1. I'm with Linda on this one. I waited a day to see what others would say because that statement confused me. I had to go back and look at it again to see if the context would help. I don't know if the author was saying that since Eve sinned, giving birth is painful. Not real sure on this one — good question though!

 

2. I do not believe spirits linger — they have two places to go and staying on earth is not one of them. I think the power may have been the history of the house. It seems to have had interesting people having had lived in it. So maybe the events that occurred at the house made people think the house had some sort of power (mostly bad seems like).

 

I loved the incident with the alligator. Roslyn wanting to protect the kittens was probably her mothering instinct since she did not have her child to protect, thus she was compensating. I'm feeling compassion for this character already.

Linda A. said:

1.  This comment kind of confused me.  I agree that she just had a life pass through her by having the baby, even though it was born dead. If it had lived it would have also passed through her. I also agree that if not for Eve we wouldn't be having babies.  But as for the knowledge of the tree of life??  The  tree of life was the tree of immortality which Eve would have had if she hadn't eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  So how that statement fits in was confusing to me.  I hoping someone else has a better answer or point of view to this question, so that I may better understand it. 

2. I believe that a house can have a personality but not one that can be bargined with.  I do not believe in spirits of the dead lingering in a house.  If the house had some sort of power, that power was in people's minds.     

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Hi Linda! I've missed you!

You're right: No matter how or why the baby exited Roslyn's womb, either way the life was passing through her. Very interesting. Thanks for helping us to see your interesting perspective.

I, also, think that the power of a house is given by a person's mind. Do you remember when we read Meissner's A Sound Among the Trees? This story reminds me of the personality of Holly Oak, which was bestowed largely by its previous owners.

I look forward to our continued discussions! And, I look forward to making that yummy caramel this upcoming holiday season! Thanks again for the recipe!

Oh, and here are some other things that really struck me in the first 6 chapters. I am REALLY diggin' this book already… I'm hooked and anxious to keep reading!

 

When Roslyn was reminiscing about Granny Byrne and the ashes of Grandpa Byrne, she says,"… the only thing that ever really haunts a person is regret." I found a lot of truth in this statement because there is so much power in our human mind. Whatever we think about, that is what becomes reality for us. I went the first (almost) 30 years of my life believing I was ugly because of my blemishes. I seriously thought I was detestable in the looks department. So, I can see how a person's mind, if locked in regret over an issue, could haunt them. That's where our hauntings originate.

 

I wonder if it's any coincedence that the market is named "Cain." So far, that's 2 refereces to the beginning of time. I'll be looking for Abel and Adam to come along shortly.

 

I really could go on and on… but I'll mention one more thing: the loose-fitting sundress tailored to hide a multitude of sins. Ouch! Convicted. How often do we look to external, earthly means to cover up internal, spiritual sins?

 

The author tucked in a lot of really thought-provoking quotes and one-liners!

ShellySCantrell said:

I sensed that Ivy was normalizing Roslyn's tragic life-altering event for her. The fact that Ivy said it so naturally, among the motions of getting more coffee, helps me to further believe that she was just trying to help Roslyn discover some healing. I don't think Ivy meant it as "so what"; but rather she meant it as "whatsoever life brings… someone has previously walked in your shoes."

I find it extremely interesting that the knowledge of good and evil is referenced. I don't have children and have never been pregnant; but I imagine that a miscarriage or the loss of a child as he or she grows outside the womb can give a woman a glimpse of good and evil… the ebb and flow of life. Perhaps this is what Ivy thought.

 

The power of a house is usually bestowed by the owner and/or visitors.

Remember one of Roslyn's first discoveries in the house? The two kittens? Roslyn found them because the kitchen cabinet slowly opened on its own. If she had run at the sight, Roslyn might have been able to talk herself into believing a spirit was at work. Instead, she took a closer look and found the responsible party.

While I don't have the answer (if spirit's can, indeed, linger), I do know that a lot of the "power" found in a house usually finds its roots in some perfectly good explanation that has nothing to do with looming spirits.

One other note: anyone can bargain with any one or thing if they're in the mood.

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Oh, I think I agree with you that Ivy was trying to normalize the situation, and that sometimes these things happen.  I have never lost a child and can only imagine how devastating that would be.  I think maybe Roslyn is having a hard time with it because she didn't want the pregnancy and that is piling on more guilt. Guilt is a very hard thing to deal with!!

Funny, I never thought of bargining with some thing.  I'll have to think on that. 

Thanks for yours,Linda, you hit the nail on the head: "Guilt is a very hard thing to deal with."

When I think back on my life, I see how a lot of my fears, insecurities, and the like also produced feelings of guilt in me. Now, that I am free of those things… I deal with guilt in a completely different way.

I still have feelings of fear and insecurity at times, but I know that I don't have to own the guilt feelings that come with thos things. My feelings are indicators that something is "wrong" but that doesn't mean I have to accept guilt for being wrong or having those feelings. I'm human.

Don't get me wrong : If I fear I have wronged someone, I accept responsibility for my actions, apologize/rectify, and then move on. I'm not perfect, and I will always make mistakes. On the other hand, if I am feeling insecure about something, that usually points back to perfectionism (the thorn in my flesh). I am learning these things about myself.

I guess it all boils down to my perspective–it has changed.

p.s. You might remember that I'm a non-fiction lover: fiction won-over. A lot of these life lessons are coming to me through fiction   Who knew?

Welcome Kimberly. I'm looking forward to you stirring things up. :)

Hi Kimberly! Thanks for writing such an interesting story. I look forward to your

2 cents : ) 

 

And, Laura, I really appreciate your insights… "an entire life's worth of pain going through her at once"… Wow! I am totally with you. Yes, I can see how it might carry so much more than just baby weight. : )

I, too, will be interested to hear Kimberly's thoughts.

laurap said:

Well, this book certainly got my attention, how about yours?

I hope you’re enjoying it by the pool or somewhere summer-y. J

This month we have an exciting giveaway in the forum.  Are you ready? One lucky participant will win

. . . a Kindle!!! Woot-woot! It’s enough to make me wanna’ quit this gig and

throw my hat in too, lol.  Great prize.

All you have to do to enter is participate. Every time you comment, you enter to

win. The more you participate, the more chances you have to win! The winner

will be drawn at random at the end of the month. We typically give you a full

week after posting the last question. So get to it, sisters!

1. Ivy said, “You just had a

   life pass through you, that’s all. It’s what women got from Eve. The

   knowledge of the tree of life.” What did she mean by this and is there any

   truth to her claim?

2. Everyone seemed to believe

   the house held some sort of personality, or power, which could be

   bargained with. Do you think that spirits can linger, or was the power

   something else?

I look forward to spending an interesting month with all of

you.

In Him,

Laura

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Wow! You girls aren't fooling around with these questions! You're going to make me have to work for it.
1. Ivy is speaking from her own experience as a mother, and also as a woman who feels she has very little control over her life, the island, her family or her future. She has empathy for Roslyn's loss and I imagine that she is reflecting on the loss of her young sister-in-law and her niece's grief. Her wisdom is limited and maybe not quite on the mark — but that's the case with anyone who offers advice. Ivy is trying to tell Roslyn that what has happened to her (this loss of a child/an uncontrollable situation) is just part of life, and in particular for mothers who may give birth to their children but do not CREATE LIFE. Ivy believes in a Creator. She also says she is glad she is not the Creator. But the flip side is that she knows she has no way to really protect her children or control their choices. That is what Ivy sees as the knowledge of the tree of life (the power to give life) and sees it as special for women because men don't carry and child or give birth to it and then know so fully that they are only a vessel. She also expresses this when she compares women to window screens. Life passes through us and we endure it, in many ways as women, but especially as mothers. This experience doesn't end at childbirth, but we may become more aware of it then, than at any other time.

 

2. The power that the characters each experience in the house is very individual. Ivy feels the house belongs to the women who lived there and experiences their presence there. Perhaps this is because Ivy is searching for her own indentity and independence as a woman. Roslyn hears the songs of her grandmother and the cries of her child in the house. These are her ghosts. She has already mentioned that she believes a ghost is really a person's regrets. She also wonders if others' regrets may be part of the house because of Fawn Trezevant's death and the struggles of the people who lived their for generations before. (She mentions this same idea when she is at the shell ring and considers the Seminoles and the unknown natives of the island.) Urey can never bring himself to reconsile with the house, but seems bound to it somehow. Nonnie feels herself an heir to the house. Damascus finds a safe place to hide there.

Southerners are very attached to place and these characters are exploring the idea that the attachment may reach beyond the physical world to a spiritual level. They question whether they know everything there is to know about the temporal world and the limits of the divine, or if there may be wonder and mystery yet to discover. Whether the house is haunted is not the real question. The people in the book are haunted. By considering the state of the house, each character is actually wrestling with the challenges of their own lives, the uncertainty of death, and whether they believe in a life after this world. The house represents the soul.

Wow!  I am very late getting into the discussion this month but I have finished the book and figured I better get foing on the questions… :)  I have to admit that I wasn't crazy about the selection .. I just never felt that the story was built up enough and I didn't feel that I got to know the characters really well.. I felt confused a lot while reading and still didn't have some answers at the end… Annnny…wayyy… 

1)  I have to agree with most of the above that the life passing thru was 1) a baby she had just had and lost, but I also felt she meant, 2) that a time in her life was now over (dancing, affair, baby, etc..) and she was moving on to a new "life" or adventure.. I think when we go thru situations, they are a part of our life and then we move on to another "life" .. We get past whatever was going "thru" us at that time .. 

 

2) About a house having lingering spirits… hmmm… I think there can be spirits, but I do think spirits on Earth are of the Devil.  He can be and transform into anything and he can cause many minds to think they see and hear many things.  Some people believe a spirit wanders the earth if they haven't made peace with Jesus or don't know Jesus.  I personally just think that ghosts, spirits, fortune tellers .. :)  are of the Devil.