Happy Thursday to you all! We have an announcement to make! We received positive feedback to move up the number of chapters per week from 4 - 8, and therefore we will start this change next week! Also Katherine has been spending the week with our sister Jane and her family at Sunset Cottage and therefore apologizes for her few comments in this post!
Now without further ado.....let's discuss this week's happenings!
Katherine's Thoughts
Well, this week we are told the sad tale of Cissy's past, which is quite sorrowful. It's a shame that the baby's father didn't insist on marrying Cissy, or at the very least stay close by to be a part of his child's life and provide for them. And to make this discovery even worse, we learn this right before Cissy breathes her last. And poor Valancy is again lonely from the loss her only friend. I think it's just terrible how the whole Stirling family showed up at the funeral as if they cared! And Cousin Stickles making a show of it with her display of tears!
Okay, it's time to address the elephant in the room! Valancy's proposal to Barney! What a surprising turn of events!!
This "proposal" scene is so touching and heartfelt! (They really should have made this book into a movie)! I'm sure Barney will soon realize that he is dangerously at risk of falling for Valancy.....,his wife!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grace's Thoughts
I am so excited that Valancy and Barney are now going out together. Not officially of course, but it's still nice!
Cissy's tale is ever so sorrowful; it's really an impossible situation. Should she have married a man who was her child's father, but who only married her out of obligation? What would have happened if the baby had still died?
When it comes to romance, it is so important to keep your heart pure, surrounding yourself with people who are wiser than you and know what to look out for.
Cissy's death is just the saddest thing ever. And if you weren't crying before Roaring Abel's reaction, you are now. And the funeral! *goes off wailing... again* Those awful Stirlings who of course had to go to the funeral.
Why does Mr. Beck make me think of Mr. Collins?
I wish Cissy's burial wish could have been honored. I think I would wish that, too. I forget which Anne of Avonlea book it is, but she went walking in a cemetery and an old lady began telling her ALL about the dearly departed. I'd hate that!
"We will just treat her as if nothing had happened when she comes back," decreed Uncle Benjamin. "That will be the best plan. Just as if nothing had happened." Oh, but Uncle Benjamin , so much has happened that you know nothing about!
Personally, I think Ch.25 is one of the best chapters of this book!
I don't think I could ever get up the courage to ask a guy to marry me! Funny story, for the longest time when I was younger I wanted to be a boy. They had so much more fun and all the stories were about them.I remember vividly the day it occurred to me that if I was a boy then I would have to propose to the girl and after that I was cured!
You know Barney's marital conditions are very reasonable and wise ones:
"And we are never to pretend anything to each other."
"We won't," said Valancy. "You won't even have to pretend you like me. If you marry me I know you're only doing it out of pity."
"And we'll never tell a lie to each other about anything--a big lie or petty lie."
"Especially a petty lie," agreed Valancy.
"And you'll have to live back on my island. I won't live anywhere else."
"That's partly why I want to marry you," said Valancy.
Barney peered at her.
"I believe you mean it. Well--let's get married, then."
"Will you marry me as I stand?" demanded Barney... Valancy looked at him. Blue homespun shirt, nondescript hat, muddy overalls. Unshaved!
"Yes," she said.
I would too!
~
Barney put his hands over the gate and took her little, cold ones gently in his.
"Valancy," he said, trying to speak lightly, "of course I'm not in love with you--never thought of such a thing as being in love. But, do you know, I've always thought you were a bit of a dear."
Awwwww!!!! It's just too sweet!!!! But at the same time, (under other circumstances) I wonder at the wisdom of marrying a man who doesn't love you, but hey, arranged marriages have had a better survival rate than normal ones. As long as you respect each other and can get along reasonably well, there is no reason why love cannot come with time and the marriage lasting forever!
Well? What did you think of this week's exciting events? As above mentioned, we will be upping our chapters from 4 to 8, so this week we will be reading Ch. 26-33. That will give us plenty to talk about and Katherine can stop bemoaning that we won't be done till next year!
See ya'll next week!
I think it's interesting that Cissy wouldn't marry a man who didn't love her even if others thought that it wasn't right (and then she was treated horribly for it) then Valancy goes and proposes to Barney and though he doesn't love her, he agrees out of pity. Hmm, just an interesting connection. Yay, I'm looking forward to reading more!
ReplyDelete