Mary and Cobb and other characters

[molter1970]

Mary and Cobb's occupations have brought them to the river. Cobb to do research on David Thoreau and Mary to teach some lessons on ravens to the Chungamunga girls. They are both suited to each other quite well because they both are educators,love the outdoors, and sharing the information they find out with other people and have never really had a serious relationship with anyone other than each other. I don't believe if they had met on the river would the fit have been so good.

I would describe Wally as a free spirit who loves what she does and feels that all the Chungamunga girls are her own that is seen by the caring that she shows to them.

The other character that I like is Cobb's father because of how is similar to his son and is always there for him no matter the circumstances that are going on.

[pen21]

I found Mary a bit annoying and peculiar at the begginning too.

But I agree we needed to get to know her better.

Good post,pen21

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Dotcat wrote:

At first I found Mary a bit annoying and peculiar but, as I have gotten to know her better, I have come to really admire her. I like her adventurous spirit and outlook on life no matter what may be in store for her. Cobb is a very stable, likeable guy that lives life fairly simply.

I think they are very suited for one another. For lack of a more profound insight, they just click- a yin-yang. I do think they may have come together in other circumstances but not so easily. I do think timing and happenstance are very much at play in life and this was one of those “right place at the right time” moments.

I quite like most all the characters, even if most are seemingly too perfect. I love Wally. She is a mother figure who is wise and compassionate -someone we all need in our lives. She is actually well educated (an EMT and cultural anthropologist) and, as she put it, has adopted this persona of the priestess to make it fun for the Chungamunga Girls.

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[Nelsmom]

I have to say that I agree with all the comments made and can't  think of anything new to add except that I really enjoyed the book.

Toni

[milkamilka]

All the way from the beginning of the book I have liked Cobb. Mary is still a mystery for me (I am in the chapter 7 at this point). I feel like I don't get anything out of her.

I really did not buy the "love at first sight" stuff at first. I still don't fully. Mary and Cobb are perfectly fit to each other and there is chemistry between them, but somehow the characters just feel TOO perfect to each other.

[aprilh]

Mary is a free spirit who came to the river to be with the Chungamunga Girls and tell them her crow stories while teaching them about science at the same time. Cobb came to the river to follow Thoreau's path down the Allagash for a paper he was writing.

I think Mary and Cobb have a lot in common. They both are teachers and enjoy the outdoors and kayaking. They seem like they would get along well outside of the river trip they're on.

I'm not sure they would have gotten together so easily in any other circumstance. Meeting anywhere else I think would have ruined the peaceful setting in which they fell in love. Had it not been for both of them kayaking down the Allagash I'm not sure they ever would have met. On page 34, Mary says it best, "All morning I thought how strange our meeting was. I mean, we have to be in a universe, on a continent, in a country, in a state, in a county, on a river, in a small yellow boat. Long odds. And we had to leave our homes at the right time, drive at such and such a pace, stop for lunch, or not, get gas, or not.  A thousand coincidences that arranged themselves so that we would meet." It seemed like fate that they met the first night of their trip and took an immediate liking to each other.

I love Wally. The way she was described when Cobb first met her, as possibly a man in drag, made me laugh out loud! She seems like a wonderful, kind-hearted woman who truly enjoys taking care of the Chungamunga Girls.

I've only read the first section, but so far my favorite minor character would have to be Myrtle. She is so wise for age. It just broke my heart when Cobb asked her if someday she would want to be a minister and Myrtle replies, "I won't live long enough to be anything."

[aprilh]

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maxcat wrote:

Wally reminded me of the housekeeper on "Two and a Half Men". Very forward, very strict. And she told Cobb all about the foundation.

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Now that I think about it Wally does remind of the housekeeper in "Two and a Half Men"!

[Deltadawn]

ME TOO!

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aprilh wrote:

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maxcat wrote:

Wally reminded me of the housekeeper on "Two and a Half Men". Very forward, very strict. And she told Cobb all about the foundation.

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Now that I think about it Wally does remind of the housekeeper in "Two and a Half Men"!

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[BookWoman718]

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milkamilka wrote:

All the way from the beginning of the book I have liked Cobb. Mary is still a mystery for me (I am in the chapter 7 at this point). I feel like I don't get anything out of her.

I really did not buy the "love at first sight" stuff at first. I still don't fully. Mary and Cobb are perfectly fit to each other and there is chemistry between them, but somehow the characters just feel TOO perfect to each other.

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As beautifully written as the story is, ALL of the characters are just too perfect.  It's true that the main characters have a lot to deal with given Mary's illness, but realistically, even sick people do have other problems, just like everyone else.   But for Mary and Cobb, they are depicted with a perfect, love-at-first-sight relationship, her mother and brother and his father are all loving and generous and supportive at all times, their friends' dreams come true, no one ever loses a job or has money problems, they find the perfect piece of land and happily his father can oversee remodeling to make their home absolutely  perfect;  it just goes on and on.  I really did enjoy reading the story, but for me it's more like one of Mary's fables, rather than a realistic depiction of believable people.  

[kstempien]

I think I agree with your belief about Mary and Cobb's relationship. Reading more into the story, I was happy to see their relationship lasted and ended up being a happy one for both of them. However, I have to say my initial thoughts were just like yours. I felt that, due to them both not really having much experience in relationships that they might've jumped the gun and developed a liking for each other simply because they were there. If there were others present that they might've become involved with, would the outcome have been the same?

I liked Wally. In reading the initial description of her character, i didn't think she'd turn out to be the type of character she truly was! .... Must say I'm glad I was wrong, I think she fit into the story well! 

[kstempien]

I can't say that I disliked any of the characters, but I came to like John and Annie as well. Although they aren't a major part of this story, they did have an impact on Mary and Cobb, and their travels. When Mary and Cobb met them, they had nothing but an open heart, letting them into both their home and their lives! They were supportive of the relationship that Mary and Cobb shared, which provided hope for both characters, as they looked into the future and dreamed of living life and being in love like John and Annie!

[kstempien]

I also felt the irony of Mary encouraging Francis that he had a full life ahead of him and could achive so much, yet while knowingly planning to end her own life. Although he was obviously upset and distraught by the deaths of his friends, I feel that Francis was intelligent enough to understand the difference in circumstances. He had a strong bond with Cobb and Mary, looking up to them. Either way, I believe this is a perfect illustration as to how one single event can be similar, yet different. I believe he would've generally approved of what Mary had decided, the situation is different than that of his friends. Because he knew the type of girl Mary was, I believe he understood she made the decision to care out her request simply because of her medical condition.

[SandyS]

Bamboo Mom,

oohh! I would love you to write your story.  Intrigue at the start!

SandyS

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BambooMom wrote:

I think Mary's full name - Mary Fury - is interesting. She is trying to live her life furiously, with wild abandon. 

Much about this story seems so convenient: how convenient that they are both in the same place at the same time, and have the same feelings, and are looking for something that the other one can fulfill. But I must say that the beginning of my relationship with my husband was much the same. Before I met him, my longest relationship was about four months. I knew I was going to marry him before I even knew his last name, or had spoken more than two words to him (I told my parents, in fact!). We lived about 50 miles apart from each other when we started dating. We have been married for eleven years now!

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[SandyS]

I'm not so sure Cobb needed to trust Sarah as a confidante.  He just needed to tell their story.  I think almost anyone would do.  It was part of his grieving process.

SandyS

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Peppermill wrote:

I also felt like the text was trying to overdo the emotional connection between Sarah (as a person who really "got" what Cobb and Mary shared) and Cobb (with all his emotional baggage).

While I like Sarah, the text didn't necessarily lead me to "trust" her as a confidante.

[no4daughter]

My favorite minor character so far is Wally.  At first, I really wished I could be a Chungamunga Girl until I found out that the price of admission is that you must be ill.  Wally is the only Chungamunga Girl who isn't sick but, because of that, she has to be a very special person. 

[NanaKS]

How well are Mary and Cobb suited to each other? At first I wasn't sure about either character. I'm at Chapter 7 and they seem to "fit" but I really think that each is far more complicated than is being revealed to us at this point. How do their lives as teachers shape them as people? I would have loved to have Mary as a teacher. The crow story was wonderful!! Very descriptive and I felt as though I was sitting with the rest of the Chungamunga girls! Would they have come together so easily in any other circumstances? I don't think so. How would you describe Wally and what we know of her so far? I love Wally! I think she is a wise "worldly" woman with much more to tell us. Do you have any other favorite minor characters? Not yet, although I did like the introduction of Annie and John. Wonderful couple to explore further, perhaps?

[Leeza14]

Just a reminder not to get ahead of ourselves in this discussion -- for people who have not read past Chapter 8, please remember not to discuss things that happen later in the book, please.  Thanks!  :-)

[sifu-hotman]

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Leeza14 wrote:

Just a reminder not to get ahead of ourselves in this discussion -- for people who have not read past Chapter 8, please remember not to discuss things that happen later in the book, please.  Thanks!  :-)

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But this thread doesn't have a chapter limit, like the other one, thought it means that anything goes. 

[aprilh]

I agree, SandyS. I think Cobb just wanted to share his memories of Mary at that moment to help keep her spirit alive. Since Sarah offered to sit up with him and asked to hear about Mary, it only seemed natural to me that he would share their story with her.

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SandyS wrote:

I'm not so sure Cobb needed to trust Sarah as a confidante.  He just needed to tell their story.  I think almost anyone would do.  It was part of his grieving process.

SandyS

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Peppermill wrote:

I also felt like the text was trying to overdo the emotional connection between Sarah (as a person who really "got" what Cobb and Mary shared) and Cobb (with all his emotional baggage).

While I like Sarah, the text didn't necessarily lead me to "trust" her as a confidante.

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[quiltgranny]

I think Mary and Cobb are not quite believable characters.  Perhaps the circumstances in which they meet is quite believable for someone like me, and the other characters in the book seem to have more "meat" to them. Mary's place on the river, studying the crows is interesting, but not enough to put her in my list of favorite people.

I actually almost missed the fact that Mary was a teacher as well as Cobb (in the professional sense).  They seem to enjoy bouncing literary quotes and references off each other.

Wally is a strong gal, but I haven't quite figured out why she should play such an important role.

Frances has the most promise.

[Cyscokitty]

I'm having a really difficult time believing in or relating to any of the characters. Despite the health issues of Mary and the Chungamunga girls, they seem to have no character flaws or personality defects. I don't know any people who are so perfect.

I also find it difficult to believe that Mary and Cobb are so deeply involved with each other without really knowing each other. While I believe that love can happen very quickly, they seem to have a deep understanding of each other that can only come over time and shared experience.

If I had to pick a character I liked best, it would be Wally. I also like Myrtle, but the vision I have of her is more of a child-adult from a science fiction movie.