Wrighty wrote:
Hi Lauren!
I wanted to thank you for joining us this month. I didn't want to read this thread until I was finished with the book. I followed the reading schedule until two nights ago and then I just had to finish it. Wow! Congratulations on a terrific book that I'm sure will be a big success. I thought it was great on it's own but for me the experience is even better with these discussions and your comments. I was very intrigued by your introductory post where you mentioned that you had written the early chapters with the intention of the reader not liking Sam and her friends. That made me even more curious!
Although this is considered a YA read I think you've provided an interesting story for any age group. I plan to share it with my teenage children and nieces as well as my mom and sister-in-law. It will be so interesting to compare our different perspectives as parents, grandparents, teens/students and teachers. I will be adding my review to my book blog as well. I've already noticed an impressive positive response in the blogging community. That's always a good thing! I will also be happy to mention to the youth librarian at my local library. She's always interested in what the hot topics are among the bloggers so she can plan ahead. Before I Fall is one of them!
This is a book I'll be reading again, and that's rare for me. You provided so many details that came up throughout the seven days and I want to go back and see what I missed. I marked several passages that I thought were so well written. One of my favorites that I've already mentioned in another thread, is from chapter 5 on page 285.
It amazes me how easy it is for things to change...
maybe all of these possibilities exist at the same time...
Thank you again Lauren and best wishes! I look forward to Delrium in 2011!
Wow--thank you so much. Your response to the book is exactly what I hoped for--I can't tell you how much your desire to share the book with your family means to me. This is, I think, the purpose of books and any kind of artistic endeavor in general--they achieve personal significance, hopefully, but they can also be ways in which we access sharing and a broader community. They allow us to participate in something bigger than ourselves.That's one of the things I've been struck by when participating in this forum...all of us in separate places, able to speak and share about the same thing and feel connected that way. For lack of a better phrase: it's pretty friggin' awesome.
Anyway...thanks so much for reading and thank you (in advance) for helping to spread the word about BIF...I can only hope other readers have similar experiences to you!
Vermontcozy wrote:
Dear Lauren,That was just such a beautiful posting by Wrightly.The thoughts and sentiments,are felt by me,and surely your BIF readers.I did reread the Prologue,and my daughter is going to read"Before I Fall" this week,..I have not said much to her..So it will be exciting to hear her interpretation .She is an avid reader,and I know BIF will affect her,given her age and closer to some of the situations than I am.Not to say that I didn't feel all of their pain and joy....Have a Great Weekend...See you next week on board...Vtc Susan
Oh--I love that you will be sharing in this experience with her! I love it when both parents and their children read the book. Thank you for passing it along. I hope she draws some meaning and enjoyment from it.
melissas wrote:Lauren,
I really hope you're still reading/answering because I definitely want you to know how much I loved your book. I was thrilled to see it show up in my store yesterday and can't wait to recommend it. And of course, I have a question if you have the time. Two girls died on day one. Why was Sam chosen to relive her last day in order to save Juliet, instead of vice versa? Or maybe even both of them reliving it, just to come to some truce or friendship somewhere in the middle once they realized they were suffering from the same affliction?
Oh, also, will you or Harper be publishing a reading group guide? I am running a Teen Book Club this summer and would love for Before I Fall to be a selection.
Hi Mellssa ^_^ [I would love to hear about your book club sometime] I have a theory about one of your comments regarding whether or not Juliet was repeating her day the way Sam was.
Personally, I think that Juliet was also reliving her day. Lauren, if you're still reading, I'd love to know if you intentionally laid down clues of that nature for us to pick up on or not.
For example, on page 324:
"Juliet turns to face me then. She's smiling, but it's the saddest smile I've ever seen.
'Maybe next time,' she says. 'But probably not.'"
and then again on page 401:
"...again that veil seems to drop over her face. 'Sorry, Sam. For once this isn't about you....now please leave me alone.'"
This quote is a bit more of a stretch because, imo, Juliet is probably as focused on repeating her own day as Sam is hers. Perhaps neither girl is aware of the fact that they have that in common. In that way, saying that it isn't all about Sam may just be a reflection on Sam's prior personality. Then again, Sam has reached out to Juliet before Day Six, so the way she continues on and asks to be left alone could signify that she did indeed understand what Sam was doing.
Sometimes, I really wonder whether or not Juliet is aware of the fact that Sam is different in the loop. On page 382, it states, "'You're a bitch,' she says quietly, not like an accusation at all, more like something she's sorry about." This might reflect that she's remembering their conversation from the previous day.
In the first chapter when we first encounter Juliet at the party, she states on page 69, "'You heard me. A bitch. A mean girl. A bad person.' Juliet turns to Ally next. 'You're a bitch, too.' To Elody, 'You're a bitch.' She turns her eyes to me and for a second I see something flashing there--something familar--but just as quickly it's gone." Sam wouldn't have made any changes by that point, though, so unless the girls are looping at different times, this one's probably just all in my head. Plus, I'm not sure Juliet would have realized that they were both looping and Sam was different until the final pages of chapter seven when seems as though the two finally connect and Juliet may be aware of it, too.
Anyway, long-winded though that was, it leads to my own question, which is a form of Melissa's. Lauren, I would really love to know if you meant to write Before I Fall in a way that had Juliet looping as well. Was this something you laid down and wanted us to think as readers?
Also, like Melissa, I'm really curious about why Juliet was allowed to live and Sam wasn't. I understand what you've said in the past about changing and knowing she wouldn't live, but what entitled Juliet to continue living? And, in turn, why was it Sam's job to save her in order to (I'm guessing, since the book ends and only you know for sure) stop repeating the day of her death herself?
