the secret life of ceecee wilkes, chapters 21 - 35.

it's that time of the week again...let's talk more about what ceecee/eve is up to.

to read my discussion about the first ten chapters, click here.  to read about my discussion of chapters 11-20, click here.  to get the details about the bookclub, book beginnings and bookends, please click here.

1. Do you think Tim is the one sending the money?  yes.  it has to be him.  i mean, who else could it be?  tim could easily find out where ceecee/eve is by asking naomi or forest.  besides, he was so generous with ceecee in the beginning by giving her that money for school, so why wouldn't he give her money now.  i'm sure the guilt is eating him alive and perhaps this is his way of trying to make things better...somehow.

2. So far, there's been a lot of discussion on CeeCee/Eve and her choices. What choice(s) would you make differently from her?  if ceecee/eve were me, i wouldn't have made it as far as she has.  the red flag would have gone up in my mind the minute tim asked for ceecee's participation in the scheme.  and, even though ceecee went along with it, i certainly wouldn't have continued on after the birth of the baby & genevieve's death.  i would have gone straight to the authorities & confessed/turned myself in.  sometimes, it is more important to be selfish than to protect the identity of others.  besides, i wouldn't be able to live with that "monkey on my back" so to speak. 

3. What do you like about Jack? Are there things about him that you don't like?  jack seems genuine.  he seems like more of a gentleman than tim.  he seems to value eve & does not disrespect her for being a single mother.  he is interested in what she does, what she loves, etc.  his adoration for not only eve but for cory show that he's much more of a man than tim is.  at least that's my opinion.  the only thing that i didn't really like about jack was that he did seem to come on a bit strong at times especially with trying to win over cory with presents.  but, i like his persistence.  and, i like that he wanted to get to know eve and cory and not just eve.  jack understands that he's not just dating eve, but he is getting to know cory as well...this is important if their relationship gets serious.

4. What are the differences between CeeCee/Eve's relationship with Tim and Eve's relationship with Jack?  they courted!  they dated!  they had fun.  they laughed.  they shared stories.  they shared secrets {ha ha ha}.  ceecee's relationship with tim was based on lust.  tim was this something wonderful that swept 16 year old ceecee off of her feet.  eve's relationship with jack was just the opposite.  he had to win her even though there was some sort of mutual attraction between the two of them.  their relationship evolved in a more normal way and was based on love.  although eve has to bear the weight of ceecee's past, she still manages to have a very meaningful, absolutely wonderful relationship with jack.

5. Do you think Eve is to blame for Cory's fears? What could she do, specifically, to help Cory feel like less of an outsider?  as i was reading the story during these particular chapters, it didn't even cross my mind to pin cory's fears on eve.  looking back, however, it does make sense.  eve is a single mother & cory is her child.  eve shelters cory.  of course cory would be hesitant about new people, new situations, new experiences.  to help cory feel like less of an outsider, i think eve should have socialized cory more as a younger infant/toddler & not sheltered her so much.  she should have allowed her to explore, ride her bike on the sidewalk, play outside, etc.  by keeping her so alienated she pretty much instilled an apprehension within cory that will probably only worsen over time.

6. Do you think Eve appropriately answered Cory's questions about her father? Do you think Cory will question her father more as she grows older?  yes and no.  it's hard to come up with a quick answer when you're put on the spot...especially when you have to lie & stretch the truth.  of course cory will ask more questions as she gets older & more inquisitive.  children know no boundaries when it comes to asking "tough questions."  i think the questions will keep coming with more intensity as cory enters school and sees her friends with their fathers.  she'll want to know why she doesn't have one and what happened to him.  for eve's sake, i hope she can keep the story consistent and believable.