Welcome to our first discussion of Woodworking! Don't forget there are two additional questions.
Helen, Barbara, and I all have busy Saturday's, but we will do the best we can to be present for the discussion.
I'm truly happy this book has seen such as positive response, and I hope everyone enjoys today's questions! #CampLitsy25
Megabooks @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain 2mo
Megabooks @Addison_Reads @AmyG @amiable @BarbaraJean @Bkclubcare @BooksandCoffee4me @Bookbuyingaddict @booknaround @BookwormAHN @Bookwormjillk @Butterfinger @Cariashley @Caroline2 @CarolynM 2mo
Megabooks @catgusmax @cbee @ChaoticMissAdventures @Chelsea.Poole @Christine @CogsOfEncouragement @Cseydel @Cuilin @Dabbe @Daisey @Debinhawaii @Deblovestoread @DGRachel @ErikasMindfulshelf 2mo
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Megabooks @JamieArc @Jas16 @Jenniferw88 @JenP @Jenreadsalot @Jess @Jhod @JoyBlue @JulesG @julieclair @KarenUK 2mo
Megabooks @karisa @Kitta @Kristy-K @Kspenmoll @kwmg40 @Larkken @Laughterhp @LeeRHarry @Leniverse @Lesliereadsalot @maggie4483 @maich @Mcctrish @MeganAnn @Merelybookish @Meshell1313 @Monalyisha @Oryx 2mo
Megabooks @peaknit @peanutnine @Prairiegirl_reading @PuddleJumper @quietjenn @Read4Life @RaeLovesToRead @reggie @rockpools @Roary47 @Ruthiella @Sace @Sapphire @Sarahbarnes @Soubhiville 2mo
Megabooks @skygoddess1 @Suet624 @Susanita @texreader @TheBookHippie @Thekidupstairs @Triplem80 @TrishB @Vonnie862 @Well-ReadNeck @willaful @youneverarrived @zuhkeeyah 2mo
Megabooks @skygoddess1 @Suet624 @Susanita @texreader @TheBookHippie @Thekidupstairs @Triplem80 @TrishB @Vonnie862 @Well-ReadNeck @willaful @youneverarrived @zuhkeeyah 2mo
Megabooks I want to say that the first time Erica and Constance have sex after Erica confesses her gender to Constance is one of the most affirming, beautiful sex scenes I've ever read. I love that they could come together and feel those emotions and that attraction for the first time in a true and honest way. I feel bad about the complications with John and C's pregnancy, but I'm happy for Erica and Constance. 2mo
AmyG @Megabooks Yes. I felt that they could both be their authentic selves with each other. And by doing that, found that their love was always there and now had a space to grow. Constance with John, I felt, was HER being who she felt she was supposed to be. Erica and Constance were finally on equal ground. (edited) 2mo
BarbaraBB Well said both and I do agree. I feel a bit sorry for John. He is used by Erica to stay close and/or in touch with Constance and by Constance herself too for becoming that supposed-to-be woman that @AmyG points out. 2mo
Ruthiella I wasn‘t sure about Constance at first- should I (and Erica) trust her. But it does seem like John is not who she should be with as exemplified by him calling her Connie. I love how accepting of Erica she is when she knows and how this makes sense to her. 2mo
Soubhiville I‘ve just started, but I look forward to joining in on the questions later today or tomorrow! So far I really like it! 2mo
squirrelbrain Yes, I agree @BarbaraBB - I too felt sorry for John. I felt that Constance manipulated him slightly into a relationship, and that‘s why I too didn‘t trust her at first @ruthiella 2mo
Lesliereadsalot Erica and Constance have known each other a long, long time. They have a history together, a transcendent love for each other that will always be there. The relationship between Constance and John would always have to be something different. I did feel sorry for him because that other relationship preceded him and he couldn‘t do anything about it. I was so happy when Constance finally knew the truth, as we all would be. 2mo
Meshell1313 I kind of love that their relationship was always a friendship even when they weren‘t together. I‘m glad Erica has the person she can be completely herself and completely honest with. That‘s all anyone wants really. 2mo
Butterfinger They are best friends. She made it clear there was something missing, and it turned out to be Erica couldn't/didn't/wasn't ready to reveal herself. It just shows that your gender identity doesn't dictate who you are attracted to. It's a lovely story. John is not a person to whom you can say no. The evidence lies in his gaudy set design. He wants to help but doesn't back down. I didn't like this character. 2mo
Zuhkeeyah Erica and Constance had a strong friendship even when their marriage fell apart. Despite Erica distancing her, Constance didn‘t give up on their friendship. I was also uncertain whether Constance was going to be a safe harbor until she reacted well to Erica‘s revelation. John is being used by Constance so she can fit the traditional wife role expected by society. It‘s similar to what Erica did. 2mo
BkClubCare Great comments, all! Agree agreed 👏 I really enjoyed this book 💖 Happy Saturday everyone. 2mo
Suet624 I was happy for both of them that they were able to connect again on an honest level. I was surprised though by how quickly it happened. John seemed to take the changes very well, I must say. :) 2mo
Megabooks @Meshell1313 @butterfinger @zuhkeeyah I love that their relationship is based in a deep friendship, too. I think there was never an end to caring about the other, but I can understand why Constance was upset and felt lonely and turned to John before Erica came out. Her relationship with John must have felt much simpler in contrast. I hated how he called her Connie though. I hate it when people call me Megan. (My Meg is not short for that.) 2mo
ImperfectCJ I seem to have been dropped from the camp tag list. May I please be added back for next week's discussion? 2mo
mcctrish I guess the two relationships show we hide things in every relationship - Constance not telling John she isn‘t Connie and Erica not telling Constance her name ( the power of names!) I LOVE that when Constance learned Erica‘s true name that made her happy and their love scene was ❤️❤️❤️ as a Patricia who uses Trish/Trisha ( what my parents called me) when people shorten to Pat I lose my shit #youaredeadtome 2mo
vonnie862 I feel bad for Jon. But Erica and Constance feel right with each other. They just needed things to be cleared up. 2mo
Deblovestoread I am loving this book! First one in a while that I haven‘t wanted to put down. I don‘t blame Constance for wanting out of the marriage. Erica‘s fear of sharing her true self had her checked out of the marriage. And John seems a bit over the top but a nice guy who is trying a bit too hard. But Erica telling Constance and her recognizing she has always loved Erica was ❤️❤️❤️ 2mo
Megabooks @ImperfectCJ Idk why it's dropping people who are in the tag list. Last week it was @texreader the week before it was someone else. I think it is a Litsy problem because Helen and I have posted the same tag list every week. (We keep it in a communal email.) It's really frustrating for both you and us. I'm sorry! 2mo
Megabooks @mcctrish I 100% feel that. My Meg is short for Margaret, and I just don't feel like a Megan, so it's very frustrating to me when people call me that, especially an adult when I was younger trying to call me by my full name to sound important. It just made it clear they didn't know me at all. (edited) 2mo
Jas16 @megabooks @mcctrish I feel the same about being called Jenny. It is not who I am at all. 2mo
Jas16 I agree that these relationships really demonstrated the importance of being with someone you can be your true self with and what happens when you compromise that to stay with someone or because you aren‘t even comfortable with your authentic self. 2mo
Hooked_on_books @Megabooks I know it can be tricky to remember what happened in each half when you‘ve read the whole book, but please try to be more mindful of spoilers. It was very hard for me to put this book down after just the first half, and now because of your initial comment here, I know Erica and Constance have sex more than once and that there will be pregnancy complications, and I didn‘t want to know that yet! 2mo
Hooked_on_books I liked seeing their relationship evolve both in the current timeline as well as getting to see how things went for them in the past. It seemed at first that things might be prickly, but really they were both trying to figure out being divorced. It‘s clear they have a deep connection and have maintained their love, as we see them drawn back together. It‘s lovely. (Poor John, though.) 2mo
Hooked_on_books @ImperfectCJ I was dropped, too. It looks like the whole F-I block is missing from the tag list. 2mo
ImperfectCJ @Megabooks No worries! I find tagging people, especially a LOT of people, challenging even without technical glitches. And I do check the hashtag, so I eventually see the posts anyway, so not a huge thing. 2mo
Karisa Enjoying this book immensely. I do feel bad to be rooting so much for Constance and Erica when John seems like a nice person. If only Erica could‘ve trusted Constance more sooner. There‘s so much regret in her character‘s story arch. I‘m also wondering if you can be best friends while keeping such a big secret. Now that Constance knows and accepts her, they are a fun couple to cheer on. Greet writing to capture the complexities of this situation. 2mo
Kitta I find it hard to comment on this without adding spoilers!! I couldn‘t stop myself and read the whole thing in two days. 2mo
willaful I think I need to discover how to whole story comes out before knowing how I think. I'm kind of put off by how little thought either seems to be giving to John and if it turns out his part in the story is just to make is so they can have a baby, I'm going to be pissed off. 2mo
Megabooks @Hooked_on_books oh I didn‘t mean it like that. As far as complications, I meant emotional entanglement for Constance between her new relationship with John and her old relationship with Erica and how having the pregnancy gives her this extra tie to John that she wouldn‘t have otherwise. The scene I‘m speaking about with sex is the one in the bathroom that is the final chapter of part 1. 2mo
Megabooks @Hooked_on_books and by first time I meant as Erica and Constance rather than Erica presenting as male and Constance. I hope all this clears it up for you. 2mo
Bookwormjillk @willaful I agree with you- I need to know the end. Right now halfway through I‘m happy for them but am also afraid they are clinging together for the comfort because they are so familiar to each other. 2mo
GatheringBooks Loved reading everyone‘s take on the Erica-Constance-John triangle. I was pleasantly surprised about how Constance wholly embraced Erica‘s transformation - but didn‘t anyone feel that it seemed too good to be true? I loved that it all worked out for them but the skeptic / cynic in me cannot help but ask whether it is realistic at all, that there isn‘t any residual resentment on both sides for the many years that they missed out on. 2mo
GatheringBooks Btw, i also did not get tagged for this round. 2mo
CarolynM I‘m loving the book. I really like the very distinct voices of Erica and Abigail. I think it‘s great that the love between E & Constance is about them as people & that sexual expression flows from that. I don‘t think that gets talked about enough. I‘m interested in the E‘s feelings of not fitting in & the way she tried with John & his friends. I hate the whole “this is how men are” vs “this is how women are” thing. 2mo
CarolynM I agree with @Butterfinger about John. I feel like he means well but is kind of unintentionally bulldozing over other people‘s ideas and feelings. I find people like that hard to like. @willaful If that‘s what happens I‘ll be annoyed too. 2mo
CBee @Megabooks I agree - that was a beautiful scene. 2mo
BarbaraBB @Megabooks @mcctrish Another American thing to want to shorten names to preferably one syllable 😀 - and especially men‘s names I guess. (edited) 2mo
BarbaraBB @flaneurette @fredthemoose @Gatheringbooks @gissy @Graciouswarriorprincess @Hooked_on_books @ImperfectCJ Somehow one series of tags didn‘t come through which is why you weren‘t tagged for the discussion this time. We‘re sorry, please come and join us when you read this 💕 2mo
jenniferw88 @Megabooks, because I don't really look at litsy profiles (except for ones I check frequently), I tend to call people by their litsy handles when talking to my parents about Litsy. I don't think I realised your name was Meg (sorry! 🤣), but I don't think I'd have guessed Megan or Margaret as your name, either! I don't know what I thought it was, though 🤣🤣🤣⬇️ 2mo
jenniferw88 ⬆️ and even when I'm talking about Helen @squirrelbrain to my parents, I still clarify her as my friend who likes squirrels (especially if I just say her litsy handle) 🤣🤣🤣 2mo
jenniferw88 @Jas16 interesting! I'm definitely a Jen or Jenny. I'm only Jennifer on social media to remain consistent across platforms and for hospital appointments. 2mo
Chelsea.Poole @GatheringBooks definitely agree! I loved how Constance accepted Erica immediately —this seemed like the dream reaction we would all want in Erica‘s shoes. But how was she able to get there so quickly? And know exactly how to navigate the situation with care and be that perfect partner? Felt like she would have held some resentment towards Erica. Maybe it‘s one of those fairytale bits we should just be happy with, not often found IRL. 2mo
Chelsea.Poole Also—names: my mom is Margaret and called Meg, like you. Some people (who don‘t know her) use Megan and it‘s so weird! There‘s a bunch of nicknames for Margaret…I always liked Greta! 2mo
Megabooks @jenniferw88 I have that same issue, too! I talk about people occasionally using Litsy handles, and my friends think I'm nuts. 😂 😂 2mo
Megabooks @Chelsea.Poole I hardly ever think of Greta as a nickname for Margaret, but it is a very nickname-rich name. My grandmother's name is Margaret (hers was never shortened), and when my mom wanted to name me after her, she liked Meg from Little Women, so that's why Meg was my nickname! 2mo
BarbaraJean @Megabooks @Chelsea.Poole I'm super late to the party but have to chime in on names! My mother's name was Elizabeth & she always went by Betty Ann. People would constantly shorten it to Betty (which she hated). I was with her at the optometrist's once and they called her “Liz,“ trying to be familiar. She just about lost it. I'm still baffled as to WHY would anyone would assume a nickname from a name that offers 7 or 8 options of nicknames. 🙄 ⬇ 2mo
BarbaraJean Relatedly, I loved the way this book handled names—deadnames and otherwise. So much identity is bound up in names—what people call each other reveals a lot (i.e. “Connie“). The way Erica's deadname is handled is especially masterful, showing it's not that hard to call people what they want to be called—not referring to them by deadnames/former pronouns—even in a novel with shifting perspectives and flashbacks, even when a character isn't yet out. (edited) 2mo
Maggie4483 @megabooks @Chelsea.Poole @BarbaraJean I‘m also really behind, but figured I should comment as a fellow Margaret. That is my legal name, but my parents always intended me to go by Maggie (after Patricia Neal‘s character in In Harm‘s Way). I HATE when people call me Margaret, especially people who know me. At least, until a few days ago when I found out that maga is using Margaret as a sort of “liberal Karen” insult. Now I couldn‘t be prouder 🤣 2mo
Chelsea.Poole @Maggie4483 I had no idea about the maga Margaret situation. My mom will be thrilled. 😆 2mo
Megabooks @Maggie4483 OMG I love that!! I will take being a liberal Karen over a real Karen any day! I do not mind Margaret nearly as much as Megan. I think because Margaret is my grandmother's name it makes me feel close to her when people call me that but Megan just feels totally wrong! Every time he called her Connie, it just grated against my skin. Iykyk! 2mo
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