Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Book Discussion: Torrent

Welcome to Medieval Italy! Let's adjourn to the library at Castello Forelli so we can discuss the talk of the kingdom - "The River of Time" series by Lisa T. Bergren! Or more specifically, the conclusion to this awesome series - Torrent!!

Before we dive in, here's the description of the book from Lisa's website:

"Gabi and Lia Betarrini have learned to control their time travel, and they return from medieval Italy to save their father from his tragic death in modern times. But love calls across the centuries, and the girls are determined to return forever—even though they know the Black Plague is advancing across Europe, claiming the lives of one-third of the population. In the suspenseful conclusion of the River of Time series, every decision is about life … and death."

Time for Some Rules:

While this discussion is mostly for readers who have read the whole series, anyone is welcome to join! I'm going to keep my questions as spoiler-free as possible, but I can't guarantee the comments will be such. So feel free to read this post and respond to whichever questions you want - just beware of the comments if you haven't yet read Torrent! (If you're one of those people who hasn't read it, I recommend you read it soon!!)

Time for Some Discussion Questions:
  • OK, I just have to ask this question first! Who is your favorite hero in Torrent and/or the whole "River of Time" series? Why? (I think this just might be one of the toughest discussion question ever!!)
  • Gabi is one tough swordswoman - always "at the ready," persevering through pain, and fighting for freedom. Do you think you would have what it takes to survive (like Gabi and her family) in a place as dangerous as Medieval Italy? What does it take to survive in this day and age? Conversely, what do you enjoy most about living in this time period?
  • For parents: Would you be willing to let your children travel back to a vicious time if it meant a more meaningful "future" for all of you?
  • For young adults: If the only way your whole family could stay together was to go back in time, would you be willing to take the risk and give up modern comforts, friends, school, a career, etc.?
Time for Some Dessert:

Here's one last discussion question from the "after words" section of Torrent:
  • "In one passage, the book titles for the series are somewhat explained: 'My eyes shifted to the trickling river. Come spring, it would be ten times as wide and just as deep. On and on it went, rushing toward the distant horizon. Like time. Like life. Sometimes gently falling from one pool into the other, other times fast and cascading, and still other times narrowing into a funnel, a torrent of knots and waves.' Have you experienced life like that? Identify three times in your life that feel like a Waterfall, a Cascade, and a Torrent. Which one describes your life right now?"
I absolutely LOVE the idea of an "after words" for a book - like an "encore" or a piece of "dessert." Way to go David C Cook publishers - fabulous idea! I just had to include the discussion question above because it really ties the whole series together, and it's a brilliant question!

Can't wait to hear your thoughts and interact with all of you! =)

22 comments:

Amber Holcomb said...

*Blush*

Perhaps I should have announced this on GR or something... I know a lot of people are doing the Waterfall discussions, so maybe it's too early for a Torrent discussion... I can hear the crickets chirping... ;)

~Amber

Katie Marie said...

Just saw this up. Awesome idea! I'm jumping in with two of the questions for now. :-) But I'll try to stop back again.

Who is my favorite character. Okay, I have TOTALLY fallen for Lord Rodolfo Greco. Wow! I didn't know it was possible to have a huge crush on a fictional character...until I met Rodolfo. I've always liked the "slightly bad boys" or the "good bad boys", so, yep, head over heads for that dude!

Would I be willing to stay back in time, if it meant my whole family could be together? Well, since I am a lover of history, that's an easy one. YES! I would LOVE to go back in time and live in medieval Italy (and find Lord Greco, of course!! ;-) I know it would probably be REALLY hard to give up modern comforts and technology like computers, A/C, phones, novels...but in the end, I'd be worth it. :-)

Well, that's all for now! Just getting this in really quick before I have to clock out for the night. Again, great idea. I LOVED this last installment to the River of Time series. :-D

Amber Holcomb said...

Katie,

Thank you!! I'm glad I'm not all alone here, LOL! ;)

Oooh, boy - Lord Greco!! He is definitely a man of mystery, and very, very charming!! ;) I confess that I really like Luca, too. His humor in Cascade and his actions throughout the series make him just plain adorable! But then there's Marcello... His complete and utter devotion, constantly wanting to protect his girl, showing respect to her parents and such tender love to Gabi... *sigh* It's just too hard to choose!

LOL to your second response! (You really have it bad, don't you??) ;)

Thanks again for stopping by! I, too, loved this book! :D

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Katie,

If you haven't yet seen this, check out this link:

http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2011/09/character-spotlight-lisa-t-bergrens.html

Rel spotlighted Lord Greco's character today, and I think you'll love the post! ;D

~Amber

Katie Marie said...

Haha, oh, no, you're not! Torrent was my favorite book in the series(Yeah, totally because of Greco, :-P), so I was excited when I saw this post!! :-D

I really liked Luca, too. Probably because of his good humor, no matter what. But I liked him the way Gabi did--as a brother and a good friend. Marcello was a great guy, too and, before Lord Greco showed up, I thought he was my favorite in the series. But I wasn't totally head-over-heels for him. Which I am with Lord Greco. (Yeah, it probably get's old hearing his name so much. Haha, sorry!!)

Ohhhh! Thank you for the link. I went over and read all about him. Aye-yi-yi--What a picture!! Eduardo Verastegui would make an awesome Rodolfo!! I like Rel's tastes! ;-)

Amber Holcomb said...

Katie,

Thanks! ((Hugs)) And I think Torrent was also my favorite of the series, although I thought Waterfall was fabulous, too! :)

LOL about Lord Greco! ;) Glad you enjoyed the link!

~Amber

Katie Marie said...

:-D Hey, do you have a facebook? I bet if you went and posted the link to this post on Lisa Bergren's River of Time fan page, we could get a discussion going! ;-)

Just a thought!

Kav said...

Rats! I've had computer problems at home all week so I missed this. Just finished reading Torrent on Thursday and found it mesmerizing! I think it's my favourite book in the series too. And it brought such a strong ending to the series. I was almost afraid to read it because I just didn't know how Lisa could possibly end it satisfactorily -- but she did!!!!!!!!!

My favourite hero is still Marchello. Rodolfo lost favour with me in the second book when he captured Gabi the first time. I know he was walking a fine line but still. Grrrrrr. So despite the bad boy fireworks sizzling off the pages, I'm sticking with Marcello.

What do I enjoy most about this time period???? Flush toilets and blogging. :-)

Honestly, this was such an amazing series and I'm so sad to see that it's over. I wonder what Lisa will come up with for her next book though?

Katie Marie said...

Kav - I'm still up to chat about this awesome book, if Amber doesn't mind! :-)

I know what you mean. I was looking forward to reading Torrent in a love/hate sort of way, because I also didn't see how she could end it satisfactorily. I've learned not to doubt Lisa's abilities. I was astonished! And it looks like Torrent WON'T be the final visit to Gabi and Lia's medieval world. Didja hear?? A book four is possibly in the making. Yay!

Haha, that's funny--what drew me to Rodolfo in the first place pushed you away. Shows we all have VERY different tastes! :-) (which is a good thing. I am not very good at sharing. :-P lol!)

Amber Holcomb said...

Katie,

I actually don't have a Facebook anymore... I deactivated it after trying it out for one semester my first year of college. Too much time and drama. :(

But I have checked out some of the "River of Time" character pages on Facebook - such a cool idea! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Kav,

So glad you could stop by, and so glad you loved Torrent, as well!! :D

I think I'm with you when it comes to Marcello. He's just so faithful and honorable (not to mention handsome!!). ;D Lord Greco is very charming, but his divided loyalties wouldn't make for a very stable relationship... His role in Cascade (and in Torrent) did somewhat win me over, but it was hard to read about the things he did while walking that fine line... Poor Gabi. :(

Anyway, I am so with you on the flush toilets and blogging, LOL! Those are two things I'm very grateful for. ;)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Katie,

Of course I don't mind! That's what this post is for. ;)

I'm glad we all have different tastes, as well. :) And that would be awesome if Tributary did indeed get published!! :D

~Amber

Katie Marie said...

Amber, I'd be happy to post a link there, if you'd like. Just let me know.

Yeah, Tributary will make a wonderful addition to the series. I read that first chapter over a time or two, just savoring the idea of Gabi and Lia's story continuing. :-D It took me a little while to get used to it being in Lia's POV, though, since I was so used to reading it in Gabi's. How about you?

Amber Holcomb said...

Katie,

Sure, if you don't mind! :)

And yeah, that first chapter was definitely intriguing! I thought it was interesting how the first three books were completely in Gabi's POV, so it's neat to think we'll get Lia's (and maybe some other characters'?) POV in Tributary. And I'm excited to see what will happen with Lord Greco! ;)

~Amber

Lisa Tawn Bergren said...

My answers...

#1 Marcello. Lord Greco was as much of an enticement as he was for Gabi, I think, but I love the strong, true and un-complex hero. :-)

#2 I probably would've died outside the tomb, the first day I arrived. As much as I think I'm a warrior on the inside, I'm a total marshmallow on the outside.

#3 Parents: I don't think so. It appeals, but protection of my children would win out.

#4 Title queries: I've experienced them all! Heartbreak, death, love, disappointment, job changes, birth, hope, intrigue--all of life contributes to the different courses of a River...

THANK YOU for posting a discussion, Amber! Love it!

LTB

Rel said...

Hey gals,

Thanks for your support of my great taste - Lol!! Eduardo makes a great Rodolfo, don't you think?! Sigh!

As for me, I think I want a blend of all of Lisa's great guys! Marcello's honour, Luca's humour and laid back attitude and Rodolfo's good looks and intensity! not asking for much, am I?!

Having had c-sections I probably would have died in childbirth so don't think I'm keen to live in the 14th century! As for living now, I love the ability I have to live in Australia and yet connect with book living friends all over the world!

I'm with Lisa, I feel a little too protective of my kids to send them to some danger ridden place where death and destruction are simply a part of wverday life.

Life is a torrent for me at the moment but clinging to the fact that it passes in time and calm will come!!

Lots of fun, Amber - thanks :)

Amber Holcomb said...

Lisa,

So wonderful to have you here and contributing your own thoughts to your awesome book! :D Thank you for stopping by!

I think I'm with you on Marcello - and the whole "dying outside the tomb" thing, LOL! ;) I've done 13 years of Jujitsu, and I'd like to think I can defend myself should the need ever arise, but I think living in such a dangerous world would just not work well with my personality/nature. But I love reading your books about it, though! :)

So glad you like the post, and thank you again for joining in and for writing such great books! I'm still hoping that Waterbrook Multnomah releases "Midnight Sun" in the same format as "The Captain's Bride" and "Deep Harbor" soon! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Rel,

No problem! ;) And I like the way you think - we just need a combo of all 3 guys!! Fabulous idea! ;)

I love the ability to connect with other book-lovers, as well - blogging has been such a blessing for me, especially since I'm such an introvert! And I think I'm feeling a bit of that "torrent," too. I just need to keep trusting that God has a plan for my life, and in His own perfect timing He'll show me where I should go after I graduate in the spring. Crazy, but exciting, times! :)

Thank you so much for visiting - loved reading your responses! And you already know how much I love your blog! :) It's so professional and up-to-date!

~Amber

Katie Marie said...

Amber, done for ya! ;-)

Rel, Yes, Eduardo would make a really good Rodolfo. Haha, yeah, if you could find a guy that was a total mix of these three....he'd be an AWESOME catch!!

Amber Holcomb said...

Katie,

Thank you!! :)

And awesome, indeed!! ;D

~Amber

Rel said...

Thanks for your lovely words about my blog :) Made my day! The torrential days are tough but as you say, they can also be exciting! I look forward to hearing about the next part in your journey.

Katie - yep, Eduardo does have a few things going for him, doesn't he?! So want to read his story one day!

Amber Holcomb said...

Rel,

Oh, you're more than welcome! I love your blog, and I've been a fan since before I started my own blog. :) In fact, I think I won one of my first giveaways on your blog... Or at least I remember loving City of the Dead by T.L. Higley, which I won on your blog!!

Thank you for your kind words, and so glad to have you visit! :)

~Amber