In The Last Girls the four main characters, Harriet, Courtney, Anna, and Catherine, all are very strong and successful women. The story of the book is based on a trip down the Mississippi River, but I think the women’s life stories and strengths they have acquired add so much more depth to the story. Whenever I am reading the book my mind begins to wonder and I think of the many successful women that surround me in my life. Maybe that is why I am enjoying this book so much, I can truly relate to the characters and their relationships with one another. What I really like about The Last Girls, is how the author uses the present and the past to develop the characters and their personalities. It helps me understand why the characters do certain things and what lead them in that direction.
Since last week, two important characters and their stories have been introduced. The first is Courtney, who, unlike Harriet, is married and has many children. Courtney, at first, seems shy, innocent and easily tricked but she actually is a very strong, witty woman. Her husband, an older man, never has been very loyal and Courtney has had to deal with that by sometimes indulging in her own secret affairs. Even though Courtney and her husband have not been very loyal to one another their love for each other is very strong. The second character that has been introduced is Anna. Anna’s personal life has not been described in great detail, but it is still easy to tell what kind of person she is; a career motivated individual. She is a romance writer with a long list of bestsellers. I think the author purposely decided not to describe Anna’s personal life because it is not important to the description of her character. Harriet and Courtney’s personal lives are important to the development of their characters. The marriages they have or the relationships they have with other people contribute a great deal to the understanding of their life stories. But Anna, on the other hand, is developed as a character on the accomplishments she has achieved. She has almost no time to have a personal life because she is too busy working.
1 comment:
This book sounds great! I love when authors go forward and back in time, it really aids in the development of each individual character, as you get to know how they got to where they are currently in the story. I will be interested to know if Anna's personal life ever takes over a bigger piece in her life, or if she continues to devote herself to her work. It is refreshing to see a woman who is defined by her successes, and not by her love life, though!
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