Photograph and First Impressions [ Edited ]

[thewanderingjew]

The photograph sets the stage with so much suspense that I couldn't wait to begin. Because of the description of the way the family is dressed, for summer, although it is winter, it seems obvious that they are poor. There is going to be a great deal of hardship and sadness which is further foretold in the opening page. I found it enticed me to want to find out why all these events were going to take place.

I was impressed with the strength of the woman, Maria. She endured all sorts of hardship and still maintained her dignity and optimism. In spite of all the deprivation in her life, she created a happy home for her family. So far they have survived the corruption and the clash of cultures as a cohesive unit which is a testament to the strength of character and faith of this family.

Teodor's sister Anna, on the other hand, is not as strong and does not deal with adversity as well. The author has written that she has drawn some of the book from secrets in her own life and I find that I am hoping that Anna is made up wholly from her mind, since she has been so abused by life and her husband that I want her story to be totally made up with no resemblance to reality.

I find that I am really impressed with the children so far. Apart from normal sibling rivalry and "growing pains" they seem so well adjusted despite all they have endured. They seem so mature and able to handle everything life throws at them. No one would accuse any of them of being soft. Even Lesya, who is handicapped, always rises to the occasion and then some. They seem exemplary.

Message Edited by thewanderingjew on 08-03-2009 04:37 PM

[PiperMurphy]

When I read this page, I could see the picture so clearly that it was like I was holding it in my hand. Possibly it made such an impression on me because I have similar pictures of my own family. It makes the story personal for me. When we look at old family pictures, we know what happens to the people in them and we talk about their stories. That's what it was like reading this introduction, looking back and remembering family members.

[Sheltiemama]

The description of the 1933 photograph sucked me in. It reminds me of all the photos I'm lucky enough to have of my ancestors, posing stiffly in black and white. It doesn't give away too much at all. It made me want to dive right in.

It's hard for me to imagine what this family and so many immigrant families went through to come to North America. I certainly see why they left, but I wonder if they had any inkling of what trials awaited them. My ancestors came from other countries, but reading this account really makes me wonder exactly what they went through. Were they packed in the belly of a ship, too? Did they leave in haste? Were they running from something or someone?

One thing that made a big impression on me was Maria bringing the handful of dirt with her, holding onto it no matter what.

[BooksRPam]

The photograph was a perfect "hook" for the book and made me love these people before I even got to know them in the following pages.  Shandi somehow manages to set the mood in literally the first paragraph of this tale, "This will be their only photograph together."  I already felt sad without even knowing what was to come.  The very fact that this photo would be the last successfully set the scene of foreboding and dread, already making the reader ask, "But why?  What happens?" and then the knowledge that "This can't be good."

The mood continues with the knowledge that they are posed "in their church best."  They're trying so hard to make this moment special in an obviously hard existence.  As the "photograph intro" goes on, I continue to feel the storm-is-coming mood with the phrase "their eyes lost in shadows."

Overall, my first impression was saddened that this family, even though they have so little - no stockings, no winter clothes in which to pose in four inches of snow, only the baby is "round and fat" - are actually happy in this snapshot in time.  "This family takes a deep breath and smiles."  They're strong and together and happy, and the fact that Shandi starts off the book with letting us in on what was to come made me want to read more.

[nfam]

I thought the photo was very telling. We see what is supposed to be a "happy" family, but there are so many underlying tensions. We can feel it in the description of the photo. I've read that you can tell how the family relates to each other by noting the position of the bodies in a photo: who leans in to whom, who leans away. It should be interesting to see how the photo is used in the end and throughtout the story.

[Jestre]

Initially, because of the difference in dates, I thought the family described in the photograph was not the same as the one in the book, but now it seems they are probably the same.  Regardless, I didn't start reading with the expectation that the events in the photograph would happen to the family I was reading about so I had no loss of interest because I already knew part of the outcome.

[emmagrace]

The photograph description was an excellent addition to this book. It was both sad and beautiful and it made me want to read more.

[emmagrace]

BooksRPam wrote:

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The photograph was a perfect "hook" for the book and made me love these people before I even got to know them in the following pages.  Shandi somehow manages to set the mood in literally the first paragraph of this tale, "This will be their only photograph together."  I already felt sad without even knowing what was to come.  The very fact that this photo would be the last successfully set the scene of foreboding and dread, already making the reader ask, "But why?  What happens?" and then the knowledge that "This can't be good."

The mood continues with the knowledge that they are posed "in their church best."  They're trying so hard to make this moment special in an obviously hard existence.  As the "photograph intro" goes on, I continue to feel the storm-is-coming mood with the phrase "their eyes lost in shadows."

Overall, my first impression was saddened that this family, even though they have so little - no stockings, no winter clothes in which to pose in four inches of snow, only the baby is "round and fat" - are actually happy in this snapshot in time.  "This family takes a deep breath and smiles."  They're strong and together and happy, and the fact that Shandi starts off the book with letting us in on what was to come made me want to read more.

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Well said Pam!

[CathyB]

The description of the 1933 photograph was nicely done. I could vivdly picture this family as they posed. It reminded me of the family photos that I have from that time - I have just a few. I have seen those expressionless stares in every OLD family photo that I have. Not sure why they are all like that - was it beacause the times were difficult or that the people just felt that a family portrait had to be a serious representation of the family -- I don't know.

I was intrigued from the start as the photo description left me with questions:

• why were they in their summer clothes in winter?
• why is this their only photo together?
• did something happen to the photos before this time?
• why didn't they take anymore photos?
• who dies?
• were they happy at the time of the photo?

The photo tells me that these are hardworking people who do not have alot. If they had more, they would have had proper winter clothing that was decent enough for a photo. 

I  feel that the further description towrads the bottom of the page may give away too much but it does add to the desire to keep reading.

My first impressions of the family is that Theodor binds them together. Although Maria is a strong woman, the family lived in poverty while he was away. His return sparked them back into living. They are a family that has faced difficulties and from the photo description, we know that they will continue to face difficulties.

[CathyB]

Yes, that was a very touching moment when his son finally recognizes him.

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dhaupt wrote:

Good morning every one and how great it is to be back here with all my friends from FL.

First of all I have to say WOW, this is a very powerful book, with wonderfully tragic characters some of whom you pull for and some of whom you wish to send straight to He-l.

My first thought of the photograph was that it couldn't have been of the family we're reading about because of the date differences, so I was confused. I don't feel it gave away too much, but the enticement to read on was definitely there.

The family's fierce survival attitude has seen them through countless tragedies, to be welcomed to a new country by that government only to be prisoned by that same entity because of not being able to understand the language and getting bad and conflicting advise and aid. The father's love of his family also makes my heart hurt, how he comes home from prison and retakes his place. It made me almost cry when Ivan says on page 27 "it's him".

So far they've made it on grit, on faith and on the love of each other. 

Message Edited by dhaupt on 08-03-2009 11:13 AM

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Message Edited by CathyB on 08-03-2009 08:01 PM

[melisndav]

The picture dated 1933 really captured my interests from the onset of the book.  I thought to myself many different things.  Who was this family and what kind of hardships have life shown on them to date?  What happens to them in the future? 

The setting would have been a hard time for anyone that lived through that era.  I especially liked that Ms. Mitchell captured my attention from the very beginning of the book, just with that one description of the picture.

[floreader]

The description of the 1933 photograph told me that this family was poverty-striken, malnourished, and lacked suitable clothing for the cold weather.  The photograph reminded me of photos I've seen in old Look and Life magazines that my parents kept from the '30s.  It made me think that I would find the book too heartbreaking to read, since the people lived in such harsh conditions.  However, the hints of what was to happen made me interested in reading more.  Once I started reading, I became engrossed in the characters' lives and loved reading about them.  The author's descriptions are so vivid that I feel like I know each character.

[Sunltcloud]

It took me a while to get the dates straight between the description of the 1933 photograph and "Spring 1938." Not until I had made a list of characters and had reread a couple of paragraphs did I understand the connection.

If there is anybody else as dense as I am, here is what I came up with.

Teodor - father

Maria - mother

Dania - oldest daughter

Myron, second oldest child, oldest son

Sofia - not yet 5 when they leave Ukraine. In 1938 she is almost 11 years old.

Katya - 5 months old when they leave Ukraine. In 1938 she is 6 years old.

Ivan, conceived in Canada, 5 years old in 1938.

Anna - Teodor's sister

Stefan - Anna's husband

Lesya- their daughter. She is 10 in 1938

Petro - born when Lesya was 3. That makes him 7 in 1938.

The 1933 Alberta photograph: Man, woman, 5 children. (Eldest boy, three girls, baby.)

Now to page 15.

"That was at their old home. Their first home in Canada. It's where they built their house, broke the land. Where Ivan was conveived on a still, warm April night....... that was the last place her family had called home.

 If Ivan is 5 years old in the spring of 1938 that made him the baby sitting on the  woman's lap in the winter of 1933. The boy at the far end is Myron, the three girls are Dania, Sofia, and Katya. By the end of 1936 the farm is foreclosed. One of the people in the photograph will die in 1938 (during the year we are reading about) and the two that will be murdered must be in the extended family (Anna, Stefan, Lesya, Petro), since they are not in the picture.

The back of the book says that there will be "violence and tragedy" I am glad I figured out the connection. I don't think the introduction gives away too much, but I had to work a bit on my understanding of the sequence of events.

On page 76, on the day of their escape from the village, Maria's mother gives her the jeweled crucifix. In the same paragraph "Maria traded the crucifix for the wagonload of grain that the police had confiscated."

We are transported from the Ukraine to Canada in this sentence; I guess I overlooked that the first time I read it. Maria now takes the children on a fifty-mile trek north to Anna's house. Teodor is in jail. The farm is gone, the house is gone. Maria saves the grain. And it will be two years before Teodor comes home.

Even though people tended to look stiff and official in the portraits of those days (because they had to stand still for so long) the photograph is their symbol of "togetherness." The fact that they smiled after the shutter had clicked shut is proof of this. And so begins the long road ahead.......... 

 

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rkubie wrote:

How is the description of this 1933 photograph an introduction to this story? What does it tell us about who this family is and what may be going to happen? Do you think the description "gives away" too much, or does it entice you to keep reading?

As you begin reading, please share your first impressions of this family and their difficult lives. Where have they come from, and how have they made it this far?
 

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Message Edited by Sunltcloud on 08-03-2009 08:11 PM

[fordmg]

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SapphicKris wrote:
I liked the description of the photograph at the beginning of the book, but didn't let it influence my opinion of the story to come at all. In fact, once I started reading the story and getting connected to the characters I forgot about the photograph description. The storytelling is so good, I find myself immersed in the characters as they are in the moment. I do find myself constantly wanting to read just one more section to see what happens to these folks I have come to know.

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I agree, the picture description didn't stay with me.  I had to go back and re read it when this descussion topic came up.  

MG

[lg4154]

The photograph conveyed a lot for me. Often we see them and it makes us aware of the story behind it. It was a foreshadowing of what was to happen later on in the novel. I am so impressed with how much detail the author went into describing everything. It makes you feel like you are actually there in the room with the characters...

[KathyS]

G -

You're not alone!  I had to map it out just as you did! 

Kathy S.

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Sunltcloud wrote:

It took me a while to get the dates straight between the description of the 1933 photograph and "Spring 1938." Not until I had made a list of characters and had reread a couple of paragraphs did I understand the connection.

If there is anybody else as dense as I am, here is what I came up with.

Teodor - father

Maria - mother

Dania - oldest daughter

Myron, second oldest child, oldest son

Sofia - not yet 5 when they leave Ukraine. In 1938 she is almost 11 years old.

Katya - 5 months old when they leave Ukraine. In 1938 she is 6 years old.

Ivan, conceived in Canada, 5 years old in 1938.

Anna - Teodor's sister

Stefan - Anna's husband

Lesya- their daughter. She is 10 in 1938

Petro - born when Lesya was 3. That makes him 7 in 1938.

The 1933 Alberta photograph: Man, woman, 5 children. (Eldest boy, three girls, baby.)

Now to page 15.

"That was at their old home. Their first home in Canada. It's where they built their house, broke the land. Where Ivan was conveived on a still, warm April night....... that was the last place her family had called home.

 If Ivan is 5 years old in the spring of 1938 that made him the baby sitting on the  woman's lap in the winter of 1933. The boy at the far end is Myron, the three girls are Dania, Sofia, and Katya. By the end of 1936 the farm is foreclosed. One of the people in the photograph will die in 1938 (during the year we are reading about) and the two that will be murdered must be in the extended family (Anna, Stefan, Lesya, Petro), since they are not in the picture.

The back of the book says that there will be "violence and tragedy" I am glad I figured out the connection. I don't think the introduction gives away too much, but I had to work a bit on my understanding of the sequence of events.

On page 76, on the day of their escape from the village, Maria's mother gives her the jeweled crucifix. In the same paragraph "Maria traded the crucifix for the wagonload of grain that the police had confiscated."

We are transported from the Ukraine to Canada in this sentence; I guess I overlooked that the first time I read it. Maria now takes the children on a fifty-mile trek north to Anna's house. Teodor is in jail. The farm is gone, the house is gone. Maria saves the grain. And it will be two years before Teodor comes home.

Even though people tended to look stiff and official in the portraits of those days (because they had to stand still for so long) the photograph is their symbol of "togetherness." The fact that they smiled after the shutter had clicked shut is proof of this. And so begins the long road ahead.......... 

 

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rkubie wrote:

How is the description of this 1933 photograph an introduction to this story? What does it tell us about who this family is and what may be going to happen? Do you think the description "gives away" too much, or does it entice you to keep reading?

As you begin reading, please share your first impressions of this family and their difficult lives. Where have they come from, and how have they made it this far?
 

---

Message Edited by Sunltcloud on 08-03-2009 08:11 PM

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[Sunltcloud]

Hi Kathy,

Nice seeing you here. What a big group. When I came home from a trip there were so many messages to read - and that was before the actual discussion began.

G.

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KathyS wrote:

G -

You're not alone!  I had to map it out just as you did! 

Kathy S.

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Sunltcloud wrote:

It took me a while to get the dates straight between the description of the 1933 photograph and "Spring 1938." Not until I had made a list of characters and had reread a couple of paragraphs did I understand the connection.

If there is anybody else as dense as I am, here is what I came up with.

Teodor - father

Maria - mother

Dania - oldest daughter

Myron, second oldest child, oldest son

Sofia - not yet 5 when they leave Ukraine. In 1938 she is almost 11 years old.

Katya - 5 months old when they leave Ukraine. In 1938 she is 6 years old.

Ivan, conceived in Canada, 5 years old in 1938.

Anna - Teodor's sister

Stefan - Anna's husband

Lesya- their daughter. She is 10 in 1938

Petro - born when Lesya was 3. That makes him 7 in 1938.

The 1933 Alberta photograph: Man, woman, 5 children. (Eldest boy, three girls, baby.)

Now to page 15.

"That was at their old home. Their first home in Canada. It's where they built their house, broke the land. Where Ivan was conveived on a still, warm April night....... that was the last place her family had called home.

 If Ivan is 5 years old in the spring of 1938 that made him the baby sitting on the  woman's lap in the winter of 1933. The boy at the far end is Myron, the three girls are Dania, Sofia, and Katya. By the end of 1936 the farm is foreclosed. One of the people in the photograph will die in 1938 (during the year we are reading about) and the two that will be murdered must be in the extended family (Anna, Stefan, Lesya, Petro), since they are not in the picture.

The back of the book says that there will be "violence and tragedy" I am glad I figured out the connection. I don't think the introduction gives away too much, but I had to work a bit on my understanding of the sequence of events.

On page 76, on the day of their escape from the village, Maria's mother gives her the jeweled crucifix. In the same paragraph "Maria traded the crucifix for the wagonload of grain that the police had confiscated."

We are transported from the Ukraine to Canada in this sentence; I guess I overlooked that the first time I read it. Maria now takes the children on a fifty-mile trek north to Anna's house. Teodor is in jail. The farm is gone, the house is gone. Maria saves the grain. And it will be two years before Teodor comes home.

Even though people tended to look stiff and official in the portraits of those days (because they had to stand still for so long) the photograph is their symbol of "togetherness." The fact that they smiled after the shutter had clicked shut is proof of this. And so begins the long road ahead.......... 

 

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rkubie wrote:

How is the description of this 1933 photograph an introduction to this story? What does it tell us about who this family is and what may be going to happen? Do you think the description "gives away" too much, or does it entice you to keep reading?

As you begin reading, please share your first impressions of this family and their difficult lives. Where have they come from, and how have they made it this far?
 

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Message Edited by Sunltcloud on 08-03-2009 08:11 PM

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[Zeal]

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Wow!  Very strongly stated!  Thank you for this! 

KathyS wrote:

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As I looked at this family photo, and read the words by this author, I felt a forboding, not just from what was said [about the loss of three people] in the first 30 pages, but from how these words were formed.  The short, almost staccato sentence structure gave me a feeling of the harsh reality of what this family was going to have to witness in their lives.  It was as if this author wanted to punch me in the stomach, to make me feel what this family was going to have to endure.  I honestly felt a deep connection to these solemn faces, the clothes they wore, the atmosphere of nature which surrounded them, the harshness of it all.  Each of these people were one, together, but separate.

Kathy S.

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[Zeal]

This was very powerful and so telling of Maria's experience, person, heart and soul!

Aimee

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dhaupt wrote:

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DSaff wrote:

I, too, liked the picture of Maria carrying the dirt from her homeland to her new home.

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marciliogq wrote:

The photograph gives us preliminary information to create the imagery of the ambience we are going to challenge next pages. It's an important portrayal of a just arrived family in a foreign country and at the same time creates a revival in our minds cause it's quite impossible not to remember our own family photos and the rise of their stories. Some information are relevant at enticing us to keep reading: two people who do not appear in the photo will be dead during the course of the story. This mix of drama and suspense is one of the most interesting ingredients of the narrative.

I realized adults and children have practically the same tasks. Teodor's children do the hardest works while he is in prison what shows us how difficult were their lives in Canada as well as the ones of thousands of immigrants like them. What entirely caught my attention was the sand Maria brought in a cloth when they left Ukrania: a way she found to carry her homeland near her heart.

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that touched my heart too and how she mixed it with the new soil.

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[jokerc114]

I think starting with the photo description is perfect. It tells you enough to grab you and make you curious but not too much to give the story way. It lets you know that you are in for a story full of love, and tragedy and gives people something solid to build their impressions on.

My first impression once I actually started the story was amazement that a family who has obviously been through so much has managed to continue pushing for a better life. I also felt for Teodor who wanted nothing more than to take care of his family and for Maria who struggled to keep her family alive.