Why do you think Douglas Kennedy wrote Laura's story as it happens in just five days? How would the novel be different if it weren’t limited to this time frame? What does it gain by the limitation?
Created: 05/03/13
Replies: 14
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Join Date: 11/12/11
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Based on the title, the reader knows the story is moving quickly which adds to the building suspense. The "real time factor" makes this a page turner. I could relate to different relationships I have had before I was married that lasted for a short time. The ability to connect deeply, start imagining a future and then have a quick ending, always left me we a sense of "what ifs..." As I look back on my life now at 66, happily married I still can't help wondering.......
Join Date: 01/29/13
Posts: 45
This is where I had some issues. It seems to be that Kennedy writes in a time frame, i.e.; The Moment. Maybe he did want to have a real time factor with the story but then there was the first 100 or so pages that dragged. His stories are good but it just takes so long to get to them. It really bothered me.
Join Date: 09/16/11
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Join Date: 04/14/11
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Join Date: 05/19/11
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I must agree with the earlier post that the time frame of the story was just a device for the story line. I also agree with caroln in that it is not believable for me that someone would decide to make such drastic changes in their life in a five day time period. Also could you really fall that deeply in love with someone in 5 days or is that just lust?
Join Date: 12/19/12
Posts: 37
I believe the author wrote it with the hope that we, the reader, would be amazed that life can change in the blink of an eye. That an insignificant moment in time, like a quick business trip, could end up turning your life upside down and forever changing your story.
But, I don't think it conveyed well. The days with Richard were simultaneously long and boring to me. It was difficult to read them being "literature snobs" together. It was monotonous and hard to relate to. But, at the same time, you were also aware that they'd only known each other hours. They were grown adults referring to each other as "my love" and other gushy names and saying "I love you" repeatedly. When you stopped and did the math you realized they'd only known each other like 36 hours. Not usual behaviour for adults, even ones caught up in a whirlwind romance.
Join Date: 06/13/11
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Join Date: 03/22/12
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Join Date: 06/13/11
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I did like the 5 day time frame. Many authors employ the "flashback" story line. As corny as it may sound, my husband and I fell in love over a matter of a few days, too--and that love affair has lasted 49 years!! It is possible. I think the logistics and plans made by Laura and Richard were a little far-fetched, though.
Join Date: 05/19/11
Posts: 22
The use of a five day time period pointed out the urgency of the needs of Laura and Richard. That set time period conveyed a sense of desperation to be with someone who understood and had similar likes for each of them. Extreme unhappiness sent both Laura and Richard into a fantasy where anything was possible because of their perceived connection to each other. Unfortunately the short time did not allow them to truly reveal themselves and Richard 's impetuousness was really fantasy on his part.
Join Date: 04/12/12
Posts: 294
I liked the 5 day time frame... it held up in the first four days... but the 5th day really fell apart and became a year. I think Laura had been working toward what happened during the four days for awhile. She was looking for answers, for a lifeline to grab and pull herself out. So the four days worked because of that.
Join Date: 09/05/11
Posts: 42
I think that the author used the intensity of their five day relationship as a contrast to the plodding years that Laura and Richard experienced in their sad marriages. This was critical for Laura especially as it demonstrated what might be possible to share with another even in a fleeting time.
Join Date: 09/26/12
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Join Date: 08/14/11
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I agree with shelbyl. These two characters "clicked" because they had the same needs and desperation. In my day their affair would have been called "a fling". No one in their families was hurt and they both walk away just a bit wiser about themselves, their strengths and their weakness. Five days, for some, is all you might need to find true love, for others its all about finding yourself.
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