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| Plot Summary of Letters for Emily |
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"
Pocket, Jun 2003, 10.00, 214 pp.
ISBN: 0743444477
Though he knows he is dying that does not disturb Harry Whitney. However, Alzheimer's bothers him because he realizes how much the disease has changed him from Grandpa Harry to an old cranky geezer complaining about everything. Harry has several grandchildren, but his favorite is Emily, who visits him every week.
When Harry dies, his daughter-in-law Laura, finds three homemade books filled with his poems and stories. Together with her daughter Emily, who mourns the most over the loss of her best friend, they read Harry's poetry and stories, realizing that each contain a coded password that opens a related computer file. Inside the files are special notes to Harry's beloved Emily to help her in life. Other family members soon read Emily's treasure that reminds them how remarkable Harry had been as a person, father, husband, and grandfather before Alzheimer's destroyed his mind and body.
This inspirational family drama will leave the audience crying for joy and out of sadness. Harry in life and death is quite a protagonist as his wisdom passes down to Emily and others. When the tale focuses on Harry directly or indirectly (the sandwich generation struggling on what is the right thing to do with their father) or on Emily's child-like but mature understanding of him, the book is incredible. When the tale centers on the breakup of marriages amidst Harry's children, it adds depth yet too much angst that weighs down the reader a bit. Still LETTERS FOR EMILY is a powerful and insightful look at the individual members of a family.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Letters for Emily |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- present (2000-2010)
Family, caring for ill
Yes
Who is sick?
- Grampa/ma
because he/she is
- physically ill
Family, loving relations
Yes
Special relationship with
- grandpa
Internal struggle/realization?
Yes
Struggle over
- nature of existence (heavy philosophy)
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- unemployed
Age:
- 60's-90's
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 5 ()
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
- a lot of stream of consciousness
- written like a journal/diary/letters
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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