Claire

Herbstlicht · Post by **Herbstlicht** » 09 Mar 2020, 04:35

Claire is an authentic, genuine child and many of the stories related to parenting were hilarious! I love that the author didn't neglect the portrayal of Claire by focusing on the murder story.

Herbstlicht · Post by **Herbstlicht** » 09 Mar 2020, 04:37

Laura Lee wrote: ↑08 Mar 2020, 19:34 This is a little bit off your main question regarding Claire, but what struck me about this character was how realistically she was portrayed. I really liked that. Too many adult authors really struggle to write young children in a convincing, realistic way. They make them either far too precocious, are too baby-ish. I was honestly impressed with how well Claire was written, from her appropriate-for-her-age mannerisms, to her speech patterns and more. In my experience, you don't often find such a well-crafted juvenile character in an adult novel.

I agree 100%. It shows that the author has a thorough knowledge of people.

nooregano · Post by **nooregano** » 09 Mar 2020, 06:28

She sounds like such an interesting, unique, and well-developed character!

Aditi Sapate · Post by **Aditi Sapate** » 09 Mar 2020, 08:01

I do think Claire was a major source of humour as well as warmth in the story. Her appearance in a scene always brightened it up!

Post by **Ngozi Onyibor** » 09 Mar 2020, 08:53

It's refreshing to see a child character play more than an addendum role in a novel.

Aan Granados · Post by **Aan Granados** » 09 Mar 2020, 09:17

I agree with everyone. Claire's character adds lightness to this crime story.

Cecilia_L · Post by **Cecilia_L** » 09 Mar 2020, 11:22

I agree. Claire's character was one of my favorite features of the book. The author does an excellent job of portraying her realistically for her age. She also captures Hillary's tendency to second-guess herself as a parent.

camwilliams · Post by **camwilliams** » 09 Mar 2020, 12:26

I liked Claire's character. She was written so realistically, often to the point that I had to laugh or cringe at her loud, little girl antics. She definitely added some much-needed comic relief to the book.

mmm17 · Post by **mmm17** » 09 Mar 2020, 12:28

I completely agree! A child opens new realms of possibilities in a plot, and the author surely seized them well. Claire is very well depicted, if you ask me.

Ferdinand_Otieno · Post by **Ferdinand_Otieno** » 10 Mar 2020, 06:35

Another aspect of Claire's character is the extra subplots in the story due to her presence; her relationship with Sarah and her overall arc learning Irish heritage.

InStoree · Post by **InStoree** » 11 Mar 2020, 14:53

Claire was my favorite character. She brought light to every scene she appeared. I was looking forward to seeing what else will she do or say. It seems that in the next book she will be more developed as she grew up. Can't wait.

Reina275 · Post by **Reina275** » 12 Mar 2020, 18:26

I agree with you! Claire embodied a true child behaviour perfectly and was the one that kept the story moving an entertaining.

MirageParul · Post by **MirageParul** » 13 Mar 2020, 10:23

Ferdinand_otieno wrote: ↑01 Mar 2020, 02:03 The character of Claire while refreshing and realistic, was vital to the plot by her constant mannerism and childlike behaviour. I found that she was the main source of humour in the story with naming her repunzel doll "Punzey", referring to Hillary as "Maaaa", and many of her mannerisms.
What are your thoughts on Claire? Do you agree that she was the main source of humour in the story?

She is certainly my favourite character. A delightful, well-behaved child, she is at times more intelligent than the adults, and at times wonderfully innocent, just like any average child.
I wouldn't call it humor, but I agree that Claire was the only source of joy in the book.

Purti10 · Post by **Purti10** » 14 Mar 2020, 01:59

I think Claire was quite an intelligent child. I loved her scenes more than any other character's. Especially the parts where she longs to know more about ghosts. I agree that her parts had a touch of humour but would also like to say that she also played a pivotal role to give a deeper understanding of Hillary's own relationship with her mother.

Purti10 · Post by **Purti10** » 14 Mar 2020, 02:00

I think Claire was quite an intelligent child. I loved her scenes more than any other character's. Especially the parts where she longs to know more about ghosts. I agree that her parts had a touch of humour but would also like to say that she also played a pivotal role to give a deeper understanding of Hillary's own relationship with her mother.