GGK Book Club: The Wandering Fire, ch 13-16
(Chapters 1-4 of THE DARKEST ROAD for next week!)
“The crying books” indeed. I don’t remember crying my way through THE WANDERING FIRE before, but I spent the final quarter of the book totally in bits. I’m somewhat concerned about reading THE DARKEST ROAD, particularly the part that *always* reduced me to wracking sobs. I’m going to need a pint of Haagen Daaz, a box of tissues and six hours alone in a soundproof room, apparently.
I’m already late posting this, so I’m gonna make a couple quick comments and then try to be more coherent in the comments.
Oh. Heh. First thing in chapter 13 is the reference to Rachel’s Song, so I probably got the symbolism there after all. Heh. :)
Paul and Jaelle. It’s all there on the page, I just never had the eyes to see it when I was younger.
Diarmuid’s proposal to Sharra is magnificent. Also, just in general, I really do love that formal proposal: the sun rises in your eyes. That’s honestly just beautiful. ♥
I had completely. freaking. forgotten. how Gereint, the shaman, links Paul to the land so he can call the god so he can command the sea god who slays the serpent. I was reading along, Gereint’s got the stuff about his mistake in never having seen the sea, then he’s going deep, and there I am, totally oblivious right up until wham he’s there for Paul and, well, there I am, sobbing again. God almighty.
I swear, in some aspects it’s like I hadn’t read this at all. I’d forgotten Matt’s death, and read the scene leading up to it with my knuckles against my mouth as if I could somehow stave it off. And then I had no idea that Lancelot brought him back, although this time-as I think never before-I had the awareness of the legends to tell me what it meant when it’s commented that Lancelot has ‘done this before’.
And I completely fell apart when Loren pledges *himself* to Matt, after a lifetime of Matt serving Loren. That was pretty well perfect.
The reason, I think, that I love the Arthurian story in these books so much is because I find the triangle to be convincingly presented as equally deep and emotional on all three sides, without hatred. Maybe it’s because that at this point in their story, as GGK is writing it, they all know how it goes, and they’ve all gone past the anger and are resigned to the tragedy, but it’s just-I love it. I love *them*, and how kind they are to each other in their story. Saddest story of all the long tales told.
(x-posted from The Essential Kit)