Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Be Strong Geum Soon 109, Portobello - End, Nana

Be Strong Geum Soon really suprised me (while it actually shouldn't) - well the kiss didn't happen but not from the lack of interest in either party but due to the untimely opening of the elevator door. Geum Soon actually felt disturbed because she wanted that kiss too and most probably felt like she shouldn't.

Anyway Geum Soon met Real Ma and she told her she must recieve her kidney. Whaaat??? But giving it some thought, I would have done the same, though for different reasons.

Geum Soon wants to save her mother firstly because she actually likes the woman and being a mother herself finds it in her heart to sympathise with her. The reasons she has given to Grandma, while being cruel, also made sense. Geum Soon asked Grandma how long will Grandma live? 10 years? 15 years? And when she eventually passes away Geum Soon will be left alone in the world. But now she has a mother and isn't it natural that she wants to protect her even though she knows it is hurthing Grandma a lot? Well this argument, while being not very sentimental, actually makes sense and we see Grandma visiting Real Ma (Real Ma early on shouted at the Old Doc that she will not take the kidney and she will die- but Old Doc said to her that she also has two more daughters, one her flesh and blood Eu Jin and the other her stepdaughter -with whom she has just reconsiled- and she has responsibilities for these two as well. This made Real Ma think but she still wants to divorce Old Doc for his cruel and inhuman behaviour).

But other than Geum Soon and her troubles (now that she is very close to Jae Hee and Eun Ju trying to learn something and also tell her to lay off Jae Hee since Eun Ju is the one who is in love with him but she was not able to tell the last part) there is other drama going on in Noh household. Sung Ran found out that Bank Bro has lied to her about FIL knowing that she is a divorced woman with a kid. And neither in law is aware of the facts. This made her really mad. She stormed out, didn't come home that night and when Bank Bro tried to talk to her and apologise, she said she wants to divorce. It is a difficult situation since I know Sung Ran loves Bank Bro but she has issues and Bank Bro lying to her in order to marry her didn't help. Poor guy actually had good intentions but what to do? He lied because he was scared and these are facts. I'm very interested in the outcome of this crisis. I feel that they will reconcile since they actually are in love and their marriage is a good one (despite living with in laws) but I hope that Bank Bro will have the guts to finally talk to his parents.

Portobello is one of my favorite Ruth Rendell books. I loved it right to the very end.

And now while I await my book shipment from UK there is no avoiding to read Nana. This book club thing will not work out since one of the members does not want to read Nana and doesn't have the book. Meanwhile it seems silly to me to have to read this edition with its average translation and lots of typos and the French names written as they are spelled. I don't want to be too formalist but it is not fun to read a book this way. I'm sure I'd liked it (since I like Zola) if it was properly issued with a decent translation and no typos.

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