Discussion 2 ~ Christy Read-Along

Welcome to the second discussion of the Christy read-along! ♥ If this is the first you've heard of the read-along, you can view the schedule in this invitation post.

Today we'll be discussing chapters 5-11. If you've already read these chapters, you can share your thoughts in the comments section below or in your own post! (Feel free to use the image above, linking back to the Christy read-along tag.) If you still need to catch up on the reading, you're welcome to check in whenever you're ready. :) We're happy to have you join us whenever you can!

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Christy: Chapters 5-11

Discussion format: your favorite quotes, general impressions, and three questions to answer for each week's reading

Favorite Quotes*

• "This is so beautiful that I want to hug it—if you could hug a room. It's like—well, like coming home." "That's the nicest compliment my cabin's ever had." 

• "[God] was always right there beside me, looking at the dreadful sights with compassion and love and heartbreak. His caring and His love were too real for bitterness to grow in me."

• "You see, Christy, evil is real—and powerful. It has to be fought, not explained away, not fled. And God is against evil all the way. So each of us has to decide where we stand, how we're going to live our lives."

• "[God] suffers more than any of us could because His is the deepest emotion and the highest perception."

• "What goes on at a deep level inside you, Christy, is not silly, whatever else it may be."

• "When you have something important to say to a man," my mother had always advised, "never say it to a hungry one. Wait until he's had a good meal."

General Impressions

I think some of my favorites scenes from this section (and there are lots of compelling scenes!) are the ones where Christy is talking with Miss Alice. The weighty topics they discuss are approached with appropriate gravity but also hope, and there are some very thought-provoking lines (a few of which I included in the quotes section above). I really love Miss Alice's approach, how she's a great listener, asks important questions, boldly addresses the pain and evil in the Cove, and points to a loving God who has never failed her.

In these chapters we also get to see Christy's first day teaching school, her unexpected visit to the heartbreaking O'Teale cabin, the letter receiving and writing that leads to lots of donations to the mission, the tragic truth behind the McHone baby's death, unknown men skulking about at night, Dr. MacNeill's cabin full of "contradictions" (chapter 10), and the surprisingly successful start to the mission "store." Phew! That's a lot for Christy to face in such a short time, and a lot to take in as a reader.

Since I've seen (and I love!) the TV adaptation of Christy, it's interesting to see how some of these scenes were approached differently for the screen. For example, if I remember right, the store idea took longer to form and involved the students more than how it's depicted at the end of chapter 11. I drew a smiley face in my book next to the line about the people of the Cove using the fancy shoes they'd traded for as "door stops." :) Not something you'd probably see very often!

While the chapter on Christy's first day of school was definitely full and fun, it's interesting to me how Christy's role as teacher hasn't been highlighted too much yet; mostly, we're getting to meet different people and problems in the Cove. I'm curious to see how the book differs further from the TV series and what happens in the next set of chapters!

Discussion Questions

Answer any or all three of these questions in the comments section or in your own blog post!

1. Despite all the sad revelations in this section, what moment or scene stood out to you as either really funny or really uplifting?

2. Now that we've gotten to know David and Dr. MacNeill a bit better, what are your impressions of them? How do you feel about their characters, their attitudes, and their interactions with others?

3. What are your thoughts about Christy's requests for donations from friends and various companies? Do you think she was foisting a cause upon others inappropriately? (To reference a conversation in chapter 11.) Or do you think such letters could be a blessing to both giver and receiver? Would you have approached things differently?

Join us next Friday for our third discussion! 

(Chapters 12-18)

*Catherine Marshall, Christy (New York: Avon, 2006), 59, 102, 103, 104, 113, 149.