What Are You Reading? Part Deux
- Thread starter Dana Jean
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Please??! I really can't finish that book, I will end up in a straitjacket. I seriously want to know how it ends.
The cow killed his Dad.
Here is a plot summary.
Forte's Children
Edgar comes from a line of dog breeders. After buying a farm, his grandfather rents out the farmland and starts dog breeding. He and his wife have two sons, Edgar's father (Gar) and Claude. Claude leaves the farm and Gar stays on and carries on the family business. After some troubled attempts to have a child, Gar and his wife (Trudy) have Edgar. After his parents come to understand that he is mute his parents learn sign language along with him, some made up and some real signs. Edgar grows up on the farm learning to breed dogs with his parents and Almondine, his own dog who is always by his side and in a way speaks for him. Once he is old enough, his parents give him his own litter to raise.
Eventually, Claude returns to the farm. After a brief stint of helping out around the house and barn, he leaves after a drunken brawl with Gar. A few weeks later, Edgar finds his father in the barn, dying mysteriously. After unsuccessfully trying to call for help, Edgar watches his father die.
Three Griefs
After burying Gar, Edgar and Trudy decide to keep the family business running, despite the increased workload. However, shortly after beginning to adjust to Gar's death, Trudy catches pneumonia and Edgar attempts to carry on the work without her. Before long, two dogs end up in a vicious fight. With both dogs injured and their vet out of town, they must call on Claude for assistance. After he helps treat the dogs and Trudy recovers, Claude forms a strong bond with Trudy including some inappropriate things, and Claude ends up being at the house a lot.
One night not long after, Edgar wakes to the dogs barking and goes to investigate. Searching around in a storm for what was causing the dogs to bark, he sees the outline of his father's ghost in the rain. Through signs, Edgar is led to the syringe that most likely killed his father – one that he has seen Claude use before.
What Hands Do
After Edgar confirms for sure that his mother and Claude are indeed romantically involved, he struggles to live under the same roof with his uncle. He comes to seek confirmation for his suspicions about his father's murder.
When a potential buyer comes over to take a look at their dogs, Edgar seizes on the opportunity to test Claude. He stages a scene with the dogs, in which they mimic Claude using a syringe to poison people. One dog touches another with a syringe in its mouth and the touched dog falls over and plays dead. The final dog touches Claude's leg, and when he flinches and storms off in anger, Edgar feels he has confirmed his suspicions.
Angry at the strange show Edgar put on in front of a buyer, Trudy confronts Edgar and they get in a struggle. In the midst of their argument, Edgar, enraged, seeing a figure he thinks to be Claude, swings a hay hook and sends him tumbling down the stairs, killing him. Trudy discovers that the figure was actually Dr. Papineau, their vet. Scared at what might happen to Edgar because of the death, she tells him to disappear for a while. Three dogs from his litter follow him into the woods.
Chequamegon
Edgar drifts in the woods and, without a fishing tackle, is forced to rob the cabins he comes across for food. Eventually, he decides to head up to Canada, where there is a commune he hopes to join. Along the way however, one of his dogs is injured, and he is forced to seek help.
He goes to a house he has just robbed and the owner, Henry, helps him with the injured dog. He talks to Henry through writing, and agrees to stay there until his dog has healed. Once the dog is healed, Henry offers to give Edgar a ride up north to his destination. En route they are hit by a tornado. In the aftermath, Edgar decides to return home.
Poison
Edgar returns home and leaves a note in his house for his mother. Claude finds it before Trudy and tells Glen, a police officer and son of Dr. Papineau, who is suspicious that Edgar caused his father's death. Spooked by Edgar's appearance, Claude moves a bottle of poison in the barn and Edgar catches him. Later, Edgar sees his mother and convinces her to give him a night alone in the barn, so he can search for the poison Claude moved. Meanwhile, Claude and Glen plot to trap Edgar, so Glen can “question” him.
Glen surprises Edgar in the barn and tries to kidnap him using a rag soaked in ether. Edgar manages to grab some quicklime and douses Glen in it. It gets in Glen's eyes and he stumbles out of the barn, blinded. The ether hits a lamp and the barn lights on fire. Edgar, worried for the dog's files, his father's life's work, starts moving them out of the barn while it burns up. Trudy tries to stop him, but she is held captive by the now blinded Glen Papineau. Claude has hidden the poison with the papers, though. He pretends to help Edgar take the files out of the barn, grabs the bottle of poison, and when he is not looking, stabs Edgar with a syringe in the burning barn. As Claude waits for the poison to work on Edgar, Claude tries to get out of the burning barn but sees his brother's figure in the smoke. All of a sudden, the barn fills with smoke, as if Gar is not letting Claude escape. Claude ends up not being able to get out, and he and Edgar die in the barn. The Sawtelle dogs, who have escaped the fire, leave into the wild.
Edgar comes from a line of dog breeders. After buying a farm, his grandfather rents out the farmland and starts dog breeding. He and his wife have two sons, Edgar's father (Gar) and Claude. Claude leaves the farm and Gar stays on and carries on the family business. After some troubled attempts to have a child, Gar and his wife (Trudy) have Edgar. After his parents come to understand that he is mute his parents learn sign language along with him, some made up and some real signs. Edgar grows up on the farm learning to breed dogs with his parents and Almondine, his own dog who is always by his side and in a way speaks for him. Once he is old enough, his parents give him his own litter to raise.
Eventually, Claude returns to the farm. After a brief stint of helping out around the house and barn, he leaves after a drunken brawl with Gar. A few weeks later, Edgar finds his father in the barn, dying mysteriously. After unsuccessfully trying to call for help, Edgar watches his father die.
Three Griefs
After burying Gar, Edgar and Trudy decide to keep the family business running, despite the increased workload. However, shortly after beginning to adjust to Gar's death, Trudy catches pneumonia and Edgar attempts to carry on the work without her. Before long, two dogs end up in a vicious fight. With both dogs injured and their vet out of town, they must call on Claude for assistance. After he helps treat the dogs and Trudy recovers, Claude forms a strong bond with Trudy including some inappropriate things, and Claude ends up being at the house a lot.
One night not long after, Edgar wakes to the dogs barking and goes to investigate. Searching around in a storm for what was causing the dogs to bark, he sees the outline of his father's ghost in the rain. Through signs, Edgar is led to the syringe that most likely killed his father – one that he has seen Claude use before.
What Hands Do
After Edgar confirms for sure that his mother and Claude are indeed romantically involved, he struggles to live under the same roof with his uncle. He comes to seek confirmation for his suspicions about his father's murder.
When a potential buyer comes over to take a look at their dogs, Edgar seizes on the opportunity to test Claude. He stages a scene with the dogs, in which they mimic Claude using a syringe to poison people. One dog touches another with a syringe in its mouth and the touched dog falls over and plays dead. The final dog touches Claude's leg, and when he flinches and storms off in anger, Edgar feels he has confirmed his suspicions.
Angry at the strange show Edgar put on in front of a buyer, Trudy confronts Edgar and they get in a struggle. In the midst of their argument, Edgar, enraged, seeing a figure he thinks to be Claude, swings a hay hook and sends him tumbling down the stairs, killing him. Trudy discovers that the figure was actually Dr. Papineau, their vet. Scared at what might happen to Edgar because of the death, she tells him to disappear for a while. Three dogs from his litter follow him into the woods.
Chequamegon
Edgar drifts in the woods and, without a fishing tackle, is forced to rob the cabins he comes across for food. Eventually, he decides to head up to Canada, where there is a commune he hopes to join. Along the way however, one of his dogs is injured, and he is forced to seek help.
He goes to a house he has just robbed and the owner, Henry, helps him with the injured dog. He talks to Henry through writing, and agrees to stay there until his dog has healed. Once the dog is healed, Henry offers to give Edgar a ride up north to his destination. En route they are hit by a tornado. In the aftermath, Edgar decides to return home.
Poison
Edgar returns home and leaves a note in his house for his mother. Claude finds it before Trudy and tells Glen, a police officer and son of Dr. Papineau, who is suspicious that Edgar caused his father's death. Spooked by Edgar's appearance, Claude moves a bottle of poison in the barn and Edgar catches him. Later, Edgar sees his mother and convinces her to give him a night alone in the barn, so he can search for the poison Claude moved. Meanwhile, Claude and Glen plot to trap Edgar, so Glen can “question” him.
Glen surprises Edgar in the barn and tries to kidnap him using a rag soaked in ether. Edgar manages to grab some quicklime and douses Glen in it. It gets in Glen's eyes and he stumbles out of the barn, blinded. The ether hits a lamp and the barn lights on fire. Edgar, worried for the dog's files, his father's life's work, starts moving them out of the barn while it burns up. Trudy tries to stop him, but she is held captive by the now blinded Glen Papineau. Claude has hidden the poison with the papers, though. He pretends to help Edgar take the files out of the barn, grabs the bottle of poison, and when he is not looking, stabs Edgar with a syringe in the burning barn. As Claude waits for the poison to work on Edgar, Claude tries to get out of the burning barn but sees his brother's figure in the smoke. All of a sudden, the barn fills with smoke, as if Gar is not letting Claude escape. Claude ends up not being able to get out, and he and Edgar die in the barn. The Sawtelle dogs, who have escaped the fire, leave into the wild.
Thank you.
I NEVER would've made it through that book. Hard to believe how it could get sadder, but I got goosebumps reading that synopsis. 
Lol...yeah, he modeled it after Hamlet, you may have noticed, which isn't exactly a Hallmark feel good story.Thank you.I NEVER would've made it through that book. Hard to believe how it could get sadder, but I got goosebumps reading that synopsis.
I didn't catch that, and I even took a Shakespeare course my senior year of college. You're right, not very uplifting!
I love his writing even though he is somewhat weird.
The Passage trilogy is really, really, really
good. I'm just finishing the second book but will hold of reading the third part so i can start Sleeping Beauty's when it's out.
I have heard nothing but good things about it and so bought the first two books literally months ago.The Passage trilogy is really, really, really
Been waiting to find a 1st edition of the 3rd book to complete the set, so was pretty happy when I finally found it!
I am trying not to start anything too big though, with Sleeping Beauties only a couple of weeks away as knowing my luck I won't get chance to finish whatever I start in time!!
Just finished A Head Full of Ghosts by Tremblay.
Pretty good, a solid story.
There is nothing we haven't seen before, the book even self references to The Exorcist etc. But the relationships (especially between the two sisters) are very strong and done well.
So now unsure as to what to read in the next 2 and a half weeks.
I have The Passage Trilogy, DROOD and many more sat waiting, but they all seem quite chunky 700+ page novels that might just creep into the "I really want to read Sleeping Beauties" window.
Hello everybody!!! Just wanted to say I'm currently reading Joe Hill's french translation version of The Fireman which title is L'Homme Feu . I completly love it!!! It's the kind of story I really enjoy, and I can see that Joe is a super writer. I recommand.
Haha, we have the same problem. I just finished The Twelve and really want to read the third book but i'll never finish in time for Sleeping Beauty's. I think i'll start Blue World from Robert McCammon, at least you can stop in the middle of a collection of short stories. It's the signed limited edition by the way, looks to good to just let it stand on my bookshelf
Love McCammon.Haha, we have the same problem. I just finished The Twelve and really want to read the third book but i'll never finish in time for Sleeping Beauty's. I think i'll start Blue World from Robert McCammon, at least you can stop in the middle of a collection of short stories. It's the signed limited edition by the way, looks to good to just let it stand on my bookshelf
So, so good.
I made a start on Bentley Little's The Store. Turbo reading more engaged!
Reading an old Charlton Space Adventures from '79 which reprints the first appearances of Captain Atom by sturdy Steve Ditko from '61. The character that inspired Watchmen's Dr. Manhattan, this super freak's costume is also a containment suit for his deadly radioactivity. Garish, Cold War comics on vintage aged newsprint. They don't make em like this anymore.
And some Groo the Wanderer by Mad Magazine's Marginal Maniac, Sergio Aragones. One of the funniest comics of all time. Imagine a brain dead Conan with a raging desire for cheese dip. A riot.
More treasures dug from the 50 cent boxes.
And some Groo the Wanderer by Mad Magazine's Marginal Maniac, Sergio Aragones. One of the funniest comics of all time. Imagine a brain dead Conan with a raging desire for cheese dip. A riot.
More treasures dug from the 50 cent boxes.
"My Absolute Darling" by Gabriel Tallent. Pretty grim story of a teenage girl and her abusive father. King had good things to say about it. Signed UK editions are available from Goldsboro Books and I think US editions can be ordered from Politics and Prose in DC.
My Absolute Darling | Goldsboro Books
My Absolute Darling | Goldsboro Books
I finished The Secret History.
Last night I started Saving Grace by Lee Smith. I'm going to try to finish David Copperfield.
I enjoyed the first half but the second half was the equivalent to being stuck in traffic and desperate to be home. It was anticlimactic. I wished she'd written it as a traditional mystery but I understand she wanted to achieve a more literary work and mysteries aren't usually respected. The writing is gorgeous and I enjoyed spending time with the characters. I liked The Goldfinch better.
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Café by Fannie Flagg on sale today for $2.99 on Kindle.
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'the unfinished world' and other stories. - Amber Sparks
I don't remember getting this on Kindle. But ok so far. Anyone else read this?
I don't remember getting this on Kindle. But ok so far. Anyone else read this?
I just finished Unwind by Neal Shusterman. It was really enjoyable and had me hooked from the start but it was also pretty unsettling. There are more in the series that I will probably check out at some point but I've moved onto Carrots by Colleen Helme for now, which promises be a bit of a lighter thriller.