Reply to: After Reply & Conclusion - Janie

I think we are just supposed to know that Laura has a newfound confidence, and that now she has a million possibilities awaiting her. Like she was reborn, and now has millions of doors open to her. Like most story endings, it's meant to be left up to your imagination.


I must say I truly enjoyed the story. It was very real, whereas many stories you see shield some things or seem to sugarcoat with extra adjectives, etc. It reminded me of a model's photograph, before it is airbrushed and all the blemishes and shine spots are digitally removed. The finished, airbrushed picture (most novels) has all of those extra things added to make it prettier, but sometimes it gets ridiculous and a little overwhelming. This was much more real, and the "before" photograph is just as beautiful as the "after." Sometimes I think people don't realize that simplicity is really all we need, and I was pleased with the neutral ending, the few characters, and the "readability" of the book. (:

After Reply - Jules

Yes, I agree that Tom wasn't really a bad guy. And I think that he probably would have shared some of his earned money with them too. I actually do think that he might eventually go back to see them- or maybe just to see Laura. I think that he thinks about her too much to never go back to see her. As for Laura- I don't really know what I think the future holds for her. I think that a lot of things could happen now that she has  new confidence in herself.

After - Janie

After the story was over, I imagine that Laura would have a newfound confidence, and maybe goes to a school thats more suiting to her personal interests; studying something quiet in a small class size. I think Amanda would still be mostly the same; she didn't really change throughout the story. I don't think Tom would have ever gone back to his family, but that if he ever made money on a poem or short story that got published in a magazine or newspaper, I imagine he would have sent half of the money back home to Amanda and Laura. He wasn't really a bad guy, he just wanted to be free to be his own person and he as definitley tired of being smothered.

Re: Re: Reply to: The Father Reply - Jules

Yes, and I think that at the beginning of the book, Laura would not have acted like that because she was still so shy and took everything personally, but since she changed towards the end of the book she was more like Amanda in that sense.

Re: Reply to: The Father Reply - Janie

Yes, and this is one of the few things Amanda and Laura have in common; they don't really hold grudges and can actually see past the hardships of broken hearts and choose to learn from them instead of avoiding and feeling angry towards the men that wronged them.

I think this is a trait A LOT of people (girls especially) would be much better off having.

Reply to: Glass Unicorn Symbol Reply - Janie

YES, that is exactly what I was thinking. She did surprise me by being okay with the unicorn breaking, and I really loved how she was so easygoing about it. She was able to laugh it off, and I think this quality (that I wish I had!) is why the news that Jim was engaged didn't send her over the edge or into shock. It is why her talk with Amanda at the end probably helped her, and why she probably didn't refute Jim's advice out of spite after he had left and the book was over. She doesn't hold grudges or anything of the sort, she is just able to laugh it off.

Reply to: The Father Reply - Jules

Oh I see. That does make more sense to have us wondering about the father. I'm actually surprised that Amanda doesn't speak of him with more anger. She nevers really seems angry when she says anything about him. If I was her, I think that I would have a bit more visible anger for my ex-husband leaving me.