"별에서 온 그대"에서 김수현이 읽어 유명해진 책이다. 드라마를 본 덕에 이 책을 읽게 되었다.
오디오북의 도움을 조금 받아 읽었다. 링크가 걸린 책으로 읽었는데, 개인적으로 녹음된 목소리가 마음에 들지 않는다. 너무 할머니같은 목소리가 나서, 두번 듣고 싶진 않은 목소리였다. 책의 분위기와는 어울릴지도 모르겠지만, 내 취향은 아니라는 것이다.
하지만 책은 하루만에 다 읽을 수 있을 정도로 쉬운 편이었다. 그림도 많고 글씨도 커서 집중력이 짧은 나에게 아주 큰 도움을 줬다. 많은 사건들이 끊임없이 일어나서 내용도 재밋다. 그런데 어린이용이라고 하기엔 내용이 좀 잔인하지 않나 싶고, 사람이 너무 많이 나와서 누가 누구인지 무슨 일이 있었는지 헷갈린다.
But answer me this: how can a story end happily if there is no love?
사랑, 물론 중요하다. 그런데 사랑을 하지 않으면 모두 에드워드와 같은 끔찍한 일을 겪어야 하는 것일까? 사랑이 없는 삶은 잔인할 정도로 무의미함을 이야기하는 것일까? 김수현이 읽은 부분도 뭐랄까, 원작의 분위기로만 보면 감상적이고 다정한 느낌이 드는 부분이라기 보다는 약간 무서운 대사가 아니었나 생각해본다.
http://katedicamillostoriesconnectus.com
작가 홈페이지를 보는 재미도 쏠쏠하다.
Discussion Questions
Warm up
Q. Please tell me the character you remember and I’d like to write on the board.
Q. Who is your favorite character in the book?
Q. Tell me about your favorite picture in the story. Why is that picture your favorite?
ㆍㆍㆍ
Your opinions about love.
|
Sayings |
Meanings |
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Absence makes the heart grow fonder. |
Not being with someone increases your desire for him/her. |
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A good man is hard to find. |
It is difficult to find a suitable male partner. |
|
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. |
No one is angrier than a woman who has been rejected in love. |
|
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. |
Different people have different opinions about make a person beautiful. |
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Behind every great man is an even greater woman. |
Men often owe their success to women who support and love them. |
|
Love is blind. |
When you feel in love with somebody, you see only what’s beautiful in her/him. |
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The course of true love never did run smooth. |
No relation is perfect. Even people who love each other dearly have disagreements and hardships in their relationship. |
Q. Please check how much you agree or disagree with these sayings.
Q. Which one do you most agree or disagree with?
Discussion
ㆍㆍㆍ
“The kings’ men were in the forest, too. And what were they looking for? A beautiful princess. And so when they came upon an ugly warthog, they shot it immediately. Pow!”
“No,” said Abilene.
“Yes,” said Pellegrina. “The men took the warthog back to the castle and the cook slit open its belly and inside it she found a ring of pure gold. There were many hungry people in the castle that night and all of them were waiting to be fed. So the cook put the ring on her finger and finished butchering the warthog. And the ring that the beautiful princess had swallowed shone on the cook’s hand as she did her work. The end.”
“The end?” said Abilene indignantly.
“Yes,” said Pellegrina, “the end.”
“But it can’t be.”
“Why can’t it be?”
“Because it came too quickly. Because no one is living happily ever after, that’s why.”
“Ah, and so.” Pellegrina nodded. She was quiet for a moment. “But answer me this: how can a story end happily if there is no love? But. Well. It is late. And you must go to sleep.”
Pellegrina took Edward from Abilene. She put him in his bed and pulled the sheet up to his whiskers. She leaned close to him. She whispered, “You disappoint me.” After the old lady left, Edward lay in his small bed and stared up at the ceiling. The story, he thought, had been pointless. But then most stories were. He thought of the princess and how she had become a warthog. How gruesome! How grotesque! What a terrible fate!
“Edward,” said Abilene, “I love you. I don’t care how old I get, I will always love you.”
Yes, yes, thought Edward.
Q. What does Pellegrina mean when she says “How can a story end happily if there is no love?”
Q. What is Edward’s reaction to the story? How would Edward’s reaction change if he loved Abilene truly?
Q. If there is no love, Is it impossible for a story to end happily?
Q. Why does Pellegrina say to Edward, “ You disappoint me?” What does she expect of Edward?
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“Please,” cried Abilene. “Don’t throw him. He’s made of china. He’ll break.”
Martin threw Edward. And Edward sailed naked through the air. Only a moment ago, the rabbit had thought that being naked in front of a shipload of strangers was the worst thing that could happen to him. But he was wrong. It was much worse being tossed, in the same naked state, from the hands of one grubby, laughing boy to another. Amos caught Edward and held him up, displaying him triumphantly.
“Throw him back,” called Martin. Amos raised his arm, but just as he was getting ready to throw Edward, Abilene
tackled him, shoving her head into his stomach, and upsetting the boy’s aim. So it was that Edward did not go flying back into the dirty hands of Martin. Instead, Edward Tulane went overboard.
How does a china rabbit die? Can a china rabbit drown? Is my hat still on my head? These were the questions that Edward asked himself as he went sailing out over the blue sea. The sun was high in the sky, and from what seemed to be a very long way away, Edward heard Abilene call his name. “Edwaaarrd,” she shouted, “come back.” Come back? Of all the ridiculous things to shout, thought Edward. As he tumbled, ears over tail through the air, he managed to catch one last glimpse of Abilene. She was standing on the deck of the ship, holding on to the railing with one hand. In her other hand was a lamp — no, it was a ball of fire — no, Edward realized, it was his gold pocket watch that Abilene held in her hand; she was holding it up high, and it was reflecting the light of the sun.
Q. why does Abilene love Edward so much?
Q. What emotion does Edward feel in return? And why?
Q. Think about the loss of Edward from Abilene’s point of view. How do you think Edward’s disappearance changes her life?
Q. Have you ever had any imaginary friend or stuffed animal when you were little?
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Nellie told Edward about her children, her daughter, Lolly, who was a secretary, and her boys: Ralph, who was in the army, and Raymond, who had died of pneumonia when he was only five years old.
“He drowned inside of himself,” said Nellie. “It is a horrible, terrible thing, the worst thing, to watch somebody you love die right in front of you and not be able to do nothing about it. I dream about him most nights.”
Nellie wiped at her tears with the back of her hands. She smiled at Edward.
* pneumonia 폐렴
Q. Why does Nellie confide in Edward, and how do they help each other?
Q. Do you agree with the idea that a sorrow can be half if we share it?
Q. When you are in full of sorrow, how can you overcome your sorrow?
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Holding Edward by the ears, Lolly marched into the kitchen and shoved him face-down in the garbage can.
“Ma!” Lolly shouted, “I’m taking the truck. I’m going to head on out and do some errands.”
“Oh,” came Nellie’s tremulous voice,
“that’s wonderful, dear. Goodbye, then.”
Goodbye, thought Edward as Lolly hauled the garbage can out to the truck.\
“Goodbye,” Nellie called again, louder this time.
Edward felt a sharp pain somewhere deep inside his china chest. For the first time, his heart called out to him.
It said two words: Nellie. Lawrence.
(중략)
It was worse, much worse, than being buried at sea. It was worse because Edward was a different rabbit now. He couldn’t say how he was different; he just knew that he was. He remembered, again, Pellegrina’s story about the princess who had loved nobody. The witch turned her into a warthog because she loved nobody. He understood that now.
He heard Pellegrina say: “You disappoint me.”
Why? he asked her. Why do I disappoint you?
But he knew the answer to that question, too. It was because he had not loved Abilene enough. And now she was gone from him. And he would never be able to make it right. And Nellie and Lawrence were gone, too. He missed them terribly. He wanted to be with them.
The rabbit wondered if that was love.
Q. What does Edward discover about himself while at the dump?
Q. Edward missed Nellie and Lawrence terribly. He wanted to be with them. Do you think he starts to learn what love it?
Q. What is love?
ㆍㆍㆍ
As the sun rose higher and shone meaner and brighter, Edward became somewhat dazed. He mistook the large crow for Pellegrina.
Go ahead, he thought. Turn me into a warthog if you want. I don’t care. I am done with caring.
Caw, caw, said the Pellegrina crow. Finally, the sun set and the birds flew away. Edward hung by his velvet ears and looked up at the night sky. He saw the stars. But for the first time in his life, he looked at them and felt no comfort. Instead, he felt mocked. You are down there alone, the stars seemed to say to him. And we are up here, in our constellations, together.
I have been loved, Edward told the stars.
So? said the stars. What difference does that make when you are all alone now?
Edward could think of no answer to that question.
Eventually, the sky lightened and the stars disappeared one by one. The birds returned and the old woman came back to the garden.
When the old woman hangs Edward on a pole to scare away the crows in her garden, Edward thinks, “I am done with caring.” He feels mocked by the stars, which seem to say, “You are down there alone.” On page 113, he tells the stars, “I have been loved,” and they reply, “What difference does that make when you are all alone now?”
Q. Does it matter to Edward that he has been loved?
Q. What does it make a difference and why?
Q. What does love change our lives?
ㆍㆍㆍ
One month passed and then two and then three. Sarah Ruth got worse. In the fifth month, she refused to eat. And in the sixth month, she began to cough up blood. Her breathing became ragged and uncertain, as if she was
trying to remember, in between breaths, what to do, what breathing was.
“Breathe, honey,” Bryce stood over her and said.
Breathe, thought Edward from deep inside the well of her arms. Please, please breathe.
Bryce stopped leaving the house. He sat at home all day and held Sarah Ruth in his lap and rocked her back and forth and sang to her; on a bright morning in September, Sarah Ruth stopped breathing.
“Oh no,” said Bryce. “Oh, honey, take a little breath. Please.”
Edward had fallen out of Sarah Ruth’s arms the night before and she had not asked for him again. So, face-down on the floor, arms over his head, Edward listened as Bryce wept.
Q. Is there a difference between the love Edward receives from Abilene at the beginning of the book and the love he receives from Sarah Ruth?
Q. How are his feelings toward Sarah Ruth different from anything he’s experienced before?
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“You searching for Sarah Ruth?” Bryce asked. Edward nodded.
“You got to go outside if you want to see Sarah Ruth,” said Bryce.
So they all went outside, Lucy and Bull and Nellie and Lawrence and Bryce and Abilene and Edward.
“Right there,” said Bryce. He pointed up at the stars.
“Yep,” said Lawrence, “that is the Sarah Ruth constellation.” He picked Edward up and put him on his shoulder. “You can see it right there.”
Edward felt a pang of sorrow, deep and sweet and familiar. Why did she have to be so far away?
If only I had wings, he thought, I could fly to her.
Q. Edward is repeatedly lost by those who love him. Have you ever lost something you treasured?
Q. How did you deal with it?
Q. What might happen to the characters after Edward leaves? How does Edward change their lives?
Q. What are some of the life lessons Edward learns on his journey, through good times and bad? What life lessons have you acquired in your life that you would like to pass on to someone else?
ㆍㆍㆍ
The old doll said, “I wonder who will come for me this time. Someone will come. Someone always comes. Who will it be?”
“I don’t care if anyone comes for me,” said Edward.
“But that’s dreadful,” said the old doll.
“There’s no point in going on if you feel that way. No point at all. You must be filled with expectancy. You must be awash in hope. You must wonder who will love you, whom you will love next.”
“I am done with being loved,” Edward told her. “I’m done with loving. It’s too painful.”
“Pish,” said the old doll. “Where is your courage?”
“Somewhere else, I guess,” said Edward.
“You disappoint me,” she said.
“You disappoint me greatly. If you have no intention of loving or being loved, then the whole journey is pointless. You might as well leap from this shelf right now and let yourself shatter into a million pieces. Get it over with. Get it all over with now.”
“I would leap if I was able,” said Edward.
“Shall I push you?” said the old doll.
“No, thank you,” Edward said to her.
Q. The old doll helps Edward change his attitude and open his heart again. She tells him, "If you have no intention of loving or being loved, then the whole journey is pointless". What does she mean?
Q. Have you ever encountered someone who changed the way you thought or looked at the world?
Q. The old doll intended to push Edward down from the shelf. Isn't a life worth living without love?
Q. Does a child really need to go through all of these with Edward to learn to love?
ㆍㆍㆍ
Next to Edward, the old doll let out a sigh. She seemed to sit up straighter. Lucius came and took her off the shelf and handed her to Natalie. And when they left, when the girl’s father opened the door for his daughter and the old doll, a bright shaft of early morning light came flooding in, and Edward heard quite clearly, as if she were still sitting next to him, the old doll’s voice.
“Open your heart,” she said gently.
“Someone will come. Someone will come for you. But first you must open your heart.”
The door closed. The sunlight disappeared. Someone will come. Edward’s heart stirred. He thought, for the first time in a long time, of the house on Egypt Street and of Abilene winding his watch and then bending toward him and placing it on his left leg, saying: I will come home to you.
No, no, he told himself. Don’t believe it. Don’t let yourself believe it.
But it was too late.
Someone will come for you.
The china rabbit’s heart had begun, again, to open.
Q. What is important to love and be loved?
An interview with the author, KATE DICAMILLO
Q. Are there any other books that inspired you in the writing of this one?
A. I wasn’t thinking particularly of other books when I was writing Edward, but looking back, I can see that I was influenced by some pretty powerful stories: The Mouse and His Child, Pinocchio, Winnie-the-Pooh, Alice in Wonderland. I can see the influence of all of those masterpieces in my small story.
Q. Were there any other books or movies this story reminds you of?
Review 1
Q. How many points would you give for the book? Please write down the point you would give, 1 to 10.
Q. What did you liked and dislike about the book?
Q. What do you think the most important, impressive or favorite part of the story?
Q. If you have any part you didn’t like, tell me what you didn’t like about the story and what you want to change.
Q. What did you like about the character of Edward Tulane in the story?
Q. I wonder if you are anywhere in this story. Was there a character like you?
Positive Review from Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary
By Atticus99 on February 14, 2006
If this book doesn't bring tears to your eyes, then perhaps you need to make a journey similar to Edward's. With her previous three books Kate DiCamillo had already proven to me, as a reader, that she is a spectacular author. With the attention my students pay to her writing, I can see, as a teacher, her tremendous skill and value to the world of books and reading.
Hands down though, this story is her best yet. The plot is simple enough that my four year old sat entranced as we read the first 50 pages together tonight. It is compelling enough that I had to plow through the remaining 150 pages to get to the end.
This is the kind of book that you clasp to your chest when you finish it and then place reverently on a shelf to await the next reading. It is the kind of book that you will treasure and recommend to others. Don't pass this book by because it sits in the children's section...this book is for everyone.
There is an obvious reason that this book was released on Valentine's Day...the simple theme of love is what drives this story. As DiCamillo puts it : "If you have no intention of loving or being loved, then the whole journey is pointless." If you are open to falling in love with a china rabbit named Edward Tulane, then pick up this book at once. You will not be disappointed.
Q. Do you agree with the positive review?
Negative Review from Amazon
3.0 out of 5 stars A moving book with a too short ending, November 18, 2009
By Thorne777 (West Coast)
This review is from: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Paperback)
I read the book in one sitting.
The book was very well written, if a bit rushed in parts and because of its set up there were many characters appearing constantly throughout the book. The book left a bad taste in my mouth for several reasons. One of them glaringly clear.
The book FAILED to make Edward a socially flawed character (like Scrooge) needing change. He is a doll. A toy. A doll who cannot move on his own. If he could move on his own and refused because he didn't love, then that is one thing. He was fulfilling his position of being a doll. He was at the table with the girl and was obedient in that he was her toy.
Therefore, when the lady tells what is one of the worst bedtime stories I have ever read I immediately did not like her, but it did not make me dislike Edward.
Also, the ending was RUSHED. I read page after page after page of new, confusing characters and learned to visualize and accept every one of them and for what? For a very rushed ending? The dark things in this story are hardly triumphed by such a short ending. It is like Lord of the Rings if we ended the movie five seconds after the ring drops. It wasn't a satisfying ending. Edward did nothing wrong to deserve what happened to him.
I also didn't like the message that a doll who cannot move, speak or deny love to a child can be "punished" for inwardly being self involved. He can be smashed, nailed to a cross, urinated on, sink the bottom of the ocean, etc. But nothing happens to the bad people who do these things. Imagine a Benji story if Benji got separated from his loving human family because BENJI had an issue. Really, how much of an issue could a dog have? Well, the same question can be asked for a doll who cannot move or speak or be unloving. It is not like he hit the child or crawled away from her. It felt like watching a paraplegic be inflicted with multiple sicknesses because he couldn't forgive someone.
Edward was not flawed, and if he was, the writer FAILED to show me how. She might have been convinced of it in her own mind, but her words failed to do it. Edward is no Scrooge needing a change, nor is he a Scarlet O Hara begging for a bitch slap. He was a doll who could not defend himself from abuse. And of course, when he is abused, it is all his fault. I am troubled by the underlying message of this book. It seems to be blaming victims and holding them to higher standards, even blame for what happens to them.
The old woman who told the tale disappoints me. Not Edward. She didn't do a dang thing except criticize and curse the poor toy. It took nothing to criticize him. Nothing. She instantly is shown rejecting the poor doll. And yet the frame of this book is that we, the readers, are forced to see her words be as from God. It is like an unloving nun cursing a poor girl and then we read of all the bad things that happen to the little girl. But really, the nun should have been loving. The nun could have tried to intervene. The old woman does NOTHING except judge Edward and we are forced to read her words coming true. There are indeed many bad things that happen in the world, and for my dollar I want to read a book that teaches kids that villains pay for their sins and that those who are cold and judgmental are the ones who eat humble pie in the end. This book did not show me this. I did not slam it with one star. I gave it three because it really did make me think. But in the end, the very, very, very short ending ruined it.
I won't give it away but be prepared for gut wrenching scenes of loss and separation through the entire book and little more than a page for an attempt at a happy ending.
Q. Do you agree with the negative review?
Q. Which review do you think is well written?
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