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  1. I didn’t see Verna that way at all! To my way of thinking, she was very supportive and remarkably accepting given that her children obviously didn’t absorb all her beliefs (especially, seemingly, in regards to religion).

    My sense of her frustration with her daughter in that particular story was just an indication of how many times Eloise has pressed on her (for hospitality or money or whatever – this was the second time they’d moved in, that Kara was old enough to remember anyhow) throughout the years and that Eloise didn’t necessarily appreciate some of the sacrifices that her mother had made for that to happen (would it have been so much to ask to respect her asking them to return at an earlier hour when she had to work and they lived in a small house, etc.).

    All of which I say to illustrate the quality that I most loved about these stories, and one of the reasons that I think they work so well as a linked collection, that she builds stories into the spaces between the stories too, that we don’t necessarily get to read but they allow the main characters to grow and change in subtle but believable (and relatable) ways.

    This is one that I *really* liked: can you tell? :)

    1. Hmm it’s funny I didn’t look at it that way, but now that you write that, I am seeing Verna in a different way. The beauty of books ammiright? What a wonderful writer she is :)

    2. Part of me would like to see some stories about the conflicts that I imagine exist(ed) between Verna and Eloise because I do feel like there’s more to it BUT I wouldn’t want to give up what we got to see of Kara either!

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