Tara's English Blog

As I have just finished the last section of my book, so many things have happened. Some were surprising things and some were not. The book was not the worst book I have ever read, especially considering how the beginning was.

Two common themes within the book that were portrayed throughout the book were to keep going even if you think you will fail. Multiple situations have shown that which will most likely be talked about later. Another theme was to do what makes you happy, even if that means cutting people off. That was one of the biggest themes within the book, which will also probably be talked about later. All themes within the book could be taken literally and into the real world. Trying again and again results in success. Success also means to do what truly makes you happy and to truly find yourself. Doing what makes you happy means taking risks as well. Nothing will work out in the long run if you do not do what’s best for you. Not for others.

I will give a summary of the book to make the post make a little bit more sense, in case some have some questions of course. If you really do not feel like reading about the book, or if you want to read the book, definitely skip a couple of paragraphs. Which would be the next 4 paragraphs.

David and Norah are happily married and successful with a happy life. She then became pregnant, with twins. There was a catch though. One of the twins had come out with Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome back then was not something people liked to talk about or deal with. It was something that they had felt was embarrassing to the point that they had given their children away.

A similar situation had taken place with Phoebe, the daughter who was born with Down Syndrome. She was taken by a nurse, named Caroline, who was supposed to take her to an institution. She never did, instead, she raised Phoebe. David had told Norah that Phoebe had passed. She did not know she was still alive until David passed, decades later.

^This picture is what makes me think of Caroline and Phoebe, as Caroline took Phoebe in when she did not need to.

Once she found out she was shocked. Later, though, she came to her senses and saw Phoebe. She reminded her a lot of Paul, and Paul saw himself within her too. Paul is the normal brother, as to what Norah soon referred him to. They later built a semi-decent relationship with one another, and they all became content with their lives.

Once Norah had found out David passed, she went on to marry another guy. He was not really within the book much, which was kind of boring, to be honest. Along with Paul’s girlfriend, who sounded like a huge drama queen. She was arguing with him about the fact he brought up marriage and then she wanted to talk about children, like slow your roll. You are not even married yet lol. Which nothing is wrong with having children before marriage, but Paul wants to wait. I hope Paul comes to his senses in the future. Al, Caroline’s husband, was still in the picture. It turns out, he was not a creepy guy. He was one to turn out to be a good guy. I know was kind of in shock, to be honest. I don’t know, maybe it is just me but the people to just show up and be extremely nice to people they have never met before is kind of weird to me.

My favorite character within the book I would say is Caroline. She was super strong-witted and never failed to stop providing for Phoebe, even if times were tough for her. She did what was best for not only herself but for Phoebe as well. She is so selfless and it is so admiring. I think more people should act like Caroline. Maybe the world would be a better place then. That is definitely too much to ask for but maybe there is hope?

If I were to tell someone about this book, rather than giving them a huge summary, I would tell them that is a pretty slow-paced book up until the end. Nothing is solved until the last couple of chapters of the book. Some people within the book will definitely surprise you. Which is normal with all things.

^This is what I feel lthe book is like when it drags on. Definitely want to be the rabbit in that given moment.

Overall I would give the book a solid 5/10. It was not the worst book I have read but I definitely was not eager to read it all the time. How was I supposed to know I would not like it much if I did not read it, and sometimes you just have to read what is given to you. If you like a slow-paced, historical, mystery book, definitely give it a try.

This latest section has been the shortest section I have read, partly because I almost forgot but hey it’s done right? Since the section was so little not much has really happened.

The theme has gotten quite abstract compared to what I thought it was, there is definitely more than one theme. Another theme that could be taken into the theme is that people hide their emotions all the time, similar to a person wearing a mask. It is also a theme that can be taken into the real world. Everyone fights their own battles. Everyone was also raised differently from one another, similar to Paul and Phoebe.

Paul still thinks Phoebe is dead, even though she is living a somewhat normal life compared to Paul. Paul is now in the ripe stages of ‘girlhood’. He is all over women and is very curious. Seeing he has his new girlfriend, all he wants to do is hang out with her. His friends call her jail bait as if he was really going to marry her in the long run. I can not really assume though because of my luck, he will prove me wrong.

One major thing that has happened within the short section is with David. David had disappeared for three days without telling anyone. Because he left with no warning, people began to worry sick about him. People mean Paul and his wife. I don’t blame them though, I would be worried sick. They even filed a police report on him because they thought he was dead.

^Picture of what I feel like the police report would potentially look like

He then came back though. Normally. Walked in the house like nothing happened, he had to be crazy.. or there was a deeper meaning behind it. He brought a girl with him also, back from wherever he had gone. She is pregnant. David’s wife is upset because she does not know who the woman is and does not want guests in her house.

Later to find out that David had gone to his childhood home and ran into the pregnant lady and took her in. I wonder why he does not talk much about his childhood? Why did he not want her living there?

Nothing much has happened with Phoebe either. She has begun to talk, walk, learn how to read, write, and do some things all by herself. As of now, they are still fighting for her to go to school. I think in the end, she will be able to go to school. It will just take a lot of time and effort.

Al is still disagreeing about where he and Caroline will be in the future. She is too attached to Pheobe which will turn out to be bad for her. She has become too attached because of her past, which does make sense.

I wonder of Caroline will end things with Al? I wonder if Phoebe will ever be treated normally? I wonder if Paul will make the right decisions based on women? I wonder if David will do the right thing about the women in his house? I wonder why David really left for three days? There are so many wonders that go on in the story, and I hope in this last section that they all will be answered. It is a hefty section, after all, I am hopeful this ending of the book will not be disappointing.

^How I hope to see myself within the last section of the book. Only because it is a long section and it is the end of the book. SO hopeful.

This latest section has not been too good. Not much has really taken place since the last section. I did figure out that Al and Caroline are in fact married, but Al doesn’t live with her.. kinda weird if you ask me. If they are married wouldn’t they live together? Isn’t it normal to live together or was that like something popular back then.. I would assume not.

One thing that was in fact new with this last section was that David wants to actually meet Phoebe. Caroline had received a letter about it, and she could not stop thinking about it so she had to talk to someone. She has not told Al why she truly has Phoebe, he still thinks she was stranded at the grocery store and needed a ride home, back to her apartment.

She told him and he was not surprised at all. He was not mad either, which I personally would have been. That is a pretty big secret to be kept, especially about a child that is not even yours. She still has not said anything to him, to David, I should say. Al also brought up the topic of moving, and that Phoebe is growing up.

How I think Caroline is reacting, but more sad like when talking about Phoebe. Al is probably happy, but he doesn’t know the whole story of Phoebe so can you really blame him?

Caroline does not want to talk about it, personally I think it is because she does not want to be alone. Growing up with Caroline I am sure is nice, but through Caroline’s eyes, it would be miserable because she knows deep down that Phoebe is growing up and will not be little much longer, even if she has developed slower than the others.

One theme that I think is shown through this book so far is to do the right thing, even if some people may think it is wrong. All the time, people assume that people are always judging. It should not be the case, but it is. Doing the right thing is something that can be harder, than not doing the right thing. Caroline taking Phoebe into her own hands is something that relates to the potential theme in the book. This specific potential theme also brings some wonders to my mind too. How is Caroline really feeling with Phoebe? What was she thinking when she took her away from the institution, instead of the fact that it looked scary?

How I think the author looks when trying to show her theme throughout the book.

The author’s writing style is interesting. She uses mostly description words and non-dialog. If there is dialog, it is minimal. I think she might do that to get the reader to imagine what is going on and think like specific characters. If the reader can do that, maybe the book will be more enjoyable.

I hope this next section brings some entertainment to the table. I am getting tired of reading more descriptions, yes it is important but it is so boring. I hope Al is a huge plot twist because that would definitely make the book more interesting. I hope Phoebe finds out about Paul also. I also hope that David’s wife is caught, in person. David should just talk to her about her wrongdoings anyway.

As I have continued to read the book, it has gotten better since the very beginning. As of right now, I am over halfway through the book. The book has definitely picked up since I first began to read it. There have been some shockers that I have read in this last section. I am sure some shockers that would surprise the common person if they just heard of a person doing the actions any characters have done within this recent section.

Let’s just start off with the kicker of Al, the weird trucker guy, dating Caroline. That is crazy, she barely knows this guy. They also are getting married as well. SO crazy. It has brought me many wonders. Does he love her? Does she love him? How is even able to see her all the time, since he’s always on the road? Does he have another life?

^How I feel about Al, I feel like he has another life somewhere else. Definitely could.

I mean, I like that she is finally happy and that Phoebe has a father figure within her life, but something does not feel right at all. ‘

On another note, Phoebe is doing very well with her skills, she has Down syndrome so it has taken her longer to do things that other children can do. Caroline has even gone to the higher courts to fight for the right for education for Phoebe, yay Caroline! It also brings me some wonders about that as well, if she is not on the birth certificate, can she fight or bring her to school if she is not technically her guardian? Will Henry ever find out? I wonder if Paul and Phoebe will end up going to the same school?

The biggest shocker in this section is that Norah had cheated on Henry with a guy named Howard. Not the best name but besides the point, shes married and has children, one she does not know about. The best part is, that Henry walked past his cottage on the ocean and saw her clothes on the beach! Crazy. Paul has been acting up to so Henry wonders if Paul knows. Later to find out, he does Henry does not want to confront her however.. wonder why.. maybe because of Phoebe.

Hopefully, the next section will bring some answers that the last section brought up, meaning the problems. I hope that Paul is not affected too much by Henry and Norah. I am glad I have continued to read this book because it has gotten so much better. Hopefully, it continues to be good though. I hope they both find out about each of their dark secrets. I also hope that Caroline does not die because of that Al dude. Overall, I am just excited to see what happens in the next section.

As I just finished up the latest section of my book, I have become bored with what I have been reading. Similar to the beginning, there is a lot of description involving new and old characters. There is one character that was introduced, who I have mixed feelings about. I think everyone in the book also has mixed feelings about him, his name is Mark. Even his girlfriend, which is kind of comical.

Not too much has happened either. Yes, David Henry’s wife still does not know about Phoebe. No, Caroline has not told her. No, Phoebe has not passed away. Yes, Caroline moved and got a new job that is completely out of her normal field of nursing. No, Phoebe has not started to talk.
One thing that did surprise me was the trucker guy who brought Caroline and Phoebe back to their apartment. He went and found Caroline. She was utterly surprised, which is something I am sure everyone would be surprised about.

^How I feel towards the trucker, maybe he could kill her and take Phoebe.. that would be crazy!

It started to make me think though. How did he find her? How did he know where she lived, besides her vehicle? How did he know she was not working as a nurse anymore?

There are a lot of mysteries that need to be solved like right now, before I lose my brain cells. I don’t know, my book is like a roller coaster. Some parts are way better than others. Some parts make me want to go to sleep, which is probably typical for everyone. I hope this next section I read is better than the previous one and I have a feeling it will be.

As I first began to read my book it was awful. For the first 50 pages or so it was all descriptions. There is nothing wrong with that, but man it was boring. After reading the second section of my book, it was great. The drama started to become a thing and so did minimal action. Many thoughts surrounded my head while I was reading this section of my book, mostly shocking reactions. As I was reading, I could not believe some of the actions that had taken place or the kind of people that these people were. I was judging so harshly. Then I thought. What if that was their only option? What is that was their way of life? What if they did not know better? All of these questions were floating through my head and I could not help but keep wondering.

In the second section of the book, a couple things have happened. The Henry family had a funeral. For their daughter. That is still alive. David Henry has yet to tell his wife that her daughter, Phoebe is still alive but has Down Syndrome. Back then, babies who were born with Down Syndrome were considered to be dead babies. The general people thought that they were babies who could not be helped, so many of them were sent to an institution.

Along with that, the nurse who delivered the babies, Paul and Phoebe, was a girl named Caroline. She had taken Phoebe. The Henrys had not known that until Caroline wrote David Henry a letter saying so. She also attended Phoebe’s funeral. She left her apartment in Lexington and moved to Philadelphia. Before that, however, she met a guy named Cal. They had hit it off and it left me wondering, along with many other things in this section.

Will David ever tell his wife her daughter is still alive? Will Caroline tell Cal that Phoebe is not truly hers? Is David having an affair? Is Cal the sweet guy he is portrayed to be? Will Phoebe and Paul ever meet each other? The list goes on…

This section of the book definitely was an improvement to the first. Like I said, it left me with a lot of questions. Some of the events that take place can be related to the real world as well. I’m excited to see how the book continues to be.

The book I am currently reading is not too good. I am hopeful once I am deeper into the book, however, it will get better. Like I said earlier, I like action-packed, dramatic books. So far, this book has not been action-packed at all. The one thing I do like about it so far though is the detailing of each character within the book. The more detail about a character, in general, the more you can understand their intentions. I should give the book more grace, there are some action parts at the beginning of the book, it has to do with giving birth. I know everyone has their own opinions on what they think giving birth is like, but Caroline thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world. I have never thought someone could be so passionate about their pregnancy journey or giving birth.

There are always two sides to every story, however. Her husband wants her birth to be perfect and to have a picture-perfect baby. Little does he know there are two babies, and they are not picture-perfect. So far, I feel as if her husband is more worried about his appearance than the health of his two children. This particular part has reminded me of The Crucible.

This is how I think her husband feels anytime someone disagrees with his point of view on any given topic. I also think that is how he reacts when someone is looking at him in a way he does not like.

One major question I have so far, is why is it a big deal to have twins back then? Is it because it was in the 1600’s? Was it not common? I believe that Caroline’s husband is going to cause some hardships later on in the book because of his passion for his appearance.

The book I chose is The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards. I chose this book because it sounds interesting. I am more of a person who likes action-packed, drama-filled books. Realistic fiction is my kind of book. Instead of choosing a realistic fiction book, I decided to pick up a mystery book. Normally to me, mystery books are boring. I have only read a couple of mystery books, so I have to be optimistic. I’m hopeful this book is good. I do not want it to be boring, but the summary of what it’s about sounds good, so I am hopeful.

Sleeping Teen= me when I read any sort of mystery book

I decided to read a book on my own. I feel if I had read the book with someone else, I would feel pressured to match their understanding of the book. I also do not want to discuss this with others. I am excited to read this book, I am trying to be optimistic. I am excited to write as if I am texting a friend, instead of writing academically on this blog post. I feel more comfortable this way. I also am aware I am a procrastinator, so I hope the book is good. If it is I will be willing to read it more and want to know more and more about the book.

This piece, “The Very Brief Relation of the Devastation of the Indies”, relates tremendously to the cultural encounters and frontiers. Cultural Encounters happen all the time, and it happens more than people think. The way children are raised today is different than the children that were raised a hundred years ago. New things are discovered, both good and bad. As De Las Casas talked about his encounters and relationship with the Spaniards, he brought out the cultural encounters. In the early 1500s, Christians were labeled as terrible people, “… be destroyed and depopulated by the Christians,” (Page 89). De Las Casas referred to the killings of thousands upon thousands of innocent Native Americans. He grew up killing Native Americans and bringing them into the Slave Trade. Once he got older, however, he realized that it was not the life he had wanted and it truly was not Christian, which brings back the cultural encounters. Growing up on something that a person does not know anything different about, can be something easy to understand, but once a person is older and figures out what they were being raised on, it will not be so easy to understand. Overall, the piece brought up numerous points in the reading about cultural encounters. Everyone is raised differently, regardless of the year, their parents, religion, or race.

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