Chapters Ten through Twelve

[KxBurns]

My, the word "loser" is being bandied about quite a bit on this thread! 

I understand the contempt for Tuck; a little less so the disdain for Curtis. I don't think Curtis mistreats Emily as badly as Tuck mistreats Lil. In a way, Curtis ends up hurting Emily because he's trying to do the right thing by his wife -- the opposite of Tuck. And I don't believe Curtis recognizes the untenability of the situation until Emily reaches her breaking point with him.

Are -- or aren't -- these two characters simply individuals struggling to achieve their ambitions, with varying degrees of success, just like the other characters in the book?

[maude40]

I think Emily has matured so much because she has had to become responsible for Clara, much as a parent would have. She is actually taking the burden off her parents, who are fed up with  worrying about Clara. She really cares about her family and she feels she is the only one who can stand up and take charge, even if it is over whelming her. Yvonne

[maude40]

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KxBurns wrote:

My, the word "loser" is being bandied about quite a bit on this thread! 

I understand the contempt for Tuck; a little less so the disdain for Curtis. I don't think Curtis mistreats Emily as badly as Tuck mistreats Lil. In a way, Curtis ends up hurting Emily because he's trying to do the right thing by his wife -- the opposite of Tuck. And I don't believe Curtis recognizes the untenability of the situation until Emily reaches her breaking point with him.

Are -- or aren't -- these two characters simply individuals struggling to achieve their ambitions, with varying degrees of success, just like the other characters in the book?

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I think the word loser mostly comes from the fact that both these men are  cheating on their wives. True, Curtis was separated from his but he should have ended the marriage before jumping into the next affair. Yvonne

[Tarri]

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KxBurns wrote:

My, the word "loser" is being bandied about quite a bit on this thread! 

I understand the contempt for Tuck; a little less so the disdain for Curtis. I don't think Curtis mistreats Emily as badly as Tuck mistreats Lil. In a way, Curtis ends up hurting Emily because he's trying to do the right thing by his wife -- the opposite of Tuck. And I don't believe Curtis recognizes the untenability of the situation until Emily reaches her breaking point with him.

Are -- or aren't -- these two characters simply individuals struggling to achieve their ambitions, with varying degrees of success, just like the other characters in the book?

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Karen, I don't think Curtis was a loser.  He was young and if Emily had been more clear about her expectations from their relationship, he could have been more honest about where he was going. 

Tuck and Caitlin were losers and users, in my opinion.  Tuck's only ambition, that I could see, was that he wanted people who would tell him constantly how wonderful he was.  

[C-c-a]

Sadie's pregnancy was a surprise. I think she was very nonchalant in dealing with her pregancy.

I believe Lil was jealous of Sadie. I think she wanted to be pregnant first.

I just finished Chapter 12 last night and it was my favorite chapter by far. Emily has had so much on her plate. First, there is Curtis and his relationship with Amy. Next is Clara and all of her problems. I do not feel the group was much help to Emily and her decisions with Clara. I think they wanted Emily to walk away and not feel so obligated to care for Clara. I believe the group as a whole has a hard time dealing with problems.

I am not yet sure where the author is headed with this story. It almost seems like a book of short stories rather than a complete novel involving all of these characters

[aprilh]

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KxBurns wrote:

My, the word "loser" is being bandied about quite a bit on this thread! 

I understand the contempt for Tuck; a little less so the disdain for Curtis. I don't think Curtis mistreats Emily as badly as Tuck mistreats Lil. In a way, Curtis ends up hurting Emily because he's trying to do the right thing by his wife -- the opposite of Tuck. And I don't believe Curtis recognizes the untenability of the situation until Emily reaches her breaking point with him.

Are -- or aren't -- these two characters simply individuals struggling to achieve their ambitions, with varying degrees of success, just like the other characters in the book?

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I think Curtis is getting a bad wrap. He seemed more ambitious than any of the other guys in the novel (excluding Tal). When Emily and Curtis first started dating, I got the impression that she didn't really care that he was already married. I felt that they never had a real conversation about what they wanted out of the relationship. Emily was smart though for standing up to Curtis and telling him what she really wanted. I think Curtis would have strung along both Emily and Amy so he wouldn't have to hurt either one of them.

[gmfuhlman]

I have been trying really hard to get into this book and I agree with you.  It is really very hard to follow.   But I keep trying to finish this book.  I have read a lot of the other people on this site and I must be missing some thing.  I read what Joanna said and when she was on I tried to asked her a few question I guess I was to slow in my response.  Any way I am almost finish and this is the first look book I just can't get into.

[Readingrat]

I agree with the other posts I have read in that I really enjoyed Emily's story the most.  I was also enjoying Sadie's story but, once again, the story was cut off prematurely.  I don't really feel like I can say how Sadie handled her pregnancy because we only see her at 3 months and then BOOM she has a baby.

[KxBurns]

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aprilh wrote:

I think Curtis is getting a bad wrap. He seemed more ambitious than any of the other guys in the novel (excluding Tal). When Emily and Curtis first started dating, I got the impression that she didn't really care that he was already married. I felt that they never had a real conversation about what they wanted out of the relationship. Emily was smart though for standing up to Curtis and telling him what she really wanted. I think Curtis would have strung along both Emily and Amy so he wouldn't have to hurt either one of them.

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I agree! I wonder if we are partially predisposed to take a negative view of Curtis because we first see him though Dave's eyes?

[leafgreeen]

I realized after reading some other posts, that I viewed this book as being similar to a soap opera on a TV series, which may only address the lives of one or two characters in each program. With my special educator background, and my family's life experiences, I realize the author is portraying the uncertainties of jobs and relationships after college. This group was fortunate to be able to attend college and still continue their personal contacts, even if they weren't on a regular basis, or always the most friendly. Without other siblings, some people will reach out and become a part of a group to look for acceptance, rivalry, love, security, and yes, even jealousy. By taking responsibility for their own dreams, jobs, and  living arrangements, they were showing responsibility. However, I also think they also tried to protect each other, by not tattling on each other, whether or not that was in their best interests.