tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post2881694698390013305..comments2023-12-25T00:38:19.500-08:00Comments on Finding Wonderland: The WritingYA Weblog (archive): Monday Review: HEREVILLE by Barry DeutschSarah Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16534942492714970282noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-59323431001567506712012-03-14T12:32:36.471-07:002012-03-14T12:32:36.471-07:00Doret: That interpretation didn't occur to me ...Doret: That interpretation didn't occur to me when I was reading, but it definitely makes sense & is something I should have thought of. It's the same in traditional Islamic culture, too--I see that all the time on my dad's side of the family where the vast majority of the kids' day-to-day business is handled by the mom.<br /><br />Barry: Thank you so much for stopping by! We're always honored when authors come by and comment on our reviews.<br /><br />Let me reiterate that I KNOW others didn't see a teachy angle to this, and readers have very different opinions on what constitutes the right balance of information and entertainment for them. This is just one reviewer's individual opinion. :)<br /><br />Re: Dad and girl-centrism, I love that this is a girl-focused story in a culture that may seem to outsiders to be very male-centric! And believe me, as a writer I HIGHLY sympathize with the space issue and having to minimize some characters in order to focus on others. Sigh...<br /><br />Thanks again for your input!Sarah Stevensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16534942492714970282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-55795305850652701382012-03-14T12:30:46.926-07:002012-03-14T12:30:46.926-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Sarah Stevensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16534942492714970282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-65282165567047975932012-03-12T20:08:28.810-07:002012-03-12T20:08:28.810-07:00Thanks for the review! I really appreciate it. I&#...Thanks for the review! I really appreciate it. I'm sorry that it came across as "teachy," since that's something I was trying to avoid. You might like book 2 better, when it comes out this November; since I figure a lot of readers have already read book 1, I spend less time explaining the culture in book 2.<br /><br />Totty (aka Dad) isn't seen very much both for the reasons Doret suggests (thanks for your comment, Doret!). There's also a space issue -- I just don't have much room, and have to decide to focus on some characters at the expense of other characters. (It's killing me that poor Gittel, who I love -- that's the grumpy older sister -- barely appears in book 2.) <br /><br />But the main reason is that I wanted to do a book where boys weren't entirely absent, but the story as a whole was very centered on girls -- not just the main character, but most of the relationships shown, as well. Since there was a major relationship with her brother, that sort of meant that I couldn't include much of her relationship with her father and still be as girl-centric as I wanted to be.<br /><br />Book 2 continues that trend, but someday I'll do a book where Totty gets some real screentime! (I hope.)Barry Deutschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08796981762797604817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-33576335609463012982012-03-12T18:25:53.588-07:002012-03-12T18:25:53.588-07:00I LOVED Hereville and was very happy whent the aut...I LOVED Hereville and was very happy whent the author said its the start of a series. So now I am impatiently waiting on the next book. <br /><br />Oh and I thought maybe the dad wasn't seen so much because he felt every day problems of the children should be dealt with by the mother. This first crossed my mind when I realized the dad remarried so quickly, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was looking for a wife or a mother for his kids.Dorethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08676911030014718403noreply@blogger.com