24 Monarch Street

[Deltadawn]

At first I found it disconcerting that I could not determine place or time. But then I accepted the lack of place and time and felt that it was like a fairy tale in a sense and allowed myself to be drawn into the world of the book without having to define it in those terms.

[BDonnelly]

I am wondering if 24 Monarch street will be a place of real transformation - where people go in one way and come out transformed.

I also disagree that 27 Orchard is a warm and wonderful place.  I think Eva is evil and she's put a spell on the maid and that's why her limp becomes more pronounced as she gets closer.

[pen21]

I also have a bad feeling about 27 Orchard. There are so many hints of things not right.

Like  the sounds of bees, the relationship of the sisters, the maid.

I don't think Meridia will have an easy time at this house.

Is Meridia just getting into another bad situation.

pen21

[thewanderingjew]

According to the various definitions I found for the term home, Monarch Street doesn't qualify as a home. It is not a place of nurturing or security and certainly not a place of happiness. The family that dwells there exists in name only and not as a cohesive unit.

It qualifies as a house in various definitions.

It is a structure serving as a dwelling for one or more persons, especially for a family. It is a building that functions as a primary shelter.

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rkubie wrote:

How would you describe 24 Monarch Street, and what is it like for Meridia to grow up here? Is this house a home?

[thewanderingjew]

The sound of Eva's laughter makes Meridia think it is a household filled with warmth and happiness. I think she believes she has found a family that will "see" her and she will cease to be "invisible".

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rkubie wrote:

we get a glimpse of 27 Orchard. What does Meridia see in that house that isn't in her own house?

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[Shadowwolf36]

Monarch street -- I think as most do about butterflies--birth, cocoon, transformation and then death.....

Orchard Street -- bees, Eva is the queen bee all others are the worker bees (Malin perhaps the exception as being groomed to take over).  The bees work the orchard constantly....

[dhaupt]

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Thayer wrote:

To me the house on Monarch Street seems mischievous, like a spoiled child. The "negative behaviors" exhibited are like those of one seeking attention that is lacking.

In Orchard Street, I feel that at this point Meridia sees only what she wants to see. Her naivete and love for Daniel don't allow her to objectively view things there as they really are.

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I like your thoughts on this and I can totally see that.

[dhaupt]

I agree with some other responses here that I too like the sense of timelessness in the novel, there are no constraints of where or when and I think that only adds to the mystery of the story itself.

[LISA-BRYAN]

The monarch butterfly, in addition to its great beauty, is characterized by its strength and longevity, because while other species of butterflies have a life cycle of 24 days, the monarch lives up to nine months that means 12 times more than others.

[Zeal]

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LoBugs wrote:

How would you describe 24 Monarch Street, and what is it like for Meridia to grow up here? Is this house a home?

A home is warm and inviting. This is definitely a house, cold, steel and glass. Isolated up on a hill, away from the town and other people. This house is much like the people that are existing inside of it. I say existing because I don't feel that they are living, breathing, feeling people. I get the sense of a cross between the Adams family and the stepford wives. These people go through the motions but have no attachment or investment in what they do or the out come. I felt the same way reading this book, I have found no attachments or investment in what happens to the characters. They seem one dimensional and unable to help themselves or each other. 

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I disagree that the characters are one dimensional and have no attachment or investment in what they do.  They are just the opposite...so complex that it is difficult to figure out their true essence.  There are many layers to the behaviors/lives of Gabriel, Ravenna, and Meridia.  They are so committed to their beliefs that they cannot foresee breaking out of the rituals and behaviors that they have created.  They have been this way for so long that they are "stuck" and don't even know how to exist otherwise.  This shows great dysfunction and points to a major tragedy in their past.  I believe that the layers will be peeled away slowly, revealing the truth about 24 Monarch Street. 

[elemenoP]

A cocoon is a place that protects you during a difficult transformation. Is the Monarch St house protecting Meridia? It doesn't seem like it to me. Do you equate the mists with the house, or are they two separate things? Why do the mists protect the father, taking him to and from his mistress? Is the father "responsible" for the mists?

Sheri

[Rachel-K]

Love the image this gives me of the house throwing a temper tantrum! (Something Meridia should do in such a house, but doesn't!)

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Thayer wrote:

To me the house on Monarch Street seems mischievous, like a spoiled child. The "negative behaviors" exhibited are like those of one seeking attention that is lacking.

In Orchard Street, I feel that at this point Meridia sees only what she wants to see. Her naivete and love for Daniel don't allow her to objectively view things there as they really are.

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[mattzay]

I agree that the house is cursed. The nurse that used to take care of Meridia described a house full of love and warmth. Meridia's parents seemed to adore each other. Then something happens and the whole house (and it's occupants change).  It is mentioned that Gabriel had a mistress. Maybe that was the catalyst to the curse on the house?

[mattzay]

I agree. I think that while the Orchard house may look welcoming at first, it hides a lot of secrets that have yet to be revealed.

Eva reminds me of the wicked step-mother from Cinderella. Malin reminds me of one of the step-sisters. I feel bad for Permony. Eva seems so stuck on the superficial things that she cannot see Permony in a positive way. I also wonder if Eva is jealous of Permony because she gets attention from Elias.

[EvaAmlia]

I agree that the house has a character of it's own. I think this character is a reflection of those that live within it's walls. The house chases visitors away because Ravenna and Gabriel don't want visitors. 

I also wonder what the house would be like if the family living in it was jovial.

[kiakar]

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vivico1 wrote:

Ah, but is it really? She barely meets this family in Daniel's home and think of how Eva and Malin treat Permony. Is there any giving or showing of compassion there? And Daniel thinks this is ok too! I find it frightening from the get go.

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Sassy398 wrote:

Absolutely the address Monarch st is in reference to the butterfly, and at one time

the house was beautiful as one. Somehow, the house was taken over by some very

bad sprits ect. Therefore, the house became cold and uninviting. As for the house at

27 Orchard it appears to be something Meridia has been lacking most of her life,which

is knowing how to really give and show compassion.

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Yes, after Meridia's at home experience I am sure Orchard Street seemed like a entirely different world and a fairytale of a dream come true. That is to say, at first anyway. 

[Adeline79]

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rkubie wrote:

Comments by Sunltcloud and lobugs make an interesting point:

Where are we in time and place? What country, what age? 

If it is impossible to answer that question, what effect does that disorientation have on you while you're reading?

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The disorientation makes it easier for me to suspend my disbelief and embrace all the craziness that happens. The absence of time and place also gives the book the feel of a full on alegory like Pilgrims Progress. It seems like the author is showing us what all the darker emotions(hate, jealousy, greed, lust, unforgiveness) look like when unleased in a physical way upon the houses. There are also postive elements at work (love and courage) and it remains to be seen how it all plays out.

The disorientation also focuses my attention closely - as if all the usual details are unimportant because the portrayal of the relationships between the characters are so potent.

[Cata821]

I took think that the house has picked up on the occupants' personalities, feelings, and experiences. I think this is a magic that happens in real life too. Once people live someplace for so long, a house becomes part of them and they become part of the house. There's this magic inside the house that radiates the owners'. 24 Monarch Street is no different.

[hookedonbooks09]

It's almost like the house is another character in the book!  I wait to see what it will do next. 

Even the house on Orchard is capable of strange doings.  Or rather the gardens!

[Immortal-Spirit]

The house at 24 Monarch Street is like the emotions inside it-very cold.  I would not consider it a home at all.  The images in the mirrors and the staircase that can be short or small is kind of freaky.

For Meridia, it must have been very lonely.  Especially with the lack of interaction between her parents. 

Twenty-Seven Orchard Street is quite the opposite in so many ways.  I'm wondering about the bees.  But there is a warmth (at least on the surface) that there isn't in her own home.  It will be interesting to see how that develops.