Carrie from Books and Movies hosted a read-along of The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey during the month of March. This final discussion focuses on pages 239 to the end, the sections titled “Secrets, 1922,” “Choices, 1922,” “Home, 1922,” and “Epilogue, 1924.” (Check out my responses to the discussions on Part 1/Part 2 and Part 3.)
Beware of spoilers! Please note that I will be posting a spoiler-free review next week!
Here are my responses to Carrie’s questions:
Were you as angry as I was when Eileen slept with James while pregnant with Owen’s baby, in order to pass the baby off as his?
I wasn’t angry with Eileen, just sad. To be honest, I fell in love with Owen myself, so I was sad that they couldn’t easily be together, and I was especially sad that she was willing to deny Owen his child. However, I understood why Eileen felt she needed to do it. First, she was married to James, and who knows how he would take the news? Second, she would be ridiculed at the mill when everyone found out that she was carrying another man’s baby. On top of all that, Owen and James were on different sides of the fighting, and lives could be in danger.
Was Owen’s reaction to that justified, in your opinion?
Of course!
Did you understand why Eileen was so torn about reporting what she knew about James’ plans for the mill?
Yes. She still felt a certain loyalty to James, though I don’t necessarily understand that, yet she didn’t want innocent people to die or lose their livelihoods. However, why it took so long for her to make the right decision was a bit baffling. I didn’t think she’d wait until the crime was in progress.
What about her hesitancy to marry Owen?
I understood why she wouldn’t want to jump into marriage again. She’d gone through so much in her life already, and she needed time to process it all. I’m just glad that Owen was so understanding!
What did you think of how things ended for the following characters: Frankie, Lizzie, Terrence, Fergus, and, of course, James?
I though Fergus acted cowardly, though I could understand how conflicted he was. I was sad for Frankie, but I think in the end, he was happier. I was sad for Terrence, too, because he’d lost so much as well, and whether he’d get a second chance was uncertain. I felt bad that Lizzie had lost so much, but I felt she had a happy ending. James…I felt like he got what he deserved, but his last meeting with Eileen was touching. I didn’t expect that from him. It almost made me feel sorry for him.
Were you satisfied with the way things ended for Eileen’s mom?
I thought Falvey ended her story realistically. At least there was some promise on that front.
And, lastly, were you happy with how things ended for Eileen?
Yes. She was at a point where she was content and could imagine herself being happy. Her dream had come as true as it could, and that was satisfying for me.
I’d like to thank Carrie for organizing the read-along, and I hope you all check out my review next week! Have you read The Yellow House? What did you think?
© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Diary of an Eccentric 
I really had a great time with the read-a-long, and I’m so glad that all my pestering encouraged you to join!
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Yes, I’m glad you did. I needed to clear out some old review copies anyway, and it does count for the WWI challenge, so it really worked out well that I could squeeze it in. 🙂
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I enjoyed this section very much – but there were definitely some moments that had me wanting to shake Eileen! I understood why she hesitated about reporting the mill – but not for so long. When she went home and dozed off, I was practically yelling at the book, “What are you doing? People are going to die!”
As far as James’ end – yes, it was to be expected. His character really demonstrated how someone can get so obsessed with a “cause” that they lose track of themselves, their family, their integrity.
I thought she ended the book well – it was realistic in that not everyone got their fairy tale ending – but I was very happy that Eileen had some hope of happiness, back in her Yellow House, and the possibility of Owen.
Thanks so much for reading along with me!
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Thanks for hosting the read-along! I was impressed with James at the end. He really showed that he could care for someone else. Too bad it was a case of too little, too late. But I *almost* felt bad for him.
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