The Short End of the Stick Goes To...

Use this forum to discuss the March 2023 Book of the Month, "The Magician's Secret" by Charles Townsend
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Claire Twy
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Re: The Short End of the Stick Goes To...

Post by Claire Twy »

alexsbookhoard wrote: 18 Mar 2023, 20:50 I'm working on my official, formal review of this book, but I need to say that two characters deserved better than they got by the end of this book.

The first character who got the short end of the stick is Grimbolt. He starts as an extremely minor side character who works his way into the position of major side character. He begins to get a personality, and we get to see exactly how observant he is and how he uses his skills beyond just doing his job. By the last page, I was sad that we didn't get to see more of him. I wanted so much more of his presence because he was a good balance of serious and funny, depending on the moment. Maybe I'm the only one he made laugh, but I loved having him around.

The second character is Jarla. She's intense, and fierce, asserts herself (maybe to an extreme), and doesn't let anyone walk all over her...and will harm them if they try. I hated the symbolic 'clipping of her wings' when Delvin makes her trip and break her nails so that they have to be cut. She was such a strong female character and I appreciated that she wasn't just a stereotype...and hated that Delvin seemed to push her back into the stereotype box too much. At times he was even kind of rude about making it clear that he should do a task because it wouldn't look right for a woman to do it.

I definitely enjoyed this book, but justice for Jarla and Grimbolt!
I agree with you about Grimbolt because he was such an interesting character and I feel like he had so much room for development. Didn't like him initially but he really grew on me. As someone who prefers side characters to the main characters, Grimbolt just reinforced this mindset and I think he had much more potential as a character than was shown.
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Jennifer Coxon
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Post by Jennifer Coxon »

Rocky Ellery James Tumbelaka wrote: 19 Mar 2023, 02:32 I agree with you about Grimbolt. I would like to read more about him too. As for Jarla, well, they are on the run and on a covert mission, so to speak. Delvin was being wise when he ask her to step down a bit. If they attract too much attention they could be caught in no time.

I completely agree with you on both point. Grimbolt definitely has more to give in the book. And it’s not suppression of Jarla and her personality just for the sake of it, it’s to blend in so they can complete the mission Jarla is undertaking.
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SweetSourSalty AndSpicy
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Post by SweetSourSalty AndSpicy »

I believe that the portrayal of these two characters is intentional. The treatment of Grimbolt's character adds mystery to the plot. Jarla, on the other hand, was, I believe, an attempt to demonstrate how society perceives women.
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Yasmine M
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Post by Yasmine M »

Grybalt/Grimbolt was definitely a strong character and they could not have gone very far without his wits.

I do not agree that Delvin was reducing Jarla to a specific 'female' role on purpose; it was mostly the society they lived in and everyone around them who had that mindset. Delvin wanted them to be less noticed, considering they were in hiding. I believe Delvin did not mind Jarla taking the lead when they were on their own or outside the villages.
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Saima Rahman
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Post by Saima Rahman »

I totally agree. I was waiting for Grimbolt to have more development and I wanted more of him in the book. Even with Jarla, I think there could have been ways to make her character shine even more and still be true to the setting.
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Post by Liza Chulukhadze »

I think these characters deserve to be more prioritized if this book becomes series. I loved Jarla with her dedication. They both were very strong characters.
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Ophiohonren Hiram
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Post by Ophiohonren Hiram »

I never viewed it this way, but I really do agree that Grimbolt should have had more light shed on his character. As an experienced fighter who was open minded, he seemed like a character who was self discovered and I would have loved to see his wisdom in the limelight.
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Kelly Kousouli
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Post by Kelly Kousouli »

I also agree with you about Grimbolt. Many of the characters were unique and could have shown more in the plot till the end, but from the writer's point of view, this was the best turnout.
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Post by Fawmi FJumana »

About Grimbolt.. I agree that he needs a more significant and developed role in the story. Maybe he has one in the other installment. But about Jarla... I don't think Delvin was trying to stereotype her at all. And breaking those murderous nails was a big favour to all of them. Or they would have drawn unwanted attention a lot sooner.
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Post by AntonelaMaria »

Olga Markova wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 14:11 I think that both Grimbolt and Jarla got the right end of the stick. I think the message behind their punishments is that they got retribution for their evil acts, even if they evolved to better characters later in the story. Especially Jarla who is a murderous villainess - tripping her to break her murderous nails was the least favour Delvin could do to the world. I am happy though that Jarla did not lay her nails or teeth on Delvin's Freda! :)
I agree with you on this. But we are in the era where villains have to get a redemption arc or at least that is very popular opinion. I think the author did what he did very intentionally and I understand his reasoning.
“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”
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Post by Blackstenius »

I beg to differ. I believe Grimbolt was given as much spotlight as befitted him. And if by any chance he got the short end of the stick, I am hopeful that he'll be given much more attention in the sequels to the first book, since this is a part of a trilogy. As for Jarla, I also believe that she was given attention that sufficed her as a major protagonist alongside Delvin. And I actually think what Delvin did (tripping her up to cause the breakage of her nails) was a good thing. Yes, she was a brilliant character; her unrelenting determination and bravado were laudable; but I think she tried to overdo it, to overstep, at some points, which would have ended up ruining her otherwise perfectly built character. She needed not try to hard to prove she was hardcore.
The gift turned out to be a curse. They killed him with kindness.
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Post by Joe Greggonz »

I'll say that Grimbolt and Jarla got the right end of the stick. I sincerely believe that Grimbolt should have been awarded with an apologetic amount of relevance.
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Post by Soma Ezenwanne »

The characters in this book went through the process of gradual development and that meant the book feel more unique and I liked the presence of Grimbolt even though it was cut short.
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Post by Okocha Victor »

Jarla was indeed a strong female character but thinking about the nails as her weapon, it didn't quite sit well with me. Fingernails aren't even that strong. But the short end of the stick goes to Grimbolt.
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Post by Fredrick Felix Mnjala Maneno »

I must agree with you. Grimbolt was shortchanged. He could have played a bigger part. It was like he was always in the sidelines and not really making a mark. As for Jarla, I feel like she was well developed as a character and was quite visible. Maybe it might have been possible to grow her character more but not by much.
Real courage is when you know you are licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what! (To kill a Mockingbird - Atticus Finch) Harper Lee.
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