<p>ignatius, you are a far better student of the Octavo than I am! I saw all the tiny, indistinct print on that grid and didn’t give it more than a cursory glance. :)</p>
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<p>Yes … Mrs. Murbeck with her treatment for head lice, accompanied by prayer, hymn singing, and teaching Mrs. Sparrow to knit. I bet the hearty soup and black bread (paid for by Emil) helped also. And, of course, the no-nonsense company of Mrs. Murbeck. (I liked the title of that chapter “The Cuckoo” … poor Mrs. Sparrow!) </p>
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<p>And I thought it great fun … once I realized it was there. I had noticed it lurking in the back, but didn’t realize it’s significance until Christian starts talking:</p>
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Later, Mrs. Sparrow expounds on this Divine Geometry. I actually started peeking at everyone’s octavo before I finished the book so it felt a bit like cheating. I learned some of Emil’s octavo before he does. :p</p>
<p>Mary: I’m thinking that this book might be best read in hard copy because I flipped to the timeline and cast of characters frequently and then later that Stockholm Octavo (expanded from Emil’s and Mrs. Sparrow’s octavo) at the end. I wouldn’t have done so if it had been indistinct.</p>
<p>I agree, I also peeked at everyone’s Octavo before I finished the book. </p>
<p>I once “read” Cane River via audiotape, imagine my surprise when I discovered the book was full of photos. Very annoying!</p>
<p>Oh, right, Mrs Murbeck did help Mrs Sparrow. But her ministrations seemed like something that would get Mrs S back on an even keel, not restore her and her establishment to their former glory. :)</p>
<p>Thanks, ignatius! I did not link all of Mrs. Murbeck’s help to Mrs. Sparrow’s recovery. I can see that it definitely played a role. I still think the recovery was too quick, but I’m glad I see more of a reason now.</p>
<p>It is difficult to go back and forth to the illustrations on a Kindle. Since I downloaded the book onto my ipad, it has been much easier to look at the illustrations. The Octavo diagram is pretty cool. I love how it all interesects. I did invision this type of intersection before seeing the diagram, so it is nice the it validated my thoughts.</p>
<p>Was the octavo a real game or did the author invent it?</p>
<p>mstee, The author invented it.</p>
<p>I really liked Mrs. Murbeck as a character…warm and doting. It was poignant how she jumped at the offer to learn to read.</p>
<p>The author may have invented the game, but the cards are real.
[16th</a> C. German Playing Cards - YouTube](<a href=“16th C. German Playing Cards - YouTube”>16th C. German Playing Cards - YouTube) </p>
<p>I also looked up the article posted in the video comments. You have to register to read the whole article, but can read the preview by following this link and then clicking on the “Stable URL” link.
<a href=“http://uspace.shef.ac.uk/servlet/JiveServlet/previewBody/7303-102-1-15635/Playing%20cards%20presentation.pdf[/url]”>http://uspace.shef.ac.uk/servlet/JiveServlet/previewBody/7303-102-1-15635/Playing%20cards%20presentation.pdf</a></p>
<p>yes I love that about Mrs. Murbeck!
One question I had-Gustav III’s death. In reality, he died as a result of the assassination-and the infection from the attack. I don’t have the book right before me, but didn’t he take a turn for the worse after a visit from the Uzanne? I had thought the rumours were saying the King was on the mend.
A little twist on history to enliven the plot?</p>
<p>That is really a very clever invention, the octavo. I find myself thinking of those roles now, and keep thinking about who the trickster might be in my life now, LOL.</p>
<p>Yes, it is a nice little touch, putting the Uzanne at his deathbed. So, they didn’t really stop her at all, but rather delayed her?</p>
<p>PATheaterMom - I don’t think it is clear in the book exactly how Gustav died. On page 386 Emil is outside the palace waiting to see The Uzanne after she visits with Gustav. Here is what he writes -
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<p>On page 392, Gustav dies.
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<p>Was it the wound infection or The Uzanne’s poison that caused his death?</p>
<p>I thought it was the Uzanne -they only delayed Gustav’s death at best.</p>
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<p>Evidently those truly were King Gustav’s last words.</p>
<p>[29th</a> March 1792, death of Gustav III of Sweden » Georgian Gentleman](<a href=“http://blog.mikerendell.com/?p=732]29th”>http://blog.mikerendell.com/?p=732)</p>
<p>The Uzanne utters the same words as she realizes she’s been poisoned. That is another reason why I feel she help assist in Gustav’s death. Nice touch by the author to use Gustav’s actual words.</p>
<p>These are the the last two questions, which we’ve already covered in large part during our general discussion. However, I’ll post them anyway to wrap it all up in a tidy package. </p>
<p>They go well together, as you can’t have one without the other:</p>
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<p>I have a Love & Connection comment that sort of falls under the question “what is the role of isolation in the novel?” I am wondering, do any of you put stock in the story that the Uzanne deeply loved her husband Henrik and was genuinely devastated after his death? After he dies, she can’t get out of bed for a month, then has a lengthy mourning period. Finally, after a year of cutting herself off from everything, it is only her loathing of the king that leads her “to rise out of isolation in the service of her nation” (p. 36).</p>
<p>In essence, though, she is still isolated, never close to anyone, never trusting another person. Did Henrik’s death destroy any bit of humanity she had? Or did she always lack human feeling, and simply confuse love with what was essentially just a mutually beneficial relationship between two scoundrels?</p>
<p>I think the Uzanne is not capable of love, but had a very strong attachment to Henrik.</p>
<p>“Henrik was the perfect conquest: highly sought after, aristocratic, good-looking, pleasant company, and with enough money of his own to let her do as she pleased” (p.33).</p>
<p>“Over time, she found that Henrik was more than just a trophy of her exemplary skills. He loved her, and she found the passion of her life in him” (p. 33).</p>
<p>“Their scheming drew them closer than most married couples” (p. 34).</p>
<p>I am glad she decided not to have children with him!</p>
<p>I do feel she was devastated by his death, and this brought out her desire for revenge at any cost.</p>
<p>The Uzanne is an obsessive character and is able to maintain her connection to Henrik through what she believes would be a shared desire to elimante Gustav.</p>
<p>I think The Uzanne and her husband were happy together … mine is not to reason why. ;)</p>
<p>Other happy marriages: Master Fredrik and his wife; Christian and Margot. Both of these couples seemed to have an underpinning of love and respect … and, at least in the case of Master Fredrik, acceptance.</p>
<p>Anna Maria has one dreadful marriage and her second one does not look to be happy. But maybe it’s because she’s a dreadful person and not happy - married or not.</p>
<p>I wonder how Anna Maria would have turned out to be if not for the tragic death of her young child at the hands of her first husband.
I agree with Ignatius about the happiness of Master Fredrick and his wife-and Christian and Margot.
Wonder how much Henrick knew of the Uzanne’s character. She strikes me as someone who could hide her true self very well. Henrick might have gone to his grave with an illusion of his wife as a good person.</p>
<p>The characters who had problems with love and connection could probably lay some blame on their “family of origin” for their difficulties in establishing loving relationships. Johanna’s mother is a cold and stern religious fanatic, and Emil’s mother dies young, leaving him in the care of a “cruel and sanctimonious” family with an uncle who “beat him bloody.” Anna Maria’s mother is shallow and scheming (the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree). Cassiopeia seems to represent (among other things) these warped parental relationships: </p>
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<p>Maybe Mrs. Sparrow’s throwing Cassiopeia into the flames is meant to suggest that the cycle is broken and Emil and Johanna might be part of a happier family life in the future.</p>