Inkheart, Week 3

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of Inkheart!

Did you enjoy this section? Are you anxious to find out how the story is going to end? Are you finding it hard to keep all the details and characters straight? 

I thought one of the most interesting dynamics of this section was the fact that several of the characters from Inkheart were able to meet their writer, Fenoglio. Can you even imagine how weird that would have been for him to see the characters that he created in real life? It was really sad how Fenoglio scared Dustfinger, didn't you think? Fenoglio was so interested in getting close to his creation that he forgot to treat Dustfinger like a real person. What did you think of Fenoglio's first interaction with Basta? It was surprising how Fenoglio went on the offensive and started explaining things about Basta's past to throw Basta off guard. I don't think I would have had that idea. Fenoglio was definitely lucky that Meggie was able to think on her feet and lie about the characters dying if Fenoglio died. I think Basta would have killed him if she hadn't interrupted. He also used that tactic on Capricorn, but it didn't seem like Capricorn was very impressed. 

What did you think of Fenoglio? He was kind of an annoying character for me. He seemed like he was more fascinated by the characters than scared of the things they could do. He created them and knew what they were capable of, but he didn't take them seriously. I was so frustrated by that. 

Weren't you sad when Elinor found her destroyed library? It felt like we saw her lose one of her family members! I think that might have been the most emotional part of this section. 

Were you surprised when Meggie was able to read Tinker Bell out of Peter Pan in chapter 38? I wasn't really, since there had been some foreshadowing in chapter 23. Did you catch that? She practices reading like Mo and gets discouraged that no moon birds fly in the sky. Since she doesn't see the bird she was trying to conjure, she assumes that she is just imagining the smell of peppermint. But I could tell she created that peppermint smell. How do you think Capricorn is going to take advantage of her gift? Do you think she will end up having more control over her reading ability than Mo does? And what do you think will happen to Tinker Bell? 

What do you think of Resa, the maid that helps Dustfinger? After he meets her, Farid mentions that she looks like Meggie. Do you think Resa is Meggie's mother? If she is, why isn't she in the story? And, why is she mute? 

Do you have any guesses as to what will happen at the end of the book? I hope Dustfinger will prove to be a loyal and true friend at the end, and that Resa will turn out to be Meggie's mother. 

If you want more information about the book, this article from Deutsche Welle, the public broadcaster in Funke's native Germany, discusses the world of Inkheart and some of its themes and why it has such appeal. Make sure to click through the slideshow at the end of the article for more information about Funke's work. Check out this interview, too, if you want to read Funke's perspective on words and music in her own words. 

Make sure to finish the book before next week. And, make sure to leave a comment to let me know what you thought of this section. I hope to hear from you!