Waterfall Wednesdays: Chapters 12-17

Welcome to week three the Waterfall Read-Along! For those of you who don't know, the wonderful ladies behind Tina's Book Reviews, Edgy Inspirational Romance, Irresistible Reads, The Unread Reader and myself are hosting a read-along of Lisa T. Bergren's time-travel young adult novel Waterfall (LOVED!). Each week we'll pose and answer five questions about the book and then hop around to the other blogs who have signed up to check out everyone's answers!

Serena and Joy are the hosts this week, so be sure and pop over to Edgy Inspirational Romance to link up your posts and, in doing so, get entered in a giveaway to win signed copies of the entire series. I have the pleasure of hosting next week, so you'll find the next 5 discussion questions at the bottom of this post.

Also, before you go, if you haven't had a chance to hop over to Small Review, be sure and stop by as she's having a River of Time Series extravaganza with all sorts of fun giveaways running through September 30th.

CHAPTERS 12-17

In Siena, on her way to the ball at Palazzo Publico, Gabi likened her experience to being on the red carpet at the Academy Awards, the goal being "to see and be seen." If you were a peasant, watching from the crowd, what would you be thinking as this procession passed by?

I think if I saw the likes of Marcello and Luca walk by I’d probably curse my birth status repeatedly and long to dive through the throngs of people in order to dramatically throw myself on one of them only to have them realize as soon as they saw me that they were, in fact, madly in love with me and couldn’t bear to spend another minute out of my presence. Upon further reflection, it's entirely possible I misinterpreted this question to be “what is your Marcello and Luca medieval fantasy from the viewpoint of you as a peasant?” Now you are all in the know. About my YA Marcello/Luca fantasy anyway, the adult romance version I’ll keep to myself other than to say that it also involves Lord Greco. Wait. I seem to have veered drastically off course here…

Though quite nervous about dancing at the ball, Gabi discovers a strange feeling of connection to the time, the people, and the society through the unified beauty of the dance. Have you ever been in a position where you felt out of your element, but, in one, pinpointed moment, became a part of or connected to something bigger than your fear?

Wow. This is a very thoughtful and deep question and my typical flippant response doesn’t seem fitting, so I honestly don’t have a good answer to the above. Deep is sometimes lost on me and I fail completely at this question.

The kiss. Oh, the kiss. When Marcello finally kisses Gabi, he believes the experience to be proof that they are meant to be together. What did you think about his assumption? Were you surprised at Gabi's reaction to it? Have you ever experienced a kiss that seemed to be prophetic in a similar (or opposite!) way?

*dreamy sigh* Oh Marcello, you big romantic you! I think his reaction is sweet and adorable and the drama of it seems to suit the time period in which he lives. Life is hard and short, so I think making a prophetic statement about being “meant” for each other after only a brief kiss is fitting for them. I remember getting butterflies (for lack of a better term) when I first kissed my husband, but I wouldn’t say I knew at that very moment that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, that came from all the times he made me laugh and all the small gestures over the years we were dating.

Many go through their teen years with a subdued sense of immortality. Do you think Gabi has a sense of this teen feeling? And did you think Gabi's converse observation, "Sometimes death came hunting and there was no way to cut it off at the pass." was informed more by the experience of losing her father, her self-admitted closet hypochondria, or the forced maturation of being transported to a different time? How does this observation show Gabi's growth as a character?

Jeez. These are some intense questions this week! I believe Gabi’s sense of her own mortality is probably a combination of all the factors listed above, though especially the death of her father. Given that his death was so sudden and unexpected, I think it inevitably brought the brevity of life in general into sharp focus for her, and that personal knowledge is only compounded when she gets to a time where medicine is scarce, war is not, and justice is often delivered in the form of public torture.

In the span of a few moments, Gabi goes from sword-wielding teen beauty to man-killing warrior. Did you think her realization of the finality of death -- and her justification for its necessity -- was realistic? And, in her slippers, could you have done the same?

I honestly don’t know that I could come to terms with the brutality of the time as quickly as Gabi does. Her adjustment period is impressive and admirable, but I think for her it’s a case of necessity in addition to her inherent strength that allows her to transition as well as she does. She either makes the adjustment and accepts death as a means of survival or she succumbs and wallows in the cruelty of that which she cannot change, and I think Gabi, being Gabi, quickly chooses to control the things she can as best she can.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR CHAPTERS 18-23

1. Gabi and Lia both face several life and death situations in these chapters, having to pick up weapons in defense of those they love and experiencing first hand the brutality of close combat. If you had the choice between picking up a weapon and standing on the front lines or staying behind to tend to the wounded as necessary, which would you choose?

2. Both girls get to wear extraordinary gowns to their victory celebration; what would your dream medieval gown look like?

3. Gabi has crude stitches put in and must endure both their removal as well as the cauterization of the wound. How is your threshold for pain? Do you think you would have simply gritted your teeth as Gabi does?

4. Marcello wants to properly court Gabi after they express mutual feelings of affection, wanting to speak with her mother about his intentions. What do you think is the most romantic aspect of medieval courtship?

5. Gabi and Lia find themselves with conflicting desires toward the end with Lia wanting to return home and Gabi hoping to stay. Do you think that Gabi is being unfair to Lia for wanting to stay, or is Lia being unfair to Gabi for demanding they go? A little of both?

I look forward to having everyone here next week!