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Just realized our book club's fights over aunt roles in stories have cooled down
Back in the day, we would tear apart books with meddling aunts like in 'Pride and Prejudice'. Someone always got mad defending them. Now we talk more about why those characters act that way. Last year, we read a modern book about a cousin raising kids. The chat was way more calm and understanding. I guess seeing family stuff up close in life made us softer. It's better to share stories without so much heat.
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the_diana6mo ago
Mrs. Norris in Mansfield Park used to make me so angry I would actually yell at the book. Now I just feel kind of tired for her, like she must have been deeply unhappy to act that way. It's wild how getting older and dealing with your own family mess completely changes how you read those characters. You stop seeing them as just a villain in the story and start wondering about their bad days and their worries. The book talk gets less about who was right and more about how life is hard for everyone, even the annoying aunt. That shift makes the whole club feel like a safer place to be honest.
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abby_fisher6mo ago
That's so true, used to hate Lady Catherine too but now I just see a lonely old woman.
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jade_murray6mo ago
So does getting older mean we have to forgive every awful book relative? (I'm holding out on Lady Catherine, personally.)
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