Dani’s Comments (group member since Nov 11, 2015)

Dani’s comments from the Return of the Rogue Readers group.

Strider was a very interesting character. Gretchen, did you like him immediately, or what were your thoughts on how his character developed?

I agree with you that the book got progressively more engaging. Personally, I had a hard time getting hooked in the beginning. Being that it is the first book in the series, there was a lot to introduce us to in this world and the action really didn't get going until later. It makes sense now, having finished the book. Towards the end, I started to get excited to read the next one. I think it was a slow build-up with a big payoff.

Has anyone read all of the books in the series?

I really enjoyed the movies when they first came out, but this was the first time I have actually gotten around to reading any of the books. I am sorry it took so long. Having read more about Tolkien and his passion for the intricacies of the work, I really appreciate the world that he built. I imagine you could reread the books and discover something new each time. I love that about a book!

I, too, listened to the audiobook. I agree that the narrator did a good job. I wasn't a huge fan of the amount of singing toward the beginning of the book but it thinned out as it went on. I didn't hate the singing, per se, but I needed to be in the right mood for it. haha

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It had some slow moments in the beginning, in my opinion, but for the most part it kept my attention.

There was so much going on during the journey, I don't really know where to start! What were some of everyone's favorite scenes and characters in the book? I enjoyed the scene when Galadriel read everyone's mind as well as the mirror scene with Frodo and Sam. I actually liked Galadriel's character quite a lot. When she was offered the ring, you could tell that she considered it but ultimately turned it down. I thought it was well-written and subtle.

I also really liked the Strider character. I didn't trust him at first, but he won me over during the journey.

What are everyone else's thoughts?

Haha I must have missed that last sentence. Did you end up watching the movie?

Gretchen, do you find the audiobook easier to follow? From your descriptions, it sounds terribly difficult to read. I feel like I need to look at the paper edition of the book to fully understand. haha

Jordan, I had similar thoughts about the accountant. Once again, though, he was just some dude. There were several characters that, when introduced, I thought would have a bigger influence in the story. Only to find that they weren't anything 'special' in the context of the book. It was an interesting change of pace, as a couple of you have already mentioned. No paranormal phenomena, no heroes saving the day, nothing out of the realm of reality in regards to characters and their personalities.

I think I misunderstood the ending, however. Did the doctor's wife not actually go blind? I thought she did. That was one of the issues that I had with the book. haha A twisting of the story where she went blind when the others had regained their sight didn't make any sense to me. At least not without some kind of explanation. Perhaps I need to listen to that part again.

No worries, Gretchen! The discussion will be here when you finish. :)

This was definitely a book that I found to be both fascinating and disturbing. I listened to the audiobook so I didn't notice the writing structure too much. Being that it was a translated book, however, who is to say that the writing style was intentional or just a case of a translator's interpretation changing the schematics. In any case, I found this book to be an interesting read and it kept my attention. I did have a few questions/issues by the end of the book but I will leave that for future parts of the discussion.

As for the meat of the story, I found it an interesting depiction of what humans would succumb to after an outbreak of blindness. Nothing that anyone did actually surprised me and that was a very disturbing thought. Things disgusted me, angered me and made me sad, but nothing really surprised me. It was an all too real reminder that humans are just animals. Selfish animals. The book isn't fantasy, it is a foretelling of what could/would happen if a blindness epidemic actually occurred.

I found it very creative to leave the characters without names. I think there was a line in the book that said something to the effect of "without eyes, we are reduced to our voices". Also, the doctor's wife mentioned that names were no longer important a few times throughout the book. It was an interesting touch that added to the dehumanization theme in the book.

I agree with you, Ryan, that the characters felt real and not stylized. I don't think any of them had any special, or outstanding, characteristics. They all felt like they could be neighbors or any of the nameless faces that we see in the grocery store. I think that added to the disturbing nature of the story for me. These 'everyday people' were capable of atrocious things. Once again, not surprising, but definitely a disheartening reminder of the nature of animals.

A character that I am still turning over in my head, was the doctor's wife. Why didn't she go blind? Was she an allegory for an all-seeing being or a protective mother? Did the story just need a person with sight to bring all of the atrocities to light for the reader or did she serve a greater purpose in the story? I haven't decided yet. What did you guys think? I had heard the quote "We are who we are when nobody is watching" (forgive me if the quote isn't exact) while in college and it has always stuck with me. I try to take notice of how I act when I am alone and analyze if that is who I want to be. I have to check myself at times because it can bring forth the realization of personality characteristics that I don't like about myself and that I desire to change. I am unsuccessful in doing this more than I am successful and I actually try. I don't remember any of the characters being too concerned with their actions since they believed that they were no longer being watched by others. That says a lot about human nature and it is terrifying to really think about.

This book sounds interesting! I look forward to it. July 28th sounds good to me. :)

I also listened to the audiobook and agree with you both that the narrator did a good job adding a bit of Robin's personality to his storytelling. I also agree with you, Jordan, that the author's 'pat on the back' interview at the end was obnoxious. I didn't understand the point of it and wish I had not wasted time listening to it.

All in all, I enjoyed this book. I, too, rarely read biographies but I am glad that I read this one. I really enjoyed Robin Williams in his movies as a child. I agree that Hook deserved much more attention. It was my favorite movie of his as well. I like having had a glimpse into his personal life. It does, as you both put it, make him more real...more human. Perhaps I should read more biographies in the future.

It was interesting to me that he felt less than the grand persona that he was. I was surprised to learn that he didn't feel like he was a big deal. I am having a hard time putting what I want to say about this into words, so I apologize. It felt like he was constantly trying to prove himself when he was, in fact, doing what he wanted to do. He was bringing joy to people. Millions of people. It makes me a bit sad that he didn't see that as clearly as he could have. I wonder if the drugs had something to do with that or some childhood experience. It is possible that it was a combination of both.

I knew that he had committed suicide, but I didn't know about his illness diagnosis. After he died, people went crazy about his depression and how it ultimately killed him. I found it interesting that they found out that he didn't have Parkinson's after all and that it was Lewy body dementia, which I have never heard of. The fact that it increases the likelihood of depression and can cause delusions and/or hallucinations was interesting to me. It makes me sad for him that he could have really been suffering and/or terrified in his final days and that a correct diagnosis might have, at the very least, made his life a little less confusing and scary. Who knows what he was actually going through. I can only imagine how alone he felt.

The familial dispute after his death was also upsetting. We will never know how it actually went down, but assuming that the author's depiction of it was true, it seemed like a real mess. I felt bad for his children and the fact that they had to fight to get mementos of their father from his latest wife. Even though he had laid out his wishes in a will, she seemed to make it difficult for them. I don't pretend to understand her thought process on it, but it seemed as though she was not in it for the memories. Again, I don't know her true intentions so it is hard for me to comment on it. It is sad, though, that that kind of dispute happens all too often after a loved one passes.

I suppose the book was a bit of a downer for me, not because I didn't enjoy his story, but because it seemed like a mostly sad one for him.

Hahahaha! Nice one Ryan! May 12 works for me!

I second your response, Gretchen. Haha

Welcome, Amal! Thanks for choosing the next book! I haven't read anything by James Baldwin, either. I look forward to reading it. See you all in a couple of weeks! :)

Sorry for the delay in my response! Thanks, Gretchen! I had only heard of this book weeks before choosing it. It had great reviews about its' spookiness so I was intrigued. I am glad you enjoyed it. :)

There were both things I liked, and disliked, about this book. I didn't find it as spooky as I had anticipated. That may have been because I listened to the audiobook version of it while I was driving to and from work. Perhaps that took away some of the attention needed to increase the scare factor. That being said there were spooky elements to it.

I agree with you, Gretchen, that how the author left some mystery to the elementals added to the creep factor. I imagine that if it were made into a movie, the vagueness would allow for serious creative liberties to be taken and they could end up really terrifying.

I have to agree with you, Jordan, about the Luker/India characters. Their relationship was definitely an odd one. I'm not exactly sure where the author was going with creating them that way. I didn't particularly think it added anything important to the story. Did anyone think that the strangeness in their relationship was intentional for some reason that I am not getting?

Moving on to Odessa, I agree with both Gretchen and Jordan on that one. The racism was less than vague on the part of the author. Honestly, it turned me off from the story. I am surprised that you didn't find the racism in it, Ryan.

December 1 works for me!

Welcome to the group, Andrew!!

Hello, all! I had originally decided on this book for an October read but I will keep it as my pick to keep the creep factor alive just a bit longer. The book is The Elementals by Michael McDowell. I know nothing about this book or its author, so it will be a new experience.

Where to start, where to start?! This book was saturated. Saturated with drama, details, characters, everything. It would have been a good book with less, but I didn't mind the excessiveness of it in this book. I love a story rich in detail. I haven't read a lot of Stephen King, but I definitely plan to read more.

I genuinely don't know where to start. Forgive me if I get longwinded or bounce around. I will try to stay focused. haha

What stood out the most to me was how realistic it felt while being fantastical. I really appreciated that aspect of the writing. In fact, it is what makes me want to devour more of King's work. There were magic trees, an alternate mirrored universe, mind controlled rats, and even a talking fox, yet nothing felt that it couldn't be possible. I am new to the world of horror, but it felt more like fantasy to me. I understood the elements that were meant to make it feel like horror, such as moths flying out of Evie's mouth, the women attacking once woken, the eerie feeling of "Our Place", etc, and I felt like that could be a lot more intense as a movie, or television show, but it didn't cause me to blink as a book. I wonder if my feelings would have been different if I had read it rather than listened to the audiobook. I'm not sure. I know that other members of this group are more schooled in the horror field, how did it feel to you guys?

There was one thing about the violence of the women when their sleep was disturbed that I didn't quite understand. What was the point of it? If Evie's point to all of this was to prove the instability and violence of men, why were the women made to become violent? Ultimately, some of the men tried to spread the idea that the cocooned women were all dangerous and needed to be disposed of, causing a movement to burn them. Perhaps that was the goal? If so, it feels a bit weak. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

That leads me to the sexism.....oh, the sexism.... This book radiated sexism. Towards men, a little bit towards women, but mostly towards men. It was as though there was a survey of all things sexist and, in the end, every idea given was used. Women are the cooks and cleaners of the house, there were PMS references to anger in women, etc. Men are inherently violent, they can't do laundry or cook for themselves, etc...etc...etc...etc... oh etc.... I am all for bringing to light the need for more gender equality, but this was more or less a male bashing party.

One last thing I will mention in this post, as I could go on and on, I felt like the decision to leave "Our Place" was rushed and sloppy. The "discussion" among the women to decide whether or not to return to their lives in Dooling, didn't feel right. I couldn't quite put my finger on my exact thoughts about that, but I didn't buy it. Did anyone else feel that way? Or does anyone have opposing thoughts on that?

Ok, I will pause for now. I look forward to hearing everyone else's thoughts!

Sounds great!!

Welcome, Gretchen! I look forward to reading it!

It is hard to say too much without giving anything away, but the character archetypes were basically the same although the characters themselves had a few differences. Some physical, some personality, but nothing differed too much to make me feel like it was taking away from the book. One other difference is that in the book, I don't think they got off of the train at all, and in the movie they were able to go outside. I may be wrong, but I don't remember any time that they exited. Even though they were still stuck in a snow drift, the movie felt a little less claustrophobic in that regard.

As for which felt more interesting to me, it is hard to say. I was a lot less engaged with the book than I should have been since the movie was so fresh in my mind when reading it. It really took away from the experience. Right after Murder on the Orient Express, I read (listened to) Margaret Atwood's "Alias Grace" and am having a difficult time watching the show. It is the same feeling I had with this book. I think that I will space out the movie and book experiences a bit more in the future so that I can fully enjoy each and what they have to offer.

I have to admit that I had seen the movie prior to reading the book. Unfortunately, I think that really took away from my experience with the book. I found myself less intrigued about finding out who committed the murder. I think it would have been more enjoyable if I hadn't seen it and was able to follow along trying to figure out what had actually happened as the story progressed. There were a few differences, however, with the characters. I won't spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it. Poirot's personality was notably different in a few ways and I would be curious to hear others' opinions about if anyone else has seen the movie. Maybe in another thread.

I think I will read another book in this series so that I can experience the story without the backlog of information to affect it.

Not far off from you, Jordan, this book was probably my first "detective" book as an adult. It was a different experience from what I typically read so I enjoyed the change of pace. It was very reminiscent of the game Clue, which I loved as a child. This mystery, however, didn't just conclude with Col. Mustard in the library with a candlestick. There was so much evidence yet nothing seemed to fit. The story definitely kept you slightly confused about 'whodunit'. It wasn't as suspenseful as I had anticipated, but the calmness of Poirot and his investigation added a unique element. What did you guys think about the unexpected twist at the end? Also, were there any characters that you really enjoyed/despised?

Sounds great! I have been wanting to read that, Vinnita.