Welcome to Tea Time with Marce
Paula over at Tome's Devotee is hosting this Book Club, go here to join.
Thanks for reading The Stormchasers. Let's have tea and discuss the book......
Quote from 42% on Kindle, Chapter 23
She's think about imbalances. She's thinking Nature is majestic, yes, but vicious too. She's thinking that whatever Kevin says, Nature is something to be wary of, because of its two-faced system. Because storms are necessary to scour the atmosphere. Because chaos is required before order. Because a human brain can be so scrambled - naturally, scientifically, just chemicals and synapses - that a few hours' peace, let alone euphoria, must inevitably be followed by a descent into hell. Nature may e beautiful, but it is cruel in its. extremes.
This quote wraps up the book beautifully I think.
I will respond in the comments with my answers.
Add your review here, also, please take a moment to read and comment on each others reviews.
Paula over at Tome's Devotee is hosting this Book Club, go here to join.
Thanks for reading The Stormchasers. Let's have tea and discuss the book......
- What did you rate the book? In 1 sentence what was your overall thought.
- Who was your favourite character and who was your least favourite?
- Have you ever experienced a storm? Would you ever go stormchasing?
- What did you think of Karena and Charles family? How do you think his Bipolar disease affected them?
- How did you respond to Siri as the mom?
- How would you describe Karena?
- How would you describe Charles?
- Favourite moment(s) in book?
- What are your feelings on them being twins, the twindar relationship?
- Charles’s bipolar disorder is described throughout the novel as “the djinn,” “the Stranger.” Why does Blum do this? What moment touched you the most?
- Do you think Kevin and Karena are a good match?
- How would you handle being in a relationship with someone that had a sibling with Bipolar? What did you think of Kevin's reaction?
- Did you note any quotes? Share with us.
Quote from 42% on Kindle, Chapter 23
She's think about imbalances. She's thinking Nature is majestic, yes, but vicious too. She's thinking that whatever Kevin says, Nature is something to be wary of, because of its two-faced system. Because storms are necessary to scour the atmosphere. Because chaos is required before order. Because a human brain can be so scrambled - naturally, scientifically, just chemicals and synapses - that a few hours' peace, let alone euphoria, must inevitably be followed by a descent into hell. Nature may e beautiful, but it is cruel in its. extremes.
This quote wraps up the book beautifully I think.
I will respond in the comments with my answers.
Add your review here, also, please take a moment to read and comment on each others reviews.
What did you rate the book? In 1 sentence what was your overall thought. - 3 rating and I expected more with a story about stormchasing and bipolar.
ReplyDeleteWho was your favourite character and who was your least favourite? I really enjoyed Karena and the mom was useless in my mind.
Have you ever experienced a storm? Would you ever go stormchasing? I live in Bermuda so we have hurricanes yearly, I have been in 3 bad ones, 1 where we lost 4 lives. I love the idea about storm chasing but would I actually do it, no :-)
What did you think of Karena and Charles family? How do you think his Bipolar disease affected them? - I honestly wish the parents were divorced the whole time or the father not mentioned, I just didn't get the point of the father and grandfather at all. - I wish the family seemed more educated on the disease, seemed more like they ignored it, they allowed fear to overwhelm them.
How did you respond to Siri as the mom? I didn't like her, maybe I didn't get opportunity to understand her.
How would you describe Karena? Karena was passionate and genuine, love for her brother was the most important thing in her life, more than she even realised.
How would you describe Charles? Free is how I think of him even though he lived with the guilt he seemed very carefree to me.
Favourite moment(s) in book? 1) The intimacy scenes with Kevin and Karena, I loved how he made her 'travel', can't think what word they used. My favourite part and I totally got it was when Kevin broke up with Karena and discussed the twindar and secret body language etc they had that made others feel uncomfortable. That was a great real scene to me.
What are your feelings on them being twins, the twindar relationship? I am very intrigued on twins, it seemed real to me, I couldn't imagine.
Charles’s bipolar disorder is described throughout the novel as “the djinn,” “the Stranger.” Why does Blum do this? I think it was because no one wanted to really acknowledge the disorder. What moment touched you the most? The taking his moms keys was scary and when he wrote in his book was touching.
Do you think Kevin and Karena are a good match? I loved them together, it just made sense to me. I understand Kevin's reaction to not being told the truth but wasn't surprised they were back together at the end.
How would you handle being in a relationship with someone that had a sibling with Bipolar? - Honestly, it scares me to death to deal with any mental health issues, taking the risk of having a child and then they have it, etc, scared of the unknown.
What did you think of Kevin's reaction? - This seemed real to me also only because he was great friends with him 1st.
O I want to drink tea with you Marce even though I haven't read this.
ReplyDeleteThank you Marce, I've copied the ?'s and as soon as I'm done I'll post the answers here and I'll do it on my blog as well. I'm not even looking at your answers yet, I wanna write mine with an empty head ;) lol! I'm gonna pretend we're sitting together over tea while we talk about this :)
ReplyDeleteA little hiccup, Buffy is taking a time out, so I've asked Christine to pick the C author book. If there's a problem, I'll just pick it.
Paula
Tomes Devotee
Hi Marce!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting this! Great questions! I will compose my answers and be back asap to discuss! Probably in the morning... with a cup of tea. ^_^
Oh, and for the next book, I thought of Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. Have you read it?
See you in the morning. ;)
Paula and Christine don't forget to link you reviews also.
ReplyDeleteLook forward to tea. I'm drinking some Ginger Peppermint right now, first time trying it, taste delicious.
Hi Marce! Here are my answers to your questions. Hope you have a good weekend!
ReplyDeletehttp://readingwithoutrestraint.blogspot.com/2011/01/authors-by-alphabet-group-read.html
@ Christine--I have several books by Crusie on my shelf because they sound so light and fun, but I have yet to read one, so I am looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteHello all!
ReplyDeleteI linked my review [Thanks, Marce, for stopping by already! :)] and am back to answer some of Marce's questions.
First, I have to Oooo and aaah over the fact that Marce lives in Bermuda! My husband and I went there for our honeymoon many moons ago. I hope to visit again someday. :)
As for tea, ginger peppermint tea sounds nice! I have some pear ginger tea that is very good, too. Earlier today, I had a cup of chai spice tea. I had been drinking vanilla cinnamon tea for the last two months and am so disappointed that it was a seasonal item so Trader Joe's isn't carrying it anymore! I saw a comparable tea at the regular supermarket, but it is artificially flavored, so I turned it down.
On to the questions!
I gave two grades in my review--one per goodreads standards, which doesn't allow half stars and a letter grade per my own personal grading system, but I think it all translates to 3.5 out of 5 stars. My overall impression of the book is that it had a lot of great potential and a satisfying ending, but the characters and the story struggled to develop to it's full potential.
My favorite character was actually Charles and my least was probably their mother, Siri. I guess she tried to do the best she could under circumstances, but I thought she was weak.
I think storms are beautiful and awe inspiring reminders of the immense and unpredictable power of Mother Nature, but storm chasing is NOT for me. Yikes.
Parenting is one of life's biggest challenges and I try so hard to not judge parents, yet... I was so disappointed with the way Karena and Charles' parents handled Charles' bipolar disorder in general (especially in the late 1980s?) and how they expected Karena to take care of Charles. I think Karena would have done so anyway, but the parents shouldn't have made her feel it was her responsibility.
I liked Karena, but I think she got lost in her role of Charles' protector and that blinded her to do what's right by both of them. I was happy for her at the end. I was going to be very mad at her (and the author!) if she didn't agree to accompany Charles to the sheriff at the end.
I liked Charles a lot. Yes, sometimes is disorder made him volatile, but I loved the way he chased tornadoes--a passion that led him to discover peace and understanding about himself. He took good care of his body and the best he could of his mind and spiritual well being. I admired him tremendously and think he was definitely better off on his own without his parents. When he shared what he learned from the Native American tribe that he lived with for a while about storms and his disorder and that 'his kind' was respected by the tribespeople, I was so happy for him. It was like he was finally accepted and respected as an individual just the way he was! I thought this was such an important part of Charles, but it barely got page time. I would have liked to see that explored some more.
I understood the use of "the djinn" or "the Stranger" to show that someone who is bipolar is like a totally different person when they have an "episode" (for lack of a better word), but I questioned whether that was sort of archaic or degrading to some extent. Did you guys think so? Maybe I'm being over critical...
I do think Kevin and Karena are a good match. I think Kevin was maybe a little too tough on Karena when he pushed her away, but in the end, I think the tough love he gave her was effective. And the important part is that he called her with the lawyer info and he came back. I loved the ending. :)
I did have some quotes I liked, but I already returned the book to the library and I forgot to write them down!
Thanks, Marce, for hosting this month! :)
1.What did you rate the book? In 1 sentence what was your overall thought.
ReplyDelete3 1/2 cannolis or stars ;). It was a good book which made me angry at times.
2.Who was your favorite character and who was your least favorite?
Both Karena and Kevin were my faves. I didn’t really have a least but the mom(Siri) upset me some.
3.Have you ever experienced a storm? Would you ever go stormchasing?
No and no. I live in earthquake country and that’s enough for me.
4.What did you think of Karena and Charles family? How do you think his Bipolar disease affected them?
Actually I found them somewhat odd. Maybe that was just my perception, I’m not sure. The dad struck me as detached, the mom seemed lost uninvolved. They didn’t seem to know how to handle Charles so they hid it and didn’t talk about it.
5.How did you respond to Siri as the mom?
She angered me. I felt she didn’t do enough to help Charles. I understand the dad wasn’t there, but I got a flighty vibe from her.
6.How would you describe Karena?
Loyal, loving, kind, strong, tormented. She had such a terrible weight put on her.
7.How would you describe Charles?
Torn. He suffers from this disease that takes hold of him and makes him do insane things, say horrible things. Yet I think he was just allowed to do what he wanted to do.
8.Favorite moment(s) in book?
When Karena and Kevin talked in the car. The beginnings of a relationship are always sweet.
9.What are your feelings on them being twins, the twindar relationship?
I know twins have a very close relationship, and it can probably e intimidating to the outsider, especially if they’re identical. I’m sure they do sense things about each other that others are clueless to.
10.Charles’s bipolar disorder is described throughout the novel as “the djinn,” “the Stranger.” Why does Blum do this? What moment touched you the most?
I think so that it is clear that he is gone when he is in the throes of a psychotic break. I didn’t have just one moment that touched me, though her not being able to go back into the hospital was very moving.
11.Do you think Kevin and Karena are a good match?
I do, I think Kevin is a protector and Karena needs that.
12.How would you handle being in a relationship with someone that had a sibling
with Bipolar? What did you think of Kevin's reaction?
Kevin was very fair and understanding. My former son in law is a paranoid schizophrenic and dealing is not easy. While they are sick, it’s hard to hold them accountable for their actions, yet when they aren’t in a down turn they need to be. They aren’t dumb or stupid.
13.Did you note any quotes? Share with us.
I didn’t have any quotes jump out at me.
Paula
Tomes Devotee
That's funny how we thought different on this Christine, because for the most part I think we all are in agreement on the book. I was soooo pissed at Charles for putting what happened on her when she was being loyal to him all these years. I wanted to sock him in the mouth for that. My initial instinct was she should have told her parents but she ate this horror for all these years at his request and now he wants them to come clean. I felt he should of went himself and if she wanted to go, they go together, I feel like he cornered her.
ReplyDeleteMarce, how Kevin nailed their relationship right down to loaf made me hurt for him!
I understand why you'd be angry with Charles for not wanting to report the accident 20 years ago, but his reasons for wanting not reporting it was actually to protect Karena. He wanted her to follow her dreams to go to college and get out of their hometown and knew that wouldn't happen if they got in trouble with the law for involuntary manslaughter at age 18. Karena agreed to keep the secret to protect him as well, I think. She wanted to protect Charles from more emotional hardship, too. The secret ended up eating away at both of them all those years and at least Charles was the one to realize the only way to at least partially lift the burden on both of them was to come clean. I actually don't harbor blame on either one over the decision to not report the accident. Especially given the fact that they were both vulnerable and misguided youngsters with unsupportive, un-attentive parents.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it worked out the way it did in the end. I thought it was realistic, but still happy.