Reading the Chunksters discussion

So in Part 2 Maud tells her story. Please add your thoughts about it here.

Both Maud and Sue only know their mothers from what other people have told them. They are also the children of outsiders - a 'madwoman' and a murderess. How does this affect their perspectives and their relationship to each other?

Where do your sympathies lie at this point in the story?

Good question Pamela. But here I run into trouble... I finished the book (and returned it to the library) and I can't keep straight what happened when, so it's difficult for me to comment on specific sections of the book without risking spoilers.

Recalling best I can, at this stage I found it so interesting to switch gears and see the build up to events through Maud's eyes. This book is a good lesson in empathy and not jumping to conclusions about others' motivations. I was convinced Maud was quite evil at the end of Part 1, but here we learn of her horrible, suffocating and abusive childhood and life at Briar.

At this point, my sympathies were with both Maud and Sue, but very much against Mr. Lilly, who is utterly horrid.

You mean you didn't write extensive notes, catalogued by thread? Mr Lilly would not be impressed:)

I feel some sympathy for Maud after that childhood, she was trapped in an awful place. Hawtrey and Huss were so creepy too. Sue showed more qualms about the plot, but in the end she said nothing to warn Maud, while Maud seemed to block Sue out of her thoughts more.

I think there must have been some level at which Maud felt she would 'fix' things for Sue down the road - come back for her, etc. I just can't accept she resigned herself completely to the plot. It was shocking, though, that she didn't say anything at all to warn her.

I'm just on chapter 8... A few thoughts/shocks...did not see the switch coming and good grief I must have missed in earlier chapters the type of books they are cataloging - oh my! Something tells me I will
Be shocked quite s bit in this book! Thankful for the switch or turn of events as it was a bit of a slog to get through in Part 1.

I had assumed that Maud helped her uncle with classic literature or religious texts or something, but the nature of the work he has her do adds a layer of creepiness to him. Imagine getting your young niece to read aloud from and help cataloguing books about bestiality or what not - that is very twisted. But then again, mr Lilly seems like a thoroughly mean and selfish person.

I suspected the nature of the books, but I think it gives another angle to the idea that there is so much hidden under the surface with Maud. Her attitude to her mother's portrait was a twist I hadn't expected, I thought she revered her dead mother, but another reminder that things are not what they seem here. So anything could happen!

Pamela wrote: "I suspected the nature of the books, but I think it gives another angle to the idea that there is so much hidden under the surface with Maud. Her attitude to her mother's portrait was a twist I had..."

I had no idea about the creepy books! No wonder there was a brass hand on the floor indicating where not to go further! I found it fascinating that Maud had such a clinical disinterest in the subject matter, I suppose from overexposure!

Learning about Maud was strange. Initially I had thought her spoiled but lonely, and now we learn of her true background, and see why she is 'fierce and snappish.' Has she been broken as her uncle wished her to be?

This definitely took a turn more into erotica than I had expected. Somehow, I find Maud's "voice" more irritating that Sue's, I'm not connecting with her as much. I think partly because the plot just doesn't make sense to me; doing it the way he planned with Sue, Richard got nearly the entire fortune, minus the $3k or so he'd promised to Sue. But with Maud, he only gets half. Why go that route? Why does that work out better? Or is it just a clever way of getting them BOTH out of the picture so he can have it all and no witnesses, by the end? I think the latter is more likely. We haven't seen all of his scheming yet, I feel.

Boy, her uncle is something else. What a twisted, bizarre creature! It's a wonder Maud hasn't been physically sold to one of his friends for their pleasure before now... although I suppose he has sold her by making her read all of this aloud to them?

I'm curious where the story is going, but I have to admit, this section moved a lot slower and was much less engaging to me. Hopefully it picks up a bit.

Alana wrote: "This definitely took a turn more into erotica than I had expected. Somehow, I find Maud's "voice" more irritating that Sue's, I'm not connecting with her as much. I think partly because the plot ju..."

didn't it? It really made me wonder about Waters' other books. And I was curious about the intention there, was the author trying to be exploratory, was she making a point, were the characters really in a passionate situation or not? I can't comment TOO much at this stage on the division of the fortune... because..... because there are OTHER things that you do not know yet! ha ha!

The uncle... ew ew and ew. It's a good point that Maud seems protected and innocent despite his depravity! I wonder what his feelings are towards her, does he view her as if he was his child, or a servant? The plot does thicken Alana so stay tuned!

Well, I kind of imagine the author is giving us a more "real" picture of life in Dickens' world... the language and the people weren't always so neat and tidy. I'm sure Dickens might have written them that way, if censorship wasn't involved, though. I'm sure plenty of things went on that our Victorian authors would never have tried to write about, so maybe Waters is just giving us the "real" side of things.

Or maybe she just wants to write Victorian erotica.

Lol, the latter is probably more likely, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

But yes, I'm sure it picks up. I'm enjoying it, the last section was just kind of slow. If I wasn't listening to it, I probably would have skimmed some of the pages.

I can't imagine listening to it! I would probably blush!

I bet you are right about the seamy side of the victorian era, and I do think she did a lot of preliminary research. The beginning sections about the petty thieving and reselling was spot on, I imagine. I also found the discussions about people being 'mad' throughout the book interesting and probably accurate for the era. I imagine that many people with various unrelated conditions were probably categorized as 'mad' and 'stored' in some type of institution.

Oh, indeed! Women who enjoyed sex were considered deranged and could get locked up for it! Bizarre stuff, in that era.

Lol, it was a little odd when some of the scenes played out while I was listening at work! I know no one can hear my headphones, but I can't help but turn it down so low I can barely hear it myself, for fear that my boss will overhear something so risque while at my desk!

They were totally looking at you Alana. They knew. You dirty birdie.

lol!

My kids asked what I was reading. I said, Oh, you know, nothing. Not my usual response!

Dianne wrote: "My kids asked what I was reading. I said, Oh, you know, nothing. Not my usual response!"

Ha! Totally busted. That reminds me of how painfully transparent kids are when they're doing something they shouldn't and you say "What are you doing?"

As an adult you're supposed to be smoother than that, Dianne ;)