Catching Up on Recaps

Wow...I really dropped the ball with the blog, huh?

Year of Wonders:
The general consensus is that the story was really enjoyable. The tone was pleasing, the true story inspiring it was very interesting, and the characters created a lot of thought. Human nature really came through in the story. People fear the unknown and try to force things into making sense. Others will find a way to benefit from the tragedies and fear of others. We become closer to those who experience similar tragedies.

As far as the true story goes, we were amazed at the willingness of the people in this village to risk sacrifice to themselves as opposed to spreading the plague to many others. It was the lesser of two evils, and it is very pragmatic, but it was an ultimately selfless act. It is bound to test people and change them in many ways. Anna becomes more independent and self-reliant. She finds an inner strength. The reverend questions his faith, to the point of abandoning it for a while. His wife, the one character with an interesting past, finds penance in her service to others.

The disagreement came with the story's ending. It feels "thrown in" as an attempt to sum up the situation. Some felt that it was an unrealistic ending, others felt it was too "tied up." We all agreed that the book isn't about the ending, so it's easy to overlook. However, it did show how Anna refused to go back to the person she was. She found a pragmatic way to practice midwifery and provide for her child. It was certainly a way that is foreign to western culture, but it shows how completely she's turned her back on who she used to be.

All-in-all, a good read.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie:
There was some disagreement over the unrealistic smartness of Flavia. I think we came to agree that the book itself is supposed to be a bit humorous with silly caricatures and odd situations, so realism wasn't the goal. She certainly is a delightful character. It was interesting how her investigation and the official investigation eventually collide, even though they'd been following different paths. Hers was very scientific, almost modern, while the official team's path was more concrete. Of course, the official investigation was more professional. She took some turns that were a bit childish and "the long way," but she still made her way through her tenacity.

This will be a series, and some were interested in the next books, others, not so much. However, we thought it would be popular among young mystery fans. Most of us knew a tween or teen that would enjoy this book.

We appreciated the random history facts about the beginning stages of postage stamps. It was interesting and something that we didn't have previous background knowledge about.

Brave Story:
We agreed that the first two hundred pages needed to be about 50. We didn't need that much information to understand the background. The quest part of the story was interesting and we liked the psychological aspects of it.

• Good and evil are within all of us. We can't ignore this and separate one from the other, but accept and control the evil within us.
• We are in control of our own destinies. We can't control what happens to us, but we can choose how we respond to it. We were glad that this was the ultimate moral to the story
• Our own actions have consequences to others. Wataru's dad's actions caused suffering to Wataru. Mitsuru's actions caused much suffering to many people in Vision.

Several cultural things were interesting to read about: things like cram school and the way that Wataru's mother felt it was most appropriate to cater to the will of her husband rather than be her own person. On this last one, we wondered whether this is something that is usual in Japanese culture or if her behavior is atypical. It was interesting to see that bullies happen in Japan, too. Bumps in social development create the need to bully others, regardless of culture.

We felt the secondary characters were interesting and well developed. Each offered support in his/her own way, and they all helped keep Wataru focused on his goal and create his path to that goal. They did show what real friends should be relied upon to do. They support him when he needs it and they redirect him when he veers off course. While these secondary characters were definitely friends, they also served as parental figures.

The "cameos" of real world people in Vision were also unique. We were surprised at how Mitsuru could use the image of his aunt in the way that he did, even when he felt justified.