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| Plot Summary of Speak Softly, She Can Hear |
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Simon & Schuster March 2005, 23.00 341 pp.
ISBN 0743255399
In 1965 New York City Carole, an overweight shy student is determined to lose her virginity before she begins Vassar. Her best friend Naomi arranges for Carole to meet twenty-six year old Eddie in Vermont so he can teach her about sex. Carole gets very drunk so that when Rita appears for a menage a trois she does it. Carole remembers little except that Rita is dead and Eddie claims she broke her neck.
From that day forward, Carole's life is never the same. Eddie blackmails her for money and her parent's valuables. She runs away to San Francisco and lives in a commune with her friend Rachel and her son Pepper when Eddie once again shows up to terrorize Carole and even hits Pepper, scarring him for life. The small family relocates to Montpellier, Vermont where Carole opens a restaurant and moves in with the love of her life. She thinks she is safe until Naomi and Eddie arrive and their dysfunctional relationship becomes violence leaving two people dead and one severely injured.
Carole is a vulnerable and frightened person but readers won't feel sorry for her because she allows herself to be a victim, first by letting Eddie intimidate her and then by causing her parents' untold grief when she runs away. Eddie is a true sociopath who enjoys tormenting Carole; he also keeps tabs on her so he can hurt her some more.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Speak Softly, She Can Hear |
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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
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- seduction/blackmail
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted...
- hunted by killer/stalker
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- small businessman
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- unemployed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
- California
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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