The task this week was to read chapters 2-5 of Scarlet and today we are posting our thoughts on what what we've read so far.
The best thing about these early chapters has been getting to know the character of Scarlet. We've been able to see what her strengths are in a fight, what her insecurities are among people and get hints of the secrets she's hiding. I like her friendship with Much and how she's trying to encourage him to be tougher. And as I'm putting the pieces together on what happened between Scarlet and Gisbourne, I'm really looking forward to having these two confront each other.
The romantic element isn't strong yet, but from what we can see, I'm Team John rather than Team Robin. Robin seems more of a paternal figure towards Scarlet, whereas her relationship with John is one of equals.
I have to say, I really wish A. C. Gaughen had included a map with this novel. (I know technically, seeing as these are real places, I could just Google a map of Nottinghamshire, but still.) The characters frequently move between towns and I've gotten confused a few times about how far away places are and what's between them. Also, even though I like Scarlet's distinctive speech, it does take some getting used to, as it's so unusual to read colloquial grammar in a novel. I bet an audiobook, with a narrater with the right accent, would be amazing.
This is as long as a review already, so I'm going to stop there! But overall, I like Scarlet, the main plot is starting to kick in and I'm looking forward to reading more.
Now that you mention it, I wish there were a map too. I love books with maps, and I can kind of picture in my head how it would look if they did an authentic map the way it would have looked at the time. I've heard of Nottingham my whole life, but I'm not familiar with the surrounding area.
ReplyDeleteAnyway...I'm enjoying Scarlet's friendship with Much too. I wasn't sure how big his role would be, but it's nice to see him more and more and see Scarlet trying to help him and toughen him up. I saw your comment on Jess's post about me being a tie-breaker and I said I'd be hopeless because I'm waffling right now. A few of the interactions between Scarlet and John have made my heart melt, but there's just something about Robin. I'm kind of waiting for one of them do something that makes them a front-runner in my mind!
Thank you so much for participating in week one, I've enjoyed reading your thoughts and comments. I hope we all continue to enjoy Scarlet next week! :-)
Ooooh, an audiobook would be so great to listen to for this novel! I should Google a map of Nottinghamshire... that would be fun to look at and get my bearings while I read. TEAM ROBIN ALL THE WAY!!! <3 Although I do understand where you stand. ;)
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