Sunday for real is here after yesterday felt like Sunday all day. It feels like Sunday so the inner clock is once again working or as the Brits say tickety-boo.
Re-reading THE NIGHT REMEMBERS by Kathleen Eagle I was amazed at an element I had missed in my first reading. Jesse Wolf is a nearly perfect description of a person suffering from ptsd. He can function in society but when the darkness comes he reacts to life by rejecting the world. The reader watches him teeter on the edge of giving in,of ending it. In the 90s when I first read it his shattered spirit drew me into the story and held my attention , but I never thought of the syndrome so often in today's news. Was it because I was more naive politically than I am today or was it because ptsd had not yet been in the public eye? Still re- reading it knowing about the syndrome adds greater depth to the story.
Knowing the era and the rules of the world at that time also helps one gain reading depth. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is a case in point.during a first read the conflict between Elizabeth and Darcy catches the readers' interest. It is after all the boy meets girl, conflict between them and a happy ending when they realize they care for each other. The classic romance format in a nutshell. But it is so much more. Austin has written examination of marriage and manners in the regency era. In this era one never addressed each other by first names unless the person was a sibling,parent etc or given permission, proper young ladies never were alone with males , and marriage or spinsterhood were the choices for women if not in the servant class. In this classic there are several examples of marriage which one must first realize never or almost never based on romantic feelings. The older Bennets are in a marriage the husband regrets as he married for pretty face and a need for an heir and now he and his wife have little in common so he removes himself to the library allowing her to dither along. Charlotte aware that she is near spinsterhood marries Mr. Collins and makes the best of it. Elizabeth's older sister is lucky enough to marry Mr. Bingley ,but only after he decides to defy convention and marry her despite her poor social level and the idiocy of her mother. The younger sister is rather impulsive and causes the entire family's reputation( all-important in the era) to come into question when she elopes without benefit of marriage. Elizabeth and Darcy marry based on love and attraction only after trials have been faced, His first proposal which she refuses speaks of how he is defying society by asking her to marry him. When a reader knows the strictures of a highly regulated set of rules based on birth and wealth, the comedic moments have so much more to them, and Austin's commentary on her era hidden in the story rings stingingly true.
Dana Stabenow's Kate books are easily re-read. The plot always keeps one interested but each re-read reveals how carefully the plot is woven. Each re-read gives the reader more details on Alaska and the life of its residents. The books gain in depth and read in order, the growth of the characters is richer than on a first read. I suspect the books of Craig Johnson and C.J.box will benefit in the same way when re-read. Not only will the main characters become fuller and more real, but also the minor characters will be seen more clearly,
Good reads are enjoyable , but great books can be re-read even while knowing the outcome for the little gifts of insight into the characters and the writers' talent that come with each re-reading. I urge you to try a re-read of a favorite book and you will find out why it rings so true to you,
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