Little Star - Reading In Progress - BE WARNED HEAVY SPOILERS

[danielma]

I have just hit "Both the Girls"

Lombano...my opinion on Teresa is very much a first impression...in some ways she reminded me of a female Oskar on first impressions...but as the novel is progressing, I am starting to doubt that first impression a little...I still like Teresa, but I have somewhat recanted on the "Female Oskar" a little...that was a first impression from our introduction to her.

As for Jerry, once again your right Lombano...I have to recant my position on Jerry as well...especially after reading the second section of "The Girl with Golden Hair"...like I said before, JAL completely pulled the rug out from underneath me with the death of Laila and Lennart and changed every direction that I originally thought the novel was headed in...Jerry became a more likeable and redeemable character in that whole second section of "The Girl with Golden Hair"

[lombano]

Yes, my opinion of Teresa also changed considerably as the book went along.

[PeteMork]

Yes, my opinion of Teresa also changed considerably as the book went along.

Mine too, especially after she murdered her former childhood friend in cold blood.

[lombano]

Yes, my opinion of Teresa also changed considerably as the book went along.

Mine too, especially after she murdered her former childhood friend in cold blood.

Well yes, but even before, when she murders, also in cold blood, the guy at the shop. Take your pick as to when she crossed the Moral Event horizon, but there's no doubt she crossed it.
I felt really sorry for Göran when he weeps in his car when, unkown to him, Teresa is going to murder Johannes, he's a thoroughly decent man who deserved a better daughter.

[lombano]

I'd of hoped John would of went into more detail with the other girls backgrounds a little

Yes, I too would've liked a bit more background on the other Wolves.

[johnajvide]

Trust me, Burning in and Lombano, I would have liked more background on the other girls too. But I had to make a decision. I came to a certain point in the story where I realized that "If I´m going to give a meaningful/believable background to all these other girls, the book will have to be at least 300 pages longer". Because of this, I seriously contemplated writing it that way, and then publishing the book in two parts, with one part just dealing with all the other girls, beacuse it would have been impossible to include so much background into the flow of the main story. But then I came up with the idea ofthe girls burying each other (my favourite scene in the book), and I felt that this scene to a certain extent removed the need for background, because it made the necessary psychological change happen in a different, and faster way. But I do see your point.

[danielma]

Just starting "All The Girls"

Okay...you know how I originally said Jerry was one of the most vile characters I had met in a JAL book???? Turns out I was DEAD wrong and should never go by first impressions...because Jerry turned out to be a god damn saint by comparison with Max Hansen...that sexually explicit scene between Theres and Max was one of the few times where I did feel quite uncomfortable with the vivid description thinking "just how far is this going to go...not complaining, the scene is very well written and is indeed squirmish...but god damn, I thought Jerry was vile for slapping around an infant, Jerry turned out to be a god damn saint by comparison to the vile sleazebag that is Max Hendersen

Okay what else...Teresa...I don't know what it is about Teresa, but in many ways she is the most fascinating character of this book to me. Her unhealthy obssession with Theres is just fascinating to me. She is a character who I find to be both somewhat repellant but at the same time, I find her to be somewhat tragic in her own way. I don't know what it is about Teresa, but I really have found her to be the most fascinating character in this novel.

So I'm gonna keep this short as I want to desperately keep reading, but thought I would jot down these thoughts...

I probably won't make another post here untill I hit the finish line...which isn't too far away...so see you then folks...to be honest, I'm actually really anxious to hit the finish line as I think there is a lot that I want to disect about this novel...

[lombano]

But then I came up with the idea ofthe girls burying each other (my favourite scene in the book), and I felt that this scene to a certain extent removed the need for background, because it made the necessary psychological change happen in a different, and faster way. But I do see your point.

It definitely works, I was just left curious to know more. Many thanks for sharing these bits of the writing process with us.

[MSenseMovies]

Just finished reading it, kind of late since I'm Swedish.

I can't really summarize it yet, I guess I will need a good night sleep first.
But what I can say now is that it was a great book, and I'm not much of a reader myself.
What I think was really entertaining from my personal aspect is that they visited places I've been and where I am occasionally with my friends.
And I do not mean "Skansen" where every swede has been. I'm talking about when they are in Åkersberga and kills Max Hansen. Plus when they talk about the train "Roslagsbanan" which I travel with every day .
I don't know, It just makes the book feel more special and exciting to read for me(not saying that its bad otherwise, its great).

This is a book worth reading, even if you don't like to read.

[danielma]

DONE

well, i will never be able to listen to Abba's Thank you for the music without thinking of that massacre

EDIT: Okay now I have a laptop in front of me, I can go into detail.

"Ode to Girl Power", you know I think in a twisted way that is very accurate in regards to Little Star...Reading this book, and reading the connection of the girls. I was strangely reminded of fandom in general. What was fascinating to me about all of the girls was that none of them really had a connection outside of their unhealthy obsession with Theres and the words that Teresa had written. They're connected by the idea of being "understood" without really being understood...in many ways, if that makes sense, I saw it as the idea of fandom and obsession gone horribly wrong. The "pack" reminded me so much of a collective group of fan girls who became so obsessed that it led them to the destruction that they partook in. I think the whole book works on a few different levels as a whole. The impressionable youth is a big theme of the girls in the pack. But at the same time, the book doesn't cop out by giving easy answers.

Without doubt, this is the DARKEST book that Lindqvist has ever written...needless to say, I FREAKIN LOVED IT ...I need to sleep, but I can guarantee I will be back on this forum reading everything written in this thread in great detail once I have slept.

So I say thank you for the horror John