The Girls in the Story

Use this forum to discuss the September 2019 Book of the month, "The Crystilleries of Echoland" by Dew Pellucid.
Post Reply
User avatar
Cristina Chifane
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2061
Joined: 07 Jan 2018, 03:51
Favorite Book: The Magic Mountain
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 898
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-cristina-chifane.html
Latest Review: The Fold by Dennis Lee
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

The Girls in the Story

Post by Cristina Chifane »

Although I enjoyed reading the novel, I couldn't help noticing the female characters were given only marginal roles. Will's sister, Emily, and Valerie, Victor Valerian's niece, are the only girls in the story. They save the day more than once, yet I don't think they are given enough attention, especially Emily. Would you like them to acquire a central position in the future novels in the series?
"The madness of writing is the antidote to true madness." (Hanif Kureishi)
Latest Review: The Fold by Dennis Lee
User avatar
gali
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 53655
Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 07:12
Favorite Author: Agatha Christie
Currently Reading: Listen for the Lie
Bookshelf Size: 2294
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gali.html
Reading Device: B00I15SB16
Publishing Contest Votes: 0
fav_author_id: 2484

Post by gali »

I agree that the girls weren't given the attention their deserved.

I hope they will acquire a central position in the next books.
A retired Admin/Mod

Pronouns: She/Her

"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." (Mortimer J. Adler)
User avatar
Stephanie Elizabeth
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2989
Joined: 18 Jul 2018, 15:41
Currently Reading: We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
Bookshelf Size: 212
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-stephanie-elizabeth.html
Latest Review: Do You Remember Me? by Wm M Crouch

Post by Stephanie Elizabeth »

cristinaro wrote: 01 Sep 2019, 01:50 Although I enjoyed reading the novel, I couldn't help noticing the female characters were given only marginal roles. Will's sister, Emily, and Valerie, Victor Valerian's niece, are the only girls in the story. They save the day more than once, yet I don't think they are given enough attention, especially Emily. Would you like them to acquire a central position in the future novels in the series?
Agreed-- it would have been nice for the females to have starring roles with more substance.
User avatar
Leah39
Posts: 76
Joined: 21 Jul 2019, 14:12
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 130
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-leah39.html
Latest Review: Ripcord Recovery by T.T. Sawyer
Reading Device: B00I15SB16

Post by Leah39 »

YES! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who noticed this.

The story couldn't have happened without the women and girls, but they were all working behind the scenes.

Emmy and Valerie often ran interference and placed their own safety on the line for the boys, but were given background roles.

Cully Flower was an amazing help to the boys in their efforts to translate the book, but again, she just seemed like an afterthought.

This book reminded me in some ways of the {i}Harry Potter[/i] series minus Hermione, which just wouldn't have worked. I think that there should have been a more central role for at least one female character. Hopefully future books will have Emmy or another female character more involved in the main plot, rather than as a player on the sidelines.
User avatar
gali
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 53655
Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 07:12
Favorite Author: Agatha Christie
Currently Reading: Listen for the Lie
Bookshelf Size: 2294
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gali.html
Reading Device: B00I15SB16
Publishing Contest Votes: 0
fav_author_id: 2484

Post by gali »

Leah39 wrote: 01 Sep 2019, 07:56 YES! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who noticed this.

The story couldn't have happened without the women and girls, but they were all working behind the scenes.

Emmy and Valerie often ran interference and placed their own safety on the line for the boys, but were given background roles.

Cully Flower was an amazing help to the boys in their efforts to translate the book, but again, she just seemed like an afterthought.

This book reminded me in some ways of the {i}Harry Potter[/i] series minus Hermione, which just wouldn't have worked. I think that there should have been a more central role for at least one female character. Hopefully future books will have Emmy or another female character more involved in the main plot, rather than as a player on the sidelines.
Ditto! It reminded me of {i}Harry Potter[/i] series in other ways as well.
A retired Admin/Mod

Pronouns: She/Her

"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." (Mortimer J. Adler)
User avatar
Leah39
Posts: 76
Joined: 21 Jul 2019, 14:12
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 130
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-leah39.html
Latest Review: Ripcord Recovery by T.T. Sawyer
Reading Device: B00I15SB16

Post by Leah39 »

gali wrote: 01 Sep 2019, 08:06
Leah39 wrote: 01 Sep 2019, 07:56 YES! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who noticed this.

The story couldn't have happened without the women and girls, but they were all working behind the scenes.

Emmy and Valerie often ran interference and placed their own safety on the line for the boys, but were given background roles.

Cully Flower was an amazing help to the boys in their efforts to translate the book, but again, she just seemed like an afterthought.

This book reminded me in some ways of the {i}Harry Potter[/i] series minus Hermione, which just wouldn't have worked. I think that there should have been a more central role for at least one female character. Hopefully future books will have Emmy or another female character more involved in the main plot, rather than as a player on the sidelines.
Ditto! It reminded me of {i}Harry Potter[/i] series in other ways as well.
Especially when they described the Crystalmas decorations and fair. I could just visualize the scenes in the books and movies around the holidays! It was just potter-esque enough without being too similar.
User avatar
melissy370
Posts: 803
Joined: 15 Nov 2017, 09:49
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 124
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-melissy370.html
Latest Review: Home To Kentucky by Thomas A. McCoy
Reading Device: B00IKPYKWG

Post by melissy370 »

Truthly, I did not even notice that all the main parts were boys. The story was so entertaining that those details didn't bother me.
User avatar
KDJ
Posts: 306
Joined: 16 Mar 2018, 14:39
Favorite Book: Elenor
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 147
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kdj.html
Latest Review: Homecoming by Jude Austin

Post by KDJ »

Absolutely, especially for Emmy. I was expecting a much larger role for her. But I think the author wrote it where if she did too much, she would draw attention to William. I agree her and Valerie ran interference and granted assistance throughout the story.
He that loves reading has everything within his reach. —William Godwin
User avatar
Tomah
Posts: 1135
Joined: 05 Feb 2018, 02:21
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 137
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tomah.html
Latest Review: Greta Gar BITCH by Kimber Leigh

Post by Tomah »

I believe more points of view in general would benefit the book. Not only for the female characters, but the prince is also fairly underutilized. Indeed, it would've been interesting to see the prince and Emmy working together.
Falling4Ever
Posts: 200
Joined: 11 Jul 2019, 20:54
Currently Reading: Titans
Bookshelf Size: 23
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-falling4ever.html
Latest Review: G.E.M.S. by Daphne Valcourt

Post by Falling4Ever »

I totally agree. They talk so much about Emily being missing at the beginning of the book, but she never really fills the role that was put on her when she was missing. Also, I feel like Valerie was used more to fix plot holes than as an actual character to be developed.
User avatar
Erin Painter Baker
Posts: 1810
Joined: 21 May 2019, 17:00
Favorite Book: Among Others
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 87
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-esp1975.html
Latest Review: Luke and Luka: Genius Kid Heroes by A.D. Largie

Post by Erin Painter Baker »

I definitely would have like a little more with Emmy in this first book. I am hoping that maybe she and Valerie will be more central to the sequel that was hinted at in the end. But even more than Emmy and Valerie, Daia pretty much disappeared from the book after the beginning, and that really bothered me. I thought both she and Damien would have larger parts to play. At least Damien got to come back for a couple of scenes, but after the start, Daia was seen but not heard for the rest of the book.
Benthic
Posts: 126
Joined: 28 Aug 2018, 13:01
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 49
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-benthic.html
Latest Review: Demon Heart by David Crane

Post by Benthic »

I really like a novel with strong female personalities. It really makes the novel more intriguing and interesting.
Benthic
Posts: 126
Joined: 28 Aug 2018, 13:01
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 49
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-benthic.html
Latest Review: Demon Heart by David Crane

Post by Benthic »

Falling4Ever wrote: 01 Sep 2019, 15:15 I totally agree. They talk so much about Emily being missing at the beginning of the book, but she never really fills the role that was put on her when she was missing. Also, I feel like Valerie was used more to fix plot holes than as an actual character to be developed.
Same here, I feel that Emily can have such a bigger part to play than what she does here. I hope she does in the author's next books
User avatar
Cristina Chifane
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2061
Joined: 07 Jan 2018, 03:51
Favorite Book: The Magic Mountain
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 898
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-cristina-chifane.html
Latest Review: The Fold by Dennis Lee
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by Cristina Chifane »

Leah39 wrote: 01 Sep 2019, 07:56 YES! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who noticed this.

The story couldn't have happened without the women and girls, but they were all working behind the scenes.

Emmy and Valerie often ran interference and placed their own safety on the line for the boys, but were given background roles.

Cully Flower was an amazing help to the boys in their efforts to translate the book, but again, she just seemed like an afterthought.

This book reminded me in some ways of the {i}Harry Potter[/i] series minus Hermione, which just wouldn't have worked. I think that there should have been a more central role for at least one female character. Hopefully future books will have Emmy or another female character more involved in the main plot, rather than as a player on the sidelines.
I have to admit I was a bit confused and disappointed when Will found Emily and nothing spectacular followed or at least nothing emotional followed. After all, Emily was the reason why he ended up in Echoland in the first place. With Valerie, things seemed much better and I think she could easily join the boys' team in the next novel.
"The madness of writing is the antidote to true madness." (Hanif Kureishi)
Latest Review: The Fold by Dennis Lee
User avatar
Cristina Chifane
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2061
Joined: 07 Jan 2018, 03:51
Favorite Book: The Magic Mountain
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 898
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-cristina-chifane.html
Latest Review: The Fold by Dennis Lee
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by Cristina Chifane »

Leah39 wrote: 01 Sep 2019, 08:10
gali wrote: 01 Sep 2019, 08:06
Leah39 wrote: 01 Sep 2019, 07:56 YES! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who noticed this.

The story couldn't have happened without the women and girls, but they were all working behind the scenes.

Emmy and Valerie often ran interference and placed their own safety on the line for the boys, but were given background roles.

Cully Flower was an amazing help to the boys in their efforts to translate the book, but again, she just seemed like an afterthought.

This book reminded me in some ways of the {i}Harry Potter[/i] series minus Hermione, which just wouldn't have worked. I think that there should have been a more central role for at least one female character. Hopefully future books will have Emmy or another female character more involved in the main plot, rather than as a player on the sidelines.
Ditto! It reminded me of {i}Harry Potter[/i] series in other ways as well.
Especially when they described the Crystalmas decorations and fair. I could just visualize the scenes in the books and movies around the holidays! It was just potter-esque enough without being too similar.
I couldn't have said it better even if I wanted to: "potter-esque enough without being too similar." That was exactly my feeling when I've read the book. :)
"The madness of writing is the antidote to true madness." (Hanif Kureishi)
Latest Review: The Fold by Dennis Lee
Post Reply

Return to “Discuss "The Crystilleries of Echoland" by Dew Pellucid.”