Francine Prose to be a very interesting book. Of the three books that we had to read for the assignment this had to be my favorite. I found this book never got boring; I read this book quickly and did find at times that I was enjoying the plot of the story. Although I liked the story, I still had trouble relating to it.
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t personally find a way to relate to the story. Like the main character, I am a teen and I have had many interesting experiences in my life. None of these have been in the same way that Nico had and none that could relate to what she considered important and life altering events. As many others have stated, I, too, have a sister. She is older than me and the loss of any family member such as a sister is a traumatizing event for anyone.
I also think that it was harder for me to connect to the main character specifically due to the difference in gender. I don’t share some of the same interests and feelings that Nico showed at specific points in the story. I feel that if things were slightly different, such as if I were a girl or the main character was a boy going through the same problem as Nico, I would have been able to connect more to the story. If I was able to connect to the story more I could have had an even better time reading Goldengrove.
So I just started this book, and I'm about 40 pages in and I'm already crying. This novel is so intense, but definitely a page turner!
ReplyDeleteStay tuned (:
Tori Withee
Tori, it's ok, I cried too!!! My mother wanted to read this book, so I let her borrow it before I started it, and she couldn't stop bawling her eyes out either! Those first 40 pages were intense. I don't think that I have ever cried while reading a book before, but this one affected me so much that I couldn't help but let a tear or two drop.
Delete-Brianna Ricciardone
I enjoyed the book to a degree. It kept me interested throughout the whole thing, but I was extremely bothered by Aaron's storyline. His behavior was dispicable and every time his name was even mentioned after his first "date" with Nico, I cringed because I started to see through his need to see Nico. I was angry with Nico for not seeing through it as well, especially when he asked her to wear the vanilla and the shirt on the Fourth of July. Sorry that this one isn't deep and is a bit more rambly than the others.
ReplyDeleteLike Arthur said, I had a little trouble connecting myself to the story because, while I have lost family members, none are at the extreme of what Nico and her family went through. I think if someone had lost a close sister/brother, it would be interesting to see if their way of dealing with grief was the same as one of the characters in Goldengrove. I can't blame Aaron for trying to turn Nico into Margaret because I wasn't in the position he was. Of course his mental state was gone after his girlfriend died and the only way he could live as though she was still there was through Nico. We also can't blame Nico for anything because she was too young to know that she was being used. Overall, it's sad to think that this happens everyday to families and it must be awful to be in that situation.
ReplyDeleteAt first I was appalled by Aaron's actions, but as I really contemplated my opinion of him changed, and I began to feel sorry for him. Margaret was probably his first love, and their relationship didn't end because they had a fight, but because she died. Margaret and Aaron's relationship ended very differently than the normal high school relationship ends, therefore he was experiencing more than just a "broken heart". Aaron was obviously way out of line with his relationship with Nico, but it was his way of coping with his loss. When he was with Nico(looking like Margaret) his grief would go away because he actually thought he was with Margaret. I don't think Aaron wanted to intentionally abuse the relationship he had with Nico. I personally believe he wanted to alleviate his pain and revoke some of the memories and feelings he used to have when he was with Margaret. I have noticed some people on here feel very strongly that Aaron is "creepy, sick and twisted". I don't know if I am just trying to see the good in everyone, but I don't share the same hatred for Aaron as others do.
ReplyDelete~Meera
I agree with you. Everyone deals with grief in different ways and when Aaron saw Nico all he could remember was Margaret and he couldn't help it. People who have lost someone close tend to try to bring them back or pretend they are still there. For example, in the book/movie "P.S. I Love You" the main character obsesses over letters her dead husband sent her and tries to keep him alive through these letters. Grief can cause people to do odd and unnatural actions that are different from their usual personality and Aaron just got caught up in it. He wasn't in the right mindset after the tragedy and again I agree that it wasn't right but I still feel bad for him as well.
DeleteThis book made me think all summer long. It was the first book I read of the three assigned, and it had the greatest affect on me out of them as well. All summer I thought about how Margaret's last words were "Smoke this." That really struck me, as if Margaret had knowingly and willingly signed away her life when she dove back into the lake. Two sisters are relaxing out on the water on a summer day, talking like sisters talk, and suddenly those two words that were said so casually now have the weight of the world on them. Those words are burned into Nico's mind forever. They start as a passing thought from one sister to another, and turn into a mockery of the value and fragility of life itself, and they really struck a chord with me.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I found to be consistent throughout the book was respect. The simple fact of Margaret's death makes me respect how fragile life can be. Respect is even more so present when we address the issue of Aaron. Every person grieves in their own way, and at first, when the relationship was just starting out, I tried to respect that maybe Aaron was just trying to fill the void in his life the Margaret left behind. Then, when Aaron’s actions became increasingly questionable and ultimately disgusting, I lost whatever respect I had been trying to foster for him and saw him for what he truly was. He had completely lost sight of reality, and was so engulfed by his grief that it came to rule him, and led him to become, as others have expressed as well, a twisted monster with no concern for anyone other than himself.
Hayley Smith
I completely agree with you in regards to your respect comment. Although not everyone's actions were admirable, I found myself respecting most of the characters because they had been through a tragedy. I did not agree with the mother’s abuse of drugs or how the father distanced himself, but I still respected them because they were going through an event I could never imagine going through. When it came to Aaron, however, I too could not respect him. Most people were only thinking only of themselves, but at least they were not significantly hurting someone else. Aaron, on the other hand, was hurting others and possibly changing Nico's life in a terrible way. I also saw him as a "twisted monster"
Delete-Melanie Clarke
I'm partway through typing this and definitely thinking it's going to get long...haha sorry!!
ReplyDeleteI think Mary might have touched on this but I wanted to bring up the way Francine Prose showed how grief can affect people. I definitely think this was a theme of her book because she showed it from many different characters' perspectives:
Nico: hanging out with Aaron, talking about the staircase spirit, wearing Margaret's clothes and scent, etc.;
Aaron: spending time with Nico and revisiting the places and memories made with Margaret;
Nico's mother with the drugs.
I also connected this theme with A Moon for the Misbegotten because Josie was dealing with the grief of unrequited love from Jim and Jim was dealing with the death of his parents. I think this part of the stories, while it is dark, connected them in my mind, so I'm looking in Far from the Madding crowd to have the same connection maybe? We'll see!
Also, there was a lot of times reading Goldengrove that I read a few lines over and over because they were so poetic and they stood out to me such as:
right off the bat on page 2: the "naked and embarrassed trees"
and on page 51: "we could have been sea creatures stranded on the beach, puzzling over an empty shell that reminded us of the ocean"
these few lines as well as others that I just didn't have a pen and paper near me to write down really brought me into the book. Even though Prose isn't just coming out and saying the feeling, by reading these lines I really understand what she is trying to say! Does anyone ever wonder if they could write like that? I always feel like I could never come up with something so perfect! haha Maybe it's just me
One more part that REALLY stood out to me was how it seemed like there was competition between kids at school telling stories about their encounters with Margaret and trying to one-up each other by telling stories in a way that made it sound like they knew Margaret better. I feel like this is so true and happens so much! It must be human nature to always try to be one step higher or the next best thing to whatever the last person said. It seems so foolish, but I've seen it happen unfortunately!
-Megan DeRoy
Megan,
DeleteI agree with what you said about when someone dies, everyone else suddenly has an amazing story to tell about the person that died. Its something that really bothers me, and unfortunately something that I have personally witnessed. I could tell there was a lot of this going on in the story, much of which likely took place at graduation, where Margaret was practically the center of attention.
Rachel Takes
Goldengrove was, in my opinion, the most interesting read out of the three books because out of all of them it appealed the most to the emotional side of the reader. Reading each chapter was a roller coaster. Right away it forced me to imagine the transformation my life would undergo if this same tragedy ever happened with my sister. Just sitting on my couch reading the book I felt trapped.
ReplyDeleteA blatant factor of the book for me was that time seemed to stand still the whole summer for Nico, which the author probably does on purpose to take the reader deep into the grief and denial of the young teenage girl. Her low self esteem and her refusal to accept reality lead her to Margaret's boyfriend. Aaron is the only earthly semblance Nico has to her sister, and vice versa, which leads to the relationship that develops between the two. Nico's willingness to wear vanilla extract and her sister's favorite shirt at Aaron's whim is a desperate, and even pathetic attempt to grab Margaret back from the dead.
Nico finds her individualism after she is assaulted by Aaron. She leaves him for the last time and finally opens up to Elaine, and to an extent, even her parents. And surely by having Nico mention, at the beginning of chapter sixteen, that she is no longer expecting Margaret to contact her from the dead, the author is showing us that Nico has rid herself of denial and discovered a new life where she herself is good enough as she is. Whereas in the early chapters Nico seemed to think of herself as “the rotten apple” in the family, she has become her own person completely independent from Margaret.
I don't think the story is about tragedy and coping, but rather a teenage girl's journey to discover herself (maybe even for the first time) after experiencing an event that leaves her shattered and alone. Near the end of the novel when she goes to Rome with her family, Nico is able rediscover her sense of happiness and start to come into her own. At the very end of the novel she is an independent woman with a family of her own.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteNeal,
DeleteI agree that the book was more about Nico's journey to discover herself. It's less about her coping with Margaret's death, and more about how her experiences made her realize who she really was without Margaret.
When Nico goes to Rome with her family, she is fascinated with the arches and the colosseum. This is symbolic because arches are one of the strongest building structures as Nico attempts to "build" on who she is as a person. She views the colosseum as "..the monumental reminder of how time layered over everything...repairing or covering over what was cracked and broken, pressing it down into the earth and building on top...". She is definitely alluding to how time will heal to wholes that Margaret left in their family.
Chris
P.S. I wish this stupid thing would stop asking me if i am a robot it's getting real annoying real fast.
My Thoughts on Goldengrove:
ReplyDeleteThe title was interesting, but it didn’t grab me. I found myself thinking more about consuming fresh picked fruit, perhaps of a golden hue, than flipping through the pages of a book. But that’s just me. Anything I say can be safely discounted as whimsical nonsense.
I didn’t expect much at the start, but by the time I finished I realized that I had just been given the privilege of reading a literary masterpiece. I will read most anything, but even I was able to recognize the brilliance of the author. I found myself wanting to write to the author, being Francine Prose, and start praising her book and relating how deeply it had impacted me. I never formulated the letter, but I did research extensively about Prose, being of the first name Francine, and her life. I was blown away by the sheer volume of, well, volumes that she had already written before Goldengrove. I am surprised that I have never even heard mention of her before, or any of the other books she has written. I curse myself for being so ignorant of such a talented writer. Of all of the books written in prose, I can say with much conviction that Prose’s book Goldengrove ranks among the best novels I have ever read. Prose sure is good at prose.
I could detail my individual thoughts on each character or section of the book but I feel as if they would be manifestly inadequate and fail to articulate what I really think of the book. Words alone will never be enough to express what I felt when reading Goldengrove. In my opinion, it is one of those novels that has to be read to be understood and should never be dissected with clinical indifference as we so often are asked to do with the novels we read. I feel that in attempting to do so we harm Goldengrove and treat it as more of a lifeless cadaver than a book. It may be nothing more than paper and bindings, but to me it is far more than that. To me, Goldengrove is very much alive. And to proudly violate its sanctity and parade about with its entrails in hand, is something I would never wish to do.
Nathan,
DeleteI love how passionate you are about this book. Your response was so much fun to read! Thank you for such a witty, and beautifully written post; and for offering me a chance to enjoy your clever use of words!
Chiara
This book was fascinating to me. Like many posts above are saying or implying, I believe the strong relationship between my younger sister and I completely altered my thoughts and perceptions throughout the book. It's not just the fact that I have a sister, but I felt like Prose had an ability to extend the emotions felt by the characters into my own feelings... That's why its a sad and disturbing book to anyone who reads it, as long as they let themselves succumb to the heartbreaking story, however fictional it may be.
ReplyDeleteReading about the deterioration of Nicos family after the tragic event was just so sad to me. I don't even know how else to describe it. Reading something like that always makes me picture myself in the protagonists shoes. I think Prose does a great job of provoking self reflection. Just how she chooses the path of Nicos family after Margaret died makes you wonder if you or your family would be the same way. I would never think of setting rules for myself the way Nico did in the beginning as a way to cope. The more I do think about it I believe I would definitely comply to similar rules, whether it be as a subconscious modification to the way I live my life, or as constant reminders to myself to purposefully avoid slip-ups.
Overall this book is just so loaded with different emotions so those were just some of my thoughts on that subject.
I'm happy to say I might even recommend this book to someone in the future!
~Katy
Katy,
DeleteI agree! I was able to feel so much empathy for the characters! I think the author did such a nice job with that because she added so many details and made the reader feel as though we were actually inside Nico's head thinking the same thoughts she was so we followed her through her stages of grief and that is why we were able to feel so sad and disturbed by this book! It was all about the imagery and the flashbacks and feeling like we really had a strong connection to Nico and Margaret and their family- and Aaron too. I think it was written so nicely and that is why so many of our peers like it so much!!
I was surprised when I started reading this book, pleasantly or not, I’m not quite sure. The whole time I was reading it I could not get the thought out of my head that Margaret’s influence on Nico became much stronger after she passed away. Although Margaret and Nico had a good relationship before Margaret died I got the impression that Nico compared herself to Margaret and wanted to be more like Margaret. The fact that Nico kept bringing up how pretty Margaret was and how she was not as skinny Margaret made me think that she not only looked up to her sister but also was a little envious of her.
ReplyDeleteI have a sister and am the first to admit that sometimes I wish I was a slightly more like her. However, I could never imagine taking it to the extreme that Aaron pushed Nico to. The way Nico almost “became” Margaret was very disturbing to me. I felt that she was growing around the experiences Margaret had because she was now experiencing the same things with Aaron. Before Margaret’s death she was only a role model to Nico, but after her death she became much more than that. Margaret was no longer an outside influence on Nico, she was inside Nico as well.
Honestly I’m not quite sure where I am going with this because I’m still trying to figure it out in my own head. I know Margaret’s death would have changed Nico no matter what, but I cannot keep wondering how much more she changed because of her experiences with Aaron.
-Melanie Clarke
Melanie-
DeleteI totally agree with you, especially your second paragraph. I too find myself envious of my older sister sometimes, and I do see her as a role model, however, I don't know how any sane (or even slightly insane) person could go as far as allow themselves to pretend to be their dead older sister for someone else's sexual pleasure. Just ew. I understand that Nico is grieving; however, I don't see this as plausible. But then again, it is a book.
Melanie- I feel like Nico's attachment to her sister after her death was a necessary part of the grieving process. Before Margaret died, Nico was envious of her, how beautiful, popular and talented she was, while Nico was "just plain Nico".
DeleteI don't believe that Nico would have been able to move on from her obsession of Margaret after her passing, at least at first, because then it would be an absolute recognition of her death, and I don't think Nico was ready for that. Margaret was everything to Nico, a sister, a role model, and, most importantly, a friend, and I don't think she had enough of herself (Nico) to make her own personality after Margaret passed on.
Just my thoughts, though- let me know what you think.
-Garret Tirrell
Mel,
DeleteI think I see where you are trying to go with this! I think one of the hardest parts for Nico was realizing no matter what she did, she would be in the spotlight now. She is so used to her sister being the center of attention and doing everything perfectly and being the prettiest and the skinniest and now that her sister is gone, she is forced out of the shadow she had been living in. That was rough for her and possibly made her grief even worse. She is so used to hanging back and (stealing Garret's phrase) being "just plain Nico" so she doesn't really know how to be anyone or anything else!
One quote from the book that I found fascinating was "people see everything through the lens of their obsessions." I could definitely relate that quote to my life because from experience, I can definitely say that the things that I want shape the way I view my surroundings.
ReplyDeleteAn obvious example a character viewing something through the lens of their obsession was Aaron. Although he told Nico multiple times that he didn't expect her to be just like Margaret, he was trying to change her into Margaret. He made her wear Margaret's perfume, put on her clothes, and watch the same movies he and Margaret watched together.
In my opinion, it was wrong of Aaron to try and transform Nico into her sister because he was grieving. It gave Nico a false hope that someone wanted her for who SHE was, and not who her sister was. However, it just goes to show that Aaron loved Margaret and he saw her in Nico.
Chris
Chris,
DeleteI completely agree that it was wrong of Aaron to try to change Nico into another Margaret. Nico, being only 13 and in such a fragile state of mind, was basically taken advantage of. I think Nico viewed Aaron as someone she could confide in and who would really understand what she was going through. None of this "transformation", in my opinion, helped Nico cope with her sister's death. If anything it made it harder for Nico to accept the fact that her sister is no longer alive. I think the false hope you talk about is probably what made her do these things, so it was very wrong on Aaron's part.
Rachel Takes
I also agree Chris. it was really messed up of Aaron to date Nico, if she was more towards his age and he didn't make her wear Marget's clothes it would have been a little less weird. Or if they were just seeing each other to help and not date that wouldst be bad either. I liked how Prose alluded to Aaron not being a good character when Nico's parents said he has a screw loose. But if it were not for their relationship i think this book would have been awful.
DeleteBut even before Margret died he was a little messed up, he deliberately hurt Margret because he didn't want her to go away. If you really love someone I feel like thats not something you would do.
DeleteAdmittedly Goldengrove was possibly the first and only book I've ever been assigned that had me actually enjoying each page from start to finish. If you read a book for your own entertainment, most would agree that it is much easier to enjoy it and finish it than a book that is assigned from school and mandatory to read. When you're assigned a book it feels like a heavy weight has been placed on you and you go into it with a negative attitude, which is exactly how I attacked this one. However, I quickly realized just how wrong it was to attach such a negative attitude to such a powerful book and Goldengrove quickly proved to me that I was reading for my entertainment, not for school.
ReplyDeleteThis story deals with the pain of loss and how you can cope with situations you simply cannot control. However, when you peel away the sadness of death and isolation, you can see the the story really tells a tale about a young girl breaking away and becoming her own person. It's about Nico finding herself and her independence in a world still grieving over her sister. At first it doesn't start out very well for her, she tries to cope with the loss of her sister by going to Aaron. It's almost as if she thinks that by doing this, by wearing her clothes and smelling like her, her sister can live the life she now cannot, through Nico. Finally, when she is pushed over the edge after Aaron's assault, Nico opens up and begins to model herself as her own person instead of as her dead sister. This is the turning point in Nico's life and marks when she finally realizes that she needs to be her own person and no matter what she does, nothing will bring back her sister.
On a side note, I believe Francine Rose deserves a serious round of applause for her amazing detail and ability to grip the reader's attention on the emotional level. At times it seems as if she's reaching into your core and playing your emotions like an instrument. It was a read I simply will never forget as it not only had me thinking throughout and placing myself in Nico's position, but truly feeling for the characters as well.
Ryan
Well said big guy, I agree, it definately shows how she strives to find herself in the midst of losing her role model. I think everyone can take something away from that as to not be a copy, and to be yourself and unique. Nobody likes a copycat.
DeleteChance
I purposely didn't read any comments before I finished the book because I didn't want to spoil it, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Admittedly it was hard to get through a lot of it because I have a younger sister and I kept imagining how painful and difficult it would be to have to go through an experience like this. Prose did a magnificent job of creating a sense of empathy with her characters. And as has been previously discussed, she did it without much physical description, which was well done.
ReplyDeleteHowever, something that left me feeling a little funny was how Nico was willing to lie to her parents, use the "Margaret Card", sneak back into her house against her parents wishes, and basically knowingly become Margaret, all for Aaron. I know Nico said there wasn't really a crush, it was a deeper connection, but was she so blinded by this "connection" to not see what was going on right in front of her eyes? Did it really take Aaron having to kiss her and basically molest her for her to see something was wrong?
I can see on Aaron's part how in recreating Margaret through Nico, that he was easing the pain of such an unbearable experience. The only way I can understand Nico's half is to assume that she felt she was helping Aaron. This would explain her wearing the vanilla oil, and wearing Margaret's shirt on the 4th of July. But how about when Nico was upset at her Mom rummaging through Margaret's room because she though Margaret wouldn't like that? What would justify Nico doing the same thing?
Rachel Takes
Rachel-
DeleteI completely agree with you!! It was as if Nico had one set of rules for herself, another for Margaret, and another for her parents! And her rules are constantly changing. At the beginning of the book Nico stated a few things that she would absolutely NOT do because it made her think of her sister. As the book went on though, her rules stopped and she started breaking some of her parents rules too! I believe that it was the author trying to show that Nico was starting to really turn into her sister. She started wearing her clothing, and that is when Aaron entered her life, then she started lying to her parents and up until the end of the story, she really is turning into Margaret and it was really sad!
I also agree that I was able to connect more to this story becaue I kept wondering if something like this would happen to me should something happen to my little sister! It really helped having something to connect to because it made me understand Nico's character better, I don't know if you feel the same way about that but that was my take!
-Kierra Laramie
I finished the book a few days ago, and I have to say it was definitely my favorite of the three. I was so into the story that I only had to pick up the book 3 times to read the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteYet I couldn't help but notice that the transition of moods in this book were a bit... awkward. The book starts out decently happy- two sisters who clearly love each other very much and have fun together all the time- and then out of no where the record stops, Margaret dies, and for the next maybe 75 pages the book turns into one of the most depressing things I have ever read. I literally had to read the part abot Margaret's death over multiple times to truly transition into the sad mood. Then the sadness drags on, Nico explains her feelings and how they don't live life the same, and then the scandal with Aaron starts up and the book awkwardly transitions into some sort of teen romance depression fest. That develops into a whole "thing" making the mood happy (happy compared to the rest of the book at least). Next it switches on and off between depression, scandal, and random flickers of happiness as Nico and her family are starting to move on. Finally Nico finishes with Aaron for real, the whole situation dies down, and the book ends on a mellow note. It was a little hard to keep up with at times because I didn't know what emotions to be feeling.
I agree completely with you Corey that the book seemed to be separated into very specific and defined mood segments. The story seemed to shift from happy to depressed to hopeful to disturbing until finally there was closure at the end. I think the confusion of emotion by the reader was what the author intended, as it helps you relate to the confusion Nico was feeling. I thought that this was well done by the author, but wished that the edges of the segments were a little more blended or blurred to add further to the effect.
DeleteAlrighy then. This is my second take at this comment. You hit back one time and the blog thinks it can just delete my hard work. Then I couldn't even click reply so I gave up for a few minutes.
DeleteAnyways I didn't even realize that the mood changed with Nico's feelings. It's just another way Prose blows my mind with her discrete genius. I do remember reading the beginning and being all happy and such, then like less than two pages later I was all sad and depressed. I just stopped and sat there for a second like, "How the hell did I just get this sad in a few pages? I literally just started reading a happy book and now I'm bummed out." I think that's really impressive to manipulate the reader's emotions in just a few pages. I feel like it would take me pages and pages and pages to make a reader sad. Unless I wrote like "dying puppies". Then I can make you sad in two words, but it's not the same type of sad. This felt like someone I actually knew died. It's kind of amazing how a book can effect you so much.
Something that has briefly been discussed, but something I really enjoyed was the realistic aspect I noticed through out the book. Even before the death, we got to look inside the sisterly realtionship between Margaret and Nico; secrets, gossip, ect. and we saw how Nico wanted to look like Margaret and Margaret saying someday she would. (foreshadowing maybe?) After the death, we saw how it impacted everyone. Nico wasn't eating much, lost contact with a lot of friends, and had little interest in anything. A quote I think describes this, "I'd left the world in which people care about bad hair days". Mentally, I don't think anyone in the family cared that much and just wanted to get through the day. Mom even stopped playing piano and eventually went as far as taking pills and entering a mental haze during the day. Nico was also looking to contact Margaret in many different ways and wanted to encounter her spirit. Aaron also burned any paintings he had of the lake. I think what made this book so good was that it was able to draw in the reader and make them feel like this was something real; real events and real characters.
ReplyDeleteRachel Takes
I'm glad you brought up the point about how in the beginning of the book, Nico wishes to be like Margaret. It's a kind of ironic victory that by the end, Nico realizes and becomes her own person.
DeleteYour post also helped me realize that all of the characters, except Nico (and Aaron, later), tried to distract themselves from the thought of Maragaret. Nico embraced her.
-Bruno
I agree with Bruno, Rachel, I think its great how you brought up the beginning of the book! It seems instinctual to focus on the end of the book when it is sad and a bit disturbing, but there was a point in the beginning of the book when we felt happy for the two sisters and though we didn't know it while we were reading it, a lot of foreshadowing was taking place in the beginning! after I read the book I went back and read the beginning again and, I encourage anyone to do that because you pick up on the things that you paid no attention to before and you realize "Hey, that's foreshadowing the end of the book!"
DeleteHello everyone! I just got back a little over a week ago from working all summer at a camp. This is my first post and I must admit it took me a bit to figure out here this worked. Here goes nothing!
ReplyDeleteGoldengrove was by far my favorite but definitely not the most upbeat, positive book as I am sure all can agree. So where to begin?
I found the book to be very dark and depressing at times. Whenever people asked what the book was about I was reading I would describe it to them and state that I felt like I was going through the grieving process myself. Nico lost her sister at such a young age and was left basically on her own. Her parents completely lost themselves in their own worlds of misery, loss and grief. It should’ve been a time when the family was brought together, not on the best terms, but still they would’ve been there for one another through the grieving process and leaned on each other for support. The parents could’ve and should’ve been the pillars of support for their last remaining daughter Nico but they crumbled down into a pile of dust after their daughter’s death. Nico needed them because they were her parents and because losing a sister is a traumatic experience. On a side note, I believe that Margaret’s death was the final push over the edge of a cliff for her mother into the pit of depression. It appeared imminent that she was to lose herself, if only it could have come at a more convenient time. As convenient as a time it is to become a hollow shell of what you used to be, only able to function through the growing addiction to pills. When Nico needed a mother figure and around to console and protect as mother’s do she was not around. Not only that affected her but Nico had been there the moment her sister died. Nico had been on the boat with her sister and watched her jump into the lake that was unknowingly her watery grave. The two sisters hadn’t been on best terms at the time which only added to the grief and guilt Nico felt. No one should ever deserve to have to go through what Nico went through on their own. That is why I believe she found the only other “warm body” that was going through what she was and could be a constant in her life. Aaron was solid as a rock to her and exactly what she was looking for.
I agree that during this time of misery, most would have thought that Nico's parents would have grown closer to her and that their family as a whole would have grown closer. But instead the exact opposite happened and left Nico alone looking for someone to relate with. She found Aaron, while to her he might have felt like her rock and the person she needed I don't believe that's who he really was. He was taking advantage of her and not the person that she thought she needed. She eventaully did wake up from her "dream" and realize reality. While the situation was awful it really helped to wake up their family as a whole and let them continue a great life together.
Delete-Jackie Wolff
I completely agree with what you said that even though Nico did believe Aaron was the right person for her at the time, he wasn't. She wasn't the right person for him either. Her family was who Nico needed. Aarom was someone who took full advantage of Nico and though what he did was wrong and totally inappropriate, it is true that some good came out of the situation. If you look at it in a glass half-full type of way that is. Without Aaron, Nico wouldn't have, as you stated perfectly, "woken up from her dreamlike haze." Aaron was that snap back to reality that was needed, not only for Nico but her family. Her dad was off on some wild goose chase and her mother was lost in her own world. They didn't see at all what was happening around them! You'd think after losing one daughter unexpectantly that they'd at least be in tune to what was happenning, and possible overprotective of their only remaining daughter! Thank goodness by the end of the story they became aware of Nico and were starting to support her.
DeleteSamantha Riley
I found this of all the summer reading books the most interesting and like people have said above probably my favorite summer reading book ever. Though this book was depressing and messed up at times I found that it was very relatable even though I have never been through something like that.
ReplyDeleteI can not imagine being Nico and have been with my sister basically as she died. I would have always have been thinking "what if". Like what if she didn't get mad at me and jump off the boat, would she still have had some type of attack? I want to think that those kind of thoughts went through her head but she didn't want to think about it too much because of all the other crazy things happening in her life that she needed to keep on top of. She was too upset about everything that had and was happening to overthink things.
The death of Margaret caused a downfall of their family and their lives. That's something that I know a lot of people can relate with. As soon as one thing happens everything else seems to spiral out of control. Her mom and Sally and the drug, her dad and Elaine, and of course herself and Aaron. All of it seemed to happen all at once and pulled them all apart. They all lived together but it was like they didn't know eachother anymore. Nico was constantly making up lies to go hangout with Aaron, her mom was "gone" by the afternoon and her dad just worked on his book and ignored everything. They all had their own ways of getting over her death and it was affecting the other people they love.
After their first daughter had died because of a heart related thing I would have thought that as soon as their other daughter thought something was wrong with her that they would bring her to the doctor. That was not the case though. It was like her parents were in denial that both of their daughters could have a problem like that so they decided to forget about it. Luckly it was nothing in the end but what if it had been something and they lost another daughter.
From the first time that Aaron took Nico out to icecream I had never liked him. I was always suspicious that he was just using her to keep her sister alive and that he was just acting upset to take advantage of her. In the end that is basically what happened to poor Nico, she fell for his trap in all her misery.
One of the things that I really liked about this book was that it took place in a modern day setting. It made the book so much more relatable for me and kept me interested and reading.
-Jackie Wolff
I agree with all of this, Jackie, especially the part about Nico's heart. That part really bugged me. How could her parents be so ignorant of their child's health, and mental status at that. It seemes like they didn't want to be bothered by anything in their little worlds. Both their children couldn't be sick apparently, but you would think that would mean that once Nico told them about her fear of a heart condition that they would rush her to the emergency room or something out of fear for losing both children within months of eachother. They weren't being good parents because instead of putting on a brave face and trying to help eachother out during the crisis of Margaret's death, they just shrowded themselves in misery and left eachother to grieve and shrivel away. Confronting the issues of their family would've been a much better option.
Delete~Dani Halliday
I thought that this story gave great insight into how different individuals dealt with great tragedy. Margret's death forced the characters of the story to find ways to cope with their feelings, which they went about in their own ways.
ReplyDeleteNico dealt with her sister's death by trying to not let go, but to keep her sister in her life. She did this by doing things with Aaron that she would have done with her sister, such as watching movies and eating pistachio ice cream, as well as wearing her sister's clothes and seeking guidance from her sister's "ghost". Those were ways for her of coping in the present, almost as a denial, and she was not able to move on and get some closure until she stops all of her newfound coping habits, as we saw at the end of the book.
Aaron also tried to deny Margaret's death, but in a more extreme way than Nico, as he saught to actually keep Margaret in his life by turning Nico into her sister. I found it hard to decide whether to sympathise with him as a victim of great tragedy, or to be disgusted by him and his choice.
Nico's parents both dealt with Margaret's death by basicly shutting down. Nico often felt that she had to be the mature one in the family and to take care of her, which I thought to be very unfair for her and selfish of the parents, even though I knew that they were also victims of the tragedy. Both of Nico's parents turned to something to try to ease their pain, in Nico's dad's case, his book, and in her mom's, drugs.
As I was reading, the book made me wonder how I and those around me would deal with the depression if something like this ever happened to us, and made me realize that I couldn't really tell for certain how I would handle with such intense grief, which was a somewhat frightening realization.
You know I think writing about death always makes for a good story. It's mysterious and sparks the imagination. This book kind of plays around with the idea of the supernatural and that gets a lot of people interested. Plus you're right, it is a lot about how people deal with death. Nico tries to get over it, Aaron tries to keep her alive, and the parents have to distract themselves.
DeleteThe things that happen in this book could actually happen. Yes, it's fiction, but no, it's not unrealistic. Well, a lot of things in the book aren't very realistic, but the idea as a whole is more than common. Someone close to you dies and everyone has to somehow get over it. Everyone will die, therefore everyone will know people who will die. Maybe not now or in a few years, but eventually everyone will have to cope with the death of a loved one. This book is an eye opener and shows how there are good and bad ways to try and deal with it.
One thing that is striking about the book is how people are constantly trying to show Nico sympathy. While their intention is obviously kind, I feel like it may make the grieving process harder for Nico. She has her list of things to avoid to keep her from thinking of Margaret, i.e. avoiding the lake and cookies, but even if she does all this, she is constantly reminded of the tragedy by people coming up to her and asking how she is doing and saying how sorry they are. While people's sympathy can make us feel better, I think that having a perpetual barrage of condolences makes it almost impossible for Nico to move on. If youre constantly immersed in the reminders of a tragedy, can you really hope to get on with your life? Think about what happens every year around September 11th. Every TV channel and radio station has programming about what happened and people can feel the hurt that they felt on that day all over again. While I do agree with the decisions to have this programming and think that it is important to remind ourselves what happened and how we felt, if it were all that was on TV and radio all year long we could never hope to just live our lives normally.
ReplyDeleteI agree Kyle. The other towns people seem to want to help Nico and her family, but instead they make the grieving process harder on them. I felt that when the towns people tried to apologize they did it half-heartedly. They would do it like people donating to charity in my opinion. Giving pity instead of empathy, then being able to walk away with a clear conscious believing they had helped someone and that they were a better person for it. By constantly reminding her that SHE was the one going through the pain and loss, it made her depression more severe and last longer.
DeleteI finished Goldengrove last Thursday but have been on vacation for more than a week with no internet access. Everytime I finished reading a section of the book, I felt so depressed. Nico was caught in between trying to be her dead sister and trying to be herself. She was also going through the time in her life where she is forming who she will be for the rest of her life. I absolutly love the last few pages about Nico's life as an adult and how she says she doesn't have any siblings. I think this shows how she has moved on but a part of her still feels like "that girl watching her sister dive into the water." I was satisfied to know Nico never became Margaret because she realized she was just as important as her sister.
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing the book, I almost feel guilty I felt bad for Aaron before started using Nico as his Margaret. I realize he was probably doing this the whole time, but I honestly thought they could get over Margaret together. Looking back on how Aaron pretended Nico was Margaret, it reminded me of how Jim Tyrone pretended Josie was his mother and how both females let them do that. Both Josie and Nico were probably so hurt that they would take the affection and love from anyone.
If I ever lost someone close, I probably wouldn't do what they did and try to relive experiences without the deceased. I think doing this right after the loss would induce pain that would forever be associated with that place or thing. Instead, if you wait until the pain passes, the only memories of that place would be the happy ones from before they died. I guess everyone has a different way of grieving.
This was probably my favorite book this summer because I love books that can draw out emotions. Francine Prose also did a wonderful job allowing the reader to add details (including the characters' specific features as Marissa noted) so that we can feel like we know the characters and have become part of the story. So now I'm on to writing my essay and getting ready to go back to school!
Phoebe!
DeleteI am going to have to disagree with you. I personally hated the last chapter of the book. I found it rushed and unnecessary. I was perfectly content with the second to last chapter, and I didn't need a chapter to tell me that Nico was okay and had moved on. Even before the last chapter, something in me knew that Nico was going to be fine, and that even though Margaret's death took a huge toll on her, she would be able to move on.
I was listening to a Velvet Underground & Nico song and it caused me to recall a dialogue in the book where Nico asks her parents about the origins of her name, and one of them reacts really angrily when she inquires if she's named after THAT Nico (perhaps I would too, but I'd never name my daughter Nico.) Anyways I couldn't find that part but it did get me thinking about another part near the end where Aaron shows Nico a recording of the singer Nico doing "My Funny Valentine." Does anyone have any insight into what exactly the importance of that was?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Goldengrove, it got me thinking about the seven stages of grief. Each character had to take their time and recover from Margaret's death in their own way..
ReplyDeleteSo, this is how I tracked Nico's journey through recovery:
1.Shock and Denial - In the beginning of the story, Nico couldn't fathem her sister's death. She kept thinking it was only a dream, and she would wake up from this nightmare soon.
2.Pain and Guilt- Soon after, Nico started remembering her and Margaret's last few words together... She remembered telling Margaret not to smoke; then her sister shouting, "Smoke this" and never resurfacing from the lake. She also felt guitly for not saving Margaret when the lake swallowed her.
3. Anger- Nico became very angry about her father and Elaine spending time together; she assumed they were having an affair. She also was angry that her Mother had become addicted to pills and wasn't taking the time to see if Nico was okay. Anger even got the best of her when others said they were sorry and tried to ask how she was feeling. She didn't want to hear what anyone had to say because they didn't know what it was like to loose a sister.
4. Bargaining- Nico thought that if it had been Aaron (a better swimmer) with Margaret out on the lake, he would've been able to save her.
5.Depression and Sarrow- Nico started loosing touch with her friends from school, she spent lots of time sitting around at home and never went down to the lake. She also lost most of her appetitte, and cried often.
6.Testing and Reconstruction- Nico spent hours and hours with Aaron trying to escape the disturbing sorrow. She even started "falling in love with him" and let him try and sculpt her into Margaret. Although this made her feel better it only hurt her in the end when she realized what he was really doing to her.
7.Acceptance and Hope- Many years later, the novel had described Nico's life with her family. Accepting her sister's death, but rarely talking about it.
So, although each of these weren't in exact order... We can see that grief will strike in many different stages and can be very unpredictable.
Nico's recovery and journey to find herself kept me flipping the pages of Goldengrove, and I would definitely reccomend this book to someone in the future.
-Tori Withee
Tori-
DeleteI think this post is awesome how you touched on all the stages of grief. We have all learned about the stages of grief and we all knew Nico most likely went through a lot of them even though that wasn't stated by the author. You laid it all out though so we can clearly see at which part Nico is going through each stage. Francine Prose sent Nico throught these stages and also left Aaron stranded in a few stages. It kind of makes me wonder if Prose maybe experienced some of this herself? I know there is a lot of research out there on depression and how people deal with it but she goes into it with such depth that I have to believe she must have had to deal with it, or watched a friend deal with it. It's a very hard thing to describe and I think Prose did an excellent job with it.
Also, what was the staircase whisper? Was that Nico's thoughts.. or a voice inside her head that sounded like Margaret? Thoughts?
ReplyDelete-Tori Withee
I'm pretty sure it was Nico's interpretation of what Margaret would say at that moment. After Margaret's death, everything that Nico did seemed to revolve around Margaret so it seems like Nico would insert Margaret into her situations as the staircase whisperer. Just my opinion though.
DeleteI believe the staircase whisper alludes to some french term. This is totally paraphrasing, but basically the story is that after an argument, as you're walking down the staircase to leave, you get this little whisper in the back of your mind of all the things you should have said in the argument, that you didn't think of in time.
DeleteSorry if this is wrong. But I think I read about it somewhere!
I almost with this was explained in the book! I understand that some things we are supposed to figure out for ourselves but this was a reoccuring thing in the book and I'm pretty sure we aren't the only ones confused about what the "staircase spirit" was. Maybe even a brief paragraph would work just so we have some clue to where the author is comeing from when she says this over and over.
DeleteIn the beginning of this book, the relationship between Nico and Margaret reminded me of a relationship that I'm sure most of you will remember. Helga and Olga Pataki, from the nickelodeon TV series Hey Arnold!. Olga is the elder sister that has it all- brains, beauty, everything. And although she doesn't show it as well as Nico, Helga looks up to her sister. Helga is the younger, harsher, less attractive/more unnoticable version of Olga; as is Nico to Margaret. However, this is where the similarities run out. Helga Pataki does not idolize her sister like Nico does. Both younger sisters see their older counterparts as "perfection", but Nico does not resent Margaret as Helga does to Olga. Nico exalts Margaret, in the most unhealthy, saddest way possible. Thankfully, Nico realizes this, moves on, and becomes her own person.
ReplyDeleteOne other similarity between Helga and Nico- I feel bad for them both, for having to live in their sister's shadow.
Goldengrove was by far my favorite book out of all three of them. It was written in 2008 so it is more modern which I believe has a lot to do with why everyone likes it so much! The part of the book that I found most interesting is that Nico couldn't really have a personality of her own in the beginning; it was as if she didn't know how. She would use phrases and words that her sister used often and at one point she uses the word "amazing" and says, "that is Aaron's word." I thought the author did a fantastic job in showing that at the end, Nico was able to get her own personality instead of trying to live in Margaret's shadow.
ReplyDeleteI also think that what Aaron did to Nico in trying to pretend she was someone she wasn't was very disturbing but also somewhat understandable. People deal with grief in all different ways and though it may seem (and be) disgusting and wrong, we aren't allowed to judge for how Aaron chose to deal with his sorrows.
Aaron and Nico were both dynamic characters in this story. They both changed but Nico seemed to change for the positive while Aaron did not. In the beginning Nico was, of course, greiving and therefore naturally changed. She no longer had a sister, or an appitite. As the story progresses, Nico begins to look more like Margaret and Aaron goes from being the "nice friend" who is trying to help Nico, and himself from all the grief; to helping only himself by pretending Nico is Margaret. Nico gets stronger though, and surpasses what most teenagers would have done, and gets out of the situation. I think it was great how the author showed at the end when Nico was running away from the cave and "waving goodbye to the old Nico," that she really had evolved and strenthened through the summer. I thought this was a great story and it had something for almost anyone to connect to and that is why people liked it so much. Even if you havn't experienced death of a loved one you can probably imagine what it would feel like if you lost a brother or a sister or a parent.
-Kierra Laramie
Also, in a lot of stories that we have to read in school the author says "so everything worked out," and your left wondering, "what worked out? how did it work out?" In Goldengrove, Francine Prose chose do make everyone happy and she added in the end of the story a few paragraphs of how Nico's life turned out. She and her family moved, she grew up, got married, had children, and has dreams about Margaret once in awhile. I thought it was great how Prose chose to end the story like this because we see exactly how Nico's life turned out, and we also see that all of her nightmares, and missing Margaret never went away, not that anyone expected them to. I was really happy with the ending and that is something I don't say for many books! And I think that is part of the reason I liked this book so much! I'm the kind of person who prefers not to try and read the author's mind in what they are trying t say in the ending, I would rather have them come right out and tell me and that is exactly what Francine Prose did so well in the end.
ReplyDeleteKierra,
DeleteI really enjoyed the ending too! Actually, I thought it was quite unexpected. Coming to the end I thought Prose was just going to end the book with the family moving, the mom throwing away her pills, and all the present time loose ends being tied up, but the last little bit about Nico's life years later was a nice conclusion. I also thought it was very realistic. Prose did a good job at showing you that although things were better, it was not perfect. In a lot of books the authors try to make all the characters lives perfect and happy at the end but here Prose did not. Although Nico was happy, the death of Margaret was still with her and still caused her some pain.
Melanie Clarke
As I printed out my essay today, I realised that I kind of just passed over Goldengrove. I was wary to even want to read it, because it was so modern of a book, and I admit, when it comes to books, I regularly am old-fashioned and despising of newer books, given the fact that I've read a few because of my english classes. I found that this book somewhat lived up to my expectations as being depressing, yet the resolution was okay. Aaron was pretty much a jerk, which I also suspected, but it is an interesting element that Prose decided to make him hold Nico in his mind as Margaret. All in all, it was my least favorite story of the trio, but it wasn't as terrible as I had expected it would be.
ReplyDeleteI personally did not enjoy the plot of Goldengrove although I did enjoy the authors writing style as well as the way the death of Margaret was portrayed. When Margaret died, the characters were saddened because Margaret was no longer with them, and they had lost a great friend, daughter and sister. As time wore on, it became less about Margaret not being there and more about the event of her actual death. I felt this was a great way for the author to examine the unexpected death of a loved one. It began as a shared depression by Nico’s family, but eventually started to drive them apart, while at the same time creating a bubble around their family that no other person could penetrate. I also liked how when Nico had dialogue you saw the regrets she instantly had after saying or not saying something, as well as giving commentary line by line instead of only after the conversation. This let me always know if she really meant what she had said the way I had read it. That being said, I did not enjoy the plot of the book. While it was interesting to see how the family fell apart, and eventually came back together, I felt as though Nico, who is portrayed as a quiet and smarter girl, is incredibly naïve when it comes to Aaron. At the begging of their relationship, it is two people helping the other cope, with them just being friends. I felt that their relationship was creepy from the very beginning, mostly because of the age difference. I did expect the book to find a way to change it into a somewhat normal relationship between the two by the end. As it progresses it becomes clearer that he is trying to change her into her sister. I understood that she wanted Aaron to want her, and that she also wanted to become her sister, so I could look past the huge red flags that popped into my mind when he told her he wanted her to wear her sister’s perfume or clothes. I could look past these because I believed that the book would lead up to her realizing her mistake in a moment of catharsis, accepting her sister’s death and at the same time realizing she could never be her sister. Instead, she had the incredibly creepy scene with the pistachio ice cream, after which Elaine specifically told her exactly what Aaron was trying to do, as well as Nico admitting and realizing what he was doing. I felt this was a decent ending and that after this they could start working on rebuilding their family and moving on. Instead, I got to watch Nico make increasingly bad choices ending with her almost getting raped. Overall, the book was not bad, I just felt that with all of the good exposition, it could have made a stronger story.
ReplyDeleteI found the relationship between the two sisters to be very interesting, it is the exact same age difference as me and my sister. And like Brianne commented very long ago I found the relationship to be similar to that of my own with my little sister. However I found it harder to relate to Nico because she holds the position of younger sister while I am older. The sisters are the same ages as me and my sister, so in the very beginning the story made me think of how my family, and sister especially would get on if something tragic were to happen to me.
ReplyDeleteI also thought Prise did an amazing job in displaying realistic relationships between the family members, especially the relationship between Nico and her father. The daughter is trying desperately to cling to her father in the beginning, but as she grows closer to Aaron she begins to push him away, favoring the new man in her life over the old.
ReplyDeleteFor the most part i liked the this book. I spaced out my reading and got it done in a week. I liked how quickly the book picked up and even the introduction was interesting and relate able, unlike Far From the Madding Crowd. The content was kind of depressing though it put me in a sad mood, but the ending was happy which was good. I wasnt fully able to relate because I havent lost anybody in my family yet so that concept of losing someone that close to you is not something that i can fully grasp yet.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed how deeply every character was described and analyzed. No one character was perfect even the one that everyone loved, Margret. This made everything a lot more realistic.
Like everybody else i thought that Aarons actions were creepy and disturbing. I hated how he tried to change Nico into her sister. Ya he is dealing with loss but that does not come close to justifying what he did to Nico. In the begging of their relationship i actually could have seen them becoming very good friends. But once he gave her the perfume i knew it could only go downhill from there. When he changed his painting from a normal painting to a grotesque almost horror picture you could really tell how messed up he was.
The fact that each character had a different way of coping with the death of Margret made it realistic too. Lastly i liked the way that it ended, i liked how there was closure and everyone ended up happy.
I did not enjoy this book. I just want to put that out there. The writing in the book was good. I did not like the plot. I did not have a problem with when Margaret died. I think if it happened any later, the story would never have started. The timing gave the death more of an impact because no one, not even the reader, was ready for it. I was extremely disappointed in the characters' responses to the death. I understand that each person grieves differently, but, in my experience, when a large group of people are grieving the same thing, there is always one person who is the anchor; who puts off their own grief to support and hold together the rest of the group. No one in this book did that. That is especially true if it is a small group, like a family. Nico basically shut down and could only function if she thought her sister was making her do something. Her dad shut himself away and wrote. Her mom turned to drugs under the influence of a "friend". I can't fathom how they could let their family go after losing Margaret. I think Aaron had the right idea at first. He planned to move on by doing all the things that hurt because they reminded him of Margaret. He went way overboard and out of bounds by trying to turn Nico into Margaret, but the original idea was sound. I also think everyone healed way too fast in the end. One day, they're suffering, then they're fine; then they "relapse", then Nico is grown up and all is well. I don't think we needed the picture of "all-grown-up" Nico. It should be understood that she never lets it go, but manages to move on.
ReplyDelete