Carole Mason and her best friend Naomi make an agreement to both lose their virginity before they graduate from the prestigious Spence School in New York City, in 1965. When they are in Vermont on a ski vacation, Naomi sets things up for Carole to meet with Eddie, a 26 year old actor and college drop-out. Carole gets what she wanted, having sex with Eddie, but never expected Rita Boudreau to enter the scene. Rita unexpectedly dies after having sex with Eddie.
He blames the result on Carole being overweight, the bed not having enough room for the three of them and Carole being drunk and not remembering what exactly happened. Carole being a typical, normally well-behaved, quiet teenager panics and leaves early from the ski trip in Vermont. Her life is never the same again.
Carole, an only child, is the love of her parents life. They had moved to the city from Ridgewood, New Jersey, seeking a better life. Their dream for their daughter is for her to attend Vassar. Things change for Carole once she is home from the ski trip. Carole used to tell her mother everything, now the lies come quickly and easily. Carole panics when Rita Boudreau's wallet shows up in her borrowed parka and even skips school once while trying to confront Eddie. Eddie won't go away, and tortures Carole by telling her about meeting her mother on the street. Eddie follows her to Vassar, finds her in California, and Vermont. Her mother dies of a heart attack. Her father tries to resolve their differences but Carole is still fearful of her secret, runs away.
Ten years later, Carole ends up once again in Vermont. She is there because of her friend Rachel, and husband Morgan. Carole meets the love of her life, Will Burbank, in her restaurant. Life seems normal until Naomi calls Carole and leaves a message saying she is moving to Vermont. Carole goes to a Spence reunion trying to convince Naomi to stay far away. Once Naomi pushes her way into Carole's circle of friends, Eddie shows up. Carole finally tells Will what happened to her so many years ago. Will tells her that she was not the one responsible. Eddie dies but not before inflicting physical pain on Carole. However the emotional pain was far worse for her. She and Will survive, Naomi does not. In the end, Carole manages to reconnect with her father.
Sweeping across decades, moving from New York to Vermont to California and back again, Lewis tells an utterly gripping, psychologically nuanced tale of friendship between two very different women, of the life-changing burden of a secret, the lies we tell others to save ourselves, and the lies we tell ourselves when the truth is too painful to accept.
When I first started reading this book I wasn't too interested. The writing had kept throwing me off with that I thought would be simple mistakes to catch. The main thing that bothered me was the way Lewis failed to show when time had passed. I quickly found out that the reason for these mistakes were due to the fact that Speak Softly is Pam Lewis' first novel. Before this book she has done a few short stories that were published in newspapers, but no paperback books.
Lewis would sometimes write things out of order; first showing Carole and Naomi carrying out their plans then later showing how they met. It made for some confusing reading at times, due to how she didn't always show time passing, but as the book went along she got better at showing just what happened when and the confusion was gone. The effect of the out-of-order-writing made for a very interesting read. Just when you question why Carole would do such a thing, Lewis shows you a flashback that explains the whole reasoning behind it.
The dialogue felt real for their respective characters and the time periods, so there was nothing to throw me off there. In fact, the dialogue is what saved a lot of 'scenes' where I was originally confused engrossing me so far into what was happening I didn't care that she forgot to tell us time had passed.
The climax and resolution to the story were fantastically done. I was actually blown away. All of a sudden this really powerful writer appeared, as if she had written the beginning of the story timidly, doubtful, only to have it replaced with pure confidence at the end. I was so excited during the later half of the book that I couldn't put it down, particularly during the last 4 or so chapters. She actually had my heart pounding for Carole, panicking or angering along side her. If only she had written like that from the beginning then this book would get five stars!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
leads 3/3/09
Police hunt gunmen after attack on Sri Lankan cricket team
A deadly attack left 6 security staff dead and several Sri Lankan cricket players hurt in Lahore. Police say, team bus was attacked by up to 12 gunmen en route to stadium. The gunmen are still at large no group has claimed responsibility for this attack.
Search continues for 3, including NFL players
Search for three missing men passes 48 hours as the search area narrows.
The fourth man rescued off the Florida coast has been identified as Nick Schuyler. Schuyler said boat flipped over Saturday during a storm.
NFL's Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper and a third man remain missing according to the Florida Coast Guard.
Nurse didn't show up for smoothie with friends
Nonnie Dotson was staying with her brother at his home outside Denver, Colorado, when she vanished on November 19, 2006.she was supposed to meet a friend at a local mall when she never showed and hasn’t been seen since. She was an Air Force nurse based in San Antonio, Texas. People believe her disappearance had something to do with the court battle she won before November 2006 disappearance.
Collapsed building traps 3 in Germany
Rescuers say there are three trapped under a collapsed building in Cologne, Germany. The number of people missing was reduced after six people contacted officials. Firefighters are using dogs to help search the rubble at city's archive. The archive building was evacuated but those trapped were in gambling hall
A deadly attack left 6 security staff dead and several Sri Lankan cricket players hurt in Lahore. Police say, team bus was attacked by up to 12 gunmen en route to stadium. The gunmen are still at large no group has claimed responsibility for this attack.
Search continues for 3, including NFL players
Search for three missing men passes 48 hours as the search area narrows.
The fourth man rescued off the Florida coast has been identified as Nick Schuyler. Schuyler said boat flipped over Saturday during a storm.
NFL's Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper and a third man remain missing according to the Florida Coast Guard.
Nurse didn't show up for smoothie with friends
Nonnie Dotson was staying with her brother at his home outside Denver, Colorado, when she vanished on November 19, 2006.she was supposed to meet a friend at a local mall when she never showed and hasn’t been seen since. She was an Air Force nurse based in San Antonio, Texas. People believe her disappearance had something to do with the court battle she won before November 2006 disappearance.
Collapsed building traps 3 in Germany
Rescuers say there are three trapped under a collapsed building in Cologne, Germany. The number of people missing was reduced after six people contacted officials. Firefighters are using dogs to help search the rubble at city's archive. The archive building was evacuated but those trapped were in gambling hall
The object lesson
“The Daily Fruit” By Logan, Amanda, Alyssa, Linda
May 23, 2009
“Getting Juiced”
The Caribbean islands had a blend full encounter when Lucy lime had murder her spouse Patrick passion fruit and her friend Mandy mango. Investigators say that the crime had taken place on May 21, 2009 at a hotel on the Caribbean Islands. The police had interrogated Lucy Lime that night when they found certain evidence of her committing the crime. As further evidence shows that the two victims were blended to a pulp and then drunk the massacred victims, this was a big investigation that brought the FBI. When asked Lucy Lime said that she new that her husband was having an affaire with her friend Mandy Mango and that she was an exotic dancer that her husband was seeing every other night. Lucy Lime only stated that she was at a salsa class when the murder happened; there was no evidence to conclude that. “I was devastated when I heard about the murder, it was like a piece of my heart was stolen from me,” Lucy Lime said.
The courts have not decided weather to hold this case here in the Caribbean or in America, as they were American citizens. Today we see that evidence has given a clear picture of the crime and the true killer behind the blended massacre. Lucy Lime is going to court in one weak to decide if she is innocent or guilty in the court of law. The question is will the case be solved or will it be blended into a complete mess between a lover full of hate and the lovers who were having their own love boat.
May 23, 2009
“Getting Juiced”
The Caribbean islands had a blend full encounter when Lucy lime had murder her spouse Patrick passion fruit and her friend Mandy mango. Investigators say that the crime had taken place on May 21, 2009 at a hotel on the Caribbean Islands. The police had interrogated Lucy Lime that night when they found certain evidence of her committing the crime. As further evidence shows that the two victims were blended to a pulp and then drunk the massacred victims, this was a big investigation that brought the FBI. When asked Lucy Lime said that she new that her husband was having an affaire with her friend Mandy Mango and that she was an exotic dancer that her husband was seeing every other night. Lucy Lime only stated that she was at a salsa class when the murder happened; there was no evidence to conclude that. “I was devastated when I heard about the murder, it was like a piece of my heart was stolen from me,” Lucy Lime said.
The courts have not decided weather to hold this case here in the Caribbean or in America, as they were American citizens. Today we see that evidence has given a clear picture of the crime and the true killer behind the blended massacre. Lucy Lime is going to court in one weak to decide if she is innocent or guilty in the court of law. The question is will the case be solved or will it be blended into a complete mess between a lover full of hate and the lovers who were having their own love boat.
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