A Second Chance

Use this forum to discuss the September 2020 Book of the month, " "Kalayla" by Jeannie Nicholas.
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_claudi_
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Re: A Second Chance

Post by _claudi_ »

I think Lena had a chance to love and help someone which reminded her of her own kids. She didn't hesitate to take Kalayla as one of her own and treated her as such.
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Dartemis
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Post by Dartemis »

I think, subconsciously, she sees it as a second chance to make up for her past failures with her own children. However, I believe she mainly just wants to help Kalayla and her mother because she is a kind-hearted person.
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Post by TheMazeRunner »

I think she sees hope and new life in Kalayla. I am actually happy for Lena because she has lost a part of her heart with her a loss of her sons. Kalayla made her breathe again.
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Post by psmith5659 »

Yeah, I think Lena definitely sees Kalayla as a sort of second change at motherhood, and you can see how that very complicated dynamic affects how they relate to each other.
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Erandi Ekanayake
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Post by Erandi Ekanayake »

In my point of veiw, Leena doesn't consider Kalayla as a second chance. But as she misses her sons, she takes the opportunity to shed love to Kalayla and guide her.
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ElizaBeth Adams
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Post by ElizaBeth Adams »

I believe that Lena does see helping Kalayla out as a second chance of sorts. Lena was so frustrated in her own motherly pursuits due to what she viewed as her husband's negative influence on the boys. At certain points she tried to lead them to be less violent and more peaceful. Eventually she felt like it was a futile struggle and she gave up. She regretted this decision and she did not want to give up on Kalayla.
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Post by K+SQUARE »

A second chance might have been the first attraction. However, I think Lena later loved Kaylala for who she is and not just a reminder of her failed motherhood with her son's.
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Post by Gift5 »

The point is that Lena was there to help Kalayla because she saw that she needed it.
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PeterRabitt20
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Post by PeterRabitt20 »

Lena definitely feels like she's been giving a second chance. Having Kalayla around also seems to make Lena more active. Honestly, I think she loved feeding Kalayla whenever she came over. But, I like that Lena reconciled with her son.
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Post by Amber_joslyn »

I definitely think that Lena took such an interest in Kalayla because she reminded her of her own children. When reading, it seemed to me that it was explained indirectly. I think Lena was so bogged down by the past that it really affected her present day self.
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Post by Swirliegirlie »

Miss Lena has a strong longing to be closer to her kids. This isn’t more apparent than in her loving nature to Kaylayla. Kaylayla starts out as a snotty brat and no old lady would take that unless they felt like they had something to make up for in the past.
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Post by scaryeyes_25 »

I think Lena was driven by the 'what ifs' of life.
What if she left her husband early in the relationship? What if she put her feet down with things concerning her sons? What if she fought for her time with them? Those kinds of things. And those questions drove her to meddle with Kalayla's life. And I also believe we are all created to be relational. And that is another reason why she was drawn to Kalayla.
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Post by Lunupine »

I would say yes. At first Lena did it to keep Kalayla out of trouble. Then later Lena started to go out of her way just to help her.
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Post by Vivian Jabeya »

In my opinion, Lena doesn't see Kalayla as a second chance to love and care for a child. Instead, she sees her as a chance to correct the mistakes that she made as a mother. All she wants to do is to ensure that Kalayla doesn't turn out like her sons.
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Post by iammiape »

Anna Dougherty wrote: 01 Sep 2020, 10:23 Lena immediately takes an interest in Kalayla because she reminds her of her children. It is clear how much Lena misses her sons due to how she dresses in black and has photos of them all around her home. Do you think that Lena sees Kalayla as a second chance to love and care for a child?
Initially, I don't think so, rather, she perceived it as another chance to a disastrous destiny, mirroring the path that her children went to. So, she wanted to get Kalayla out of it. But, as the story progresses, it became like you had suggested.
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