| Plot Summary of Figgs & Phantoms |
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"Mona Lisa Figg Newton is an overweight, lonely, and cynical teenager. She hates her family, who, even though they have the best intentions, are just too 'weird' for her. Many years ago, before Mona was born, they were ex circus freaks, and they still act in the unusual ways, much to Mona's embarassment. There's Sissie, Mona's mother, who constantly tap dances, Newton, a used car dealer, "who always manages to lose money in every car deal he makes.", and then there's Truman, "a double jointed idiot", and Mona's cousin, Fido, who walked on all fours until he was six.
And then there's Uncle Florence, who according to Mona, "is the best of the lot by far." Uncle Florence is Mona's only friend and confidante. Florence is a well-known book dealer, and Mona admires him for that, even though he's hinting he might die soon.
When Uncle Florence dies, Mona realizes she is truly alone. She alienates herself from her family, from her city, from her whole world. She soon develops a mental illness, and desperately tries to find Uncle Florence once again."
Emugirl, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Figgs & Phantoms |
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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
- 1960's-1970's
Family, loving relations
Yes
Special relationship with
- uncle
Internal struggle/realization?
Yes
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Coping with loss of loved one(s)
Yes
Loss of...
- other relatives
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a teen
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- obsessed
- emotionally unstable
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- physically sick
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- a teen
Profession/status:
- student
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- throughout most of the book.
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- physically sick
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 9 ()
United States
Yes
Island?
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Lot of foul language?
Yes
Unusual Style:
- a lot of play on words
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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