The DIS Book Club Discussion Group: Round 4 - Wild Ride!

[minie_meese]

I've finished the book as well and thoroughly enjoyed it. I especially liked the interaction of the demons with the humans, and the humor throughout.

I didn't think of Disney so much when they described the rides except for the mermaid ride - it reminded me of it's a small world. The park in the book reminded me of the old time amusement parks I visited as a child. One is still open in Rochester and has been around since 1879. It is called Seabreeze. Its roller coaster, the Jack Rabbit was built in 1920. We still go there once in a while. It has that kitschy feel that I don't get when I'm at Disney. While it's not on an island it is right near the shore of Lake Ontario and about 15 years ago many of the old rides were restored.The next time I'll have to see if they have an old time fortune teller machine. I just remembered - it used to be called Dreamland - no wonder it reminds me of the park in the book.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Mab is an unconventional lead character when compared to other novels. She's nearing forty, not particularly attractive, remote, and absorbed in her work. Did you like her in Wild Ride? Why or why not? Did you find her reluctance to change believable or annoying?

 

[NitroStitch]

Mab is an unconventional lead character when compared to other novels. She's nearing forty, not particularly attractive, remote, and absorbed in her work. Did you like her in Wild Ride? Why or why not? Did you find her reluctance to change believable or annoying?

I like Mab, although I admit she's become more likeable over the course of the book. Her reluctance to change is both believable and annoying at the same time. Annoying because it's counterproductive, but believable because I tend to be very change resistant too. That part I could relate too, and it's been somewhat interesting to see what she's done as she has become more involved in people instead of doing her own thing all the time.

 

[BeamsofLight]

I was pretty critical of the Mab character early on (as I've posted here before) but I have to say, she really grew on me the second half of the book. I think that's in part due to understanding how the authors approached their collaboration and how it explained some of the choppiness of the character development. I'm not sure that's any credit to them, since I shouldn't have to know how they wrote the book to feel like the characters flow properly, but I guess it worked out anyway.

It's interesting you mention that she's an unconventional lead, though, because while they described her as such, I'm not sure she really played out that way. She's described as "older" (please don't hit me for saying 40 is older - I just mean older compared to 'conventional leads' for this kind of story) and "not particularly attractive", but she still gets the guy(s) without a problem,

Spoiler

and is seemingly going to have a baby without a problem

. She's "remote", but she's still friends with everyone in the park, and they all like her. You could even say that by being remote, she's able to [spoiler again]reconcile with her real mother, whereas if she'd been more lackadaisical with her work, she might not have.[/spoiler] I'm not sure they really held true to making any of those traits drawbacks for her character. Or, well, drawbacks isn't the right word, but they didn't seem to stand out to me. She seemed to go through the book the same at 40ish, plain and reclusive as she would have at 23, foxy and hard-working but outgoing.

But then again, she's the protagonist (or, one of them), so maybe she's entitled to some snowflake-ness.

I actually found her reluctance to change one of the most believable and likable things about the character, strangely enough. It bothered me in the beginning that she was so unfazed by any of the demon stuff. And it bothered me closer to the end when she went 'relationship hopping' because that seemed so underdeveloped to me. Her dragging her feet about 'accepting her destiny' was something that really rang true to me for the character.

 

[NitroStitch]

I just finished the book and really enjoyed it. Pardon the pun, but what a Ride! This isn't the kind of book I would necessarily have picked up on my own, so I'm glad I decided to give it a try as a book club selection.

My favorite part of the book was the humor throughout, and I also enjoyed the changes in the characters as they interacted with each other, learned about their part in the Guardia, and how their relationships changed and grew over the course of the story. I wouldn't even mind a spinoff of the book after getting to know the characters in this one.

 

[RutgersAlum]

Also finished the book yesterday (but I was out and about and couldn't post because I couldn't figure out how to do white text for SPOILERS on my iPhone, lol!) and liked it, thumbs up.

Like many have said, never would have sought it out, but glad I read it.

My take on Mab: I thought she was a believable character as a totally independent person used to depending on her work and herself. What I struggled with was how fast she turned around [ SPOILER ] and accepted her destiny in the park as soon as she figured out she was pregnant! I feel that acceptance happened too quickly for me, she was leading a nomadic life of work (not people) and suddenly she was to be Guardia and live in a trailer as Guardia forever at the park. YOWZER! That's a lot to swallow in one day IMHO![ / SPOILER ]. But I love, love, loved the one liners and banter between Mab & demons!

I liked this book and the last so much that I went out and got Pirate Latitudes out of the library to listen to while I go out walking! You guys pick such diverse reads! I hope I can keep up when school starts back up!

Can't wait to see what's next!
Michele/RutgersAlum

 

[minie_meese]

My take on Mab: I thought she was a believable character as a totally independent person used to depending on her work and herself. What I struggled with was how fast she turned around .... But I love, love, loved the one liners and banter between Mab & demons!

Michele/RutgersAlum

I found Mab's quick turnaround out of character as well. Someone who is 40 and set in their ways doesn't change over night but then I figured once she saw what she got for the transformation -[ SPOILER ] - as a member of the Guardia she'd get to live with a bunch of misfits instead of being one all by herself it made a little more sense. [ / SPOILER ] and the whole transformation thing added to the comic nature for me. Ethan also transformed but resisted a bit more it seemed. As a trained special ops military person, his transformation seemed a little odd to me as well but I chalked it up to something similar to Mab's.

I too loved the book. It passed my test that I use when I finish a book - the characters start to feel like friends and I'll miss them.

 

[CBisMe]

Mab is an unconventional lead character when compared to other novels. She's nearing forty, not particularly attractive, remote, and absorbed in her work. Did you like her in Wild Ride? Why or why not? Did you find her reluctance to change believable or annoying?

For me, Mab was hands down my favorite character in the book. Her one liners were laugh out-loud funny, and I felt her character was believable and more so than many female characters in novels that fit more of a character stereotype.

I like that her flaw was the way she worked at her job to protect herself from getting hurt emotionally. I think it was believable that it took a band of strange and quirky characters to bring her emotionally out of her shell- since it was the strangeness that had made her an outcast as a child and was what she was running from.

That said, I think the authors could have done a much better job flushing that out and in doing so it would have made it much easier to connect to the character. It's like they started to, and then just stopped, or cut it out or something.

 

[Eeyores#1Fan]

Mab is an unconventional lead character when compared to other novels. She's nearing forty, not particularly attractive, remote, and absorbed in her work. Did you like her in Wild Ride? Why or why not? Did you find her reluctance to change believable or annoying?

I liked her just simply because I've always believed that you should follow your own path and not be easily swayed. So to me her reluctnce to change was believable and not annoying (to me anyway). I don't mind change but I need proof of why or that it's going to be effective before I do. And yes, I'm nearing 40 as well.

 

[evildiva]

I liked Mab as a character. However, I did think that her turn about was a little quick. I was rooting for her to turn about sooner, but I was happy that she did.

 

[disneydreamgirl]

Finally finished the book! I've avoided this thread so I didn't accidently read any details...I know people are careful but it happens. I liked the book although I wasn't sure at first. I know I'm late to the discussion so I will go ahead and read the thread now.

Any word on book 5?

 

[hmonkeyruns]

I think it kind of makes sense (as much as anything can in a book about demons) for Mab to have suddenly just changed her spots. I think the events that took place were just so completely wacky that she just had to jump in with both feet otherwise she would have gone crazy.

Plus I think the brief but intense relationship with FluFuns (is that right...it's been awhile) kind of jumpstarted her potential -- she finally saw, felt, eveything that she'd been missing in her dull, solitary, workcentric life and realized that crazy but passionate was much better than lonely and boring.

It's like Flufuns transformed her the way she transformed dull, old boring things in her work into beautiful, vibrant, colorful fun things.

 

[disneydreamgirl]

Finished reading the thread...I agree with a previous poster that a prologue would have helped as I felt like the authors were being a little to cagey/coy about details which really made it difficult for me to get into the book because I kept thinking...where are you going with this? The beginning of the book is where I see the writing being especially disjointed and after reading the interview excerpt that Nikki posted I find their description of unconventional writing practices to be believable. Definitely not a book I would have chosen for myself but very glad I read it. I really enjoyed it and liked the artsy details and the innocent type of amusement park it was on the surface.

I had no problem with Mab's turnaround and I think that's because the book was so fanciful. There were many, many times where we as readers were 'suspending our disbelief', so to speak. I liked Glenda but loved Vanth...thought she was hysterical. The fortune cards were a great touch and I loved Mab coming to the realization that the cards were more than just meant for her and with... Vanth turning out to be Mab's mum, ...that just made it all the better. Kharos was entertaining and... his demise ...was one of the best scenes in the book.

 

[RutgersAlum]

It's like Flufuns transformed her the way she transformed dull, old boring things in her work into beautiful, vibrant, colorful fun things.

Brilliant observation!! Yes! Just as the Mab transforms the (seemingly) inanimate objects into beautifull--I like your word VIBRANT works of art (vib- means "swaying to and fro", alive!--perfect for what Mab does in her work!)!The transformer becomes transformed! Awesome observation!!

It passed my test that I use when I finish a book - the characters start to feel like friends and I'll miss them.

Yes! After a good book, I am always left feeling a little empty, missing a "friend," wondering how the characters are doing? Am I nuts, lol?

Any word on book 5?

Wondered that too when I finished! I can read in the summer, so I'm chomping at the bit, lol. I mentioned earlier, I just got Pirate Latitudes on CD to listen to while I walk; once I finish that, I may have to go get "The Help" (if I can snag a copy from the library, tough to get right now!) to satisfy my Dis Book Club thirst!
Michele/RutgersAlum

 

[dkd623]

Love reading your comments about the books. when are you going to pick the next book, I'd like to read along.

 

[disneydreamgirl]

Nikki is at WDW right now, so I imagine when she gets back. Now that I've finished 'Wild Ride' I want to get on the next ride!

 

[BeamsofLight]

The fortune cards were a great touch and I loved Mab coming to the realization that the cards were more than just meant for her and with...

I think the cards were one of my favorite aspects of the book. While I found the character development a little lacking, one thing I do think the authors did a really good job with was painting a lot of really good little mental snapshots. The 'inanimate' fortune teller box spitting out the mom-nagging-type cards was one of them, for me. Along with Kharos talking to Ray. Something about the demons (when trapped in their respective statues) being unable to move but otherwise so full of life - and love or malevolence, as the case may be - really amused me.

Also looking forward to hearing about the next book when Nikki's trip is over! I wonder if she'll be looking for suspicious mermaids in amongst the Small World dolls.

 

[TheArtofDavidK]

This is awesome. Im a total book worm and was looking for something new to read. Is this a once a month thing or is it continuous thing?

 

[disneydreamgirl]

I'd say about once a month...give or take. Welcome!

 

[Eeyores#1Fan]

Just finished the book and loved it! Very different than what I've read before but definitely a good read.

Nikki...hope you are having a blast in Disney!