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BookwormjillkThe whole avocado pear terminology confused me for a hot minute. Then they put grape jelly in it and then I was really confused. Moving on.
As a teen I probably sympathized with Ester but I think I'm Jay Cee years old because man it frustrates me to supervise people who just want to be brilliant but not actually work. Good for her eating that caviar though.1mo
dabbeAm I such a hard-ass that I'm finding it difficult to be sympathetic with her as she eats caviar while having an all-expenses-paid trip to NYC, and she's still not happy? She reminds me of Hubbell Gardner from THE WAY WE WERE, whose 1st line in his college creative writing class that was read out loud was the following: “In a way, he was like the country he lived in. Everything came to easily to him.“1mo
Clare-DragonflyI wonder if the other apprentices are getting lectures from their bosses. It doesn‘t seem like it!1mo
Clare-DragonflyAt least we got some confirmation that Doreen actually likes Lenny and isn‘t traumatized!1mo
Andrea313@dabbe The all-expenses paid trip and loads of caviar seem to signal her being spoiled but I think there's also a sense of alienation there from her more modest upbringing- she never ate in a "proper" restaurant before this trip, and her grandfather works as a waiter. She benefits from proximity to wealth, but doesn't fully inhabit that world and is trying to make sense of it all. I'm feeling a lot of empathy for this 19 year old kid- anyone else?1mo
willafulI may be biased because of knowing about Plath's life, but I think Esther is likely clinically depressed.1mo
dabbe@Andrea313 Agree 💯. Thanks for reminding me of these things, too. The fact that she's 19 says a lot, too. The cynical way-older me got in the way of seeing the world through her eyes. 🩶🩷🩶1mo
Andrea313@dabbe And I think Esther believes she's old and world-weary, too. Part of what I love so much about this book is the way that her experiences are given a very adult gravity, despite her youth. Being in those "on the precipice of your future but not quite there" years can be really overwhelming. But I'm also a biased reader- I've loved this book for years! It's been fun to read everyone's comments, especially folks reading it for the first time.1mo
dabbe@Andrea313 I'm so glad you're sharing such excellent thoughts with us. You've also reminded me that POV is so important--not just through the character or author's eyes, but the reader's as well. I'm way past the precipice of my future and am now looking back. But there's still the young me who remembers. Thanks for that reminder.1mo
Andrea313@dabbe Thanks for the discussion and the lovely comments! I love what you said about "the young me who remembers". I am a big re-reader and love to both confront and appreciate the young me's who explored the stories I love. This one takes me straight back to being 17- maybe more than any other novel!1mo
As a teen I probably sympathized with Ester but I think I'm Jay Cee years old because man it frustrates me to supervise people who just want to be brilliant but not actually work. Good for her eating that caviar though. 1mo