Were your first impressions of Meridia's new family accurate?
Yes, unfortunately I really felt like it was "too good to be true" that Meridia would just escape her depressing household to find a new and wonderful life in Daniel's family... wouldn't be much of a story if that were true now, would it?
In what ways has Meridia grown up in these chapters?
Meridia has learned how to make herself "visible" and how to defend what she knows is right and honorable. I was very proud of her when she stood up to Eva in the kitchen. However, I think the heartbreaking loss she felt thinking that Daniel didn't care enough to run after her also helped her understand that she had grown so much that she could not go back to living the way she did, invisible and unloved by everyone. I think that is why, when she realizes she is pregnant, her entire perception of what is important changes. She realizes that no one has ever cared about her like Daniel does and this is something she cannot give up on.
How have her feelings for her own family changed? Have your feelings for Ravenna and Gabriel changed in these chapters?
I think Meridia still hurts from the treatment of her parents, especially her father, but I think that her feelings (and subsequently mine) changed when her parents defended her against Eva and Elias. Their defense of her honor and feelings was the first act of parenting they had ever done. In the time that follows her father proves to be insufferable toward her but at least will not let someone else abuse his daughter. His demands of Eva and Elias were fantastic, and fulfilled Meridia's dreams, even though his motives were partly selfish.
Ravenna on the other hand, I believe, has changed much more so than Gabriel. The way she took care of Daniel and Meridia in their first months, with gifts and surprises and making sure they had everything they needed was as if Meridia was no longer forgotten but rather the first and only thing Ravenna was thinking about. I think that maybe this is because she relates with Meridia's new role as expectant mother. It reminds her of how hopeful and happy she was before Meridia was born. By the end of chapter 19 I felt like Ravenna was the hero, Eva the antagonist.
What do the role do the scents of Verbena and of Roses have in the story? It there a scent you recognize and associate with a loved one or a family member?
The scents add to the mysticism of the story, but I don't know that they mean much more than that. We all associate smells with memories or people I think. I know that I could recognize the smell of my parent's house any time, and I still remember how my grandmother smelled when I was little. I think smell is a very vivid sense that awakens our memories.
Why has Hannah appeared again, and why has she disappeared? Do you believe in her?
Hannah always appears when Meridia feels desperate, have you noticed? I think she is not a real person, but I could be wrong. She seems to be like Meridia's guardian angel.
What birth stories have we had in the novel so far? What do each of them have to show us about the characters involved? Is the story of your birth always part of your own personal mythology of who you are?
Meridia's birth story: born after a long labor, apparently dead. Ravenna willed her to live.
Permony's birth story: born after an especially long and bloody labor, with strange colored eyes. Midwife was going to gouge them out but Eva "saved her from blindness."
Noah's birth story: cursed by his grandmother to not come out, bees attack Meridia and swell her whole body, making delivery impossible. Ravenna realizes the problem but not before they have to cut the baby out to save Meridia's life. Meridia is left barren but Noah survives.
Each time it seems the mother cares deeply about the baby when it is born. Ravenna out of guilt tries to forget Meridia's existence when she realizes what Meridia witnessed her do. Eva obviously cared enough for Permony to save her from blindess, but does nothing but berates and criticizes her as she grows up. With this pattern, I can only hope for the best for Noah!!!
