Comments on: An Unfinished Life by Mark Spragg

By: Alayne

Alayne — Sat, 06 May 2006 20:01:44 +0000

Thanks for the great discussion.

I agree with Shelle’s comments about the importance of the sparse details surrounding all the characters. Spragg did an excellent job in portraying real life relationships. Isn’t it true that we can live side by side someone and still not know them that well?

I liked that the book portrayed the rich inner lives of the characters rather than big events. I was grateful that Spragg didn’t write in details about Jean getting beat up by Roy; nonetheless, we can easily imagine poor Griff’s sad reality as she had to listen to these events in the trailer. The book had big drama in its character development without being “dramatic.” I kept expecting Roy or Mitch or Einar to die and I was happy that the author didn’t end the novel with such a big bang.

By: Dixie Klatt

Dixie Klatt — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 23:54:49 +0000

I liked the scene between Jean and Nina, Jean’s employer at the restaurant. It is so small town that they become close friends and nurture each other. Nina’s tragic experience with her child’s drowning helps her to understand Einer’s anger and since of loss. Nina places the blame on herself for the drowning and it never really goes away. The women are able to mix marguaritas and jokes along with some serious soul searching. I like the authors blending of the serious and funny along with the small town nurturing that is woven throughout the story.

By: JennieD

JennieD — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 02:16:26 +0000

I also wondered (and may have just missed it in the book) how Mitch ended up in Wyoming. I grew up in Montana, and as Elizabeth mentioned above, there are very very very very few African-Americans there. Was Mitch from that part of the country? Did he follow Einar home after the war? Why did he stay? I thought from some of his comments that he may have had feelings for Einar’s wife, but that wasn’t ever fleshed out. Was his life “unfinished” at all because he didn’t have a family of his own?

By: litlove

litlove — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 14:46:42 +0000

Hi! I love your blog and wish there were more out there dealing with books. It’s lovely to hear people discussing novels so interestingly. I’m a lecturer at a UK university keeping my own blog that deals a lot with literature, and on Sundays I pick a topic and choose several novels that fit it to recommend to other readers. Please feel free to visit if you’d like to: http://litlove.wordpress.com
And keep enjoying the reading!

By: pvccbookclub

pvccbookclub — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 17:23:36 +0000

I agree, Elizabeth. I believe that their experience during the Korean War shaped their friendship in such a way, that no racist social mores would prevent them from being friends. Einar says that Mitch saved his life more than once, and so he owes Mitch his friendship, solidarity and more. They both were too strong and proud to let anyone else dictate the terms of their relationship.

By: Elizabeth Saliba

Elizabeth Saliba — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 17:06:33 +0000

Great comments so far, everyone. The one thing that stuck out for me is that Mitch is black and yet he and Einar are so close. I have been to those areas of the country (Wyoming and Montana) where people of color are the exception and not the rule and actually seem out of context . So Mitch and Einar seemed odd to have the kind of relationship which I thought in the time period to be innacurately portrayed. But then I heard the author speak about his work. He described how ranch culture is such that elements such as race, religion, etc. really didn’t matter as much as the comraderie that forms amongst those working. He also said that many of these working cowboys read extensively, and quality works (although their education was limited). So, I guess the relationship is not contrived.

By: JennieD

JennieD — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 04:07:58 +0000

I also enjoyed trying to piece together a bit of who Griffin had been, by who these people became in his absence.

By: Shelle

Shelle — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 23:13:38 +0000

I don’t mind that there are questions remaining. Perhaps that’s a great tie-in with the title: an Unfinished Life. Our lives are always unfinished until we reach our end. What questions might an outside observer have have about our own lives that may never be answered? Much is left to our imaginations, which I think helps the characters live on within us.

What I loved most about this book is the almost palpable sense I had of the relationships amongst the characters. Mitch and Einar’s, Jean and Einar’s, Jean and Griff’s, Griff and Einar. Each is woven into a beautifully rendered novel. Perhaps these relationships add up to a “finished life?”

By: JennieD

JennieD — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 21:46:52 +0000

I have to say I prefer a book like this that leaves me wanting more, rather than suffering through a million pages feeling quite tired of the characters (and yes, I’m talking about you John Irving). So while this was spare it was still satisfying .

By: pvccbookclub

pvccbookclub — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 06:35:40 +0000

This book left me with so many questions: How did Ella die? What was her relationship like with Mitch? What was Jean like as a child? What were her parents like? What made her and Griffin leave their hometown in the first place? Why did Mitch never find a wife of his own? I don’t mind not having the answers, but it makes me wish that there will be a sequel, so that we can spend some more time with these characters.