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Read Wolves!
Welcome to WELL REaD, the reading blog of the Niles West High School IRC. We want to hear what our students and staff have to say about books. To comment about anything you read here, click on the comment link at the bottom of the post.
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2 comments:
I was suprised to find an intense scene on the second page of the book. It's ironic that Dana married a white man, Kevin, who happens to be able to help her when she goes back in time, pretending to be her slaveholder. I find it really interresting to read about the reactions that a black woman and white man in a relationship have, when they go back in time and experience slavery. I'm not really convinced Kevin and Dana are truly in love
("How would you feel about getting married?"
"You want to marry me?"
"Yeah, don't you want to marry me?"), and I wonder if the roles they're playing in 1819 will affect how they feel later towards each other (will it bring them closer or become a barrier?). I don't like the transitions in this book. Right when there's a climax, the story goes back to a different point in time, to a different topic, and I'm left guessing what happened until the next chapter. But I suppose that fits into the theme of time and space travel. I'm interrested to find out how Rufus turns out. He seems to take after his father, but when he talks to Dana, he acts like a totally thoughtful and sensitive person. He needs a better male influence. I was suprised when Dana was whipped and Kevin didn't catch up to her in time. I have a feeling Dana's going to come across more life & death situations when she saves Rufus. I really hope she and Kevin are still together at the end of the book.
I knew Rufus was going to turn out to be more like his father, posessive and tempermental. For some reason, though, his character appeals to me. I think it's those moments when he shows sudden acts of kindness, and I'm reminded of what he was like when he was a kid, and what he could have been if he had had a better influence. It was so sad when Kevin and Dana were reunited becase Kevin was so much older after being stuck in the 1800's. For some time, their trials gave them tension, but ultimately that experience brought them closer together because they were the only ones who could relate that to each other. I was also suprised that Alice killed herself- wouldn't she stay alive for her kids sake, hoping to be reunited with them again someday? She probably thought that was the best way to get back at Rufus- to literally take her life back. It's frustrating to me when Dana and Rufus interact because their relationship is so complicated, I never know what they're going to do. They are dependant on each other but at the same time can't trust the other. I didn't expect Dana to kill him after all the times she saved his life, but I guess she really wanted to free the rest of the slaves. I had hoped the ending would turn out happier, but I guess that wouldn't have been as realistic for a novel with such a sensitive topic. Overall, this was a page turner, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes reading about themes like posessive love, & hatred through power and control.
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