Sunday, January 11, 2015

1/12/15: The Ruby in the Smoke Ch. 1-7, Journal Thread

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8 comments:

  1. I didn't really get into the book until the end of the section. It was just some of the wording that the author used that really kind of turned me off. I found myself reading passages over and over and over. But once i finally got used to it. i was able to focus in on the story line. I think, and it might be pretty obvious, that the ruby belongs to Sally. I might be wrong though. I really don't quite understand what's going on in the book yet to make any insights or comparisons. i feel like now is when everything is starting to come together and for the full plot to come out.

    Jacob Poettker

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  2. Honestly, I feel that this book started out as a slow read, but the further into I get, it is beginning to pick up the pace. The author makes some interesting choices in the way that he writes. For example, while he does explain what is going on, Pullman does this without some of the ominous undertones common among mysteries. Also, he gives quite a few details but scrambles them around so that readers do not know how they are related. However, we have not yet reached the point where the details of the exposition add up, so there are still a lot of loose threads. Also, we have been introduced to many characters but have yet to see the part they will play in this game. At this point in the story, there are just many pieces that have not come together yet. However, I am enjoying reading about a female protagonist.

    ~Sheridan

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  3. This book is different than the other books that we have read in class. The language used in this book is a little more old fashioned and it made it a little difficult for me to get into the story. I liked how the stories of Mrs. Holland, Matthew Bedwell, and Major Marchbanks are vaguely described; it made me want to keep reading. I thought it was interesting how much this book talks about opium. I am assuming this is a reason it is considered a young adult book. I really like that there is a female protagonist. It does allow me to connect better with the character, not because I have things in common with her, but because she has attributes I admire and would like to have.

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  4. In my opinion the book has started off very slow. I had a hard time understanding what was even going on. So many different characters were introduced in the first 7 chapters that I had a hard time keeping up with who is who. I don't understand why Sally thinks that she killed that man, I don't think that he could have been scared to death, it couldn't be that scary. I'm hoping that the book gets more interesting by the end.

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  5. I think the book has started off slowly and I barely understand what is going on. I know that everyone is connected in some way but I haven't been able to figure out how. I think that is awesome how eventhough Sally isn't well educated she was able to conduct business with the teller at the bank with such poise and confidence. She really knew what she wanted to do with the stocks and how much money she would get back in return. I hope that the photographer has more of a role because I feel like he may be a love interest for her. I also thought it was crazy how Mrs.Holland knew she had that diary!
    Kaitlyn

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  6. I have never really been a big reader of mystery novels but I do like this one because it has peeked my interest. It does start off a little bit slow and I was afraid I wasn't going to like it but it filled in some holes and questions I had and I think I will really enjoy the rest. I like how Sally has to go through all these obstacles to find out what really happened to her father. I think this builds up more suspense for the ending. I'm looking forward to what happens next.

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  7. The first few chapters of this book are very confusing - lots of characters introduced and I had to flip back pages to remember who was who. Near the end of the assigned read, the characters were just beginning to connect a little more and I was getting into the story. I even kept going on to read chapter 8 but then I remembered sleep is really nice.
    I like how the protagonist is a young girl who is uniquely skilled, for example how educated she is in the stock market and handling of money or how she can shoot a pistol - it's different and refreshing. I also like how she is not at all helpless, however it's disappointing that she fell asleep in that train...she's just making things even harder for herself.
    On another note, the book is an example of what we discussed in class, where most of the adults in a young adult novel are either evil, untrustworthy or just useless.
    All in all, I'm interested to see where this story goes and figure out what on earth is happening.

    Marianna Mercer

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  8. The phraseology for this book is a lot more mature than either of the other texts we've read so far. I'm having difficulty exactly duplicating the two examples I have because I immediately lent my book out to another student after reading the assignment and so I have nothing to source, but two passages in particular gave me the descriptive chills. I think one was the death of Hopkins, the other was the description of Marchbanks' land. I kept forgetting I was reading YA lit because of the linguistic stylings. And that is not at all a bad thing.

    Mason Trupe

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