A BIRD IN THE HOUSE

I enjoyed reading this book because i felt i could relate to Vanessa. As a child, i can remember numerous occasions when i was asked to leave the room so the adults could discuss something. although i would listen to them while sitting on the step discuss or argue at each other about something that to me could be discussed in front of me. I felt that Vanessa in some ways was describing my childhood by dealing with things such as death, that most children are oblivious too. I really enjoyed this book and felt the writing style of it made it easier to read and follow and completely get involved into.

Living Life through Writing

I must admit, 'A Bird in the House," is not my favorite book. However, I admire Laurence's ability to fluidly write in Vanessa's different ages. It is hard for me to discern whether Vanessa is eight, or whether she is eighteen. Laurence's writing is a train of thought that is traceable throughout all of Vanessa's life.

My favorite chapter is "Horses of the Night." Vanessa lives a privileged life, and is often shielded from the Great Depression. However, this chapter hits the essence of this time period, a time when many people lived in squalor and had no foreseeable future. Although Chris is not the main character of the novel, I find him to be the most intriguing. He is an optimistic man who loses everything when he loses his chance to be educated. He then goes mentally insane when fighting during the war and is kept in a mental institution for the rest of his life. Although sad, I like that Laurence incorporates a bit of reality into her novel. I often found myself becoming angry due to Vanessa's fairytale-like lifestyle when many suffered during the economic crisis. Although upsetting, Chris is a refreshing burst of life whose character epitomizes the mentality of many during that time.

"A Bird in the House" does not inspire me, but Laurence's writing technique does impress me. She is able to float betweeen different times, and she subtly exposes different lifestyles and experiences through side characters.

Listening

Vanessa's development into an adult may have easily started with her constant eavesdropping. It is near impossible to write convincingly about a subject without an understanding and our education starts with aural experience. We learn not only from what we are taught through reading, but from what we hear in the world around us. I think back to the days when much more of my life belonged to my parents, when I would not make as many serious decisions, when consequences did not require my input.

After bedtime I would lie wide awake in the dark, straining for the signs of conversation in the living room downstairs. At the slightest hint of discussion, I would tiptoe slowly out my door and down the hall (I never figured out which was quieter, stocking or bare feet). The hardwood floor of the hallway and aging stairs rarely accepted my presence without a few creaking complaints, each of which would stop me short, holding my breath and hoping I hadn't blown my cover.

Once at the top of the stairs, I would descend just two or three steps to gain the best point of hearing without being seen. It was from those top steps that I first began to understand that there was often much more to what I wanted and needed than I could comprehend. Some discussions would yield previews of my punishments or gains, but in those days Dad's hearing was more perceptive and I rarely made it to that last greedy stair without being discovered.

Still, from my perch I began to learn, even if I didn't yet possess the worldly knowledge to fit each piece of the puzzle into a cohesive diagram. I have since gained more respect for their discussions; becoming a young adult has afforded me the chance to speak for myself and an equal opinion in family decisions, yet I can't help but recognize Vanessa's escapades a necessary of a curious only child's education.