Response 2

I wish I could sprawl all of my thoughts onto this webpage in seconds so I could get back to reading this book right away! Within the last chapter so many exciting things have arisen.

First of all, it looks like Gwen and Captain Raley are going to fall for each. I am just thrilled at this thought for the two of them seem so well suited to each other. The possibility of this occurring became so obvious to me on page 93 when Captain Raley was speaking about lying next to a loved one when all of a sudden Gwen leaned over and caressed his hair! Oh my! This truly was a breakthrough for Gwen! I feel she finally let go. She then went on to explain how "the room [became] hot and it suddenly [became] hard to breathe," so that is a clear sign she has feelings for this charming man.

Another aspect of this novel I am curious to find out about is this "ghost" that keeps appearing and disappearing. At first Gwen only shrugs at the idea of this but now, in almost every chapter of the book this mysterious figure is either mentioned by Gwen or moving amongst the shadows of the buildings at night. Also, Gwen thinks of the ghost as the longing feeling she keeps experiencing. Maybe the ghost is just a feeling of emptiness rather than an actual figure running about the gardens or quite possibly it could be a man just grabbing a late night snack from the gardens. Who knows but I must find out!

I feel as though the theme has shifted from love to this sense of longing Gwen keeps speaking of. First she finds the rock in the secret garden with the word "longing" on it but then it really starts to affect her. I feel both themes are still present in the book because she is longing for love but this new theme seems to be affecting her more than love directly. For example, when Gwen is washing the dishes she explains how the word longing comes back with such force that she falls against the sink. Also, after thinking about Captain Raley, she says she thinks she might die of longing. She longs for this man!

Aside from her obvious love towards this man, I am quite pleased about the love that has grown between Gwen and Jane. Jane helps Gwen but Gwen also helps Jane. These two characters are indeed different from the other potatoes in the sack. I enjoyed the fact that Jane told Gwen she likes how she is complicated and not easily defined like the other girls.