Later Chapters Discussion: The Sisters [ Edited ]

[jweinstein]

Katie claims she and her sister Maddy see each other mostly to please their parents. Do you think this is true? Do you see a change in their relationship during the course of the novel?

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Message Edited by jweinstein on 03-03-200711:41 PM

[kiakar]

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jweinstein wrote:
Katie claims she and her sister Maddy see each other mostly to please their parents. Do you think this is true? Do you see a change in their relationship during the course of the novel?

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Note: This discussion topic is particularly suitable for readers who have finished, or nearly finished, Past Perfect.

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Message Edited by jweinstein on 03-03-200711:41 PM

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Don't all sisters battle it out alot? Especially when they are younger. Maybe by the age of forty or fifty they mellow out with each other. That is how its always been with my two sisters. We love each other and are always there for each other in crisis but we never agree to disagree. And their are always jealouses amongst sisters especially. One is envious of the others looks, brains or etc.
I met these two sisters in Miami, South Beach a couple of years ago, we were on the same tour, my party and theirs just bumming tours until our plane was due later on. We all had been on the same carribean cruise also. They were probably both in their late twenties, seemed somewhat educated, on their own, both had their own apartment. Their parents had given them this trip to try and work out their differences. The parents told them they were tired of their always bickering between them and it drove them crazy. The sisters said they really had given it a try for eight days but they were still bickering when we met them. One didn't like partying where the other one did. And so on.... and on. They both said they would tell their parents that they rediscovered their selves because they did but that they still disagreed with the way the other lived her life. And both had strong opinions that they did express to each other. But both admitted like I said of my sisters, when the other needed her she was right there. I felt that Katie and her sister were on the same wave length too. They just were so different. And I do not know the reason, but in my opinion, sisters seem less tolorant of differences than sister and brothers.

[jweinstein]

Well... this is written from Katie's perspective, so I take her portrayal of Maddie with a grain of salt.

From her POV it's clear that she finds her sister a bit precious. It's one thing to have a different life path, but Katie sees Maddie as condescending and aloof. She is surprised when Maddie reaches out to her and her son...

While there is some arc to Maddie, it is largely an unsympathetic portrait: It's hard to like the gal.

-Jerry the Mod(erator)