" I heard one of the boys stole an arrowhead," Leaphorn said. " Was anything missing from the box?"
Reynolds laugh was more of a snort. " You can be damned sure there wasn't. that box had stuff in it from all eight of the digs I'm watching. Nothing very important, but stuff we were working on. If a single flake was taken out of there, I'd know it. Its all there." He frowned. " Who told you he'd stolen some artifacts?"
"It's thirdhand," Leaphorn said. " The Navajo boy has a little brother. He told me."
"Thats funny," Reynolds said.
Leaphorn said nothing. But he thought, Yes, that's very funny.- Page 49
This passage is from chapter four when Detective Joe Leaphorn is investigating the disappearance of the two boys by interviewing two archaeologists at a local dig site where the boys had reportedly stolen artifacts. This was the first time that Dr. Reynolds shows up in the book and turns out to be very important as he ends up being the killer. It is important because the whole murder was over stolen artifacts that Reynolds was illegal planting at the site so that he could take credit for finding them when they had already been found at another site. In this passage, he lies about there being no missing artifacts. Later in the book it is proven that there were indeed artifacts missing from his collection.
" When Reynolds chased Cata away from the truck he must have checked right away and found some of his stuff was gone." Leaphorn fished the unbroken point from his pocket and handed it to Isaacs. " This had been taken, too, and probably other material.It was bad enough Cata having it. But when he got it was fatal.What if he got a guilty conscience and brought it back and gave it to you?You'd ask where he got it and when, and then you'd have known Reynolds was putting the stuff in the ground for you to find. Or if the site got to be famous-and Reynolds knew that would happen- then Cata was sure to talk."
"So he went out to kill Cata," Isaacs said. " Well that makes sense."- Page 238
Reynolds is found out to be the killer, and the reasoning is given as well. Reynolds was so driven for fame that he would kill for it, and he did. I thought Dance Hall of the Dead was an interesting book because it dealt with a culture with which I wasn't familiar and I couldn't put it down. I thought it was interwoven very nicely just like a good novel should be, because everything in the beginning came back around to have meaning in the end. I was satisfied with the ending, even though in some ways I predicted it, I still think it ended the way that best fit the rest of the story.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
4th blog post
"He was a tall, bony young man. Now the sun was low behind corn mountain and he worked hatless-the white skin high on his forehead contrasting sharply with the burned brown leather of his face."
This could be important. It is the introduction of a new character, the first white character in the story. Amidst all of the native american racial tension, the lone white man could play a big role in this murder investigation. I look for his lack of knowledge of the local customs to be a critical flaw in his character.
This could be important. It is the introduction of a new character, the first white character in the story. Amidst all of the native american racial tension, the lone white man could play a big role in this murder investigation. I look for his lack of knowledge of the local customs to be a critical flaw in his character.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
3rd book blog
"I don't think George ran away because he killed the Cata boy, if he ran away maybe it was because he was afraid the Zuni Policeman would lock him in jail"
This is spoken by Cecil, George Bowlegs younger brother. George is the missing kid. This line is important to me because it is an example of the underlying racism in the book. Throughout the book there are subtle mentions of race, but they are always used for emphasis when they are used. Like in this case, two people from different tribes are both trying to find a missing boy, but at the same time establishing their thoughts on the other race. I don't know yet if this is important, but I'm pretty sure that it is.
This is spoken by Cecil, George Bowlegs younger brother. George is the missing kid. This line is important to me because it is an example of the underlying racism in the book. Throughout the book there are subtle mentions of race, but they are always used for emphasis when they are used. Like in this case, two people from different tribes are both trying to find a missing boy, but at the same time establishing their thoughts on the other race. I don't know yet if this is important, but I'm pretty sure that it is.
2nd book blog
My first blog for my new book is on my other blog page I forgot to put it here, I will from now on put the rest of them on this page.
"The bowlegs kid had borrowed the bike and he was supposed to bring it back there to that meeting place they had. O.K.? So the bowlegs boy shows up at school this morning but when we find out about the borrowed bike and all and send a man over there to talk to him, he's gone. Turns out he got up during his social studies class and said something to the teacher about feeling sick and cut out. If he did the killing, you'd think he'd have run right after the killing"
Right now in the book, I do not believe that the bowlegs kid killed anyone, I do not think he is capable of murder and his actions show this. I think this is just an example of a scared kid who did nothing wrong, but is stuck in the middle of a troublesome situation. Therefore he is just trying to avoid all confrontation about it and get on with his life, hence him getting up to leave in the middle of class.
questions
1.is Bowlegs hiding information?
2.is there any reason other than being scared for him to run?
3.is Bowlegs himself in danger too?
"The bowlegs kid had borrowed the bike and he was supposed to bring it back there to that meeting place they had. O.K.? So the bowlegs boy shows up at school this morning but when we find out about the borrowed bike and all and send a man over there to talk to him, he's gone. Turns out he got up during his social studies class and said something to the teacher about feeling sick and cut out. If he did the killing, you'd think he'd have run right after the killing"
Right now in the book, I do not believe that the bowlegs kid killed anyone, I do not think he is capable of murder and his actions show this. I think this is just an example of a scared kid who did nothing wrong, but is stuck in the middle of a troublesome situation. Therefore he is just trying to avoid all confrontation about it and get on with his life, hence him getting up to leave in the middle of class.
questions
1.is Bowlegs hiding information?
2.is there any reason other than being scared for him to run?
3.is Bowlegs himself in danger too?
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Final Blog post
Did the book come to a satisfactory closure for you? Why/not?
-The ending was somewhat satisfactory for me because the hero in the story completes his heroic journey. Atillus, the hero, had to race against Mount Vesuvius, a ticking time bomb, to repair blockage to the aqueduct that he was in charge of. However, the race against time proved too tough as the eruption took away any hope that I had for his survival. But my hope was restored with the closing lines as it is implied that the hero and his lover made it out alive. Although it seems cliche that this happened, the author Robert Harris did a good job to avoid other cliches throughout the novel. Many other main characters died in the end and it wasn't a story of the underdog coming out on top. Rather a story of an underdog being the underdog the entire story and getting lucky to escape with his life at the very end. Harris mixed fiction and historical events together to form a great story that I thought ended just the way it should have. He didn't try to be cheesy by going against history and having everyone survive the blast, instead he killed the majority of them off and just kept the main character alive so there would still be a story to tell. It ended with a passage that is left up to your own interpretation, it doesn't exactly say whether or not they survived or not,which i think is good. It had me thinking after I read it and thats what good books should do. My interpretation is optimistic and I implied that they did make it out alive, and that satisfies me enough.
-The ending was somewhat satisfactory for me because the hero in the story completes his heroic journey. Atillus, the hero, had to race against Mount Vesuvius, a ticking time bomb, to repair blockage to the aqueduct that he was in charge of. However, the race against time proved too tough as the eruption took away any hope that I had for his survival. But my hope was restored with the closing lines as it is implied that the hero and his lover made it out alive. Although it seems cliche that this happened, the author Robert Harris did a good job to avoid other cliches throughout the novel. Many other main characters died in the end and it wasn't a story of the underdog coming out on top. Rather a story of an underdog being the underdog the entire story and getting lucky to escape with his life at the very end. Harris mixed fiction and historical events together to form a great story that I thought ended just the way it should have. He didn't try to be cheesy by going against history and having everyone survive the blast, instead he killed the majority of them off and just kept the main character alive so there would still be a story to tell. It ended with a passage that is left up to your own interpretation, it doesn't exactly say whether or not they survived or not,which i think is good. It had me thinking after I read it and thats what good books should do. My interpretation is optimistic and I implied that they did make it out alive, and that satisfies me enough.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Pompeii book blog
My book was left at school so I cannot copy the passage down word for word, but I remember what it basically said. It was describing the wealthy of the town and how important power was in the city of Pompeii and how normal life was just two days before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
This passage really helps the define the setting more than anything else. It shows what the city was like and how the wealthy of the city were living compared to the poor that were enslaved by the wealthy. It speaks on the city life of Pompeii and nothing of the grumbling Mount Vesuvius which is set to erupt. So far I have enjoyed this book and I think its good historical fiction because I'm learning about history while enjoying a good story as well.
This passage really helps the define the setting more than anything else. It shows what the city was like and how the wealthy of the city were living compared to the poor that were enslaved by the wealthy. It speaks on the city life of Pompeii and nothing of the grumbling Mount Vesuvius which is set to erupt. So far I have enjoyed this book and I think its good historical fiction because I'm learning about history while enjoying a good story as well.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Book blog - Pompeii
"Silence.Then Corax spat and took a half step forward and the engineer braced himself for a fight. They had been building up for this for three days now, ever since he had arrived in Misenum. Not an hour had passed without Corax trying to undermine him in front of the men."
This is a passage from page six of the book where the protagonist, Atillus, and a secondary character, Corax, get into a scuffle. I think this is an important passage because it helps to show the relationship between two main characters and give you an idea of their personalities at the same time. At this point in the book, Attilus, Corax and a few other men are looking for a water source in the midst of a drought to relieve their dry aqueduct.
questions:
1. Will Corax and Attilus ever truly fight?
2.Will their relationship get in the way of work that needs to be done?
3.Is Corax just picking a fight for the fun of it?
This is a passage from page six of the book where the protagonist, Atillus, and a secondary character, Corax, get into a scuffle. I think this is an important passage because it helps to show the relationship between two main characters and give you an idea of their personalities at the same time. At this point in the book, Attilus, Corax and a few other men are looking for a water source in the midst of a drought to relieve their dry aqueduct.
questions:
1. Will Corax and Attilus ever truly fight?
2.Will their relationship get in the way of work that needs to be done?
3.Is Corax just picking a fight for the fun of it?
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