The Romantic
Registered by Grorser of Fredericton, New Brunswick Canada on 6/19/2005
This book is in a Controlled Release!
11 journalers for this copy...
Young Louise Kirk's mother leaves the family behind with only a note: "Louise knows how to work the washing machine". Louise doesn't, but that is really not very relevant. The point is, her mother left, abruptly and painfully for both Louise and her father.
Louise begins to fantasize about another mother in the neighbourhood, pining for both mother and son with a full-blown case of unrequited love that lingers for decades.
Wounded, Louise limps through her life, and her story is often humourous and sad at the same time.
For a while, Louise works in a used bookstore called Books! Books! Books! She describes it this way: "Hardly anyone comes in, and those who do sit on boxes of recently arrived books (no sense unpacking them when the shelves are already crammed) and read for hours at a time, we don't care. How the store works is, we buy used books at ten percent of the cover price, any kind of book, university textbook, government manual, pornography the only criterion being reasonable intactness, Hardly anybody shows up with just a boxful; the stuff arrives by the carload - some dead pharmacist's reference library, or a housewife's complete Harelquin Romance collection. "You'll buy it ALL?' the person says, wide-eyed at such luck. Yes, we'll buy it all. Then we'll sell it at fifty percent of the cover price. But since, in fact, we WON'T sell it, since we take in ten times more stock than we get rid of, the system is mad."
Doesn't that sound like a great place to work?
Hope you like the book, too.
Louise begins to fantasize about another mother in the neighbourhood, pining for both mother and son with a full-blown case of unrequited love that lingers for decades.
Wounded, Louise limps through her life, and her story is often humourous and sad at the same time.
For a while, Louise works in a used bookstore called Books! Books! Books! She describes it this way: "Hardly anyone comes in, and those who do sit on boxes of recently arrived books (no sense unpacking them when the shelves are already crammed) and read for hours at a time, we don't care. How the store works is, we buy used books at ten percent of the cover price, any kind of book, university textbook, government manual, pornography the only criterion being reasonable intactness, Hardly anybody shows up with just a boxful; the stuff arrives by the carload - some dead pharmacist's reference library, or a housewife's complete Harelquin Romance collection. "You'll buy it ALL?' the person says, wide-eyed at such luck. Yes, we'll buy it all. Then we'll sell it at fifty percent of the cover price. But since, in fact, we WON'T sell it, since we take in ten times more stock than we get rid of, the system is mad."
Doesn't that sound like a great place to work?
Hope you like the book, too.
This is of to Raindrop162004.
Surprise!
Surprise!
Wow!
What a great surprise! Thanks!
:))))))))
What a great surprise! Thanks!
:))))))))
I loved this book!
And I hated it at the same time... well, saying I hated the book is stupid, it was more so Louise and at times I despised Abel.
Louise seemed like a smart girl and had a lot going for her, and then she met Abel. Abel held her back on a lot of things as the book progresses, and I think it's slightly dense that she held on to him for so long. Albeit, I know people sometimes have that effect on you and you just can not let go of them, but sometimes you have to force yourself to let go. At a lot of parts in the book I wish Louise had done just that.
But otherwise, the book is very insightful, although I could not find the reason on why it is called "The Romantic". The title has nearly nothing to do with the story.
And at certain times, I have to mention this merely because I hated it, I did not like how Louise made light of a lot of serious situations. Like the part where she has an abortion to kill Abel's child simply because she's mad at him. Now, how inconsiderate and non-thinking is that?!
Oh well...
I suppose the reason why I truly adore this book is simply because I liked how I could sigh, get angry, smile, and cry all at the same time nearly. LoL.
Great book, adored each moment of reading it.
It will be reserved until I can open a bookring with it. :)))
And I hated it at the same time... well, saying I hated the book is stupid, it was more so Louise and at times I despised Abel.
Louise seemed like a smart girl and had a lot going for her, and then she met Abel. Abel held her back on a lot of things as the book progresses, and I think it's slightly dense that she held on to him for so long. Albeit, I know people sometimes have that effect on you and you just can not let go of them, but sometimes you have to force yourself to let go. At a lot of parts in the book I wish Louise had done just that.
But otherwise, the book is very insightful, although I could not find the reason on why it is called "The Romantic". The title has nearly nothing to do with the story.
And at certain times, I have to mention this merely because I hated it, I did not like how Louise made light of a lot of serious situations. Like the part where she has an abortion to kill Abel's child simply because she's mad at him. Now, how inconsiderate and non-thinking is that?!
Oh well...
I suppose the reason why I truly adore this book is simply because I liked how I could sigh, get angry, smile, and cry all at the same time nearly. LoL.
Great book, adored each moment of reading it.
It will be reserved until I can open a bookring with it. :)))
Alrighty, this is now an official bookring.
For those of you who've been in one of my bookrings before, you know the deal. For those of you who haven't, here's how it works:::
RULES:::
1. Have fun!
2. PM the next person on the list after you finish reading the book, and if they do not respond within two weeks, move to the next person.
3. Be honest about the book when you journal, no fibs!
4. Treat the book kindly! LoL, of course you all will, we're BCers for goodness sake!
5. Do not have the book for more than 6 months, please.
6. Send the book through the mail any way you want. I know postage is expensive.
7. And once more, have fun!!!
FUN STUFF!!!!
1. Sign the book.
2. Add a postcard to come home to it's owner.
3. Leave a note somewhere in the book for the next person to find randomly while they're reading it. :)
4. Find something to do yourself, as long as it doesn't damage the book in any way, shape, or form. Writing on it, on the inside, is fine. :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
This is an international bookring, and the list of participants is arranged accrodingly to help with shipping for members.
PARTICIPANTS:::
1.sunshinedreamr(CT,USA)US only
2.valentina1209(NY,USA) US only
3.wolfprincess(OH,USA) US only
4.buffra(WV,USA) can ship int.
5.snowy652(BC,Canada) Canada?--US only
6.poohbear3(Ont.Canada) can ship int.
7.Nell-Lu(Scotland,UK)UK & Eur. preferred, will ship inter. if have to.
8.arturogrande(UK) can ship inter.
9.nikel27(Germany,Eur.) can ship inter.
10.lmn60(Australia) can ship int.
For those of you who've been in one of my bookrings before, you know the deal. For those of you who haven't, here's how it works:::
RULES:::
1. Have fun!
2. PM the next person on the list after you finish reading the book, and if they do not respond within two weeks, move to the next person.
3. Be honest about the book when you journal, no fibs!
4. Treat the book kindly! LoL, of course you all will, we're BCers for goodness sake!
5. Do not have the book for more than 6 months, please.
6. Send the book through the mail any way you want. I know postage is expensive.
7. And once more, have fun!!!
FUN STUFF!!!!
1. Sign the book.
2. Add a postcard to come home to it's owner.
3. Leave a note somewhere in the book for the next person to find randomly while they're reading it. :)
4. Find something to do yourself, as long as it doesn't damage the book in any way, shape, or form. Writing on it, on the inside, is fine. :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
This is an international bookring, and the list of participants is arranged accrodingly to help with shipping for members.
PARTICIPANTS:::
1.sunshinedreamr(CT,USA)US only
2.valentina1209(NY,USA) US only
3.wolfprincess(OH,USA) US only
4.buffra(WV,USA) can ship int.
5.snowy652(BC,Canada) Canada?--US only
6.poohbear3(Ont.Canada) can ship int.
7.Nell-Lu(Scotland,UK)UK & Eur. preferred, will ship inter. if have to.
8.arturogrande(UK) can ship inter.
9.nikel27(Germany,Eur.) can ship inter.
10.lmn60(Australia) can ship int.
Journal Entry 6 by bookchick88 at please use CONTROLLED RELEASE country in New Britain, Connecticut USA on Sunday, October 2, 2005
Released 18 yrs ago (10/6/2005 UTC) at please use CONTROLLED RELEASE country in New Britain, Connecticut USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
Giving to Jessica to start the bookring. :)
Giving to Jessica to start the bookring. :)
Thanks Juanet! I have another bookring in front of it but I will start this one as soon as I can. I can't wait to read it after all the good things you had to say about it!
What a great book! I loved the way the book kept swtiching back and forth from different times in Louise's life. I absolutly adored Louise and Abel when they were children. They were so cute. And I loved Abel's personality. He was so intelligent and sweet. He had this charming innocence about him that would have made me love him too if I were Louise. It sure is a shame he messed himself up as he got older. Louise should have moved on with her life after noticing he had changed some of his ways (not for the better). Sometimes I guess it's hard to let go of your past and realize that with time, people also change, and there is nothing you can do about it.
I loved this book so much I could not put it down! Juanet, thank you so much for setting up this bookring and sharing it :) I will send it on to the next person within the next week.
I loved this book so much I could not put it down! Juanet, thank you so much for setting up this bookring and sharing it :) I will send it on to the next person within the next week.
Journal Entry 9 by sunshinedreamr at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Saturday, November 12, 2005
Released 18 yrs ago (11/12/2005 UTC) at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
Sent to the next participant today! I hope you enjoy the book :)
Sent to the next participant today! I hope you enjoy the book :)
I also have very mixed feelings about this book. It was such a tragically beautiful story! What made it wonderful is that it evoked such strong feelings and drew me into an emotional connection with the characters. However, it was way too sad and hopeless, and this made it difficult to endure. Louise had suffered so much loss in her life, and I would have liked to see some sort of happy resolution for her in the end. The abortion storyline upset me greatly because of Louise's cavalier attitude towards it.
Thanks for sharing this book with me. It was an experience I would have otherwise missed.
Thanks for sharing this book with me. It was an experience I would have otherwise missed.
Journal Entry 11 by valentina1209 at bookring in bookring, Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, December 1, 2005
Released 18 yrs ago (12/1/2005 UTC) at bookring in bookring, Bookring -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
sending to wolfprincess in Ohio
sending to wolfprincess in Ohio
book arrived today. I will get started on it as soon as I get the book I am reading done first.
I really enjoyed the book expecially with all of the story lines going on in the book. My feelings always would change through out the book and at times that was good because I enjoy an author that can make me have many diffrent feelings to the story when I am reading it. I want to thank you for letting me read the book. As soon as I get Buffras address I will get the book out hopefully by monday 12/19/05.
It arrived! Looks like I'll have plenty to read while on my week+ vacation. Which is a good thing!
Louise Kirk learns about love and loss at an early age. When she is 9, her former beauty queen mother disappears, leaving a note that reads only -- and incorrectly -- "Louise knows how to work the washing machine." Not long after, the Richters and their adopted son, Abel, move in across the street. Louise's immediate devotion to the exotic and motherly Mrs. Richter is quickly transferred to her nature-loving, precociously intelligent son, and from this childhood friendship evolves a love that will bind Louise and Abel for the rest of their lives.
***
This book was...OK. I didn't really know why Louise was so in love with Abel, particularly as they became adults. Nor did I always like her character or respect her decisions. It was a decent read, but not one that I'm going to be in a hurry to hunt down again. (And, I have to say, that I spent a large amount of time trying to decipher Abel's behavior in terms of the attachment disorder that some adopted children -- ie from the former Soviet States -- suffer! I wanted *something* that would make sense of him, besides just the idea that he used Louise as he needed to.)
***
This book was...OK. I didn't really know why Louise was so in love with Abel, particularly as they became adults. Nor did I always like her character or respect her decisions. It was a decent read, but not one that I'm going to be in a hurry to hunt down again. (And, I have to say, that I spent a large amount of time trying to decipher Abel's behavior in terms of the attachment disorder that some adopted children -- ie from the former Soviet States -- suffer! I wanted *something* that would make sense of him, besides just the idea that he used Louise as he needed to.)
This was in the mailbox today. I will read it and pass it on as soon as I finish the book Im reading. Thanks!!!
I found this a quite sad and depressing read but beautifully written. I thought that the books title explained it all. Both Louise and Abel could be defined as true "romantics" according to the dictionary definition.
Romanticism was a movement started in the late 1800's where the "romantics" were characterized by a heightened interest in nature and emphasis was on their expression of emotion and imagination. These individuals tended to sway from the social norms.
I have always found that these novels tend to be tragic and this one fit the bill.
Romanticism was a movement started in the late 1800's where the "romantics" were characterized by a heightened interest in nature and emphasis was on their expression of emotion and imagination. These individuals tended to sway from the social norms.
I have always found that these novels tend to be tragic and this one fit the bill.
This just arrived - thank you poohbear3 for sending it on, RainDrop162004 for setting up the bookray, and Grorser for sharing it in the first place. This is the last of three bookray books that turned up this morning, so it's third on the TBR pile. I will get onto it next week. I'm looking forward to it - particularly after reading all the journal entries.
I liked this book. Abel was very frustrating - like other journallers, I didn't understand his motivation, but would really have liked to be able to explain his behaviour. I appreciated the structure that switched between different times, so the story of how Louise met the Richter family, her past relationship with Abel, and the current situation were revealed gradually. It kept me reading: the "ending" was known from early on, but the reasons for that ending and the events leading up to it weren't known.
I have packaged the book up ready to go to arturogrande and will take it to the Post Office this afternoon. Thanks again for sharing.
I have packaged the book up ready to go to arturogrande and will take it to the Post Office this afternoon. Thanks again for sharing.
Journal Entry 20 by arturogrande from Coalville, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Arrived today, along with some lovely organic chocolate - thanks so much, Nell-Lu.
I've got a couple of ring books ahead of this one, but it shouldn't take me too long to get to it.
Thanks everyone for passing it along.
I've got a couple of ring books ahead of this one, but it shouldn't take me too long to get to it.
Thanks everyone for passing it along.
Journal Entry 21 by arturogrande from Coalville, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Thursday, April 27, 2006
The writing in this book is just so beautiful that at times I read a page twice, just to savour the way Gowdy uses language.
I too had very ambivalent feelings about both Louise and Abel. I found it hard to reconcile the smart, self-contained Louise who more or less brought herself up since the disappearance of her mother with the needy obsessive whose every waking moment and action revolved around Abel.
And Abel - well, I felt him to be completely unworthy of Louise's devotion.
The book very cleverly flits around from one time in Louise's life to another, but I never once lost track of where in time we were - another testament to the great writing.
Abel is dead from the beginning - we are told that in the second paragraph, so I'm not spoiling anything. From then on, the whole novel is told through Louise's wistful memory.
"The past isn't fixed if it isn't dead. How are we supposed to preserve it? If it live - lives on in our memories, as we're always saying - then it can spoil." Beautiful.
Thank you, RainDrop162004 for starting this ring, and everyone else for passing it along.
It's now on its way to nickel27. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I too had very ambivalent feelings about both Louise and Abel. I found it hard to reconcile the smart, self-contained Louise who more or less brought herself up since the disappearance of her mother with the needy obsessive whose every waking moment and action revolved around Abel.
And Abel - well, I felt him to be completely unworthy of Louise's devotion.
The book very cleverly flits around from one time in Louise's life to another, but I never once lost track of where in time we were - another testament to the great writing.
Abel is dead from the beginning - we are told that in the second paragraph, so I'm not spoiling anything. From then on, the whole novel is told through Louise's wistful memory.
"The past isn't fixed if it isn't dead. How are we supposed to preserve it? If it live - lives on in our memories, as we're always saying - then it can spoil." Beautiful.
Thank you, RainDrop162004 for starting this ring, and everyone else for passing it along.
It's now on its way to nickel27. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
arrived safe at my house, 1 more bookring to read before I can start here.
update:
Great book, thanks for sharing with me.
update:
Great book, thanks for sharing with me.
Journal Entry 23 by nikel27 at Post Office in Book Ring, Ginsheim -- Controlled Releases on Tuesday, June 6, 2006
Released 17 yrs ago (6/9/2006 UTC) at Post Office in Book Ring, Ginsheim -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
EnJoy the book as I do!!!
EnJoy the book as I do!!!
Arrived safely today... As usual, I have a couple of other books before this one - but will get to it ASAP!
I really WANTED to enjoy this book. I loved Gowdy's 'The White Bone' and was looking forward to reading another novel by this author.
Sadly, despite the quality of the writing, I found it difficult to relate to either Louise or Abel, and became increasingly irritated by their actions, or inaction as the case may be! In the end, I found myself skipping sections and racing through the novel - which is not my normal practice.
For me, I related much better to Gowdy's elephants than I did to her humans!
Thanks for sharing this ring, though. I've PMed raindrop162004, and will send this one home.
Sadly, despite the quality of the writing, I found it difficult to relate to either Louise or Abel, and became increasingly irritated by their actions, or inaction as the case may be! In the end, I found myself skipping sections and racing through the novel - which is not my normal practice.
For me, I related much better to Gowdy's elephants than I did to her humans!
Thanks for sharing this ring, though. I've PMed raindrop162004, and will send this one home.
I could've sworn I journaled this when I got it back, but I guess I never did. Whoopsies. I only noticed because I was searching through my books looking for a certain book and came across this entry and hoped it wasnt lost in the mail.
Anyways, its home, and it's going to be apart of my <a href="http://bookcrossing.com/forum/23/5174016> Walk Down Memory Lane 2008 Challenege. I read this in 10th grade, so I'm going to be reading it again. (:
Anyways, its home, and it's going to be apart of my <a href="http://bookcrossing.com/forum/23/5174016> Walk Down Memory Lane 2008 Challenege. I read this in 10th grade, so I'm going to be reading it again. (:
I botched the last journal entry. whoops.
buuuuuuuuut..
I could've sworn I journaled this when I got it back, but I guess I never did. Whoopsies. I only noticed because I was searching through my books looking for a certain book and came across this entry and hoped it wasnt lost in the mail.
Anyways, its home, and it's going to be apart of my 2008 Walk Down Memory Lane Challenge. alrighty, that should be it. (:
Welcome to Book Crossing!
You're in for a real treat, because you've found a book that has been loved beyond words, and is now on a journey of it's very own to touch other lives and put smiles on other people's faces.
Thank you for entering the BCID on the homepage and deciding to make a quick journal entry. Please say whatever you feel about the book. Have you read it? Do you plan to? What are you going to do with it? How did you find it? Do you know the author? Are you new to BookCrossing?
Whatever you feel, please write! The book is yours now!
I hope you will join bookcrossing and get as much joy out of it as I have. Do as you will with the book, as I mentioned, it's yours now.
There's so many wonderful people, take a look around, and email me through my page if you'd like. I love hearing from people. (=
If you do join, please put my name: "bookchick88" in the referral spot. =)
Happy reading!
You're in for a real treat, because you've found a book that has been loved beyond words, and is now on a journey of it's very own to touch other lives and put smiles on other people's faces.
Thank you for entering the BCID on the homepage and deciding to make a quick journal entry. Please say whatever you feel about the book. Have you read it? Do you plan to? What are you going to do with it? How did you find it? Do you know the author? Are you new to BookCrossing?
Whatever you feel, please write! The book is yours now!
I hope you will join bookcrossing and get as much joy out of it as I have. Do as you will with the book, as I mentioned, it's yours now.
There's so many wonderful people, take a look around, and email me through my page if you'd like. I love hearing from people. (=
If you do join, please put my name: "bookchick88" in the referral spot. =)
Happy reading!