Romance Studies

Of all the novels thus far, this one had the most unexpected ending and plot twist. The story starts rather sweetly, and suddenly escalates until the main character, Natalia, makes a horrifying decision. Initially, Natalia gets swept off of her feet and marries a man who ends up not being a good husband or person. Quimet, the husband, is rather lazy and undependable and displays abusive and toxic behaviours consistently. He continuously brings home doves but leaves them in the care of Natalia. In a way, I think that what Natalia was doing to the doves foreshadowed the climax of the story. Her husband had left her with helpless animals when she was unable to adequately care for them.  The way in which the story was written translates to how frantic Natalia may have been during that time. The author uses run-on sentences to replicate thought processes that Natalia may be having. She exhausts herself emotionally and physically as she develops fears about the war and surrounding world....

The novel Agostino  by Alberto Moravia was an interesting read. I can confidently say that the story was not what I was expecting it to be. When the novel started, I enjoyed reading the story and seeing the progression of the character. It began to confuse me and then shock me with the content of the story. It followed a young Agostino on a vacation with his mother and all of the things that happen to them. The story examines the intricacies and confusion of growing up. He struggles with bullying and being picked on by older boys. He then becomes eager to belong to the group that had previously picked on him. He explores his confusing feelings surrounding his mother as she leaves him alone daily. He feels overprotective and confusing sexual feelings.  Most of the story takes place on the beach and I enjoyed reading that. I like when stories take place in natural environments and can greatly explain the setting of the story. A strong story setting creates a more enjoyable readi...