ANA Book Club?

[Kaybo]

Even though I think that Endo-san used Phillip, I DO think that he helped him realize the importance of family...

K

[Soundy]

I think I would have chosen the route Phillip did ...sometimes I found myself whispering to him to just tell someone what was going on and why he was doing what he was  doing ...

I think Endo-san was a victim also of the time ... he was doing what he had to do to help his family ... he had to have Phillip to accomplish this ... and even though his association with Endo-san hurt Philip , Phillip loved him and respected him the rest of his life ... he taught him that family though not always perfect was family and helped Phillip gain a relationship with his dad that wasn't there before ...

also , not my most coherent post but has been a long day

[leapyrtwins]

To answer my own question, I'm not sure what I would have done.

I debated that while I was reading the book and never really did make up my mind.

[leapyrtwins]

Finished Hunger Games last night - excellent book.  I'm going to order the sequel within the next few days.  The third - and last - book in the series isn't coming out until August 24th.

Another question about The Gift of Rain.

What do you think of the idea that we are all somehow linked to each other from previous lives?  And that it is our destiny to "complete" what has happened in those lives?

Jan

[cindyj]

hmmm, the AHA moment...when did y'all have it?  In the very first part before it goes back in time?  I didn't pick up on it then, but later when Endo-san was training him, it became pretty obvious.

Good questions, Jan...As far as the connection to our past lives...I have always been fascinated with the subject - not a believer, but always enjoying reading about it.

Regarding whether to turn "traitor" or not, I don't know what I would have done in that situation - being born in this country with safety we so often take for granted, I think it's hard for any of us to imagine having to make such a decision.  I think Phillip did the right thing in his situation, but I don't like the way he handled it with his family.   It just drove me nuts that none of them hardly discussed it at all - they were just all mad at Phillip, and Phillip never tried to justify or explain his decision to them...I blame the author for this, however, not Phillip

Cindy

[Soundy]

My "aha" moments were on page 34 ch.3 when Phillip asked Endo-san if he had been to England and after Phillip said that people said the warnings of war were just talk ... Endo-san replied War will break out .... he knew there would be war ...so positive ...it made me think he was there for a reason... the island seemed too much like a hideout instead of a place of retreat

then on page 41 & 42 when Phillip was looking at the photographs , they seemed like surveillance or the pin pointing of places ... the lack of people in them just seemed out of place


as for being linked to someone or something in the past ... I am not sure I believe , but have had a few strong deja vu moments when I feel like someone I just met , I have known before and they feel the same ... and have had experiences where something was going on and seems familiar and I have told people that something was going to happen and it has or something very similar ...sometimes I feel like we are in a giant play that is played out over and over as kinks are trying to be worked out ...dress rehearsal if you will ...

[Soundy]

I finished Book 2 ( Catching Fire ) of Hunger Games Trilogy and hate the last line telling me that it was the end of book 2... grrrrrrrrr ...I've  pre-ordered book 3 ( Mockingjay) from scholastic and it will be delivered in August along with a mockingjay pin ...yipee ...I am the worlds worst waiter 

[4cm in Pacific Northwest]

If this book was already brought up -excuse my being repetitive. I did not want to read back 98 pages (popular thread! )

Has anyone read this book?
Brain: The Complete Mind by Michael S Sweeny © 2009 National Geographic Books
An amazon sneak peek
http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Complete-Michael-S-Sweeney/dp/1426205473


The book has many wonderful illustrations and will explain neuroscience in layman (or laywoman’s) terms.  (GAWD I wish I had this book available to me in 2007 when I was trying o figure out what to do for AN TUMA treatment and was clueless about the physiology of the brain -as I tried to interpret the MRI radiology report!!) It relates neuroscience - its development education, research and application to our EVERYDAY world. It mentions people like Michael J Fox, Ronald Reagan and their health issues… If it had been published later it probably would have mentioned Ted Kennedy and his brain tumor. It sits on my coffee table and appears to grab the attention of visitors to my living room, young and old a like, like no other.

DHM

[Keri]

i finished THe Gift of Rain a few weeks ago then read another quick read suspense novel over the weekend while travelling... so let's see if i can remember to answer somewhat coherently.

I think "as a proud American" it's hard to see why Phillip would betray his country, family etc. But, i realized, he wasn't an American.. he felt disconnected from family and maybe from his country. Plus he was young, and there is such a strong tie between mentor and mentee (probably not even a word) ; teacher and student.

I'd like to look over the book some more before commenting. My husband is reading it now. I liked the book, although i'm not into the 'prior life' thing; that's part of the religious views they held. I found it entertaining and informative, as all the reading I've done with WWII is mostly on the European front.

I do feel Endo-san was taking the track he did to help his father who was captured/punished; or to try to make that situation right in some way. I can't remember enough of the details though at the moment.

I did enjoy reading the development of the charater of Phillip, his father (who seemed to be more human/caring near the end), Endo-san's 'girlfriend' (hate to put it so tritely; can't remember her name). Also, i thought it was great how Endo-san and his father did reconnect in a deep manner.

I did find it amusing that you could be sitting around with your friend and all of a sudden you attack each other to test each other, challenge each other, etc. !!

Keri
I

[Soundy]

If this book was already brought up -excuse my being repetitive. I did not want to read back 98 pages (popular thread! )

Has anyone read this book?
Brain: The Complete Mind by Michael S Sweeny © 2009 National Geographic Books
An amazon sneak peek
http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Complete-Michael-S-Sweeney/dp/1426205473

I don't remeber if it has been brought up but sounds interesting and something to check on ... I was lucky to have a doctor (PCP ) that didn't mind translating anything I had questions on into english from the doctorese it was written in ...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Back to Phillip and his betrayal of country ....it almost seems he was betraying business life instead of his country ... he seems a child with no country… he was half Chinese half English living on Malayan soil living off the sweat and toil of others employed by his father … and I get the idea that the Europeans were tolerated not welcome there with open arms

Endo-san was in many respects his family and who he related to on a personal and emotional level … he loved his family… but I am not sure if it was love for a  family he grew up loving or love because they shared blood if not their personal lives …

he seemed an outsider and Endo-san accepted him and he lapped it up … too late he learned that the acceptance was to gather information through the trust he had for Endo-san … then he betrays his country or the business life of his fathers and others with business there … if you stop and think  the Europeans were there to pull what they could from the land … they were after tin and rubber and whatever they could get … I felt that they were just an early invasion of the area … they just didn’t come in shooting and killing to get what they wanted …

I think he just wanted to save his family which he had learned almost too late that he really loved … didn’t work out that way but he had to try …



This post is disjointed but maybe you can get what I am trying to convey …

[msmaggie]

Soundy,
My attempt to say just about exactly the same thing was equally disjointed, so I 'll just say "What she said!"  My thoughts echo yours. I loved the writing and thought it was an amazing first book for this author. 
Priscilla

[leapyrtwins]

Good point, Priscilla.  I forgot that this was a first book by the author and I, too, thought it was very well written.

Soundy, disjointed or not, I totally understand what you are saying - and I agree with you.

Jan

[Soundy]

If I knew you all could read disjointed so well I wouldn't have retyped that 6 times 

[saralynn143]

We're about to drop off of page 1. Any more comments on Gift?

I have also finished The Hunger Games. Will withhold comments until we are ready to discuss it.

I watched the film version of The Time Traveler's Wife earlier this week.  I don't want to reveal too much in case some of you are still wanting to see it, but several major characters and scenes were left out and a major plot point was changed. My teenage daughter liked it a lot, but my grown up daughter and I (who had both read the novel) did not.

Happy reading.

Sara

[Soundy]

I agree about the movie Time Travelers Wife ... it would have been fine if I had not read the book ... but having read the book , the movie disappointed me a bit

same goes for My Sisters Keeper ... the major differences between book and movie made look like this  ... I was geared for one thing and when things went differently it threw me

As for Hunger Games ... no comment until permission to give one