beautifullies

__** Week One: December 3 **__

Topic: Characters (Section 1 out of 5 of your text)

"But the only thing she came up with was that she should have noticed about the movies, how he never asked her what she wanted to see. That should have told her what kind of man he was. Sometimes it's the little things that tell the tale," (Unger 4). "Think about the sudden events that have affected your life. With most of them, wasn't it just a matter of seconds one-way or the other? Wasn't it the little decisions that caused you to cross the street or that, to move yourself into or out of harm's way? These are the things that get you in the end. Who you marry, what you choose as your profession, how you were raised- yes, that is the big picture. But, as they say, the devil's in the details," (Unger 16). "Isn't it weird when someone tells you something about yourself that's not true? They're utterly certain of their assumption, and the more you try to convince them otherwise, the more they seem to dig their heels in," (Unger 40). "You know that feeling you get when you step into someone's aura and you feel as though you've known that person all your life, as if their energy is as familiar to you as the sound your refrigerator makes? I didn't have that feeling with Jake...With Zack, every new moment was like a memory of a life I'd lived already- I could predict exactly what would happen between us and most of it was pretty nice...Some people find that kind of predictability comforting. I don't," (Unger 55). "It's funny when you meet someone who you think is so different from you and then they manage to connect you to a part of yourself you ignore. The curiosity was a flame inside me, one that had flickered in my parents' assurances but which burned still. Jake breathed butane on it," (Unger 57). "I stopped to look at her. She looked real enough, like flesh and blood and bone. But if you reached out to touch her, she faded like a hologram...I realized that every time I caught my reflection in the mirror, I'd be reminded that I was suddenly a stranger to myself," (Unger 67).
 * QUOTES (Caitlin): **

Ridley: Ridley is the main, female character in the story, which is introduced as a rather introverted person. Being a quite successful journalist, she seems to have a very peaceful and relaxing lifestyle, which is soon shattered after she receives a letter that reveals her forgotten past. As the author lures the readers into Ridley's complex life, the audience is drawn by her strong personality; not only does she have a good sense of humor, but she shows an unexpected amount of bravery, even when she was tangled in such an unfathomable predicament. In addition, Ridley's unique perspective on life, along with her extraordinary audacity to face the unknown future ahead of her, makes the readers want to dig deeper into her past and makes them curious to know what her true colors are. Ace: Ace would best be described as the complete opposite of Ridley, despite the fact that they are siblings. Ace had left his home, leaving his entire family behind, after a heated argument with his dad. He is currently relocating from place to place, having nowhere to go and no one to trust. Towards the middle of these first few chapters, it is quite interesting, yet shocking, to discover that he ended up relying on Ridley, or rather, "used" her to get enough money to buy more drugs. At first, my partner and I absolutely hated Ace, having left his poor sister to fend for herself. However, after further analyzing this character, we came to the conclusion that we actually felt bad for him. Instead of feeling hatred towards Ace, we pitied him, as we began to picture him as a lonely, stray dog wandering the streets, rather than a heartless brother and cruel son. Zach: Although Zach does not seem to be one of the most significant characters in the story; he seems to somehow fit perfectly into Ridley's complicated life. The author describes Zach as a caring, loving, gentle, and compassionate person, who openly shows his emotions (whether he tries to or not). Zach and Ridley, along with their parents, had been good friends since they could remember, and both of their parents had had high hopes of getting them to marry. Unfortunately, even though Zach ended up falling for Ridley, she politely rejected him, which left both him and his parents in devastation. Despite the fact that Ridley still wanted their friendship to last, she often senses guilt, regret, sorrow, and occasionally, bitterness when he talks to her, making their relationship all the more intimate and real. For this reason, my partner and I felt drawn to the character because of his sincere and genuine feelings towards Ridley (which would undoubtedly make any girl jealous of Ridley for having such a loyal companion). Jake: Unlike Zach, Jake is someone Ridley just met recently, and he happens to live in the same apartment as her. Although he is not described in detail yet, it is clear that Jake is an attractive man who seems to show some interest in Ridley. However, due to the fact that his background is unknown, this character remains as a mystery to both Ridley and the readers. Despite this, my partner and I were drawn to the character's "bad boy" image that the author seemed to be aiming for, while continuing to spark our interests to see what kind of role he would play in Ridley's life later on in the story.
 * ASSIGNMENT (Hana): **
 * 1. On your group's wiki page, describe the main characters in your text. What makes them interesting? What is their story or background? Why are you drawn to them? Conversely, are there any characters that you just cannot stand? Why not? (A) **

Hana: I think that it is simply because the author wanted to lure the reader in as soon as he or she flipped through the first pages of the book, immediately grabbing their attention; it would make the audience want to know what happened before and after this particular "chapter" of Ridley's life, which would capture the reader's interest.
 * ADDITIONAL GROUP QUESTIONS (Caitlin): **
 * 1. Why do you think the author made the first few pages explain something horrible that happened, and then have Ridley explain the events leading up to that, rather than having the reader find out the horrible event in the end? **

Hana: Although Jake seems like a complete third person in this story, I think he will end up being one of the major characters in this book. For some reason, I feel like the author purposely left out details about this character in order to surprise the audience at the end. In other words, although (as of now) Jake is just a helpful, caring friend, who attentively listens to Ridley's secrets and her complex situation, he may end up as a traitor who might use all of her secrets against her; after all, after the letter Ridley received, she could trust absolutely no one, and Jake is one of the first people she should suspect if things start to steer out of control.
 * 2. What do you think the author's intentions will be with Jake throughout the book? **

With a toasted bagel and a (somewhat) hot cup of Starbucks hot chocolate in our hands, Caitlin and I immediately started off our book club with some quotes from our book. Even from reading the first two quotes that Caitlin posted, we could already tell this was going to be one of the most exciting books we had ever read, and this was most definitely more compelling than our previous book that we had chosen for book club. I think you would agree, after reading our awe-inspiring quotes, that "Beautiful Lies" is indeed a "must-read" (after all, most of the quotes proved to be worthy of a Facebook status). After we had finished discussing the quotes, my partner and I began to discuss the main characters, having a rather heated discussion on one of the more "appealing" characters, Jake. Although we both admitted that he did not seem to have a huge role in Ridley's life (yet), there was something about his mysterious background and charming smile (as described in the book) that hinted that something was not quite right about him. Despite his good manners, he seemed to be almost too willing to invite Ridley into his home, and we also found it quite strange that he would let her drone on and on about her life when he clearly could have had better things to do than to listen to his neighbor's problems (he barely knew her at the time). As this conversation came to a close, we continued to further analyze certain unclear details of the book, as well as our predictions on what will happen to Ridley in the future. Towards the end of the period, Caitlin and I came to a consensus that we absolutely loved this book because of its captivating plot, along with the inspiration that the characters gave us.
 * SUMMARY OF BOOK CLUB (Hana): **

__** Week Two: December 10 **__

Topic: Language (Section 2 out of 5 of your text)

" 'I don't believe that. I think we project what we're feeling on the people we see. If you're dishonest, you see dishonesty in people. If you're good, you see only good things when you look at someone's face. Physical cues might tell you if someone's lying or if someone's nervous, but I don't think you can read much about a person, about who they are, by just looking at them,' " (Unger 149). "She impressed me as one of those people who saw her life as a prison but wore a key on a chain around her neck," (Unger 75). "I turned that around in my mind, imagining what would inspire me to part with something I had clung to for thirty years. The only possible motivation would be the return of the lost thing presented by the cherished item. For what other reason might we cling to objects, old photographs, tarnished jewelry, yellowed letters? They're charms, little pieces of magic. When we touch them, we regain for a second what time has stolen or worn away," (Unger 121). "How many people can you claim truly care about you? I mean, not just the people in your life who are fun to hang out with, not just the people who you love and trust. But people who feel good when you are happy and successful, feel bad when you are hurt or going through a hard time, people who would walk away from their lives for a little white to help you with yours. Not many...Because there's another side to it, you know. When someone is invested in your well being like your parents for example, you become responsible for them in a way. Anything you do to hurt yourself hurts them. I already felt responsible for too may people that way. You're not really free when people care about you; not if you care about them," (Unger 126). "It's funny how the titans in our lives, the people who have the most influence over your childhoods, over the people we become, never seem like people, flawed and separate from us. They're like archetypes, The Mother, The Father, The Good Uncle, existing only as characters in the movie of our lives. When other facets of their personalities come later and other elements of their lives uncovered, it's shocking, as if they suddenly peeled their face off and revealed another. Does it seem like that to you? Well, maybe it's just me," (Unger 137). ---"As I got older, I recognized that he had an idea of himself as being alone in the world. But I still didn't quite get why he felt that way; he had my parents he had Ace and me, he had his parade of Barbie dolls. But I understand now. Loneliness is a condition, an illness. He carried it with him and it infected his life. He could treat it by spoiling us, by loving my parents, with his "girlfriends," with booze. But there was no cure. His disease? It was terminal," (Unger 101).
 * QUOTES (Hana): **

The language of "Beautiful Lies" has extraordinary power and flow. Used correctly, the vocabulary an author uses to portray her message can leave a permanent mark on the reader, and that is exactly what Lisa Unger has achieved. The narrative is overwhelmingly descriptive, making the reader feel what the main character is feeling and paints a beautiful picture of what is going on in the novel, making the reader feel as if they are right in the middle of it. The vocabulary has is also strong enough to be inspirational and insightful, making the reader really think about what the author is saying and how they can relate. The language Lisa Unger uses sophisticated vocabulary but makes it so that the reader is able to follow what she is trying to portray easily, even if the reader does not know the dictionary definition of every word in the novel. The language also allows the reader to see how mature the characters are and the interesting way they think and say things. The sentence structure also plays a big par tin how powerful this novel is. It consists of short and choppy sentences for dramatic affect, along with long descriptive sentences to enhance the reader's imagery. The emotion used in this book seems to be more geared for grades approximately from a sophomore level and older, however the way it is written would allow younger grade levels to read it as long as they have to determination and inspiration for it.
 * ASSIGNMENT (Caitlin): **
 * 1. On your group's wiki page, discuss the type of language that your book contains. Is it easy to read? Conversational? "Classic"? Does it use a lot of words you don't understand? What grade level do you think the book is written at, and why? (A) **

Jake's personality and dark aura makes the reader believe that he is a bad person with a bad past, however this could be very deceiving. Yes, Jake does have a bad past, of which is still a mystery to the reader. It is a mystery that is slowly but surely beginning to unfold. The way he carried himself makes the reader question how bad he //really// is, though. Jake has learned to channel his anger into something creative and expressive. His art is a source of relief and release. The passage of which Ridley sees him aggressively hammering his piece of metal expresses this exact release. Jake portrays himself as being very sincere and protective of Ridley, showing true feelings and care for her. No, Ridley does not know the details of Jake's past, but that does not mean Jake has not been willing to tell her. Every time he tried to tell her or rather warn her, she blew him off for one reason or the other. Lastly, Jake's wit also makes the reader question his intentions or motives. He is smart and calm, which could possibly show a sense of guilt or lack of care for his actions.
 * ADDITIONAL GROUP QUESTIONS (Hana): **
 * 1. At this point of the story, based on the details provided in the book, do you think Jake is a bad person? Is he really trying to protect Ridley, or do you think he has other intentions? **

Of course family and close family friends have influence, and power over the people they love. In addition, these close people also have the power to keep the deepest and darkest secret from one another. Let's start from the top. Ridley's parents definitely know the truth about what Ridley is trying to figure out. They know who Ridley truly is. This also gives them the possibility to be guilty of murdering Teresa and kidnapping Ridley as a baby. Therefore, the parents would almost want to send somebody to do their dirty work for them, this would then protect the parents for getting caught in their knowledge. Next, Uncle Max, being dead, could possibly have the biggest influence in the book. My guess is that Uncle Max knew the truth about Ridley the whole time. This then could have led to how much Uncle Max loved, adored, and protected Ridley from everything. In connection to Max, His lawyer, Alexander, could have definitely known about the truth the entire time due to his closeness with Max. I feel compassion towards Ace because he is misunderstood and set up to be a bad character. Ace has the potential to be an amazing person, but the relationships between him and his parents soured any will he had to do good, except for the relationship he actually kept with his sister. Ace is a bold and brave guy that tries to do good but is explained as someone who has no chance. Lastly, Zack gets the finger pointed at him. All along, Ridley continuously reiterated the fact that Zack was always extremely close to her parents. This even gives the parents the motivation to send Zack out to do their dirty work due to the fact that he has the "in" they need. I believe that Christian and Teresa are truly her parents and everybody else close to Ridley are yearning to keep her from the truth.
 * 2. Do you think Ridley's parents or even her brother, Ace, have anything to do with the mystery and why? Do you think they know the truth about Christian Luna (who was supposedly Ridley's "real dad"), the woman that was murdered a few years ago (who was supposedly her "real mom"), or the missing child (that COULD possibly be Ridley)? **

Every Friday morning the average dread of getting out of bed and being on your way to school transforms into excitement and happiness. My partner, Hana, and I are eager to enjoy some Starbucks and bagels bought courteously by our mothers. The both of us cannot even let Mr. Morone finish his little introduction to the period before we start gushing about how much we //love// "Beautiful Lies" by Lisa Unger. We then collected our feelings and began discussing the inspirational (once again "Facebook-worthy") quotes that Hana had posted the previous night. The discussion regarding the assignment along with the questions Hana posted then took up the majority of the rest of the period. However, we found the time to discuss certain predictions and characters about the jaw-dropping novel. Both Hana and I believe that there is going to be an unexpected twist that brings drama and suspense to this story. We also believe that things might actually begin to come together in the next few chapters. However Hana and I disagreed when we were talking about who we thought was guilty. Hana believes that Zack is the guilty shooter, and though I can see her reasoning, I believe there is another strong suspect. Although I love Jake and his passionate character, I believe all his secrets could possibly make him guilty, or it would at least begin to point fingers at him. And, yes, Hana and I once again gawked over Jake. Among this part of the discussion we began to vent over how much of a stalker, creeper, and controlling he is. We figured out that had Ridley actually married Zack, she would have turned out to be completely miserable due to all of his countless flaws, and the fact that we believe he has always been in on the "secret." We also believe that the parents had a very large part in the death of Ridley's birth mother and that they will use Uncle Max's foundation for abused women and children as an excuse for kidnapping Ridley (then Jessie). Finally we cringed as we spoke about the creepy man on the subway that had an encounter with Ridley. We both believe that all of these little aspects, such as this man and Zelda, will have a big part in unraveling the big mystery of Ridley's true identity. Overall, book club was very successful this week, and we both cannot wait to read the next fifth of our book and be left in a suspense that will yearn us to read further.
 * SUMMARY OF BOOK CLUB (Caitlin): **


 * __ Week Three: December 17 __**

Topic: Mood/Tone (section 3 out of 5 of your text)

__** QUOTES (Caitlin): **__ "But I think the major concern was how much worse it could get. Every fender bender was a reminder of the frailty of my life and how my independence meant that they could no longer be on the lookout for dangers that might befall me. They represented a loss of control," (Unger 186). "There was no way to fake that kind of intimacy. Was there? Does it sound like I was kidding myself? Normally even the slightest hint of dishonesty and I walked. But in my new universe, I felt like Alice in Wonderland. Everything was strangely off and the usual rules didn't seem to apply any longer, (Unger 194). "It felt weird going back to my apartment, as if it wasn't mine anymore. All the memories lingering there were ghosts from someone else's life, someone silly and frivolous," (Unger 202). "When you start to really know someone, all his physical characteristics start to disappear. You begin to dwell in his energy, recognizing the scent of his skin. You see only the essence of the person, not the shell. That's why you can't fall in love with beauty. You can lust after it, be infatuated by it, want to own it. You can love it with your eyes and your body but not your heart. And that's why, when you really connect with a person's inner self, any physical imperfections disappear, become irrelevant, (Unger 210). "I felt recognized. And I was so grateful, because I'm not sure I would have even recognized myself at this point. I knew who I was; don't get me wrong. I just didn't know what to call her anymore," (Unger 210). "Looking back at things now, I'm amazed at myself, really. I know they say hindsight is twenty-twenty and all that, but honestly, there were so many things about my past that I just accepted on face value, never questioned, never even wondered about. It's mind-boggling. On the other hand, doesn't everybody accept the life they're dealt at face value? Shouldn't they be allowed to?" (Unger 220). "Are you starting to get how it is with my family? I am, finally. Ugly or worrisome things are ignored. It's such a Waspy cliche. Not that we're actually Wasps. But the ignorance of these things was so deliberate, so total, that mentioning or discussing them would be tantamount to setting the house on fire, met with alarms and pandemonium. Denial, she's a fragile bitch, isn't she. So brittle and self-conscious, she can't stand the sight of herself," (Unger 221). "That's the last time I saw my uncle Max. His face still wet with tears and flushed with bourbon, his sad smile, his final words to me. Ridley, you might be the only good I've ever done," (Unger 225). "But little girls are raised on fairy tales. Is it any wonder we all crave the happy endings to the dark things in out lives? No one ever tells you that sad things stay sad, some people die angry and unforgiven, and some things are lost and never found," (Unger 239). "I'd come for help and for some solace, but I could see he had neither to offer and might have withheld it, if he did. I wanted to get away from him. I wanted to throw my arms around him, hold him as tightly as I could. I hated him. I loved him," (Unger 240).

**Hana:** At this point in the story, we think that Uncle Max was somehow associated with Teresa's death, due to the subtle hints that were revealed in these few chapters. For example, based on the fact that his organization involved a lot of "shady" people working for him, we thought he may have hired private "investigators" who did the dirty work for him. However, we began to change our minds when we came to the conclusion that even if he had killed Teresa, he would not have had the evil intentions to commit such a crime. Therefore, we think that the Uncle Max's lawyer, or even Ridley's ("fake") parents, killed both Teresa and Christian, while manipulating Uncle Max and dragging him further into the complicated situation.
 * QUESTIONS (Caitlin): **
 * 1. At this point in the story, who do you think killed Teresa? Do you think this is the same person that killed Christian? **

**Hana:** Based on the recent events in the story, if Ridley and Jake (a.k.a. Harley) had not shared this "special bond" between them, she would have had every right not to trust him at all. After all, she had found more than enough evidence to prove that Jake was one of the people who killed Teresa and Christian, and better yet, even though she hadn't seen the person's face, she could have sworn that she the Firebird (type of car) that trying to steer her off a mountain belonged to Jake. However, despite all this, after all the things Jake and Ridley have been through, it seems almost impossible for him to try to hurt her purposely, especially because she knew him in a way that nobody had known before. In other words, she had discovered a part of Jake that revealed his sensitive, loving side, which infers that he trusted her enough to show his vulnerability to her, and only her. Therefore, based on the fact that he still seems to love, care, and protect her in unexpected ways, we think that Jake can be trusted. (So far, Ridley seems to trust him, despite all the evidence that proved that he was her "threat", because she half-expected him to show up out of nowhere to protect her, while depending on him to always watch over her.)
 * 2. Now knowing all of Jake's/Harley's past, do you think he can be truly trusted? Why or why not? **

The mood of this book is very mysterious and suspenseful, considering the fact that it's not exactly what you would call a "fluffy book." Despite the fact that the author mentioned, at the beginning of the book, how peaceful and comforting Ridley's life had been, the rest of the story seems to create a dark tone, especially when she discovers that her entire life is an absolute lie. After witnessing the Christian Luna's death (who could have possibly been her real father) and facing the truth about her unknown past, the author's tone quickly switches from cheerful to gloomy. In addition, the dark tone seems to add on to the mixed feelings of confusion, anger, and sympathy that both the reader and the character go through. For example, when Ridley was confused about her identity and unsure about the details of her childhood, the reader may also feel stressed because they can't seem to figure out exactly what will happen to her (or even WHY this was happening to her). Furthermore, Ridley expresses her anger towards her parents, Jake (at times), and everyone else who seems to be lying to her, refusing to clue her in on the details of her past or even discuss the answers to her prying questions. Along with this, the audience may feel sympathy for the main character, as she is ultimately left alone to figure out her problems because she had no one else she could trust completely -- no one but herself.
 * Assignment Questions (Hana): **
 * 1. On your group's wiki page, discuss the mood or tone of your book. What is the overriding emotion of this book? What examples back up your claim? **

Despite the fact that Caitlin and I were slightly irritated that our bagels had to be picked up from the office, as soon as we came back, we started discussing the quotes that Caitlin had posted the day before. Sitting in our plastic chairs while sipping our hot chocolate, we found it rather relaxing, as we casually talked about how the quotes directly related to our lives, while it also gave us a deeper insight into Ridley's life. As mentioned previously, my partner and I couldn't help but notice how deep and meaningful some of the quotes were, which convinced us that this was, by far, the greatest book we had ever read. After discussing all three of the questions (Caitlin's questions & the assignment questions), we began to further analyze the details of the story, tearing every piece of evidence apart to discover the truth behind all the hidden lies. Our goal was to try to come up with a conclusion and guess what would eventually happen to Ridley before we read any further into the story. So far, we came to the conclusion that Uncle Max, the lawyer, and her parents were all involved in some kind of suspicious organization that may have kidnapped many children and killed their parents. In addition, although all evidence so far points to Jake as the "bad guy," we think that he will be the "hero" that will save Ridley at the most crucial and dangerous part of the story. However, even though Caitlin and I were able to come up with several conclusions, we both agreed that we would never know what would REALLY happened to Ridley, unless we continued to finish the last few chapters (and naturally, we cannot wait to do so).
 * SUMMARY OF BOOK CLUB (Hana): **

__** Week Four: January 7 **__

Topic: Themes/Images (section 4 out of 5 of your text)

"Choices. We were back to that, the things that determine the course of your life. Was it that simple? Some of us are high risk and some of us low? Some of us made bad choices and some of us made wise ones? And these choices determined whether we were happy or miserable, healthy or unhealthy, loved or unloved?" (Unger 264). "I had to wonder, What informed these choices? The obvious answer is our parents, the people who loved or didn't love us, raised us well or poorly. There were other factors, of course. But did it just come down to whether someone loved us enough to teach us how to make the right choices for ourselves? No. It's not that simple Life never is," (Unger 264). "But in the end, it's not just the big and small events that make you who you are, make your life what it is, it's how you choose to react to hem. That's where you have control over your life. I believe that," (Unger 264). "Carl Jung believed in a shadow self, a dark side to each of us that we learn to hide. Within this darkness dwells our forbidden appetites, our secret beliefs about ourselves and the world around us, the ugly traits and flaws that we hate and seek to bury. But Jung held that there was no denying this part of ourselves, that the more we tried to hide it, pretend it didn't exist, the more audaciously the universe would conspire to reveal it. He maintained that this shadow craved more than anything to be recognized and embraced. Only when we have forgiven it can we truly be whole, truly be free," (Unger 268). "Beautiful lies that had made me happy, provided me with a good life, lies that were told no doubt out of love, but lies nonetheless," (Unger 269). "I was in real danger and the only way I could escape it was to wrap myself back up in those beautiful lies, pretend that all of this was a terrible dream, and go back to sleep. But, of course, I couldn't do that now. Once you've started down that road to self-discovery, no matter how treacherous the path before you, you can't turn back. The universe doesn't allow it," (Unger 269). "It is not the strongest among us who survive. Nor is it the most intelligent. It is those among us who are the most adaptable to change," (Unger 277). "...Has it been so bad...your life? Have you considered what the alternative might have been?" (Unger 278). "We're all so lost, aren't we? Always looking for something elusive, something we think is crucial, never knowing exactly what it is," (Unger 293). "I strongly suspected, in this case at least, that the truth was going to suck completely, that all my beautiful lies had been so much better," (Unger 294). "The thought of having someone sharing his questions, sharing his quest, must have been irresistible. After all, beneath the surface of it, isn't that what we're all looking for? We may say we're looking for love, following dreams, chasing the dollar, but aren't we just looking for a place where we belong? A place where our thoughts, feelings, and fears are understood?" (Unger 294).
 * QUOTES (Hana): **

The truth about Jessie Stone was definitely not a secret and Zack and Esme most definitely could have known the truth. This could mainly be because Esme was extremely close to Uncle Max, therefore she would have known. Then, because everybody wanted to mold Zack into being Ridley's future husband, he knew. They probably also told Zack because if he knew, he could do a better job at making sure Ridley never found out the truth. Zack definitely cared for Ridley, but most of the relationship was him sheltering her and him obeying and being loyal to Ben, Grace, and Esme. On the flip side, I think Esme could have most definitely killed Teresa Stone. This is because it has been mentioned several times in this novel that Esme would have done anything for Max, and if Max wanted Teresa gone so Ridley would never find out the truth, Esme could have definitely taken that to the extreme of killing Teresa Stone.
 * Additional Questions (Hana): **
 * 1. Do you think that Zach, along with Esme, know about what really happened to Jessie Stone (a.k.a. Ridley)? Do you think Esme could have killed Teresa Stone? **

Jake and Ridley could do several different things as their next move, but there is one that seems the most obvious. I feel that they will both retaliate in their own ways. I feel like Jake will retaliate against Harriman, because Jake seemed to get overwhelmingly emotional when Harriman was telling them the truth and Jake might find it necessary to retaliate against Harriman. Also, Ridley will retaliate against her parents, more so because they kept this gigantic secret from her for all these years. However, Jake and Ridley will stick together and back-stab Harriman in order to punish him, because he seems to be the most heartless in this very situation. This could possibly lead to Harriman killing them both. Harriman would definitely have the motive and will power to kill them, especially if it meant protecting himself.
 * 2. What do you think Jake and Ridley will do next? Do you think Harriman would really kill both of them to hide his secret? **

There are several images used in this book. The first image that comes to mind is guilt. Guilt is represented through the image of Ben. Ben feels extremely guilty which is made clear in the hospital scene, when it is clear that all he wants is Ridley's forgiveness. Guilt is also portrayed Max on the night he died. Max felt very remorseful about ever changing Ridley's life around so much. Lastly, Jake represented guilt through the fact that he could have been the reason for Uncle Max's death and for the fact that he met Ridley for all of the wrong reasons. The next image represented is Revenge. Revenge is represented mainly through three characters, Zack, Ridley and Jake. Zack represents it because he wants revenge on Ridley because he truly believes he is the perfect and only man for Ridley and he chooses to want revenge on Ridley for ending their relationship. Ridley wants revenge on all those people that ever lied to her about her true identity, and Jake wants revenge on Project Rescue because they were the reason he endured such a horrid life. Another image in this book is choices. This is mainly represented through Ridley and how she preaches that every single thing that happens in your life is a choice. This image goes all the back to the day Ridley saves that boy and it continues throughout the novel as she searches for who she really is. The image of loneliness is represented through Jake and Max, pretty much for the same reasons. These people never really had constant people in their lives, and this factor is what turned them into the people they became and the reason for their loneliness. Lastly, the consequences of a person's lies is the final image of this book. Ridley's life is what represents this because through all the lies from project rescue Ridley's life, the consequence, was completely disrupted. The author uses all these images to create a strong emotion and connection between the reader and the characters in the book. This gives the reader very strong imagery and makes the reader feel like they are apart of the book and the story is more realistic. This also allows the reader to understand the characters some more.
 * Assignment Question (Caitlin): **
 * 1. What are some of the images that are used? What do they seem to represent? Why do you think the author uses these images to convey his or her meaning? **

To not start out a book club meeting with Starbucks and bagels would now seem like a terrible crime, therefore that is precisely what we did. This chunk of the book was very intriguing for both Hana and I, which was the reason why both of us read the chunk very early in the week rather than waiting until Thursday night. This also meant that we talked about the book a little bit before hand. Next, we went over the familiar quotes and discussed their in depth meaning, going more in depth than normal. Next, as we answered the three questions, we began to make predictions. We both predicted that Jake and Ridley would retaliate and that Harriman may attempt to kill both Ridley and Jake. Hana and I had strong opinions of this book after reading this chunk. Hana thought that the plot got much more interesting and fast paced. She also thought that the book would be able to end where we stopped reading it, but it doesn't. This makes the rest of the book completely and utterly unpredictable and she cannot wait for what is in store for us as readers. I actually completely agreed with all of Hana's opinions, basically saying that my opinions about the book are pretty much exactly as Hana's are. Overall, this book club was very successful and Hana and I cannot wait for this next week of reading where we stop when the author tells us to, not because that is where our book club tells us to stop.
 * Summary (Caitlin): **

__** Week Five: January 14 (LAST MEETING) **__

Topic: Responding to the Text (section 5 out of 5 of your text)

"I don't believe in mistakes. Never have. I believe that there are a multitude of paths before us and it's just a matter of which way we walk home. I don't believe in regret. If you regret things about your life, then I'll bet that you're not paying attention. Regret is just imagining that you know what would have happened if you took that job in California or married your high-school sweetheart or just looked one more time before you stepped out into the street...or didn't. But you don't know; you can't possibly know," (Unger 339). "You're probably wondering, What about me? What was my wish? Would I turn back the clock? I can't answer that. Like I told you, I don't believe in mistakes or in regret. We don't know the other road, the one we didn't take, or where it leads," (Unger 366). "Are you disappointed in me? Did you expect me to begin a crusade to find all the Project Rescue babies in the world and reunite them with their possibly abusive parents? Ask yourself, if you'd lost everything, if you were barely clinging to the shreds of what was left of your life, if the lives of the only family you had ever known had been threatened by a lawyer who represented people with names like Paulie "The Fist," what would you do? Really. What would you do?" (Unger 341). "Closure. We all seek it. We seek the end of things and also the beginning of new things. Those things we can't find closure on, they haunt us, they pop up in our dreams, they creep into our thoughts in idle moments like a mind-bender that's beyond our mental capacity, a mystery that just won't be solved," (Unger 358). "His right leg and left arm were both in casts. His face was bruised, his muscular chest wrapped tight with bandages. I'd never seen anyone more gorgeous in my life," Unger 261). "I've come to believe as I said, that it's not blood that connects us but experience. For everything we'd been through, for all the lies, for all the wrongs done by my family, they were still my family. I never once stopped thinking about them that way; they never became strangers to my heart. And even though the idea I had held in my imagination proved to be completely false, it didn't change the way I felt about them. They could be only what they were. That had to be enough," (Unger 364).  "I'd stripped away the script of our lives. Doesn't it feel that way in your family? Everyone has his role, and as long as everyone keeps true to the part that has been cast for him, things go on as they always have. You laugh about the same things, fight about the same things, harbor all the same old resentments, share the same memories, good and bad. But when on person starts to improvise, starts to write her own lines, the whole script has to be thrown out. Everyone else misses cues, there's an awkward silence, then chaos. Then, if you're lucky, you all create a new production together. One based in the present, based on honesty, one that's fluid and malleable to change," (Unger 365). "Quidam, the stranger, the anonymous passerby. The man walking in the rain on the street after midnight. The sound of a violin through your apartment wall. The homeless man asking for change on the steps of a church. The old woman next to you on the bus. Disconnected from your life but joined to you by a moment in time. All the choices and events of his life and the choices and events of yours have led you to be in the exact same place at the exact same time. Think about it," (Unger 367). "Hope is good. Without it, well, you do the math. But hope has to be like a prayer. Putting it out there to something more powerful than yourself. If the last few months have taught me anything, it's this: We don't have control, we have choices. The little ones, the big ones, these are the points on which our lives pitch and pivot. All we can do is make the best choices we can with what we know, and hope that things turn out the way we want," (Unger 369). "There are no villains here. Not really. If you think about it, there are no true villains in life. Only in fiction do we see distilled versions of good and bad. In life, there are only good and bad choices. And sometimes even choices can be judged only by their consequences. And sometimes not even then," (Unger 371). "Don't we reveal ourselves slowly, in parts, to the people we are starting to love? Don't we pick and choose what we want them to see and when? Aren't we afraid to be judged or rejected because of who we are, at last a little at first, until we grow more intimate, feel safer beneath each other's gazes? Now Jake and I have a policy of total honesty between us. And that's not always easy (as in "Do these jeans make me look fat?"), but it's always real. And I'll take real any day over lies, no matter how they glimmer and shine, no matter how beautiful," (Unger 372).
 * QUOTES (Hana): **

Not reveling the mystery of Charlie and Jessie was definitely the better thing to do. If the author had revealed all of the truth regarding what happened to Jessie and Charlie would have taken the readers focus completely off of the point of the whole book. The point of the book was never for Jake and Ridley to find out who they really were. The point was to endure the inspiration Ridley did and understand that every choice has a consequence and experience connects people to each other rather than blood. The reader was supposed to hear what Ridley thinks rather than find out the truth, because in the end none of the truth really mattered. She knew who she loved and who loved her. She knew where she was and, of course, she would never be the person she was and she would have never met Jake if the other events in her life had not occurred. All the lies helped build her life. Her family is still her family and she does not love them any less than she did when she was a little girl.
 * Additional Questions (Hana): **
 * 1. Do you think that the author should have revealed what really happened to Jessie Stone and Charlie? Or do you think that it's better that she left it an "unsolved mystery"? **

"There are no villains here. Not really. If you think about it, there are no true villains in life. Only in fiction do we see distilled versions of good and bad. In life, there are only good and bad choices. And sometimes even choices can be judged only by their consequences. And sometimes not even then," (Unger 371). This quote basically sums up this question. Harriman, Esme and Zack were all good people before they got involved with all of the crimes. Because of the bad things they did, their personality may have changed a bit. Esme seems to really have turned slightly psychotic in some ways. She seems to have had good intentions at the beginning of all o this chaos, but as she got deeper in this situation, the more criminal her acts became. Also, when things did not go exactly her way, she became enraged and almost violent. This made it seem like she was becoming a narcissist. Zack seems to follow his mother, Esme, close in her footsteps. Zack has been molded and eventually he will get to the point his mother is at or even possibly beyond it, unless somebody forces him out of it. He might have has good intentions at first, however he was never really told what was truly good and what was not. He would definitely do almost anything to protect his mother, though. Harriman, on the other hand, seems to be sane, but at the same time he is a manipulative lawyer that only looks out for himself and will do anything to save his own butt.
 * 2. Do you think that Harriman, Esme, and Zack are "villains," or are they still good people deep inside? **

Both Hana and I could talk about this book forever, almost literally. There are a few morals and ultimate messages in this text. First and foremost is that the choices one make sin life are crucial and they all have consequences. Secondly, there is no such thing as mistakes or having regret because even the bad experiences teach one a lesson, one will get something out of anything and everything. This ties back into making choices, because if everyone is able to make their own choices, then they have no excuse for regret; they chose their own path. Another ultimate message in this text is that it is not blood that connects people to each other, but experience. One will still love the people they love, whether they are blood related or not. Lastly, one cannot always expect heroes to do amazing things, there is always something one is incapable of doing. This ties in to the final moral, that there is no such thing as a villain, only bad choices. There are no criminals, just criminal acts. In real life, stuff like that does not happen, only in books and on TV do they, which makes this book realistic. We would definitely recommend this book to other people. In fact, I have already suggested to my mom to read this book and she WILL read it. This book would be perfect to relate to anybody because it is extremely inspirational, easy to relate to, relatable to anybody, has a good plot with great suspense, and, of course, captivating characters. The topics discussed in this book have been discussed in other books I have read, just no all at once. This book ties in all the other morals from the other books both Hana and I have read. We have never read a book that has everything in one. This book being a part of the curriculum would be simply wonderful because of how inspirational it truly is. Even though the characters are mainly in their thirties in this book, the book is still one hundred percent relatable to our age group. The author makes even some of the raciest scenes classy. Lastly, both Hana and I believe this book will go down as an all-time classic, if not in the world, definitely in the minds of Hana and I.
 * Assignment Question (Caitlin): **
 * 1. Was there a moral or ultimate message to the text? Would you recommend the text to peers? Why or why not? Has this topic been discussed more/less effectively in another book or books? Should this book be considered for the school's curriculum? Will this book go down in history as an "all-time classic" or will it be quickly forgotten? (A) **

Another wonderful book club meeting began this Friday morning with the delicious bagels Hana bought and the tasteful Starbucks I brought for us. This, of course, should be of no surprise to anybody, especially Mr. Morone. We could hardly wait to begin discussing the last section of our book. We began discussing it by going over the several quotes Hana diligently picked out for us this week. By putting so many inspirational quotes on our wiki page, Hana and I were able to analyze this book in more depth than we thought we would. After agreeing that almost every quote was "Facebook-worthy," we went on to discuss the questions, the ones Hana came up with and the Assignment Question. After that, we began to reflect on the book. We both decided that we liked this book club book twenty million times better than the last book club book we read. This book did not only meet our expectations, but it exceeded them. We both learned so much from this book and it is probably one of the best books I have read. It will definitely become a favorite of ours. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and Hana and I are very sad now that we will not have all week to look forward to discussing this beautiful book on Friday mornings. There will be no more Jake or Ridley, and that is going to have to take some getting used to. This book left the both of us with a deep impression that will never leave us. It has definitely marked us in a good way. Overall, reading this book for our second marking period book club book has been a huge success.
 * Summary of Book Club (Caitlin): **