Pushing the Limits Read-A-Long: Week Four

This is an amazing event hosted by Candace Book Blog, Dazzling Reads, PageTurnersBlog, The Book Swarm and The Bewitched Bookworms. I really enjoyed Pushing the Limits. Here is my review.

Here are the links to the previous questions: Week 1, Week 2 and Week 3
 

Here are my answers to this weeks questions.

1. At a certain moment, Echo tells Noah that she feels safe with him. Echo thinks that because of this comforting feeling, she may be able to finally have a full night of peaceful sleep. Why do you think it is important for Echo to feel Safe? and why no one else but Noah has been able to provide this to Echo?

Echo is going through a troubling time in her life. When you are going through troubling and unsettling times you will want to find someone to lean on. I don’t think it is a physical protection Echo wants more emotional protection. Noah is the first person that Echo has met that understands the situation she is in. Even if the details are still hazy. I always feel safer around people who understand me.

2. Beth, Noah's friend, also have a very complex life situation. plus she also do drugs. However, what grabs my attention is her mean behavior towards Echo. Why do you think Beth hate/dislikes Echo so much?

It wasn’t clear to me why Beth was negative towards Echo. I think it was because of Noah. Noah is her brother. Even if they are not related they still have that sibling relationship. Noah has been through so much in his life and Beth knows it. She doesn’t want Echo to hurt him. Beth wants to protect Noah from hurt. I don’t think she hates Echo as a person just the possibility of what she could do.

3. At some point, we finally get to know how Noah's parents died at the fire and how it started. Unfortunately, this is something that has happened before. What tips to avoid a fire (specially when there are kids at home) do you now about? List a few! recommendations to avoid tragedies are very valuable. :)

My main advice; invest in a fire alarm! The earlier the warning the more likely you are to get out. Fires are also more likely to start when kids are involved. They are not as cautious as adults. To prevent fire, always supervise children in the kitchen if using a gas hob and keep all matches out of reach of children; high enough that they cannot reach via a stool. Make sure that all fires (in fireplaces) and candles are put out before everybody has gone to bed.

4. Echo finally discovers more about what really happened to her the day she got her scars at her mother's place. Unfortunately, this also involved Echo's father and Ashley. What do you think about them and to what point do you think it makes them responsible to what happened to Echo?

I still believe that what Ashley and Echo’s father did was a mistake; a big mistake, but still a mistake. They didn’t intently want to hurt Echo. They were caught up in their romance and didn’t want Echo around. These things happen. I believe they become responsible when they arrived at Echo’s mother’s house and they saw that Echo’s mother wasn’t in any position to look after her. Leaving her for a long period of time also increases the risk. I think that was the moment when her father should have realised something was amiss.

5. On p.303 (from arc) Echo said to Noah: "I love you...[y]ou love your brothers more. I'm okay with that. In fact, it's one of the things I love about you. You were right the other day. I do want to be part of a family. But I'd never forgive myself if I was the reason you didn't get yours... I love you enough to never make you choose." What do you think of Echo's decision to break up with Noah? What does it mean to you?

I think Echo’s decision to break up with Noah was a selfless thing to do. She thought that she would be a risk to Noah just like her mother was a risk to her. She wanted to prevent Noah from suffering as she had. While I didn’t like this decision, as I don’t like people splitting up, I understood her reasons. I believe it is a sign of true love. It was incredibly sweet.

Becky

Pushing the Limits Read-A-Long: Week Two

This is an amazing event hosted by Candace Book Blog, Dazzling Reads, PageTurnersBlog, The Book Swarm and The Bewitched Bookworms. I really enjoyed Pushing the Limits. Here is my review.

Every week we get to discuss different parts of the book and there is an oppurtunity to win in a giveaway. Yay!

If you want to take part all you need is a copy of the book (it is out today in the USA) and a platform to post on. Sound good? Head on over to The Bewitched Bookworms blogs. Link above.

Apologies that this week's post is up rather late. Life just got in the way a bit. Oh well better late than never.

Here are my answers to this weeks questions.

1. ­­­Noah and Echo create a plan to read their files. What do you think of this plan? Would you read your friends file first knowing you might not have time to read your own? Would you want to read your own file?

I was a bit confused about this part at first. By wanting to look at the file, they show that they have no trust in Mrs. Collins, who has provided no reason not to. I guess it shows how much distrust Echo and Noah have in authority figures. As for the technicalities of the plan, well I can’t say because they didn’t. Whether I would read my friends file first, if ever I was put in that situation, I guess it really depends on the context. I might read it first if I find it first but it all depends. I have never been put in a position where I have felt the need to.

2. Mrs. Collins starts to earn Noah’s trust by taking him to see his brother win a writing contest. What do you think of how she’s handling Noah? How would you feel if you were in Noah’s position, hearing that your brother sees you as his hero?

I love Mrs Collins. I think she handles Noah really well. She shows him the things he needs to see. I think Noah needs to have someone see him as a hero. Nearly everyone else in his life has written him off as a lost cause and given up. He needs people like Mrs Collins to care and his brother to need him. His brother ‘heroing’ him gives Noah more of a purpose in life, a need to be a better person.

3. Echo is starting to draw and paint again. She’s starting to express the feelings and what she’s seeing as she’s starting to remember what happened that day. Art therapy seems to be a popular way for people to deal with their feelings, why do you think Echo’s dad didn’t want her to continue with art since it was such a big part of her and is part of so many people’s therapy in dealing with similar issues?

This is one of those questions where it is a disadvantage to have already finished the book. However at this part of the book, when I was reading it, I assumed that Echo’s father didn’t want Echo painting for two reasons. The main one being he didn’t want Echo to bring up bad memories of the past. He wanted Echo to move on, and painting was what she used to do. The second reason is Echo’s dad seems very big on academics. He seems to rather have Echo use her free time for studying instead. As for it being good therapy, Echo’s dad appears to think that Echo doesn’t need any therapy.

4. We see how crazy Beth’s home life is and we start to understand why she is not as keen to be trusting with people in her life. At the same time, we get to see how fiercely loyal Noah is. What do you think of the way Noah reacted to Beth being beaten by her mother’s boyfriend? Do you think it’s showing bad behavior that could get Noah in more trouble or the act of a true friend?

People can express their loyalty and feelings for friends in different ways. I do not doubt Noah’s loyalty to Beth. What Beth’s mother’s boyfriend did was wrong but I don’t believe in responding with violence in return. Noah is also in a precarious position as it is with social services and I don’t think Beth would forgive him if he lost visiting rights in defence of her, especially in a violent manner. There has to be other solutions. In the end I am glad that Noah did not pursue his urges. That put him up in my eyes.

5. Echo has an unusual name. What do you think of the story behind it? Is there a Greek Myth or other story that would inspire you to name a child after a character?

I know nothing about Greek myths. The last time I studied them was when I was seven and I haven’t really read them since. I feel like the only one sometimes, especially with Greek myth re-tellings being an upcoming and coming thing in YA fiction. 

I thought the story was quite a sad one, especially for the character of Echo. To use her as inspiration shows you the sort of person Echo’s mother was. It was definitely an unusual name choice for a daughter.

I have never thought of naming a child based on a fictional character. I don’t associate names with a type of personality. A great character would still be a great character even with a different name. I was called Rebecca because it was popular at the time. I would pick a name that I like. I don’t want to expect them to become a character.

6. Echo’s big thing is trying to find “normal” again. She doesn’t want to be the scared girl or the girl who can’t remember what happened to her, she just wants to be normal. This goal impacts her relationships with her family, friends, Noah and her ex Luke. But at the end of this section, Echo is starting to figure out that there’s no going back to old normal and she’s going to have to find a new normal. How big of a step is it for Echo when she realizes she’s not “in” love with Luke and figures out that she does need to find a new normal?

This is a big step. Up until this point, Echo is trying to get her old life back. Being with Luke was a major part of that. When Echo realises that Luke is not the guy she thought he was, she also realised maybe her old life is not the one she wants either. It really all changed at this moment. A huge change of direction in your life is a huge step for anyone to take.

Becky