I prepared this light-hearted greeting before the tragic events of September 11th. It is well I did because I don’t believe I would have written the greeting in a like way. However, this generation has been through tragedies that has encompassed the great depression to this latest catastrophe and we realize we must have small events such as sports, travel plans, and discussions like this to help us anchor our lves and see us through the dark days. As you read the following greeting, please remember it was written before the tragic day in September. I hope this discussion brings some small cheer to our changed lives.

God Bless America.

---

Hi and welcome to the discussion of Stephen King’s “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. It is so appropriate that a King discussion be held this time of the year. This is October! The month of Halloween, ghosts goblins and things that go bump in the night. I’m sure even as seniors we still like to be frightened a little the same as when we were kids watching the Frankenstien movies, as long as we know it isn’t for real. Or is it!

”The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon” isn’t a horror story in the true sense of the word, although I believe that 9-year old Trisha McFarland experienced her share of horror. Trsha is the little girl (claims to be big for her age) who gets lost in the woods or forests of Western Maine and the chimney region of New Hampshire and depends on her 9-year old wits for survival. Stephen King spins a tale here that kept me turning pages long after I should have stopped reading for the night.

I believe that this is one of King’s better books. So, then, how about joining in and letting me know how you liked or disliked this novel. It’s not a long book and maybe we can go slow enough to finish up around Halloween and maybe believe we, too, hear things that go bump in the night or in the woods!

I would like to take this time to thank Pat Westerdale for doing this great heading for me. Thank you, Pat. Pat is one of several talented ladies that we are so lucky to have in SeniorNet.

Bill H

Well, today we begin our discussion of King’s novel “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.” I would like to hear your thoughts.

Bill H

Hi Bill and all,

As I have said I had a hard time getting into the book. I hate fighting... so the idea that the brother and mother were constantly at it made me not want to "hear about it".

When I was a teenager (younger than 15, don't remember how old exactly) my friends and I got lost in the woods. We stayed on the trail but had no idea where we were or how to get where we wanted to be. Of course looking back on it, if we'd just turned around as soon as we realized we were not where we thought we were maybe we would have found the place or at least where we started out. Probably it was no more than 3 or 4 hours without water, and we had had a good breakfast. But it got soooo hot. Anyway, I could "feel" Trisha's emotions. I think this must have really happened to Stephen King as this was soooo real.

Of course now days they tell children to hug a tree - man that is good advise! I think we should give our grandkids whistle's to carry - because you sure can not hear someone yelling in the woods (very far anyway).

FrancyLou, so glad you are joining in. It took me a while to get into the book also. I didn’t like the idea of the mother and son fighting so much either. When I was much younger and still living at home, a neighbor lady was constantly SCREAMING at her two small daughters. They were good kids and I really think she found too much fault over the little things the little girls would do.

When Trisha first realized she was lost, I kept thinking hey Trish if you stay put someone will find you. However, if Trisha hadn’t of kept going deeper into the woods there wouldn’t have been a story. Started slow, but picked up speed.

Bill H

What made Trisha so sick?

I have a feeling the snake was a stick that turned when she put her hand on it. All snakes (animals) will bite if hurt... and it had to hurt someone climbing over it.

I believe the first time Trisha got sick was due to eating too much of the wrong kind of fiddlehead berries. However, she did think that it may have been the creek water she drank. I believe it was probably a combination of the two.

When Trish first realized she was lost, I wonder why she just didn’t try to retrace her footsteps instead of still looking fort the shortcut.

Bill H

I remember she kept telling herself she was not lost - maybe if she'd retraced her footsteps she would have felt lost. I do understand panic!

FrancyLou, I do believe almost stepping on the snake and falling against the tree limb added to Trishas panic and adding to her disorientation.

Bill H

Hi Bill, hi FrancyLou, I like the way this book starts -at ten o'clock in the morning Trisha is sitting in the backseat of the car with her brother and her mother, and by 10:30 she is lost in the woods.

What bothered me most about the arguing between Trisha's mother and brother is that they were so busy with their argument that they did not even realize that Trisha was no longer behind them. I get the feeling that they were not even aware of the beauties of the nature they walked in.

Nellie, I agree.... it seemed the most important thing was the argument. Maybe Mom wanting total control was a thing we should all be aware of. I always asked my sons what they would like to do.

Hi, Everyone!

I knew I had a copy of this book somewhere, how could I have missed any of Stephen King's works? So I found it, and will be popping in here occasionally with my really profound insights! hahahaha

I like the beginning, too. I was starting to feel a little sorry for that poor gal, who was being so neglected by all the arguing going on with her brother and Mom.

Lorrie

Hi, Nellie and Lorrie, so glad you joined us here

Nellie, yes fast paced start. In a half-hour's time, the girl was lost. But I liked that. I got a little tired of hearing mother and son arguing.

Lorrie, I do think this is one of King's better stories. Not too much horror, but a lot of suspense.

I can't even imagine the feelings of Trish, when she first realized the awesomeness of those woods, and she being only 9-years old. Just imagine getting lost in the woods of Western Main and the chimney area of New Hampshire. Mind boggling

Bill H

No, Bill, I think this is one of King's "better" books, but I'm afraid I'm terribly prejudiced about his "Green Mile," which is absolutely my favorite.

Poor little girl. Not only is she lost, and panic is setting in, but in my estimation, the worst thing happening right now is that horrible infestation of mosquitoes, no-see-ums, all sorts of annoying little pests, and then the awful wasp bites.

It can happen more easily than we think. Some years back, when we lived out in the "boonies," I was gathering acorns one Fall day out in the woods, and suddenly lost my sense of direction. I remember the horrible panic I felt, because the sun was starting to go down and I couldn't remember where the road was where I had parked my car. Of course I wandered in a circle until I got hold of myself and forced myself to calm down and try to remember what little Girl Scout knowledge I had. I remembered learning that moss grew on the North side of a tree, and that helped me pinpoint which direction to follow, and I finally made it back to the car, but that awful feeling of desperation is all enveloping. Suffice it to say I never became lost again, at least not in the woods acorn-hunting!

Lorrie

I am new to this network, so I may be adding something that has been said many times, but did everyone else see the deep religious and philosophic core to this nove---perhaps even more than his novels usually have?

Welcome, KatieB so very glad you joined us, but to answer your question, no I missed it. Could you tell us what you mean?

Oh, Lorrie, thank you for telling us about that experience you had in the woods. I had something like that while driving an Army two and a half ton truck, while at Ft Knox Ky. I was returning from an artillery firing range and I had to drive around the range, which was all shell torn and looked like the landscape of Mars, in order to get to the road (thank god they were done firing because evening was coming on) I wanted that would take me back to the Fort proper which was miles and miles away. The range was in an isolated rural area. I got lost and night was coming on. There was a maze of roads around the firing range and I didn’t know which one to take.They just kept on curving and curving around and I started worrying about the gasoline. Finally I spied a dirt road leading down a hillside. For the want of something better, I put the truck in low gear and followed the dirt road down the hill. To this day I feel my guardian angel showed me that dirt road, because it led to the country road I was looking for that went back to the Fort proper. After that and to this day, I pay attention to where I’m driving.

Here is a topographic view of the state of Maine. Maine is outlined with the red border. Please look at the left hand border near the New Hampshire chimney and you will see what confronted little Trisha. Click Maine

Aren’t you glad it wasn’t you?

Bill H

FrancyLou, it also seems that mother takes Trisha and her older brother Peter on those 'educational' outings in order to stop the arguing for a while; but it doesn't seem to work.

I found it interesting that Trisha distances herself from the argument by going off into a fantasy about meeting Tom Gordon.

Lorrie, and Bill too, good examples of how easy it is to get lost in the woods. But in Trisha's case it is her choice to go forwards instead of back the way she came that gets her lost. I wonder if there is some kind of meaning to that? Maybe there are times in life when it is better to backtrack?

Nellie, yes I agree. Just like the songs says:

Know when to hold them. Know when to fold them. Know when to walk away.

Bill H

KATIE B:

It's intriguing, what you asked about in your post # 15, and I'd like to hear more about your thoughts on this. It has made me re-examine the book in a new light, and that's what these discussions are all about, isn't it?

BILL:

I like your story about driving the Army truck back to the fort. You surely had a guardian angel there!

Does anyone see any escapism in the glee with which Trisha discovers that her radio is working, and that she will be able to hear the baseball game?

Lorrie

Yes, Lorrie, Trish did seem very happy when she remembered she had brought her Walkman radio. It probably did represent escapism for her, if nothing else, it would break the solitude of those immense woods and she did feel as though she may hear reports of a lost girl being reported.

I pictured the bugs swarming around her head--I believe she called them the menges and noseeums--following her wherever she went as a dark cloud much like the dark cloud that hovered over the head of the long ago comic strip character, The Poor Soul. Does anyone remember that comic strip?

Bill H

Bill, I sure do - and had the same picture in my head.

At the end of the chapter, "Bottom of the Forth<" on pages 104 and 105, I think is one of the saddest passages in the book, where Tricia's brother Pete wakes from a dream, and "It was as if he never had a sister at all."

Lorrie

I think it is interesting that while Trisha is lost in the wilderness, her Walkman keeps her in touch with the civilized world.

Peter's dream in which he walks on the trail and keeps turning around to see, over and over, that his sister is gone. Does he only turn around in the dream or did he turn around in real life too and find her gone?

I think he did in real life. You know how your brain plays things over and over. Mine does that even when I am awake. Especialy if something upsets me. I'll have to get a good book to read to make it stop!

FrancyLou, I'm happy you remembered the comic strip the "Poor Soul" also. I thought maybe I was the only one that remembered it.

Yes, Lorrie, it was a sad thought that Trisha’s brother had when he woke and realized he no longer had a little sister. Sadder still was the self blame he and his mother had to share for paying so little attention to her that morning

Nellie, I suppose Pete did turn around and see Trisha was missing, but I can't recall if the writer brought that out.

One of the frightening experiences for Trish was suddenly coming to the brink of the high cliff overlooking the valley below and seeing the granite walls rising on all sides of the valley and the steep drop under her feet. Could this have been King’s way of emphasizing the vast expanse and loneliness the little girl was faced with. King has a way of getting the reader to read between the lines?

Bill H

The bit about the Walkman and listening to the Red Sox games at night on the radio gave me such an affinity to Trisha. Because I live in NH, I grew up at my father's knee listening to Red Sox games on the radio. (No TV then). I could feel the comfort that that gave her while taking her mind completely away from her plight. I also thought Tom Gordon was handsome and intriguing, wish he were still on the team. I started this book about 7PM one evening and finished it about 1AM. I'm not even sure I paused, but I must have taken the dog out at some point! Many of King's books have had me sleepless, not from fear, but from suspense. I thought this was one of the best, although I also just read 'Hearts in Atlantis' which is great also.

Barb

When we were in Arizona (we took two foreign exchange students). We lost them at the Grand Canyon.... that part of the book gave me chills as I remember thinking "I'll have to call their parents and tell them I lost them at the Grand Canyon"! It was probably no more than an hour before I figured out the trail ended.... and they did not come any farther (we had driven ahead to the next lookout point and they were walking). Just then I yelled to my husband and people who were standing in front of my car (can not understand why they did not see me in their reading the map) said "did you lose two girls"?

They knew we'd be upset if they walked on the road, so they stayed at the lookout point and sent people to tell us. We thought they were on the trail and would not leave the end of it, lol.

I got tired of standing so had gotten back in the car to read the map and try to figure out what was taking them so long. I was ready to call out the rangers!!! So the people coming to our lookout point were looking for me (with my husband). I am very short and fat, easy to find next to him. They'd come up to the car (it was new so I thought they were looking at it). Why they did not see me in the car is a mystry.

Welcome, Barb. I’m so glad you joined this discussion. You being from that area can readily relate to Trisha’s plight. Yes, I too grew up in TV less era and families did gather around the radio so in those days. I miss the warmth of the radio days.

I also thought this was one of King’s better books, not much of the old horror, but plenty of suspense. If you like, you can also join us in the Action/Adventure discussion, where you will meet many of Stephen Kings fans along with many other horror/suspense writers.

Hey, FrancyLou, "losing students in the Grand Canyon" I bet your heart was pounding. I've been to the Grand Canyon and seeing mental pictures of it I can just imagine what was going through your mind.

Bill H

Barb, what part or parts of this novel interested you the most?

Bill H

Bill, I think that the cliffs and the drop at her feet not only emphasized the vastness of the wilderness Trisha was lost in; it also emphasized the danger she was in.

It was the overall book I liked and specially the way that King shows all the mistakes that Trisha makes that get her lost in the first place, and keep searchers from finding her at first in the second place. His choice for main protagonist is logical and perfect, for only a nine year old child is still unwise enough to make those mistakes; specially when they have not been taught what to do in the case of getting lost.

Also liked how Tom Gordon becomes more and more a factor in her thinking; how he becomes a type of advisor to her in her mind.

I think Tom Gordon in this case is really Trisha. Just as in real life we can find a way out if we think it thru. We - not someone else will rescue us.

You know I just thought a lot of the real life stories you hear where girls are shot.. arms cut off, etc.... they saved themselves. They did not lie down a die.

Bill H., you asked what part of this book I found most interesting? I never can answer that, I have trouble picking out parts of a book. However, what most intrigued me was this nine-year olds tenacity. I kept thinking I could not have done all she did now never mind when I was nine. Here she didn't have a clue what to do when lost, but she used her considerable common sense. I most enjoyed the descriptions of the landscape and the play by play of the baseball games. I usually avoid stories of children in trouble, but somehow I knew as soon as I started reading that this kid was gonna make it!

It's been a while since I read it, but for instance, at night, while she slept and was aware of the possible encroachment of the monster, she kept thinking about Tom Gordon and his plays, and that kept her "safe" until she slept. In fact, Tom Gordon seemed to keep the monster at bay to the very end. That reminded me of the parallel of prayers keeping the devil (or such) at bay. As long as she had Tom Gordon, she was safe.

Hi, I was away yesterday or I would have answered your posts sooner

Nellie, so observant on your part. Your post gives me a whole new insight to the story I hadn’t thought of until now. Trisha did make a lot of mistakes. But she did remember what she was taught about applying mud packs to mosquito stings.) At one, time wasn’t most of her face covered with these mud packs?

babsNH, Trish did display so much tenacity for a nine year old. You said you couldn’t have done what she did. But, you know, one never knows the extent of their survival abilities until survival is thrust upon them. When I look back at some of the situations I was placed in, I marvel at how I survived and got through them. Till this day there are some situations I was in that still boggles my mind. I do believe that only devine intervention helped me. But everyday life means tenacity on our part. Look at the tenacity the New York people are displaying. I’m sure so many of them never thought they could do what they are doing.

KatieB, you posted how at night Trisha would think of the encroachment of the monster. It is mostly at night we think of what we fear and only our faith in something or someone makes us feel safe. In Trish’s case it was Tom Gordon. But come the morning most of these fearful thoughts vanish like the night that surrounded us. Maybe it’s because that during the light of the day we can put our plans into action whereas the darkness of night immobilizes us. I’m sure we all had faith in something that kept us feeling safe. Could any of you mention thoughts that seen you through difficult times?

Help! What am I doing wrong? When I post on senior net my posts don't show up. What I mean is, I don't see them, and I never get responces, so assume no one else can see them either. Would someone please tell me if they see this post or not?! Thank You, Leann

Angel, I read you loud and clear!

Angel, I see this one, but I believe this is the first I've seen in this discussion. I hope we see more, because I feel you can contribute interesting posts.

Bill H

In the “Top of the Fourth” on page 58 Trisha had the following thought.

I wasn’t supervised, she thought--not without self-righteousness. I’m just a little kid and I wasn’t properly supervised. Also if she gives me hell I’ll just say ‘You wouldn’t stop arguing and finally I couldn’t stand it anymore.’

After I read that I couildn’t help but wonder if many of todays children think the same way, when they find themselves in unpleasant situations that could have dire consequences. Do any of you agree with little Trisha?

By the way, did you all get throug Halloween OK? It was so appropriate that the History Channel did the biography of Vincent Price last night

Bill H

Welcome, Angel. There is still plenty of time yet for you to join our discussion and we would be so glad you did. Angel, you asked for a ball park schedule of the discussion. This can be found in the heading under “Reading Schedule” The book is a fast read and we have been more or less just discussing the whole story. Feel free to jump right in. But I am sorry your past posts haven’t been showing up. They are very clear now.

Bill H

Bill and all, I think what Trisha is really saying when she speaks of not being supervised, is that she was not being cared for by the two people who should have been watching out for her. I had the feeling while reading at the beginning of the story that both mother and Peter get so caught up in their own agendas that they became totally unaware of Trisha.

"following the stream will lead you to people" -not exact quote. But that is not always true: following a stream in the wilderness can lead you farther away from people. Sometimes it depends on which direction you go.

I like the bit on page 109 where Trisha has the feeling that she is being watched and everything has gone silent. I've had that exact same feeling while in the woods. We were in one of the mountain parks -either Banff or Jasper- and across the road from where we had stopped for the night there was a short trail that led to an old pioneer cabin. Since it was still light out and I was stiff from sitting for hours in the car, I decided an hour in the woods -half hour to the cabin according to the sign and half an hour back- would be just the thing. First thing I discovered as I followed the trail and got deeper in among all those tall conifers, that it was darker under the trees, and I had this constant feeling that I was being watched. But I kept on and made it to the cabin where a sign told the story of the whispering woods -the trees seemed to make a whispering noise when the wind blew. As I read that I started to hear that whispering and it was getting darker. So I hurried back along the trail with the trees swaying wildly back and forth and the whispering noise becoming louder and louder. Then I heard my dad calling me as at the same time one of the trees came crashing down right in front of me accross the trail. Its branches kept it high enough off the ground for me to crawl under. I met up with my dad and just as the rain came pouring down we were safely back at the cabin.

I've got to go now.

Hi All: I have the book, and just wanted to say that I am only on page 34. I haven't been on Senior net. for a while, and I bought this book without even knowing you were all reading it. I just started to read it. That is why I was wondering where everyone was. Looks like I am in the dust. I skip over the posts where everyone talks about this book, until I can get further in. Thanks for letting me know you saw my last post. Here's to reading, Leann

Nellie, thanks so much for sharing that experience you had with us. I'll bet you thanked heavens those branches kept the tree high enough for you to crawl under. What would you have done otherwise? Was there a way around the fallen treee? Did your father see all this?

I had a feeling of being watched, when I was visiting Lake Louise in Canada.--Is that Banff? I took a little hike along the trail leading back to the toung of the glacier at the far end of the Lake (I think it's called Victoria Glacier. I'm not sure). When I reached the toung, I thought: this is bear country and here I am foolishly all alone. I'm sure I imagined it, but I had a feeling I was being watched. I knew I'd never be able to out run a bear so the best thing for me would be to jump into Lake Louise. However, I started back to the Chateau and nothing eventful happened

Hi, Angel. No, your not being left in the dust. There is a lot on those first 34 pages you can comment on. Just join in and let us know how you feel about what you have read so far.

Bill H

Leann it is a great little book! You will finish it no time at all because you won't be able to put it down!!

Hi to All: Thanks Bill and FrancyLou for your support with this book. I am going right along with it. Ya know, if I had to go potty that bad, I would hope that I would have found some way to keep track of whoever I was with. When I was young I never let my parents out of my sight. Oh My, and that snake!!! That would have been the end of me for sure. Mow she seems to have herself sooo turned around she'll never find her way back. Gotta keep reading. Thanks again. Here's to reading, Leann

Leann, that was good advice about going to the potty)

When Trisha was crossing the swamp or bog, I felt this was a reflection on how her everyday feelings were mired or boged down by the chaotic experiences of her domestic life. i.e. The divorce of her mother and father and the quarreling of her mother and brother. Also the drinking problem her dad presented. This all could be mentally traumatic for a 9-year old. Trisha was dealing with so many things other than being lost. But this brave little girl just kept on dealing with all of this in her own way.

Bill H

Bill, yes there was a way around the fallen tree, but that would have taken me way off the trail -and even then I had a good idea that going off the trail was not a good thing. Dad did see the tree fall, but did not see me crawl under because he was around a bend in the trail.

Trisha coming to the swamp and the ghost-wood of old burned trees. I liked her outburst of anger when her shoe gets stuck in the swamp mud. Haven't we all done this at one time or another?

For a minute or so she sat on the hummock with her legs crossed and the rescued sneaker in her lap, laughing and crying at the center of a black orbiting universe of bugs while the dead trees stood sentinel all around her and the crickets hummed.

I mean laughed and cried both at the same time.

Does Trisha surprise you with her toughness? I think that King used a young girl as his protagonist precisely because of that element of surprise. In spite of feminism and equality of the sexes, I think that many still see girls as more tender than boys and hence that element of discovery in the story. For me the story wouldn't have worked half as well with a boy as the protagonist.

Just some wandering thoughts.

Hi Jeann!

I am the one who posted here a while back Bill, and mentioned I have 500+ books. Well, tonight I bought two more. Have any of you read " The House ", by Bentley Little? The other book I bought I'm sure most all of you have read, but I never did. "The Hobbit". I saw it at Wal-Mart, for a mere $4.98, and decided I must read this book. My life can't one day come to an end and I never read the Hobbit. That would qualify as some kind of a sin, wouldn't it?! I don't know when I will get all this reading done. I need another bookcase really bad, much worse than I need any more books. Night all. Probably check in tomorrow. Leann

Nellie, yes Trisha did surprise me with the toughness she showed. I thought it was so remarkable for a 9-year old, wheather boy or girl, to display this kind of courage in the face of what could mean disaster. There were parts of the story that I found humorous too. King does have a way of injecting humor into his stories even the really horror tales he writes. Oh, Nellie, I imagine your father was terrified till he found out you were OK.

Do any of you think it's a little unreal for a 9-year old to be toughing it out the wayTrish is?

By the way all don't forget to click on "King Biography" in the heading to read some things about him.

Bill H

Bill, I do find Trisha's toughness and the way she keeps going in spite of the odds somewhat unreal. I had a harder time 'suspending my disbelief' in this story than I normally do with a King story. This may sound strange but it is the 'realism' in the story that I think leads to its unreality.

Don't you find that Trisha is more of an adult than a child?

Nellie - I was feeling that way also. She seems more adult than child. But then again - she has a tough life. Make her grow up in a hurry.

Nellie and FrancyLou, yes, I agree with both of you. Trisha's thinking was far more adult than that of a 9-year old. I can't help but wonder what her thinking will be like on her 21st. birthday.) However, it did make for an interesting story.

Bill H

In the “Fifth Inning,” our little heroine discovers the second brook or stream, however she must slide down a flume with about a twenty-five foot drop. She gets nicked up a bit doing this, but she does get to drink the water and eat more hucklheads the combination of which makes her very ill. She asks god to please stop her pukin. That’s when she sees the imaginary figure of Tom Gordon. Happily this settles her down and she gets over the GIs. Now the question is this: Do any of you think the image of Tom Gordon was all imaginary or was it perhaps sent by an unforeseen force to help this little girl recover from her bout of the GIs?

I believe it was KatieB that first suggested their may be a religious and philosophic aspect to the novel. I suppose Trish seeing the image or vision of Tom Gordon made me think of KatieB’s remark. But I must admit I didn’t look for any of this while I was reading the story.

Bill H

I think all along Trisha was questioning whether there was a God or not. My cousin would probably say it was the Holy Gost.... whatever

FrancyLou, well said. Perhaps the vision of Tom Gordon was Gods way of letting Trisha know he existed.

Bill H

Have any more of you seen the religious significance of the book?

KatieB, Yes. One other part of the book made me think think of what you said.

In the 6th inning, on page 137, I liked the way King introduced the more gentle type of wild life with the doe and her fawns and the beaver before those creatures. As Trish was about to say good bye to the deer as they ran away, she realized what the deer were doing there. They were munching on beechnuts that littered the forest floor. The beechnuts proved to be another source of food for the little girl. Again, I can see KatieB’s idea of the religious strain running through here. The deer seemed to appear from nowhere and by their eating beechnuts showed Trish another means of survival. I wonder if King wanted us to realize this.

Bill Hs way.

KatieB, you asked: ”Have any more of you seen the religious significance of the book?”

Katie, you have made reference to this aspect of the book before. Since this is the third and final week of this discussion, would you please tell us what gave you cause to say this?

Bill H

I kind of felt like King himself has found God....

In some ways he is telling us to "stop and smell the roses" don't you think?

FrancyLou, good point.

Bill H

I agree. It seems you get the feeling that King has found God, himself. I can sense sort of a spiritual feeling through this. Could this have anything to do with him being hit by that drunk driver while he was jogging?! It makes me wonder anyway. Maybe King took it as a wake up call. He does a very nice job on this book, I think. Leann

Leann, that was a very interesting post, it is certainly food for thought.

Bill H

I'm not sure yet that I can see the religious aspect of this story. I see it more as a 'loss of innocence' story. Or am I seeing something which is not there?

I have sent notices, for those interested in continuing to receive it to REPLY .... since email addresses come and go are changed and boxes get full.

But I have not heard from a lot of people who post here regularly or the lurkers that are here.

SO .... if you still want Book Bytes.....
Click on my name.
Click on my email address
Send me an email with Book Bytes in the subject line
And I will add your name to the new list.

Nellie, I must admit I didn’t see the religious connotation in the the story either. I never even thought of it while I was reading the book. It was only after one of our readers suggested there may be one that went looking for it.

Now that our discussion is drawing to a close, I would welcome your thoughts on the ending of the novel. I thought there could have been a little more to the ending of the tale. For me, it seemed to end so abruptly. However overall I did enjoy the book.

Bill H

The end was when I really thought Trisha had found God. When she asked her father to come to her - and pointed up to the "sky" like Tom Gordon. I really felt the whole book was her search for God in a way. I'll bet that is why it felt so abrupt to you Bill, as you had not seen the "search for God" part of the book.

FrancyLou, I missed that!

Bill H

I didn't find the ending abrupt at all. I think though that Trisha did not consciously catch on that it was God who had saved her until she had that final dream of her and Tom Gordon in the field with the post with the metal ring on it; and as he fades away Tom asks her "What's God's Nature?" and she says "To come in at the bottom of the ninth." At that moment she knows. But I had no sense of her purposefully searching for God throughout the book.

Just a quick note. I agree with FrancyLou 100%. I saw the same things through out this book, and thought it was a good read. I didn't feel it had an abrupt ending either. Stephen King pulled off another really good book. It touched my soul somehow. Leann

It does seem Stephen King likes to bring the paranormal, supreme being or God into quite a few of his stories. The one we have discussed he certainly brings God into the novel. in other books such as “The Dark Tower” series, which by the way I found vastly entertaining, he introduces passing through portals into other worlds and times and leading us to believe The Dark Tower is in some way a sort of supreme being. In “Christine” he had the spirit of a departed man possessing an automobile. And in the Shining, he has ghosts of the departed roaming all through the hotel The “Shining,” I suspect, introduces the thought of heaven and hell. Many more of his books also borders on the supernatural.

Every time I see the title “The Shining” I think of Jack Nicholson.)

Bill H

Why do you think the bear followed Trish for so long a time without harming her? The bear could have injured her anytime he wished yet he didn’t.

Bill H

Animals are afraid of humans... I expect he had plenty of his natural food (deer, berries, etc.) so he was just curious. Probably why he went up to her - if he wanted to eat her he would have attacked. He could easily have eaten her the first night while she slept (he went up to smell her).

FrancyLou, that was a good answer, but I have read where a bear has attacked without any provocation. Maybe when an animal does so that animal may be suffering from some sort of distemper.

Bill H

That could be. Or it can not find its natural food, or maybe injured. Or the person has on perfume/after shave (an invitation to "eat me").

We went to a Zoo in North Dakota. They had a Kodiak Bear. I swear it was as big as a pick up truck (don't remember the numbers any longer). It knew I had Graham Crackers for the kids. I had them in my purse. My husband is allergic to perfume so it was not that. It was asleep until it smelled those crackers - then let me tell you it begged so hard there was no way I could not give them to him. This was probably more than 20 years ago - before they stopped letting the public feed the animals at the zoo's.

FrancyLou, I bet evertime you buy Graham Crackers you think of "The Bear Who Loved Graham Crackers.")

We have reached the end of our scheduled discussion time. I thank all of you for participating in the discussion of the "Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon." From all the very interesting posts we received here, I hope this discussion helped you view this novel in a new light. I know they did me. You gave me some new insights of the story that I didn’t realize while I was reading it Thank you for joing in and I do wish you a happy holiday. God bless you and

God Bless America.

Bill H