Which of the main characters do you relate to most? Which of their behaviors, if any, do you see in yourself?

Which of the main characters do you relate to most, if any of them? Which of their attributes and behaviors, if any, do you see in yourself?

I didn't! That doesn't mean I didn't like the book, I loved it. By the end of the first fifty pages, I so caught up in the atmosphere, setting and architecture, it was my favorite "character." That was what I cared the most about. To me, the "human" characters were secondary and I can't say I related to them because I struggled with motivation on their part.

I felt connections to all of them: Astrid’s eagerness to learn and to see the world and be an independent woman; Schweigaard’s struggles over his faith and his sense of responsibility to improve people’s lives (and his temper, to be honest!); Schönauer’s love of beauty and desire to preserve it.

I felt most connected to Astrid and saw myself in her vacillations between love for her home, its legends and traditions, and her wish to see a more modern, “advanced” world. Astrid’s story and all the choices she had to make were what held me.

I did not so much relate to her but I liked Astrid. I liked that she was so wrapped up in the history of her family and their home in Butangen. I liked that she wanted to save the church and especially the bells. I also liked that she was an independent young women. She said no to two suiters as she did not want to be married with a husband, children and a home to take care of. This was 1880 when women wanted to leave their parents to move on with a husband! She was an amazing young woman.

I didn’t completely relate to any of the characters, but there were aspects of each one that I did. With Astrid, I identified with her wanting to see new places. For Kai, I identified with his value of education and need to teach the children. For Gerhardt, I identified with his need to make sense of the construction of the stave church. I find that need in other areas of my life.

Definitely Gerhardt--his interest in how things are constructed and the preciseness of his calculations and measurements are very much like my own scientific interest and background. His appreciation of beauty and desire to preserve the creativity of the past,too, are things that matter to me. Unlike him, I cannot draw a straight line with a ruler but I'm drawn to the creativity of others and look for ways to express my own creativity through my needlework and scrapbook layouts of my photography.

Kai's heavy handed attempts to modernize the village too fast make me very uncomfortable. Also his concerns of what a " proper" pastor's wife should be just does not sit well with this retired teacher who well knew that her position was scrutinized closely but who did not let that determine her friendships or relationships.

In no way,at all, was I able to relate to Astrid.

I admired and relate to Astrid. Perhaps it is because I grew up at a time of great change when women were striving to be independent in a man’s world in a place where I valued family and local history but still yearned to see the world beyond and spread my wings. Astrid spoke to me.

I agree with Vivian and dianelouise in that it was Astrid that I related to/connected with. Actually my heart ached for her. She loved her family and her traditions but so wanted to see the outside world and very much wanted a life different from what she felt was in store for her.
Living in the times we now do, following our dreams/hearts is a much larger possibility.

Definitely Astrid for me as well—having grown up in a small town, I related to her love of her home and her desire to experience more of the world. But I love what you said, Shannon, about the setting being your favorite character. It was so vividly rendered.

Definitely Astrid. She doesn’t take anything at face value. She is committed to her roots and challenges the idea and rationality of the new church. I find her realationship to her father endearing. She has nerve. I particularly liked when she made the decision to go up to the bell tower and look at the bells. The author did a great job at creating the atmosphere for this exploration. Dark and dusty. The names of the daughters and mother on each of the bells, and the butterflies in her stomach after reading the names.

Kai. I so appreciated his humanity as it related to God and duty. I loved the scene when he rages at God over Astrid’s body, but then goes back to be the best pastor the town has ever had. He lets his humanity constantly get in the way (especially when he betrays Astrid with the identity of the real bells.) He is a man of God but feels love, rage and jealously like any of us. I can’t wait to read the next book!

I agree with redheadedsusie, I connected with Astrid the most because she was brave enough to go look at the bells. I also concur that the author did a fantastic job of creating the scene in the book.

I did not really feel a sense of myself in any of the characters because their lives were the polar opposite of mine. However, Astrid's desire to travel, to learn about other people and places is an aspiration that people in any time or place could feel, and I definitely relate to that.

If I need to pick then it would be Astrid. She had the burning desire to learn & visualize a world beyond her village & life in the harsh environment & traditional role for a woman. She challenged her role & believed she could change things. She was clever & set up a plan that would impact her village.