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. 

the secret life of ceecee wilkes, chapters 11-20.

it's monday & it's time to discuss the next ten chapters of the secret life of ceecee wilkes.  we talked about the first ten chapters last week.  if you're interested in participating, it's not too late!  just click here for the details.

1. Where do you think Tim and Marty are at this point in the story? are we talking mentally or physically?  mentally - i think the both of them are far gone.  they are wrapped up in saving their sister.  and, i think that as much as ceecee believes that tim really cares for her, i almost believe it's evident in his actions that he's using her.  i mean, you can almost sense it or feel it as you're reading.  sadly, ceecee doesn't {although i did find it funny that she faked the big o on their last night together - come on, who's fooling who?}.  physically - i know they discussed what "the plan" was...where they would pick up genevieve, where they would take her {the cabin}, but after that it was never really clear.  they would just be hiding out elsewhere while they communicated with the governor.  the "covertness" of this whole kidnapping plot makes me think that things are going to take a turn for the worse...become more dangerous.  let's hope for ceecee's sake that it does not.

2. What were your thoughts as CeeCee was helping Genevieve deliver her baby?  holy moly.  seriously.  holy moly.  it would be one thing if the circumstances were different {okay, no, it would still be a nerve-wracking ordeal}.  you know, if genevieve wasn't being held hostage, if ceecee wasn't in a snow white mask & wearing gloves, if they weren't in a secluded cabin deep in the woods.  i think that ceecee was very fortunate that genevieve was semi-calm & knew what to do.  i know that if it was me i would be freaking out.  it was at that point, i believe, that ceecee knew within her gut that this whole "plan" was NOT going to be a cut & dry as tim and marty said it would be.  perhaps the birth of the baby could be seen as a symbolic transition into just how difficult things would end up being.

3. After Genevieve died, what would you have done with her baby if you had been in CeeCee's shoes?  i would have gone straight for the police or somebody.  turning the baby in and confessing at that point would have been the right thing to do.  but, that's me.  of course, if i were ceecee, i would have probably just left the baby with naomi & forest and bolted.  but, ceecee is in the woods, she doesn't know her way around...yikes.  i don't think i could have kept the baby like ceecee did.  my conscious {and the guilt} would eat me alive.

4. Why do you think CeeCee/Eve is still holding onto hope that Tim will come for her?  oh, there is that young, hopelessly in love thing again.  ceecee truly believes that tim will find her.  didn't he say he would?  i can't remember.  but, there she is again, holding onto a false hope.  she was used for one thing and one thing only...to help spring andie out of prison.  sadly, she didn't realize that tim would never come back.  it was up to naomi to pretty much tell ceecee that from that day forward she would never be ceecee again.  ceecee had a boyfriend named tim.  eve did not. 

5. How do you think Eve will establish her new identity in Virginia?  oh, this is a tough one.  here she is - 16 years old - setting off on a road trip with a newborn baby driving a car she could barely drive going to a place she didn't know to stay with a woman she had never met before.  whoa.  if anything, you just have to hope that naomi & forest really do care and have set eve up with someone trustworthy enough to help get eve back onto her feet.  and, you also wonder, too, if eve will crack and just give up.  or, will she persevere and really hold onto the new identity she's been given.  there's a lot at stake.  there's also a lot to have to remember...stories to keep straight...goodness gracious, it makes my head hurt just thinking about it!

6. What do you think of CeeCee/Eve now after she has gone through with the kidnapping, the delivery of the baby, the escape, and the relocation?  i feel sorry for her.  very sorry.  so sorry that i'd love to grab her by the shoulders, shake her and say, "what the hell is wrong with you, woman?" she's only sixteen.  sixteen!  she's been through so, so much already in her young life.  she's endured more heartache & sadness than what most of us will even have to deal with in our own lifetime.  part of me feels sorry for ceecee/eve.  the other part of me doesn't.  after all, she allowed herself to be fooled into this situation.  she made her decision with her heart and not her head.  unfortunately, now she must pay for the consequences of her actions/decisions/choices.  choosing to keep the baby as her own & start over somewhere new will be a constant reminder of what she helped tim & marty do.

the secret life of cee cee wilkes, chapters 1-10.

book beginnings and bookends.

go check it out.  it's a blogging book club spearheaded by rachel & erin.

i decided to participate because the last book club i was in sort of fizzled out {one book & we were done?  yeah, that actually happened}.  hopefully, once grad school starts i'll be able to keep up with the demands of bb&b. 

anyways, the first inaugural read is:

{source}

i am not going to lie.  i read the whole book.  it took me maybe two days.  so, so good.  the fun part will be keeping myself from spilling the beans, so to speak.  for now, let's just discuss the first ten chapters, shall we?

1. What was your first impression of Tim?  too good to be true.  seriously.  good looking, hard working student.  but, in my opinion, he came on a bit strong.  clearly there was an age difference so it got me wondering what his intentions were with ceecee. 

2. If you were in CeeCee’s position, would you be willing to help your boyfriend in the way that she is willing to help Tim?  i'm thinking back to when i was sixteen.  yeah, i did some boneheaded things, but nothing that was remotely close to what ceecee became involved in.  i think that we all do foolish things when we are in love, but we really have to question our hearts when our morals are being put on the line.  i know that i could never help someone {boyfriend or not} in the same capacity that ceecee helped tim.  but, i think a lot of that can be contributed to my upbringing & knowing that i don't have to compromise myself and my beliefs in order to feel accepted and loved.

3. Why do you think CeeCee is so eager to please Tim?  she's young.  she's in love {for the first time ever}.  she had such a hard life growing up that i think she doesn't want to lose this "good thing."  tim is too good to be true in her mind.  he seduces her with money, love & what seems to be trust.  he is her way out of the life she is currently living {if that ain't a foreshadowing of what's yet to come, then i don't know what is!}.

4. Who do you think has it harder? Tim or CeeCee?  ceecee.  and i'm not just saying that because i read the whole book already.  she's being coerced into a situation that she knows is wrong.  but, she doesn't have the guts to stand up to tim.  besides, she doesn't want to lose that "good thing" they've got going on.  tim kept telling her she was naive.  boy, is she ever.

5. What character trait(s) about CeeCee stuck out the most to you in these first ten chapters?  her willingness to trust.  her independence.  her survival.  the way she opens up to tim.  her relationship with ronnie {ceecee seems like such a good girl compared to ronnie}.  her perseverance. 

6. Do you think CeeCee is as mature as she seems?  in certain ways, ceecee is mature.  she's living {essentially} on her own, holding down a job & trying to get herself into college.  she was only twelve when her mother passed away from breast cancer.  i think that by surviving her mother's death & years in foster care, ceecee has this inner maturity deep within her core.  however, when it comes to love & trust, i feel that she's actually a bit on the immature side.  she's young.  she's willing to open herself up too quickly.  she hasn't been jaded by men, relationship issues, etc. 

chapters 11-20 will be discussed next monday.  and, if you want to join the book club, please do so!  you'll be able to catch up in no time.  promise.

Reading...

So, the first book club meeting went well. Very well. There were just four of us, but we still managed to have great discussions about religion, a woman's role, motherhood, etc. Of course, we also relished every second of the wine drinking & snack munching, too!

September is nearly upon us & I will be hosting our next book club meeting. I'm looking forward to yet another evening with the girls. I am even more excited about reading this book:

The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer
{picture from Barnes & Noble}

I am looking forward to reading this book and I am curious to see where our conversations & discussions will lead us.

If you were participating in a book club, which books would you suggest & why?

The Red Tent

{source}

Have you read this book?

I recently joined a book club & this was the pick for our first read. We meet tomorrow & I cannot wait to discuss this book.

Anita Diamant's The Red Tent had me mesmerized. At first, I was a bit skeptical about the book because I just didn't know if I would like it -- it's loosely based on the story of Dinah {who was briefly mentioned in the Book of Genesis} and religious-type/religion-based books typically tend to intimidate me {and can I just say that I feel totally ashamed just typing that?!}. However, once I started reading, I was hooked. I couldn't put the book down. I read the book from start to finish in just under two days. And, when I finally closed the book for the final time, I was left wanting more...so much more.

Anyways, I don't want to discuss too much because I don't want to spoil my first book club meeting. But, if you've read this book, what are your thoughts?