Meaningful Medallions (contains spoilers)

Use this forum to discuss the April 2022 Book of the month, "Brandy, Ballad of a Pirate Princess" by Dan E. Hendrickson.
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Erin Dydek
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Meaningful Medallions (contains spoilers)

Post by Erin Dydek »

I absolutely loved the medallion that John made for his mother and the significance attached to it. When we find out that Brandy's mother also had a locket that she always wore, I instantly hoped that these medallions would be exchanged instead of rings. To me, the medallions had so much more meaning than simple rings. John's showed the depth of the connection he had to his mother and the understanding that she had for "the Edwards men" in her life. The one Skinner gave to Brandy revealed that the harsh and critical mother depicted in the opening chapter actually had a soft spot for her only daughter. What did you think about the medallions? Did the use of these heirlooms in the romance aspect of the book improve the story?
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Post by Amy Luman »

I am not very sentimental even in the best of times. I really just see them as symbols, like a wedding ring. (I don’t usually wear mine, BTW.)
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Post by Mariam K 7 »

I absolutely agree with you that medallions are really important in this story. To me it is a symbolic load and shows the deep connections between the characters.
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Post by Jennifer Garcia 555 »

John had the medallion made special for his mother so it was very important to him. Giving it to Brandy showed how much she meant to her. Definitely better then a ring. The one Brandy had from her mother did not seem as significant as The one John had made, but it was still a sweet gesture.
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Post by Timothee22 »

Our mothers are special. They sacrifice a lot. So, I could relate with John, I would do same for my mom too.
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Post by Akinola John »

I can relate to John's emotion, the medallion is important to him because it shows respect for his mother, and giving it to brandy instead of the ring shows how much she loves Brandy.
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Post by OTrain Disene »

I think it goes with the person, for me, they showed the affection he had for his mother and how much they meaned to him. I didn't pay great attention to them.
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Post by Sarah J Callen »

I liked the idea of the medallions more than how they were used in the book. Because the reveal of Brandy's medallion happens so late, there wasn't enough of an emotional build-up for me. I think if we would've learned of her medallion earlier, more significance could've been assigned to it, and then the exchange of them could have had more emotional meaning in the end. It's a nice thought but it just happened too late in the book for me.
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Post by cutemami »

The medallions hold a lot of sentimental value and exchanging them would have really been more romantic. That being said, I think each medallion was more valued by its owner than it would have ever been by the other person had they exchanged the medallions.
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Post by tiffanyisanx »

John had the medallion made special for his mother so it was very important to him. Giving it to Brandy showed how much she meant to her. Definitely better then a ring. It also showed how different and unique he was and flexible too to try out new things.
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Post by Sharill Rasowo »

The medallions held deep meaning for both the characters. Therefore, I think the use of these particular heirlooms in the romantic part of the story was great. It also showed how deeply they loved each other.
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Post by Sydney Hedrick »

I can empathize with John's emotion about the medallion. It is important to him because it shows respect for his mother, and giving it to brandy instead of the ring shows how much they love and respect Brandy.
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Post by barbiemaeferreira »

These ornaments made my reading more meaningful and intense. Both John and Brandy have their significance and sentiments in terms of this. However, the one with John is something I was touched.
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Post by Bennaji »

Medallions are really important and I agree with you that they hold much more meaning than simple rings.
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Post by Simmons32 »

How did I miss Brandy's locket? I am totally blanking on that one. I thought the story of John Edwards medallion though was so sweet. I couldn't imagine any man giving me something so special. I certainly hope I am lucky enough one day to find a man that would do something like that for me. What was even more special about it is that the medallion represented true love. His mom only wanted him to give that medallion away to the woman he married. It didn't seem to take him long to figure out that Brandy was the one he wanted to give it to.
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