tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post337840660781219940..comments2024-03-22T17:51:15.887-04:00Comments on The Edge of the Precipice: Little Women Read-Along: The Valley of the Shadow (Ch. 40)Hamlette (Rachel)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-3762284923934065602015-06-07T20:14:22.078-04:002015-06-07T20:14:22.078-04:00Hannah, I agree. I think the whole book has such ...Hannah, I agree. I think the whole book has such an added depth because she truly understood the things they were going through, they weren't just imaginary.Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-11425366164782391072015-06-07T20:11:47.271-04:002015-06-07T20:11:47.271-04:00Rose, yes, I think her telling Jo was sadder. Rose, yes, I think her telling Jo was sadder. Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-47360489863782975742015-06-06T00:29:16.478-04:002015-06-06T00:29:16.478-04:00Beth has always been my favorite. It breaks my hea...Beth has always been my favorite. It breaks my heart every time I read this chapter. And I didn't know about the poem, but that makes so much sense, especially with how well Alcott wrote this entire book. There is so much of it she understands, I think, and puts herself within her characters bit by bit.Reading in the Darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13812641480668564435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-24444968958777594112015-06-05T05:27:32.786-04:002015-06-05T05:27:32.786-04:00It is a sad chapter, though I almost felt sadder i...It is a sad chapter, though I almost felt sadder in the chapter where she told Jo. <br />The poem Jo wrote was really beautiful, and that little conversation where Beth is so happy she hasn't lived in vain was so touchingRose https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675286577484698201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-10502969308866423112015-05-30T17:25:20.600-04:002015-05-30T17:25:20.600-04:00Ekaterina, yes, it doesn't help at all to know...Ekaterina, yes, it doesn't help at all to know it's coming, does it?<br /><br />Beth is probably the most consistent character in the book, never changing a whole lot, so you're likely right :-)Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-74530583466294877582015-05-30T17:24:27.668-04:002015-05-30T17:24:27.668-04:00Thanks! I suddenly felt I needed something much m...Thanks! I suddenly felt I needed something much more summery and sunny :-)Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-4442205522815059482015-05-30T17:24:08.207-04:002015-05-30T17:24:08.207-04:00Kelly-Anne, your ideas kind of match mine. I thin...Kelly-Anne, your ideas kind of match mine. I think Beth would have lived at home, caring for her parents and being cared for by them. Though perhaps if a very special man had come along, she might have married... and maybe continued to live at home?Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-86315195930106504922015-05-30T17:22:53.325-04:002015-05-30T17:22:53.325-04:00Bzee, I like your ideas! Especially about a husba...Bzee, I like your ideas! Especially about a husband for her. You're probably right about childbearing, though. She's a bit like Melanie Wilkes, isn't she?Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-85742496502728581322015-05-30T17:22:09.803-04:002015-05-30T17:22:09.803-04:00Jessica, I only used to cry over books and movies ...Jessica, I only used to cry over books and movies if an animal died. It wasn't until I got almost through college that I started crying over them more. So I understand completely!<br /><br />The ending was very hopeful and peaceful, I agree.Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-69154739735037048622015-05-29T15:26:42.682-04:002015-05-29T15:26:42.682-04:00Every time I read this book, I know that this chap...Every time I read this book, I know that this chapter is coming, so I brace myself for the sadness. The strange thing is, is that every time I read this chapter, all the walls I've built to brace myself come tumbling down. It's as if I am reading the chapter all over again for the first time, so it is impossible not to cry.<br />Wow. I had no idea that Alcott wrote that poem for her sister in real life. That knowledge definitely makes this chapter more heart breaking.<br />I think Beth would have lived her life the same way she was at the end. being quiet, but doing her duties and filling everyone's life with love.Ekaterinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08058040208921526735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-4591687654421490442015-05-29T12:37:41.100-04:002015-05-29T12:37:41.100-04:00I loooove your new header, Hamlette! :)I loooove your new header, Hamlette! :)Kelly-Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14439145629751304862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-15659544051386545352015-05-29T12:36:42.020-04:002015-05-29T12:36:42.020-04:00Oh yes...a big teardrop rolled down my face in thi...Oh yes...a big teardrop rolled down my face in this chapter...:( I miss dear Beth!<br />I think, had she lived, she would have lived at home the rest of her life -- helping her fanily, blessing others with kind acts...loving her nieces and nephews... Perhaps she may even have married?<br />When reading the poem Jo wrote for Beth, it struck me that it may have been a poem written for Alcott's sister... Very touching, but unbelievably sad!Kelly-Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14439145629751304862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-35045973380562630762015-05-29T10:31:22.151-04:002015-05-29T10:31:22.151-04:00In my imagination, Beth could be a 'normal'...In my imagination, Beth could be a 'normal' woman despite of her weakness. She would obviously be the one she used to be. She would fall in love with the right guy and get married, just like the rest of her sisters. Her husband should be a special one, humble and caring. But I don't think she would survive if she had a baby :(<br />However, maybe she would suffer more, who knows. bzeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03498859173435579196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-12339186563792596942015-05-29T09:45:32.465-04:002015-05-29T09:45:32.465-04:00It is really sad . . . I've cried a lot over t...It is really sad . . . I've cried a lot over this chapter, too, and I almost never cry when reading fiction. Not that I'm trying to be insensitive--it's just not the way my constitution works :) <br /><br />I do like the last sentence, when Jo sees how peaceful her sister looks and "thanked God that Beth was well at last." It reminds me that her life wasn't really 'over'--she had just gone to live in a better place. Katie Hannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06818413749107653398noreply@blogger.com