The River Wife chapters 8-14

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The River Wife chapters 8-14

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1jfetting
març 15, 2009, 8:09 pm

I am disappointed that Agee didn't write about the immediate aftermath of the dogfight and Jula's death (I kinda wanted to see Jacques go after Ford with a shotgun or something).

Overall, I thought that these chapters were just as compulsively readable as the first 7. Annie is such a well-drawn character, IMO. She drives me a little crazy (why doesn't she leave Jacques? Why does she still love him?) but her behavior is so right for the character, and if Agee wrote her the way I want her to behave I probably wouldn't like the book as much. The bit with Audubon was random, wasn't it?

2sjmccreary
Editat: març 16, 2009, 12:43 am

"compulsively readable" - that's it, exactly. If anything, I think they went faster than the first set.

Audubon was pretty odd. Is this episode consistent with the historical character - does anyone know?

I liked getting to know Heidi a little bit. Her relationship with Clement seems to be a shadow of Annie and Jacques - very hot and cold in the early days, I wonder if she will also turn away from him later? And the baby - was it stillborn, or did it die from exposure/neglect after Heidi passed out? That was almost more sad than when Jula died. The horses - Cat being a decendent of one of the farm's mares. I guess the next section will explain about that part of the history.

It looks like we're going to move on to the next generation in chapter 9, so I expect we've heard the last of Annie. I was glad that the book didn't continue being so grim as it was in the first chapters.

ETA - the problem with reading books set in familiar locations - I was reading along, enjoying the part about Heidi's background when I was jolted back to reality by her statement that "I was in college in Warrensburg" (pg 181). UCM in Warrensburg is one of the schools my daughter is considering for next year. It's not one you ever hear mentioned away from here - it's only about 30 miles away and a lot of KC area kids go there. Then I got to thinking about the story about her parents (pg 169) when her father was waiting at the train station when her mother got off in Coal Camp, and I wonder if she made this up, or if she was talking about a town called Cole Camp about 15 miles south of Sedalia, and 30 miles SE of Warrensburg.

3Donna828
març 16, 2009, 11:07 am

I don't think I'm liking this book as well as the two of you; however, I am still hanging in there with it. There is definitely a parallel story going on here, and Hedie seems to be just as incapable of leaving her charming scoundrel of a husband as Annie was. Those Ducharme men seem to be real Casanovas. Jacques, in particular, has the "chick magnet" allure combined with the Fountain of Youth.

Regarding Audubon, I just remember him as a real enigma. He painted his birds with such life, but had to kill them in order to get the details so perfect. I suppose he could have "met" Annie as the timing is about right and he was a bit of a wanderer; however, it annoys me when authors do this sort of "name dropping" in the course of a fictitious work.

I think the real reason that I am not taken by this book is the dramatic writing style. One example was on Page 156: Jacques to Annie: "You are never to address me again." Then..."She was ruined." Sorry to be so negative. It's a very gloomy Monday morning here. I'll read more when the sun comes out!

4beckylynn
març 16, 2009, 7:32 pm

Okay, so I'm still in the dark about what Clement is doing. It's pretty obvious that it's shady, but I just cannot pin point it. Am I blind?
I'm really enjoying the book, but I'm having problems with it. There are so many different characters and they all interchange so it's making my head spin a little.

5sjmccreary
març 16, 2009, 11:04 pm

I don't think we know yet exactly what Clement is doing. My guess is rum running. He carries a gun, works at night, and makes a lot of money. Any other ideas?

6Donna828
març 17, 2009, 9:43 am

>5 sjmccreary:: I agree with you, Sandy. There's a pretty good clue on Page 160 in one of the late night phone conversations when Hedie overheard Clement say..."What do you mean? It was twelve cases..." before he left the house. Or maybe it was a red herring? One of the reasons I am staying with this book is to clear up some of these little mysteries.

7beckylynn
març 18, 2009, 7:43 pm

See? I'm so glad we're reading this book as a group. I'm heading into Chapter 23 right now, and it seems like I have more questions the longer the book goes on, instead of it answering the ones I already have...

I'm so missing the character of Annie, I really wish she would have stayed throughout! I'd like to read a book just on her. I got the impression at the begining of the book that's who it was going to be about...

8jfetting
març 18, 2009, 7:50 pm

I miss Annie, too! I still want to know more about Jacques and just what exactly he and that servant girl were up to, keeping him all young. That came out wrong (but I'm leaving it in b/c its kinda funny, and so the sort of thing that pops out of my mouth all the time and gets me in trouble in real life)! What I meant was what kind of black magic was involved, and Dealie, and whatnot.

Clement is making me angry with him. That scene in Hot Springs, where Hedie encountered one of Clement's ladies made me feel so badly for her - but I like how Hedie is just unreliable enough a narrator to make me forget what kind of jerk Clement is sometimes.

9tloeffler
març 19, 2009, 12:31 am

I am also finding the book "compulsively readable," although I do agree with Donna that I hate that kind of name-dropping (re: Audubon) in a fiction book. It was particularly odd, because really, there was nothing specific that made it HAVE to be Audubon as opposed to some fictional character. Maybe it's so readable because I want to get to the next part in a hurry because I have so many unanswered questions!

10sjmccreary
març 19, 2009, 11:52 am

My book is due back next week, so I'm going to go ahead to the next part - sounds like Becky already has! ;-) For Monday?

11beckylynn
març 19, 2009, 7:41 pm

I was so angry at Hedie after the Hot Springs Scene for not confronting Clement. Instead she was just like 'well she doesn't know what I'll do to keep my husband'. I just don't feel like the female characters are portrayed as smart or strong...
jfetting- I'm with you I want to know what is keeping Jacques so young. I'm thinking something a tad bit supernatural is going on here...

12sjmccreary
març 19, 2009, 8:50 pm

Do you think it will be revealed later, even though Jacques and Annie are gone?

13beckylynn
març 20, 2009, 2:35 pm

I hope so, if not this book is going to drive me crazy! How far along are you sjmccreary?

14sjmccreary
març 21, 2009, 12:46 am

I'm up to about chp 18. This part is pretty different from the 1st part - I'm still a little confused. Planning to finish up part 2 tomorrow, and maybe go on to part 3.

15beckylynn
març 21, 2009, 9:15 am

I'm almost finished- and the confusion just get's worse the longer the book goes on. Like I said, I'm so glad I'm reading this with a group!

16sjmccreary
març 22, 2009, 2:45 pm

AAK! I didn't need to know that. If it weren't for this group, I'd have given this book up already. Still going to try to finish in the next couple of days. The book is due back on the 24th, and I don't want to renew.

17Donna828
març 22, 2009, 3:56 pm

Yup, the only reason I hung in there with this one is for our group. When one member drops out of a small group, it has an impact on morale. My morale has improved since I finished the book and moved on. :-)

18sjmccreary
març 22, 2009, 5:17 pm

Donna, are you already done? I need to pick up the pace.

19tloeffler
març 22, 2009, 10:15 pm

I've been stopping at whatever chapter we're discussing to avoid spoiling (I have a bad habit of forgetting which parts belong where!). Maybe I'll go ahead and finish it. It's almost too confusing to read in bits and pieces--too many incidental characters!

20beckylynn
març 23, 2009, 5:54 pm

I've finished and feel unsatisfied. There was so much potential here!!! What happened?