First of all, I hope you all enjoyed this book as much as I did. I read it for the first time a few years ago, and luckily it had been long enough that I had forgotten all the details.
One of the things I really loved about this book were the characters. They were all completely unique and, even within families, had very little in common. This caused most of the drama during the game. So what I want to know is: Who was your favorite character? And why do you think the different pairs were grouped as they were?
My favorite character was Turtle, probably because she seemed to be the underdog in many ways, but refused to fill that position. She was also keenly aware of things that were going on, mainly because she was perceptive, but partially because everyone took her for granted since she was the only child in the building. Even though she was practically nonexhistent to her mother, she made the most of her situation. I also love how she eventually found a "mother figure" in Mrs. Baumbach. And how can you forget how she protected her sister?
As for the pairings, I love how skillfuly Westing chose them. At first they seemed terribly odd, but as the book went on, each person was paired with someone who helped them somehow. Even in pairing himself with the judge, it was a chance to help (as well as keep track of her). He allowed her to finally pay him back, and had the chance to spend time with her, whom he had been close to when she was younger.
It was also interesting to see how Westing seemed to move the players around like they were pawns in a chess game - setting up each part, even down to "sacrificing the queen" at the very end. Did you feel like you had figured it out, or did you discover the answer along with the charactres?
Even though I usually figure things out beforehand, most of the story I discovered as it unfolded, and not any earlier, which just showed how amazing Ellen Raskin's writing is.
Lastly, who do you think Westing wanted to win, and why?
I think he wanted Turtle to win all along. He was her friend, as Sandy, like nobody else was for her. I think he saw some of himself in her. I also think it is interesting that the winner was one of the few actually related to him :).
I hope you all enjoyed this book as much as I did. I can't wait to hear what you think of it!!
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2 comments:
My favorite character was Angela. I love how she struggled through the book to find out who she really was and how it bothered her that no one thought she was anything else, and could be nothing else than Dr. D's fiance.
I never gave much thought to the pairings, so I don't have an opinion on that really.
I had read the book as a child and I tried in vain to remember what happened. I knew the clues were from 'America', but other than that, I figured it out when Turtle did. The author did s great job of setting everything up and keeping crucial information secret til she wanted it to be revealed.
He wanted Turtle to win. I agree with Lisa that he saw some of himself in her, but also b/c Sandy kept telling her that she would figure it out or win this thing yet, etc.
I enjoyed this book, thanks for suggesting it Lisa.
I just got the book Saturday (no thanks to the public library hold system) and I'm ALMOST done....I will post my thoughts later this week.
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