Thursday, April 12, 2012

MASQUERADE Read-Along: Second Week's Discussion Questions



This is an interesting, fun event,
hosted by the blogs shown above!
To participate, just click on
the button in my sidebar, which will
take you to Cambria's blog,
where you can get all the rules.
You can join in anytime!!

 
For this second round of questions, 
the hosting blog is





Week 2: Chapters 8 to 16 Discussion
Questions


1.)  Sam is admittedly drawn to Heven before they even meet.  Why do you think this is?

I think it's the fact that he believes he's a bad boy.  Her innocence and goodness attract him.  Sam is not really bad, but the important thing is that he thinks he is.  He wants to protect Heven from anyone who might harm her -- including himself.  'Bad' boys are usually drawn to innocent young girls, and vice versa!   And, of course, we romance addicts lap it all up!! 

2.)  In an earlier chapter, "The Hope" states that Sam must prove himself.  During these chapters, Sam does some things -- bad things -- covering up murder, fighting,  hiding a body, etc., all to protect Heven and his true identity.  Do you think he was right to do these things?

Well, I do think that Sam is walking a very fine line between ethical and unethical behavior.  I particularly dislike the fact that he's hidden a body.  The dead person's family surely have a right to know what happened to their relative.  I must admit that I felt very uncomfortable with this, despite liking him a lot.  I think he should have allowed the police to find the body, even if the resulting investigation might have eventually pointed to him. 

3.)  In Chapter Twelve, Kimber says some things to Heven that make the reader wonder about their friendship.  Do you think there is any truth in Kimber's drunken confessions?  If so, where do you think Heven and Kimber's friendship goes from here?

It's commonly known that heavy alcohol consumption lowers a person's inhibitions.  This allows people to say what they really think, what's truly in their hearts, with no regard for the consequences or anyone else's feelings.  I was surprised and shocked by Kimber's hurtful statements to Heven, who clearly doesn't deserve to have her best friend say such things to her!  

Heven is a very kind-hearted person.  Her low self-esteem is also a factor.  So I think she'll probably end up forgiving Kimber, whom I must say I've really started to positively dislike by now!   

4.)  Heven is changing, becoming more confident.  Do you think that after something like this -- an accident and disfigurement -- happens to someone, that person can ever go back to being who he/she was before?  Do you think Heven will want to? 

A person's inner strength and outer support system have a lot to do with their recovery.  People have been known to recover from such a harrowing experience, although I don't think they can ever be who they were before the experience.  They can emerge as stronger, more resilient, but they will inevitably have changed, mostly on the inside.  Some people can be totally destroyed by such an experience, as well.  

In Heven's case, her inner strength has been sapped.  Her outer support system was, until recently, practically non-existent, since her own mother has rather weird, fanatical ideas about the cause of her condition.  (I actively dislike her, as well!)  Thank God Heven now has her wonderful grandmother's total suppport!  And of course she's also got Sam!  So, she'll definitely pull through.

Heven has begun to realize that, although she's currently disfigured, her friends had never truly pushed her away.  So, after some time for recovery, she certainly could have gone back to the way things were before her accident.  However, she's changed inside; she's become more of an inward person, and she now spends more time pondering things.  Furthermore, she's realized that inner beauty is much more important than outer beauty.  She has matured quite a bit, so, even if she wanted to go back to the way things were before, I don't think she really can, because she's not the same person.   

5.)  Toward the end of this set of chapters, Heven finds out Sam's secret -- who he really is.  She has a strong reaction.  Do you think you would react the same way?  Why or why not?

Oh, I think I would have been a  total basket case.  Such a revelation would be a very strong shock for me!  Heck, I can't even watch horror movies (I can't stand them!), because I'm such a sensitive person!

Eventually, of course, I would have come around, and accepted Sam.  Nevertheless, it would have been a huge shock.




Since this is a blog hop, be sure to visit 
the other participating blogs
to see how they answered.
Also, I'd love to get your comments
on my own answers!








9 comments:

  1. I love your answers, Maria. The are so well thought out. Loved a
    your answer regarding Heven, no she will never be the same, hopefully she has grown and learned so much from her ordeal. Yes, alcohol often brings out the ugly truth. Yep, I am with you, if my boyfriend, whom I just learned to trust, suddenly told me he was the reason creatures were after me and he was one of them, I would run and ask questions later, Thanks so much for participating again. Add your link to Cambria's blog this week. See you on my blog next week :)

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Heidi! Thank you so much for complimenting my answers! I'm really enjoying participating in this read-along!! The only thing is, I can't post comments and comment back right away because of my work schedule. You see, I have TWO jobs!

      Anyway...yeah, I noticed that Candace didn't have a linky widget, so I'll be sure to link up on Cambria's blog!

      Thanks for all of your wonderfully supportive comments!! I'm looking forward to visiting your blog for the read-along next week! (Although I'll try to visit it and comment on other posts before then.) : )

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  2. I love your answer to number one. I think hearing other peoples perceptions makes me see some things in another light.
    I cant watch horror movies either!

    Sorry the linky wasn't up this morning, I couldn't get on until midafternoon to fix it.
    Thanks for participating!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!! I've had the same experience -- other readers perceive things that I have missed myself. It's really interesting to see how different readers react to the same book, isn't it?

      Yeah...I can't simply tell myself that "it's just a movie", either. They totally terrify me!! Lol.

      No probs regarding the linky! I went over to Cambria's blog and linked up on her post. When you added your linky, everyone who had signed up on her blog automatically showed up on your list.

      And I understand all about time limitations on blogging... I hate that I have TWO jobs!!!

      You're very welcome for my participation, and thanks for commenting!! : )

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  3. Very insightful answers this week! I really enjoy reading everyone's thoughts on the book and the characters. I think you have a good feel for Heven and her personality and also for Sam!! I can't wait til next week to see what else you have to say!! So gald you are enjoying this as much as I am!

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    Replies
    1. Oh, thank you so much, Cambria! I agree -- everyone has very interesting insights to contribute, and several of them are different, although I also see some similarities. But no one has the exact same answers, which is great!

      I guess I have such a good feel for Heven and Sam because I really like them! They're both so perfect for each other!!

      And yes, I'm certainly enjoying the read-along as much as you are!!

      Thanks again for the lovely comment!! : )

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  4. I love your answers. Each one is so thoughtfully written.
    It is interesting to see what each person is willing to overlook in their fiction while another gets hung up on the detail. I shrugged off Sam hiding the body as no big deal, since the crime was cone by a monstrous character, but there were other details that were less of a big deal that I got hung up on. I think this is what makes a real along so awesome.
    I have really enjoyed getting your take on things and am so happy that you are participating.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Steph!! You know, reading is not worth it if it doesn't prompt one to analyze and ponder what one is reading, whether it's fiction or non-fiction.

      I agree that it's very interesting to see what each person notices and overlooks when reading fiction. I love the differences (as well as the similarities) in each participant's impressions of Cambria's novel!

      I've enjoyed reading your answers as well! And you know what? Now I'm hooked on read-alongs!! I'll be participating in future ones, for sure!!

      Thanks for the lovely comment!! : )

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  5. I agree with the comment about ethical/ unethical behaviours. I hate that Sam hid the girl's body too. Her family deserve to know what has happened to her.

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