This is our second read-along discussion of Connie Willis’ Blackout, which I am co-hosting with Avis at She Reads and Reads. You can read part one here.
If you’re following along with us, we have read up to page 253. If you haven’t read that far, keep in mind that there will most likely be spoilers in this post and in the comments section.
Well, after reading this second section, I am feeling a lot more clear on who the characters are and what time periods they are visiting. It’s an interesting take on historical fiction, as the historians who have traveled back in time and through whose eyes we are seeing the events are observers themselves – their job is to observe and report. It’s a different viewpoint than reading historical fiction through the eyes of a “contemp,” as one of the historians would say.
At this point, there are two things that I’m very curious about. There seem to be minor discrepancies in the historical record – the times and dates that the historians are expecting things to happen as opposed to what they actually experience. I can’t wait to find out if that is simply due to errors in the historical records they have studied and/or had implanted, or if things are actually not happening as they were supposed to – and if so, if this is somehow related to the historians’ presence in the past.
Secondly, why wouldn’t the Net open to let Eileen back through after the quarantine lifted?
Speaking of Eileen – I can not even begin to imagine nursing a house full of children through the measles without the benefits of modern medicine. Thank goodness for fever reducers, antibiotics, and vaccinations!
So, what do you think so far? If you want to write your comments in your own post, please leave a link in the comments section – or you can simply leave your thoughts in a comment and we can get a good discussion going like we did last week. Don’t forget to read up to page 378 for next week’s discussion.
I am catching up tonight … will have something to discuss tomorrow..Am so bad at history .. this book is making me go to wikipedia time and again … But i am loving it so far
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Alpa – I love the fact that we can read and be both entertained and educated at the same time!
Hmm, I’m not sure I’d say that I’m feeling clearer after reading this second quarter of the book! I’ve actually written down who everybody is and what time period they are in to keep track of them all. (Although to be fair, that was more for fun than anything else.) I’m enjoying the book, but I’m also feeling a bit impatient that none of it is connecting yet. And it was tough to stop reading since several characters have been left in cliff-hanger situations!
Last time, I thought Colin’s offhand comments about Dr. Ishiwaka’s time-travel theories were significant; this time, I thought an offhand comment about Agatha Christie books was significant too. It’s on page 247 and Polly is wandering around in a tube station looking for a place to sleep when she runs into a lending library. The librarian hands her Murder in Three Acts and says: “You’ll never guess who did it. I never do with her novels. I always think I have the mystery solved, and then, too late, I realize I’ve been looking at it the wrong way round, and something else entirely is happening.” I feel like Willis is talking about her own book here, except I still have no clue what’s going on!
Oh and I’m also very curious as to why the Net wouldn’t open for Eileen! And I don’t understand the significance of what Polly sees at the end of the last chapter we read. Has her drop spot been destroyed?
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Avis – those cliff-hangers are killing me, too! I was so tempted to page ahead to find out what happened to Mary (the ambulance driver). I think you’re right about the Agatha Christie comment, too. I have a feeling that I’m going to be very glad that I already have All Clear on my shelf for when we finish!
Twitter: undermyappletre
says:
I got a little behind on my reading last week but I’m still here. I’m finally up to the end of part 2. I’ve sorted out who is where in time now but everything is not connecting with me either. I have the same questions about why things aren’t happening quite as they should. Obviously something is going on and it must be related to Dunworthy changing and rearranging the drop times.
I’m wondering why we aren’t being told what’s going in the future/present 2060. We are only alternating between historians. Is everything ok back there?
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Leslie – yes, I miss the parts set in 2060, as I love the characters of Colin and Dunworthy.
Leslie, I’m glad you’re still with us! I also wondered why we weren’t being told what was happening in the future/present…
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