Quarter 2, Post 5: Towner and Rafferty

I am continuing to read The Lace Reader, by Brunonia Barry. The plot has advanced more in the past few pages than it has in the entire first part of the novel, so I thought for my blog post today I would break down everything that is happening in section two (up to page 139).

Towner is still in Salem, but plans to leave shortly until a realtor approaches her and asks her if she is planning on selling Eva’s house. Towner hadn’t really considered it until then, but decides that selling the house might be what’s best for everyone, even though she personally doesn’t want to. She immediately goes home and starts to clear Eva’s things out. This so when she realizes just how much stuff Eva kept. There were boxes and boxes of this that looked like trash to Towner, but she knew that if it was packed it must have been important to Eva, so she treated it all with care. Towner even stumbled upon some pictures of herself when she was young. Seeing herself so happy and innocent just makes her resent the accident even more, and all she can think about is Lyndley, her late sister. It is hard for her to keep remembering the past, especially since she can't “find” all of her memories because of the accident. This frustrates her so she decides to take a walk, where she runs into Rafferty again. They begin talking, and suddenly he invites her to dinner. She agrees and they leave that night on the boat to eat on a “floating restaurant”. The date is awkward and they both are feeling weird being with each other. However, what makes it even weirder for Towner is that she can feel people staring at her and hear them think about her. Suddenly, a fight breaks out and Rafferty goes to help break it up. Towner is mortified when she realizes that the fight is about her. The couple immediately leaves the restaurant. Towner thinks the date could not have gone worse, but to her surprise Rafferty asks her to do it again sometime.

I do not know what Towner and Rafferty’s relationship is going to turn into, but I do know that it has changed for good. I am also interested to see what Towner decided to do about Eva’s house. I can imagine that the decision will be a very hard one to make, and I can't wait to see what happens!

cites to use

http://www.religioustolerance.org/statbelief.htm

http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/safehaven.cfm

Research Paper Blog #1- Annotated Bibliography

Is it ethical to abandon your child under the Safe Haven Law?

Myers, Alicia. “Alternatives to the Safe Haven Law”. 8 October 2008. KOLN/KGIN. http://www.kolnkgin.com/home/headlines/30664609.html

 

Alicia Myers is a reporter for KOLN/KGIN, a major broadcasting station in Nebraska and Northern Kansas. In this article, Myers examines the alternatives to abandoning a child because of the Safe Haven Law. Some of these substitutes are turning to family and neighbors, seeking help from community outreach programs, and even getting counseling and guidance from the state itself. She uses the expertise of Todd Landry, Director of the Division of Children and family Services Department for the State of Nebraska, to help her in this piece as well. Landry, “gives the legislature credit for trying to put a law into effect to try and protect kids from danger or being harmed.” However, he does believe that the alternatives listed above are what is best for everyone involved in most cases and encourages parents to the Safe Haven Laws as a last resort. I think that this article was intended for aggravated parents that need to make decisions about their child’s future and want to do it in a positive way. This article can help me a lot in learning other ways that frustrated parents can help their children instead of abandoning them, as well as how necessary the Safe Haven Laws really are.

 

 

 

Koch, Wendy. “Nebraska ‘Safe Haven’ Law for Kids Has Unintended Results”. 26 September 2008. USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-09-25-Left-kids_N.htm

 

Wendy Koch, a writer and reporter for USA Today, discusses in this article the outcomes of Nebraska’s new Safe Haven Law. She shares the stories of the 14 children that have been abandoned since the law came into effect. Learning the reasons for some of the abandonments and the outcomes of these tragedies really has showed me the messy side of these laws. Todd Landry, Director of the Division of Children and family Services Department for the State of Nebraska, is quoted in this article as well. He says, “We really opened a can of worms,” and that now, “We have a mess.” I believe that the Safe Haven Law in Nebraska was meant to have a positive outcome, but has taken a turn for the worst. The facts in this article really show some of the negative sides to such laws and reasons that maybe these types of laws should not exist.

Quarter 2, Post 4: Towner's Past

This week I have read 7 more chapters into The Lace Reader, by Brunonia Barry. So far I like it a lot, but there hasn’t been much action yet which was something I was hoping for in this book. However, the continuous character development and further descriptions of the setting of Yellow Dog Island are keeping me interested. One thing I have been especially enjoying is the memories that Towner keeps flashing back to. We learned recently in the book that Towner was in an accident of some sort just after her sister died, and lost her long-term memory. In fact, her and her brother refer to past events as BTH (before the hospital) and ATH (after the hospital) while talking to help Towner recall things easier.

Towner’s great aunt Eva passed away at the beginning of the book, and her funeral has taken place in these past few chapters. Since all of Towner’s family attended the ceremony, we have discovered a lot about the family’s past that explains a lot about Towner and Beezer’s lives now. For example, their mother sent them to live with Eva when they were young because there wasn’t a good school where they lived, and that is why they were closer to Eva than to their own mother. We have also learned a little bit more about Lyndley, Towner’s sister that has passed away, but not enough to piece anything together into the real story of her death. I am beginning to think that this is what the book will be about. Even if its not, I am really hoping I find out more about Lyndley soon.

 

Quarter 2, Post 3: Yellow Dog Island

I have read to page 81 this week in The Lace Reader, and so much more has already happened! Towner and her brother have just taken a boat to a remote island off the coast of Salem to visit their family. Towner describes the islanders as “people who like to be left alone”. This does not surprise me because Towner’s mother lives on this island and she certainly isn’t a social person. After waiting a while for someone to notice them on the boat and pull up the dock, they climb on to the land. There are only a few buildings on the island, and Towner’s aunt comes running out of one of them. She grabs Towner and starts to cry, “I knew you’d come,” and “I told her so.” This confuses Towner and knowing that her aunt isn’t very stable, she begins to think that her aunt thinks that she is her sister, Lyndley. This is concerning because Lyndley died a few years ago. Towner begins to worry that her aunt is in worse shape then she thought, but when she calls her Towner she is relieved. Her aunt takes her to her mom and they speak to each other for the first time in years. They don’t have a huge emotional meeting like I would imagine they would, and there is a lot of tension between Towner and everyone on the island.

This section of the novel was all very strange and awkward. Even the way it was written was different and choppier than the rest of the book. I really like this part, though, because I could really feel how Towner was feeling as she met her family again and I demonstrated the day’s emotions well. I am beginning to really enjoy the way that the author, Brunonia Barry, writes, and I am starting to really get into the plot as well.                  

Quarter 2, Post 2: The Mystery of Eva

So far I have read to page 38 in The Lace Reader, and it is already very exciting. At the beginning of the novel the characters of Towner, and young woman, and Eva, her grandmother, are introduced. Beezer, Towner’s brother, is also introduced. One of the first things that happens in the novel is that Eva is reported missing from her home. Towner, in shock of this news, goes to Eva’s house to help with the investigation. As soon as she arrives, she finds Eva sitting in her house perfectly fine. Towner is confused by this, but is relieved to see her grandmother again and falls asleep for the night. However, in the morning she wakes up to a knock at the door. Her brother Beezer and two police come in and report to her that Eva’s body has been found and identified. Towner instantly goes into shock again. She runs through the house searching for her grandmother but finds nothing.

I am really enjoying this book so far, because I love mysteries and surprises in books, and I have already come across two in the first few chapters. I also love when books touch on very real and present day issues. I can already tell that this book will be about loosing someone you love and family, as well as the mystery of Eva, but there has to be more to it. Maybe Towner never saw Eva at all and Towner is the insane one. Or, maybe it will be one of those stories where she is right all along but nobody will listen to her. There is also a possibility that Towner saw Eva’s ghost! I do not even have a clue as to which one of these will happen, or if it will be something completely different that I never suspected, but I am very excited and anxious to find out!

 

Towner Whitney

For my second quarter blogging I have decided to read a novel titled “The Lace Reader” by Brunonia Barry. My mom had just finished reading it and loved it so much I decided I had to give it a try. I wasn’t completely sure if I would enjoy it when I started, but as soon as I read the first word I was hooked. So far I have read to Chapter 3, but the quote I would like to discuss for today comes from the first page. In fact, it was the very first line.

“My name is Towner Whitney. No, that’s not exactly true. My real first name is Sophya. Never believe me. I lie all the time.” Then this person (Towner? Sophya?) goes on to say, “I am a crazy woman… That last part is true.” (page 1)

As soon as I read this short passage I stopped, paused, and re-read it again. I was confused as to why the author would begin the book by confusing the reader as to what the main characters real first name is. It seemed odd to me, but as I continued to read I found that her given name is Sophya and that she legally changed it to Towner after her mother was arrested. I also learned a little bit about why she calls herself a crazy woman. Towner (as they mostly refer to her in the book, although they do go back and forth) believes that all the women in the past generations of her family have been crazy, and that she follows that “tradition” more than anyone before her had. Now that I comprehend what the first passage was conveying, I understand why Barry would start off his novel in such a way. I believe that he was introducing the main character in a way that would make you think deeper about her right away, rather than just listing off her physical appearance. Although it confused me at first, I like this opening line and I firmly believe it is what got me so intrigued in the novel in the first place. I am already enjoying the plot and cant wait to read more!