Tug of War

There's a never good way to admit that there are cracks in your relationship, especially when you've been so happy for so long.
There are never right answers your friends can give you when you're in the thick of it. They can try. But, there's no magical answer that can get you to feel whole again.
When is too long to fight? What's holding on too hard? How do you know when to keep fighting or when it's time to quit?
Is there a point where it's just sad and pathetic to keep going? Does everyone around you see the breaking point while you keep struggling for something that's never going to heal?

What if you want to give up but the other person doesn't? If you don't give up, but they do?
How can you tell if a relationship is over or it's just a really hard time to get through? What if you're not supposed to be fighting because the end if inevitable? How do you let go of something you want even though it's broken?
Why can't your friends give you advice you can take when they've been through the same thing? Do they disappear because they don't know how to help or do you unconsciously push them away?
Is the heart ever whole again from relationship to relationship? Or is there a piece of yourself floating around with the person you left behind or that left you behind? Does their piece take the place of the piece they took from you? How does a heart beat correctly with pieces of other people trying to work together?

How is it fair that during the socially accepted time of our lives to find our "soul mate" and our "true love" that our bodies wage war against us and makes us the ugliest we're ever going to look with acne all over our faces, oily hair, gangly limbs, misshapen breasts, and  crooked teeth?
How do you end up so far off the page from the person you love that you're not even in the same book anymore?
Why is it wrong to love more than one person? How is it possible not to? How is it possible to not be attracted to more than one person? And, how do you choose?

41. Passion

Book 41: Passion by Lauren Kate (A-)

This is the third book in the Fallen series, and I was slightly disappointed by it. It had the same vibe and carried true to the mood of the first two Fallen books, but this one was so repetitive.

Paul Bettany in the film Legion

Lucinda Price has pieced together from books one and two that her life and the ones before that are part of a never-ending curse. Her lover, Daniel, is a fallen angel who finds her life after life when she reincarnates to the appropriate ages, pursues her love, then she dies in a fiery explosion during the age of 17. It has a Twilight ring to it with the way their love is endless, desperate, and slightly scary. But Luce is no Bella Swan. In Passion, she questions this love she feels for Daniel and the love Daniel has for her. Is it real? Is she being manipulated? Is Daniel's love for the current Lucinda a new love or the returning love from a Lucinda of the past? With the help of a mystical figure in the physical form of a stone gargoyle, Luce travels through "Announcers" to several of her past lives to unlock the key to the curse and find out how to change it. Daniel, in the meantime, pursues her always a minute too late and recollects old memories, old conversations, and pieces together his own puzzle. At the end, they meet in at the beginning - the fall of Lucifer.
The ending was really the clincher for this novel. The description and thought put into Lucifer's Fall and the world of Heaven was beautiful and breathtaking. The beginning worked well too. But the middle... it was slow and repetitious. Chapter after chapter, the reader visits the past life of Luce and it's like the one you just read about. The gargoyle Bill steals her clothes that match the time period, she searches for her former self, she finds her former self, she finds the Daniel of the time, and tries to figure out what's going on. The only thing that really changes is where they are: Versailles, the Globe Theater, ancient Egypt...
The only breather between Luce's lives was Daniel's chapters, but they were also the same. Still, Daniel is a much more interesting character to a 20-year-old girl like me who loves true romance and an ultimate romantic hero. And, he's a beautiful, pure angel to top it off! In Daniel's chapters, his character deepens past the worried lover of Luce's who refuses to explain anything. You learn about the pain he goes through with each of Luce's deaths and how his relationship with supporting character and dark angel Cam became so tense.
Though Passion wasn't what I had hoped, I'm so happy some answers finally appeared. With the dark twist of an ending, I'm bouncing off the walls for the fourth and final novel, Rapture! It's coming out in 2012, and I can't wait!

Un-readables

I pulled some novels off my book shelf that I'll more than likely never end up reading (at least any time soon)! We have:

1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

2. The Jane Austin novels

3. Fall of Giants by Kek Follet

4. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

I want to read War and Peace, but no matter how hard I try... I can never it make it through. I bought The Red Badge of Courage at a secondhand store because it had a beautiful binding, and I'm shallow enough that I enjoy having classic titles on my bookshelf even when I haven't read them. The Ken Follet novel was a Christmas present that I asked for. I was completely unaware of how long or big it was!! The plan is to read it, but my hopes aren't high. The Jane Austin novels were a gift, which I loved because once again, they're beautifully bound and they're a matching set. Will I read them? I'm sorry, Jane Austin, you put me to sleep!

What's on your shelf that you'll never read?

Movie Minute: Line dancing at Coyote Joe's

My new stepfather is a line dance instructor at a local bar called Coyote Joe's. My mother has been trying to get me to come along for over a year now, and I finally did... but even better, I dragged Stuart with me!! This is Ma and Mitch doing some line dance business...

Photo of the Day October 28

This is where I club my mother in the head and stuff her into my new suitcase! The best part... she has no idea!

Happy birthday, Ma!!! 

Photo of the Day October 27

Yes, it's my sister with a bag on her head! Enough said!!

Photo of the Day October 25

For my 20th birthday, my family, Stuart, and I went to the North Carolina Zoological Park. Aside from the Outer Banks, it's my favorite place in North Carolina. This time, the zoo had two new ocelots in their Sonora Desert house. I have always loved the ocelots!! They're the cutest cats. This male cub actually came up from where he was sleeping with his sibling to the glass when Stuart and I were watching him. I was so excited and pretended that I could pet him as he nosed against the glass where my hand was. It was the best part of the whole trip!

40. The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud

Book 40: The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood (A-)

This is a beautiful, haunting book about learning to let go whenever someone you believe you can't live without dies. In a small northeastern town, Charlie St. Cloud is a popular, carefree guy whose main dream is to play professional baseball for the Red Sox and his biggest love is his little brother Sam. But when Charlie makes a terrible mistake driving home from a baseball game with Sam, they end up in a horrible car crash. Charlie, after being resuscitated back to life in the ambulance, survives; Sam does not. However, thanks to a promise, Charlie is still able to see the spirit of Sam and they play baseball together every night in the cemetery which Charlie manages for 13 years. Along comes Tess Carroll, a wild spirit of a woman whose true love is sailing. She comes into Charlie's life and makes him wonder if he hasn't wasted his second chance. How long is too long to hold onto someone who isn't even real anymore? Tess, too, wonders if she isn't running away from her own grief and her own fear of never finding true love.

Zac Efron as Charlie in Universal Pictures' film adaptation

Sherwood does an amazing job of creating beautiful, complex characters and exposing the true harshness of grief. The chemistry between Sam and Charlie is obvious; their bond is undeniable. Tess is a wildfire of a character that you pray and cheer for as she opens Charlie up again and exposes him to the life he's been ignoring. Sherwood's genius comes in how he tells the story, the introduction that starts with a first person narrative by the paramedic who saved Charlie's life then continues in a third-person story with insight from Tess, Sam, and Charlie in certain chapters.
The book is well-rounded and speaks to anyone whether you have lost someone close to you or not. It teaches the important lessons of cherishing the people you love because you never know when time will run out and also learning how to live and accept that you were left to continue living when the person you loved was not. 
There is a bit of strangeness in the middle of the novel. To explain it would be a plot spoiler. Let me just say, that what happens is more acceptable and easier to comprehend in the film starring Zac Efron.
This is the second time I have read this book, and I will definitely read it again!

Semester of Frustration

At the end of the spring semester at Western, I dreamed of all the wonderful things I would accomplish at UNC-Greensboro.
I would be closer to Stuart and our relationship would flourish. Instead, I'll be honest... we've been having problems. I didn't think we'd make it to our one-year anniversary on October 7th and again, I didn't think we'd see the end of this week. In fact, I knew we wouldn't see the end of this week together. Somehow, it worked out but the hurt feelings are still there.
I would continue to pursue my journalism dreams by working on The Carolinian, which is a nice paper but doesn't come close to the caliber of The Western Carolinian. I dropped down from News Editor to staff writer, which I was knew was coming but still it hurt. I miss Justin and his managerial skills. The Western Carolinian staff was close... at least I met all of them! We were small and we were together battling the Communications department. Justin was the crazy captain a journalist could only hope of having. He was open to ideas, had his writers' backs, and knew how to fight injustice. I haven't even met the Editor-in-Chief of The Carolinian!

Home of The Western Carolinian

Then, there were my studies. I was so excited about starting in the UNCG English program. Well... that was a flop! My teachers have been horrible! One woman gives us a speech on racism every single day, one woman flits about from one topic to another and never teaches us anything, and the other doesn't speak English and cannot get her point across clearly. Another class I withdrew from because I was doing horribly in it and it won't apply to my degree except for credit hours. In American Authors, I made an "F" on my midterm... I was shocked! The professor, the one that goes on about racism, gave me a 0 on my essay! My entire two-paragraph essay received a ZERO!! Today, I looked over at one of my classmates and asked him if he liked the class. He laughed before answering, "NO! I almost asked her today if she was drunk because she wouldn't shut up!" This semester, I only have ONE professor who inspires, encourages, and motivates me to stay in college, keep up my grades, and to straight up learn! "Dr. Brit" is the only teacher I wouldn't outright ask to be fired on the spot because he honestly cares for his students, makes his material interesting and informative, and doesn't shut out ideas that aren't his own like the three female professors I have. As a matter of fact, last semester I also had only one inspiring professor. "Powerful Peter" taught Intro to Acting, a course I took for credit hours and for my love of theater. He was so convincing and inspiring that I nearly switched my major to Film Studies or Theater on the spot! I wanted to continue taking his classes and I wanted to continue to explore a subject I love so passionately! Especially if Peter was the one teaching it!

I'm disappointed in myself for quitting on Western Carolina so easily. The truth was I was running from my mistakes, the mistakes that continue to haunt me even in Greensboro. I had thought they wouldn't affect me as much as they did in Cullowhee, and maybe they wouldn't have if I hadn't reconnected with The Viking. We're talking again when I never thought we'd be able to. Having him back in my life is beyond confusing but at the same time comforting. I finally get to ask the questions I've always wanted to and never thought I'd be able to ask. I was also running to something... someone. Stuart. I tried to get as close to him as I could. NC State is no place for me, but I hoped that UNCG might be. Now with the relationship holding on by a thread, I realized something very important, something I'm trying to fix.

I made a mistake. I'm really a Catamount at heart. 

39. Just Desserts

Book 39: Just Desserts by Carl Reiner (C-)

This book was not interesting, bizarre, boastful, obnoxious, and not worth my time. What I don't understand is where all the praise on the back cover is coming from. Apparently, Reiner is a talented, praised, and awarded author, but I didn't see it based on this short book.
Nat is a writer who comes up with an amazing plot that involves rewriting the Ten Commandments. For instance, if someone sins against an innocent child, horrendous boils will appear on their skin until they repent. Nat then writes his suggestions to God... who writes him back!! It may sound like an interesting concept, except God is referred to as "GodGod" in an effort to, I suppose, make the book religiously acceptable to everyone. Nat is an obnoxious, self-absorbed twit who I just want to smack across the face. The other characters are lacking in reader connection and are self-absorbed, two-faced, and one dimensioned. The writing is lacking in feeling and descriptiveness. Clearly, I was not impressed.
The only reason this book reaches the high point of a C- is because of its final two chapters. There, wittiness and interest actually arise in the little twist ending. Reiner himself actually becomes a character in the novel and suddenly, all the previous chapters start making some sense. Still... not worth the read! The only reason I kept with it was because it was quite short and I wanted to find out just how ridiculous it was going to get.

Movie Minute: EG vs SP Football Game Weather Forecast

Here it is folks... a movie clip for all of your enjoyment!! It's hilarious! It's ridiculous! It's my mom!!
Roll it!

38. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Book 38: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohen & David Levithan (A+)

I LOVED THIS BOOK! It was witty, sarcastic, brilliant, beautiful, and hilarious! Cohen and Levithan take turns writing in first person with Cohen as Norah, the sarcastic girl who's a bit messed up and is trying out to figure out what a real relationship is all about, and Levithan as Nick, a heartsick boy whose obsession with music is the only way he can cope with heartbreak. Their story is sweet and simply the life-like confusion that all of us have dealt with in that final semester of high school.

From the movie adaptation from Columbia Pictures

Favorite moments include:
From Norah: "How does this work, the getting to know a new guy without revealing too much desperation for his undivided attention" (68)?
Nick: "When someone breaks up with you, their beauty - which you took such satisfaction in - suddenly becomes unfair. It's like that with Tris right now. She's even managed to arrange herself in the lamplight so the shadows hit in just the right way. It feels like a rebuke" (98).
Nick: "Singing in the rain. I'm singing in the rain. And it's such a f***ing glorious feeling. An unexpected downpour and I am just giving myself into it. Because what the f*** else can you do? Run for cover? Shriek or curse? No - when the rain falls you just let it fall and you grin like a madman and you dance with it, because if you can make yourself happy in the rain then you're doing pretty alright for  in life" (156).
My one disappointment in the book is how much cursing there was. I was reading the book aloud to Stuart on our trip to Charlotte and back and after one passage, he looked over at me and said, "You've reached the limit of how many times you can say "f***" this year!" However, it's a realistic writing style for two young adults in the throes of growing up in New York City. They've probably been hearing horrible words like that since they were in elementary school. While it kept with the flow of the book, there were some parts with a bit too much! There's cursing to be realistic and there's tasteless, overused curse words.
If you don't want so much cussing, I definitely recommend checking out the movie. It's one of my favorites! Michael Cerra, even though I'll pick Jesse Eisenberg over you any day... in this movie, YOU ROCK, SIR!

Works Cited:

Cohen, Rachel and Leviathan, David. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. 

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print.

Kodak Moment: Birthdays

I can't believe I'm turning 20 next weekend! It literally blows my mind. I hope, I hope, I hope that Stuart will be able to get off work, so I can see him. The plan is to go to the NC Zoo with him and my family. It would be the perfect birthday present if he could come along, too. In the mean time... here are some snapshots from birthdays past!!

19! I had Stuart in my life. <3

My 18th had a rocking cake!

I got Little Honda for my 17th birthday!! She was my biggest present yet!!

October Madness

 There's something about the month of October! There's always ridiculous drama! And boy has there been drama around here...
1. Mac escaped! Anna's crazy, peeing cat escaped from the house yesterday by breaking out through yet another window. He was missing from somewhere after 9:30 a.m. until after dark. I arrived from Raleigh near dinner time and joined the search for the missing cat. I walked up and down Milton and Pomroy. We had the neighbors helping. Joe had searched the entire neighborhood for hours. And, it was raining the whole time! Just when I was about to give up hope that we'd see him again, Joe started screaming from the backyard. Mac was lodged underneath our shed in the backyard! More than likely, he'd been there all along to try and stay dry. It took all three of us, a pole, and a mop to get him out from under the shed. Muddy and cold, he was perfectly fine, needing only love and warmth. Joe gave him a hot bath, and Anna cuddled him for the rest of the night while Sparta called for him through my bedroom door.

2. Midterm Week is in October. I've been working hard at all my classes, but it doesn't seem to be doing any good. Today, I got back my midterm that I took on Friday for American Authors. I got an F... my first. Usually, I ace literature and I was jokingly called "The Writing Beast" in my high school journalism class because of my natural talent for writing. Since transferring to UNCG, I have lost my confidence in myself and my talent as I continue to get back graded papers that are D's and F's. I have only made one A the whole semester! I'm completely floundering. I have one midterm left, and I'm not expecting a high grade on that one either. It's like I've lost my ability to write well anymore. Either that or I don't know how to write the way they want me to. It's been very frustrating, very discouraging, and very disappointing.
3. Stuart and I have recently not been doing so well. Everything is fixed now; we've talked everything through and have mended the parts of our relationship that had started to unravel. On Friday, we celebrated our one-year anniversary!! Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend it together. The Angus Barn took that away, but we did get to spend two days of my Fall Break together. For awhile there, it didn't look like we were going to make it... not even to reach our anniversary. Suddenly, a lot of things went wrong and there was a lot of miscommunication, misunderstandings, and misconceptions. It was a worrisome week wondering whether or not we were going to make it through. Everything is back to normal now. We've made promises to keep trying. We love each other, and we're holding onto that with everything we've got.
And number 4 deserves a blog post all of its own...!!

Stuart and Fleetwood

Photo of the Day October 10

This was taken last night at Carowinds... Scarowinds!! It's a major theme park on the state line of North and South Carolina. If you're a NC or SC resident, it is a MUST to go! My sister Kate gets a season pass every year. For Halloween, Carowinds goes creepy with Scarowinds!! Employees are dressed in the most horrid, creepy, twisted costumes imaginable and are meant to frighten, startle, and petrify you! If that's not enough of a thrill, you can walk through tunnels and trailers converted into different themed horror houses, like Cornstalkers and Child's Playground. People pop out of the darkness and scare the crap out of you with screams, loud bangs, and there was even a guy with a chainsaw.
Typically, this isn't my scene. But it is Kate, Seth, and Stuart's! They love this stuff!! I. DO. NOT! However... in the spirit of the season, I wanted to tag along and be a part of the group. At first, I was petrified! Stuart and I were about to enter our first horror house, and I literally froze. There wasn't any power on earth to get me to walk forward as Kate and Seth skipped off to meet their fate in the vampire-themed tunnel. I know Stuart was disappointed, but there was NO WAY I was going in there.
As the night progressed, I started relaxing and went into three different horror houses. I kept my eyes to the ground and clung to Stuart and Kate's shirts like they were lifelines. No one was getting near me!! I ended up having fun and got the largest lollipop imaginable for being brave!!
Below a moment of non-scariness! Kate and I got a picture on the" boardwalk!"

37. The Tempest

Book 37: The Tempest by William Shakespeare (B) (C+)

Not my favorite Shakespeare! I found the whole story to be lacking in... I don't know, Shakespearianess. I've never read one of the comedies until The Tempest, and it wasn't what I was expecting. And, I actually like Shakespeare!
A storm crash lands the king of Normandy, his son, and his company on what appears to be a deserted island. Actually, the storm was magic from the marooned Prospero who is dishing out revenge. His brother took away his seat as duke through treachery that involved all who are now on the island. And stuff happens...
I know that's horrible of me as a reviewer, but I was really not enthusiastic about this book. It was for my Critical Approaches in the Study of Literature class... yes, the one with the cackling professor. Later, I'll be writing a major research paper on some kind of critical analysis of the piece.
It was just such a bizarre story. And, it put me to sleep. Maybe this book shouldn't be getting a B......
The only interesting aspect of the story was trying to figure out what Caliban, the twisted son of a witch, must have looked like. In my reader, there was a segment in the middle that showed drawings and photographs of several interpretations of how Caliban must have looked or was costumed for plays. They ranged from your stereotypical monster with a big mouth and a long tail to an obese man with an "Old Greg" type appearance. However overall, Shakespeare, I was not impressed, sir. What was the point of this work?

36. The Painted Veil

 Book 36: The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham (B)

I'm a person who likes to watch movies before reading the book. I don't think it ruins the book at all. Sure, I know the ending of the book (most of the time) but I find the movie to be a nice overview of the novel then I get to read the extra bits the movie had to leave out. It's a win-win situation. The movie isn't ruined for me because it wasn't like the book and the book isn't ruined because I saw the ending. I, like most people, end up getting disappointed when a book-turned-movie doesn't end like the book. Like My Sister's Keeper.... WHAT?!?!?! Where did that ending come from???? That was just stupid!!!

Naomi Watts and Edward Norton as the Fanes

That being said... The Painted Veil movie with the handsome, cool Edward Norton was much better and smoother than the actual novel. As someone who has a keen interest in both literature and film, I see why the film producers did what they did to the movie to make it not the book. The book moves at a slow, steady pace and is only told from Kitty Fane's point of view. The movie taps into the cultural happenings that surround them in China and bring that to light for some action and speed. Also, the ending in the movie was MUCH BETTER than the one in the book.
Kitty is reaching middle age and still hasn't been married off. When Walter Fane arrives and proposes, she says yes just to move out of her mother's house. Walter is head-over-heels about Kitty, but Kitty couldn't care less about Walter the bacteriologist. Together, they sail from England to Hong Kong where Walter is doing research. In Hong Kong, Kitty meets Charlie Townsend, a charming politician who is everything Kitty has ever wanted in a man. Together, they have a long-lasting affair. When Walter finds out about it, he threatens Kitty with an ultimatum: I'll divorce you or you come with me into the heart of a cholera epidemic and be by my side. Horrified, Kitty runs to Charlie and asks him to run away with her, but he disappoints her as an adulterous man always will. Kitty is forced to travel to a small village in the Chinese countryside and be exposed to the worst cholera epidemic the country has ever seen.

Naomi and Liev Schrieber (Charlie)

The novel is beautiful but lacking. I'm not so in love with the movie to know that the book needs a bit more. I think having Walter's point of view would have been helpful in developing that character. Instead, he is a mystical figure that is hardly ever seen just read about in Kitty's never-ending string of thoughts. They never resolve anything and the ending isn't anywhere near as moving as the film's. I had also hoped to find the historical aspect as depicted in the movie with China's nationalist movement and more details of the cholera epidemic but found none whatsoever. The book, drawn out and a bit tedious, is just a story of a woman who has committed adultery and must deal with the consequences. Being in a cholera epidemic is just in the background...

A Conversation with Mac the Cat

Mac, why do you pee on the floor? Just why?! No one else pees on the floor. Not the kitchen floor, not the living room floor, not my floor, not in front of every door we have in this house!! And why do you always aim for the air vents??? I think you secretly know that if you pee in the air vent your scent will be filtered through the whole house. It's really quite remarkable your crafty intelligence.

"I may look cute and cuddly, but inside... GRANITE!!" - Cats & Dogs

Fleetwood doesn't pee on the floor. Sparta... he's a cat too, you know... doesn't pee on the floor!! He pees in a box like you're supposed to! Every day, he uses his litter box how ever much he wants to and no one gets mad. He doesn't get shouted at. He doesn't get scolded. He lives a very relaxed life as a very well-behaved cat. Don't you want that type of life too? You could even argue that Fleetwood pees in a box considering the backyard is boxy. He doesn't get yelled at. He is treated like king... mostly because he's a dog. But not just any dog! He's a good dog. A very good dog that pees in a box. Nutmeg pees in a box for crying out loud!!!!! In the same box she sleeps in!! You don't have to sleep in your litter box. You don't have to go inside except to use the bathroom!!! SO USE IT!! 
I find you to be a frustrating cat. You're freaking cute, but it's difficult to like something that pees on the floor. Do you know that your pee stinks? Like STINK stinks! Not just stinks! STINK stinks!! There's a big difference. Sparta's pee stinks because it's in an enclosed box and you can occasionally get a sniff of it. No, your pee is circulating through the ventilation system of my house! Your pee STINK stinks!!!

Mac stealing Sparta's Kitty Kube

I just thought I should let you know about this. I wanted to warn you that your balls will be cut off... ASAP! It's time, dear boy! You've crossed the line of leaving your litter box behind to be cool and use whatever scrap of floor you can find. Well, now it's war and you're going to vet, let there be no doubt that!! It's time for the birds and the bees talk, sir. Bees sting and you'll never catch a bird. I'm sorry but it's true. Also, there aren't any females in this house... not any females for you anyway, and while Sparta may take it like a girl, I don't want to watch or clean up afterwards. If I wanted to see some action like that, I'd watch real cats do it on Animal Planet. But on my bed... it's sick!!!

Stalking the hamster

So you're heading to the vet, sir! Enough is enough and the time has come for you to lose your manhood. Crossing your legs isn't going to solve anything. Have a good time and send us a postcard. I'll be scrubbing the house with vinegar and spraying every inch with Febreeze. By the time you get back, it'll smell like you've never been here before! And that's the way it'll stay! Bon voyage!

35. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Book 35: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Dame Muriel Spark (B+)

This book was not too bad. In the beginning, I had a really difficult time getting used to the style of writing, but I finally worked my way through the first two chapters and began to enjoy the book. And then it got scary...!!!

Maggie Smith as Jean Brodie

Miss Brodie is an unconventional teacher at an all-girls school in Scotland right before the outbreak of World War II. She believes Hitler and Mussolini are heroes, tells her girls repeatedly about her lost love that fell during the Great War, and fights for her job on a regular basis. It begins to get scary when Miss Brodie, a bit silly and pathetic, begins to live her life through those of her "set," the chosen girls from her class that are her special pupils. They play golf with her, they go to her house for tea, and they are involved in nearly every aspect of her life and she in theirs. Boundaries are crossed and the story becomes more than just a school teacher tale when clearly Miss Brodie has some mental instabilities as does the married art teacher who is in love with her. Using two of her set of girls, she lives through them and their dealings with the art teacher, dealings that become shocking and completely illegal. Yet no one seems to have a problem with it....
This book was made into a film back when the amazing Dame Maggie Smith was in her prime! She was fantastic in this role (it wasn't quite as scary in the film) and you see Miss Brodie's side of things whereas in the book you're reading what happened from the memories of the grown-up girls. If you're interested, see the film and weep at Maggie's brilliance. Then, read the book and be frightened by the bizarre Miss Jean Brodie.