Did your feelings for Dorothy change as you read?
Created: 07/09/13
Replies: 19
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I was both impressed with Dorothy and very disgusted by her. She was independent and tough but a tad amoral for my taste and had no problem using people for her own ends. She was probably a product of the times(the war) and was surviving as best she knew how but was definitely not the kindest of people. Her rather delusional tendencies really bothered me.
Join Date: 06/16/11
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Join Date: 04/23/11
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Yes, in the beginning I was very much on her side in terms of her parents and in particular,her father, who literally told her that she was never to darken his door again. Then when I learned that all her family was killed, I felt so sorry for her. And she met Jimmy who was such a nice guy, but she was so mean to him, especially in the restaurant when he proposed to her-I had very negative feelings about her. She turned into a spiteful person and I felt she was using Jimmy when she was living in London.
Join Date: 06/19/12
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I found myself constantly shifting my view of her. I would like her, feel sorry for her, and then get irritated by her manipulative nature and her game-playing. The 1941 Dolly was pretty irritating; I had a good deal more sympathy for the Dorothy of 1961 forward, and the struggles she faced justifying her past behavior. The ending reinforced the more positive feelings.
Join Date: 07/16/13
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Join Date: 07/16/13
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In the beginning, I saw a young woman on her own, kind of dreamy. I felt sorry for her because her parents did little to encourage any kind of independence. Then when she was in London, I began to see another side of her and found her to be a bit delusional. It was a mystery to me how this kind of woman became the warm and loving mother that Laurel talked about. It was frustrating to have these feelings about one character and I kept wondering what made this transformation. It took me close to 400 pages to figure it out, lol.
Join Date: 04/12/12
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I sort of liked the young Dolly and thought I was going to be reading a love story. After Dolly got to London, I didn't like her. I liked Vivien throughout the book but when she was the mother I kept wondering when the old selfish Dolly was going to show up.
Join Date: 05/12/11
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I could understand Dorothy's drive and drive to up her status in life. What I didn't like was how she used Jimmy's love to such a spiteful manner. But then she redeemed herself by not mailing the letter that contained the "set-up" photo. It wasn't her fault that some "good Samaritan" found the letter and mailed it.
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Join Date: 07/23/13
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Agree wholeheartedly with those who found Dorothy/Dolly unlikeable - ditzy, delusional, self centered, unreliable. I also found it amazing how she changed and matured. Then she stabs a stranger from her past who said hello. That was weird.
The end explains all but it was a long trip getting there.
Join Date: 06/13/11
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Join Date: 07/28/13
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Yes, they did. I was primed to like Dorothy because of Laurel's recollections of her mother - I was especially charmed by the crocodile story Dorothy told Laurel. :) As I read more of Dorothy's story -about her time in London, I liked her less and less. The only thing that kept me hanging on to any liking or respect for her was Dorothy's deathbed remorse about the plan and how it wasn't supposed to hurt anyone, as well as her remorse about Vivien being killed. In retrospect (after learning the twist and thinking about the characters), I realized Dorothy never expressed any remorse at all. I was confused initially as to why the author would make her so unlikeable - or at least so ambiguous. I kept feeling like, "hmm... Am I supposed to find this trait endearing? Because I just find her shallow and amoral".
Join Date: 07/28/13
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I will add that one very interesting thing to me about Dorothy is her status as an unreliable narrator, once it comes out that Vivien didn't know her, that they weren't friends. Immediately everything about her was suspect, which makes for an interesting literary experience! My feelings about Vivien also changed over the course of the book as a result of seeing her through the prism of Dorothy's feelings.
Join Date: 04/10/11
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