Did I liked reading the novel "The River Boy"?
Not really. The novel is not really a kind of those books I like. At some points, some scenes are described too detailed for me. For example Chapter 3 where the whole chapter deals with Jess in the river. I simply don't like the style of writing and the topic of the novel.
Would you recommend "The River Boy"?
Yes, if you like such a topic, I definitely would recommend. I think it's a good book (otherwise it wouldn't have won the Carnegie Medal), but I don't like it at all, as I said before. But in general I would recommend it; surely there are many people outside who would like the book.
Did you liked the ending of the novel?
Well,.. I don't like the book, so I don't like the ending, too, but I like the fact, that is realistic (what would you not implicitly expect when you are about in the middle of the novel).
Freitag, 30. März 2007
Chapter 20
The family drives back to the cottage. The spirit of Pop and also the river boy is gone.
Grandpa gets a normal burial. He gets a fire burial. He is burned up. In the cottage, the family discusses about the near future. What should they do with the ash of Pop. They think that Pop would like to put his ash in the river and so they decides. They put the ash in the river at the waterfall, where Jess first meets the river boy. The ash dives.
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Exactly the right decision to put the ash into the water at the waterfall.
Nothing to add.
Grandpa gets a normal burial. He gets a fire burial. He is burned up. In the cottage, the family discusses about the near future. What should they do with the ash of Pop. They think that Pop would like to put his ash in the river and so they decides. They put the ash in the river at the waterfall, where Jess first meets the river boy. The ash dives.
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Exactly the right decision to put the ash into the water at the waterfall.
Nothing to add.
Chapter 19
Jess lies in on the ground next to the river, when a policewoman finds her. Mom and Dad instructed the police to search her, because she swims for 11 hours, so her parents care about her. Jess only wants to go to the hospital and the policewoman is so nice to drive her to the hospital. When she arrives at the hospital, she meets her parents, which are happy to see her. As she expects, Pop dies 30 minutes ago. They all, Mom, Dad an Jess, remember the days with Pop and gets sad, but they all try to encourage each other. There would be a life without Pop. And there is no difference between Dad and Pop anymore at the end.
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This is the end. Pop died. I like this ending of the novel, because of the two facts, that Pop could fullfil his dream to finish his picture and that Pop and Dad could clarified their differences. Especially the last point is important. Nothing is worse than the thought, that you missed to say something to somebody who died. It hurts and I'm very happy about this point. I don't suppose - I know.
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This is the end. Pop died. I like this ending of the novel, because of the two facts, that Pop could fullfil his dream to finish his picture and that Pop and Dad could clarified their differences. Especially the last point is important. Nothing is worse than the thought, that you missed to say something to somebody who died. It hurts and I'm very happy about this point. I don't suppose - I know.
Chapter 18
Jess swims for hours to catch the river boy. After a few hours, she sees him. She follows him, but somehow can't catch him, even she swins faster and faster. Then she hears a voice again "Why are you crying?" and the river boy stands a few feet away from her. He asks her to swim with him along the river. They swim together in the direction to the sea. Then, when they reaches the sea, Jess looks around and for her surprise, the river boy is away. She feels, that in due to his disappearing, Pop's life fades.
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As I said in the last post, the life of Pop fades with the disappearing of the river boy, so I can conclude, that the river boy was a kind of a ghost or something like that. But not a ghost from Pop exaclty, more a ghost from how he was as a child. But the mysterious appearing of the river boy in the picture still wonders me ..
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As I said in the last post, the life of Pop fades with the disappearing of the river boy, so I can conclude, that the river boy was a kind of a ghost or something like that. But not a ghost from Pop exaclty, more a ghost from how he was as a child. But the mysterious appearing of the river boy in the picture still wonders me ..
Chapter 17
Jess asks Alfred what happens and Alfred answers, that Pop gets another heartattack and they drive directly to the hospital and can't wait for Jess. They ask him to wait for her to follow them. Alfred wants to talk about the picture with Jess. He calls it a 'self-portrait' and Jess wondered why and then, she saw the river boy in the picture. Direclty, with no thinking, she runs back and jump into the river to catch the river boy, before he reaches the sea...
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That's msyterious. How comes the river boy in the picture? She stand next to him, while she finishes his picture, even, she helps him. Did Pop painted at night?
I think now it's mostly clear. The river boy has to be a kind of a "ghost" of Grandpa, even if he's not dead yet. And I think that is, what she realized at the end of this chapter. If the river boy reaches the sea, Pop will be dead. With the disappearing of the river boy, the life in Pop disappears.
And that's why she tries to catch him.
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That's msyterious. How comes the river boy in the picture? She stand next to him, while she finishes his picture, even, she helps him. Did Pop painted at night?
I think now it's mostly clear. The river boy has to be a kind of a "ghost" of Grandpa, even if he's not dead yet. And I think that is, what she realized at the end of this chapter. If the river boy reaches the sea, Pop will be dead. With the disappearing of the river boy, the life in Pop disappears.
And that's why she tries to catch him.
Chapter 16
When Jess wakes up, she writes a little message on a little paper and leave it at the cottage. She writes, that she's out for a walk. She plans to meet the river boy, because of this challenge. She meets him at the waterfall and he tells her the challenge, which she doesn't know at this moment. The river boy wants to swim along the river, directloy to the sea. But not alone, due to his fear. Jess doesn't agree, because she doesn't want to leave Grandpa alone. The river boy accepts it, jumps down in the river and swims alone. She watches him while he disappears more and more for a few moments and walks back to the cottage after that. But to her surprise, there is no car. Instead of a car, Alfred stands in front of the cottage.
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Why does Alfred stands in front of the cottage? Why is there no car? Did they drove to the hospital without Jess? No, I don't think so. They wouldn't. But what has happened then? Did Pop died?
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Why does Alfred stands in front of the cottage? Why is there no car? Did they drove to the hospital without Jess? No, I don't think so. They wouldn't. But what has happened then? Did Pop died?
Chapter 15
When Pop isn't in the same room as Mom and Dad, they say, that the picture isn't one of the best of him. And both of them wonderer, too, that there is no river boy in it. But this doesn't really matter, because Pop was very proud of himself and especially of Jess. He says it more than one time, that he's very proud of her. Pop gets new hope and a new will to survive; he wants to fight against his illnes.
Later, Jess walks to the river and talks to the river boy whether he isn't there. She promises him, that she'll help him with his challenge.
At the night, when Jess can't sleep, she somewho walks downstairs to Grandpa, takes a seat next to him and says "I love you , Grandpa".
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I think it's good, that Jess and Pop are somehow happy again. It was definitely the right decision to continue painting with the help of Jess. But I also think, that the new strenge doesn't really help. Pop will die soon, but now he is allowed, for himself, to die, because he finished his picture and that was what he wanted and it's good.
Later, Jess walks to the river and talks to the river boy whether he isn't there. She promises him, that she'll help him with his challenge.
At the night, when Jess can't sleep, she somewho walks downstairs to Grandpa, takes a seat next to him and says "I love you , Grandpa".
**************************************************
I think it's good, that Jess and Pop are somehow happy again. It was definitely the right decision to continue painting with the help of Jess. But I also think, that the new strenge doesn't really help. Pop will die soon, but now he is allowed, for himself, to die, because he finished his picture and that was what he wanted and it's good.
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