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Cassandra at the Wedding | Dorothy Baker

BarbaraBB For me definitely. Seen through Cassandra‘s eyes, Judith seemed a bit of a weak person, while after reading her pov, she became the stronger one. This was an example of a book in which a change of pov really makes the difference between a good and a great book. 5y

saresmoore I agree that it added a lot to the narrative. I don‘t think it changed my understanding of Cassandra, but it certainly revealed some layers of Judith‘s character. 5y

Aimeesue I thought it was a lot more revealing of Judith's character, but it does throw some light on Cassandra, given her not-entirely reliable narration and omission or glossing over of certain things. 5y

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Leftcoastzen I enjoyed the Judith POV it does fill in some blanks.I love the depth of all the family members characters,I love the timeless quality of the novel. 5y

BarbaraBB @Leftcoastzen Me too, very much! 5y

LeahBergen Judith‘s point of view made me feel more empathetic towards Cassandra, actually. Judith looked upon her twin with such, I dunno, sadness? 5y

merelybookish I agree that it helps us to understand Judith. I also think it helps give a fuller picture of Cassandra. In many ways, Judith reinforces what Cassandra has already revealed about herself. She also sees Cassandra's flaws and still loves her. I think we trust Judith which makes it easier for us to have complicated feelings about Cassandra. 5y

BarbaraBB @LeahBergen Suddenly Cassandra became someone to feel sorry for, exactly what she was fighting against. 5y

BarbaraBB @merelybookish Well said again. We did trust Judith and this way Baker forced us to make up our minds. So smart. So realistic. 5y

Cathythoughts It was important for me to hear Judith‘s voice .. she became real then. 5y

Cathythoughts And also Cassandra became more real as a result ... 5y

vivastory @merelybookish I couldn't have stated it better. I was unaware of the POV switch when we selected this one & I felt that it was much more than an interesting stylistic move. It would be a weaker book without it. 5y

vivastory @Cathythoughts Absolutely. It was interesting how Judith's perspective really added layers to both of them. 5y

Theaelizabet Actually, Judith's point of view didn't really influence my opinion of Cassandra (though it did put her in relief), but it did deepen the book for me, giving me a much fuller understanding of the family. @vivastory I agree that the the book would be weaker without it. (edited) 5y

MicheleinPhilly Absolutely. I think a big part of the reason why I was able to feel that empathy towards her that I alluded to was because I was able to take a break from her for a bit. It allowed me to breathe a bit more freely. 5y

BarbaraBB @MicheleinPhilly I felt that way too. Her pov brought some relativism if that‘s a word in English. 5y

batsy @LeahBergen @BarbaraBB I felt the same; I was rooting for Cassandra to triumph in life in her own prickly, messed-up way and Judith made me see her as someone who needs to be taken care of. And I felt even more protective of her, and sad. I agree with the others that the stylistic choice to switch the narrative to Judith's POV was unexpected, and necessary. 5y

GatheringBooks @batsy curious how we used the same phrase re ppl wanting to protect cassandra given her compelling nature! @BarbaraBB I also felt the J POV was what made me a smidgen more sympathetic towards C. I see C thru J‘s eyes, the latter being indulgent, gracious, and sensitive to C‘s feelings, making C even more callous & selfish, as she is accustomed to committing crime and getting away with it bec there is always someone to catch her when she falls. 5y

batsy @GatheringBooks Yes! And regardless of one's personal feelings about Cassandra, I feel it's a testament to Baker's superb skill in writing such a forceful character, to pull us inward into C's interior landscape, and then to draw outward and see her through J's eyes. 5y

GatheringBooks @batsy agreed. that switch in narrative voice was deftly executed, both C and J have their own unique and distinct voice that the reader truly feels immersed in two separate minds with their own set of volition, motivations, and altered ways of perceiving the world. 5y

youneverarrived It didn‘t change the way I saw Cassandra but it definitely added another layer to the story hearing from Judith. Although that‘s a really good point @BarbaraBB about Judith becoming the stronger person. 5y

sprainedbrain Judith‘s POV made me more sympathetic toward Cassandra, but also definitely showed Judith to be the stronger sister. 5y

emilyhaldi Judith‘s POV actually had a way of snapping me back to reality. I think I started to get caught up in the tumult of C‘s mind and thoughts and then suddenly J wrenches the reader out of that delusory worldview and brings us back to the truth. It certainly made me feel a deep sadness for C that I hadn‘t quite acknowledged before then. 5y

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