First of all, the narrative voice is great. I love Jason as a narrator. He reminds me of Holden in a lot of ways (relatable, pretty chill). I really liked Holden as a narrator, so the similarities I see between him and Jason make me really excited to read more.
Another thing I love about this book is Julia (Jason's sister). She is literally such a great character and I relate to her a lot. Especially in the dinner scene in the chapter "Relatives". When her uncle was bashing her for not wanting to go to a school of his choice, I RELATE. Most of my family is the exact same way and I can't even express how much I can relate to Julia in this scene.
Overall I'm very excited to read more of Black Swan Green. It seems like a book I'm really going to like.
I also LOVE Julia. Maybe part of me is biased because of our shared name, but having a little brother, and being the same age as her and in a very similar position makes me relate to her a lot. Some people might think she's kind of bitchy to Jason, but let me just tell you from personal experience that she could be SO much worse. She's actually pretty fair.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you! The narration is quite personal like Holden's, but hopefully not as dark. I enjoy how funny and less depressing it is from Catcher in the Rye honestly. All of the books we've read for this semester have been a bit gloomy, but I feel like this book is perhaps a tad more positive and bright.
ReplyDeleteThere we go! I was trying to find what it was that set Jason apart from Holden. Holden is much much more direct than Jason in his narration to us (it's like Holden has carefully selected each of his words carefully, kinda like Jason, in his narration to us) and Holden also has hidden ambitions. We're not sure whether or not to trust Holden, but Jason's narration shows no holes, at least not yet. As you say, the tone of the novel is also more jovial than that of Catcher in the Rye. And let's not forget, the fast pace of the novel also helps us to quickly move through and enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI totally see the similarities you mentioned between Holden and Jason. I kind of imagine Jason to be like a younger, more carefree and innocent Holden, who keenly recognizes social/class undertones at the dinner with the Lambs, yet who isn't quite old enough to take a side or have an opinion on those kinds of things.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely. I'm so excited to see what happens with Julia as the book progresses. I also see a lot of similarities, such as using italics to emphasize things, over dramatizing things, and having a very relaxed tone.
ReplyDeleteI think this book may become my favorite from this class. Like you mentioned, the characters are very relatable, especially to people our age. I also seem to like Jason more than Holden since he isn't as cynical of everything. Like you im excited to keep reading!
ReplyDeleteLike many other people, this is one of the best books so far, with Catcher in the Rye being a close second. I think that it helps that Jason is writing from the perspective of a teenager, so I feel like we connect more easily with him. Julia is even better, since we are the same age as her almost, at the end of our high school careers and figuring out what we want to do after school.
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