The Cellar - View Single Post - Cellar Book of the Month discussion group

Clodfobble · 03-06-2004, 10:18 PM

I felt this book was disjointed, and for the most part the characters' actions were completely unmotivated; however, there is an extreme sense of irony in the "happy" epilogue which makes up for any discontent the reader may have felt throughout.

The most grievous error, in my opinion, is that character background is virtually nonexistent, and their relationships remain undeveloped to the last page. The Man with the Yellow Hat is hinted to be a psychic or medium of some sort, inasmuch as he apparently knows George's name without the latter's ability to communicate, yet that is never explored further or even given the proper justification. How might such a man live with always knowing his beloved pet's true feelings about him? We will never know.

But in the end, when George's carefree nature is tested to the ultimate limits by his institutionalization at a local Zoo, I as a reader felt his misanthrophic ways were only getting their just desserts, and I was quite pleased with the karmic outcome.

03-06-2004, 10:18 PM	#13
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	I felt this book was disjointed, and for the most part the characters' actions were completely unmotivated; however, there is an extreme sense of irony in the "happy" epilogue which makes up for any discontent the reader may have felt throughout. The most grievous error, in my opinion, is that character background is virtually nonexistent, and their relationships remain undeveloped to the last page. The Man with the Yellow Hat is hinted to be a psychic or medium of some sort, inasmuch as he apparently knows George's name without the latter's ability to communicate, yet that is never explored further or even given the proper justification. How might such a man live with always knowing his beloved pet's true feelings about him? We will never know. But in the end, when George's carefree nature is tested to the ultimate limits by his institutionalization at a local Zoo, I as a reader felt his misanthrophic ways were only getting their just desserts, and I was quite pleased with the karmic outcome.