Blog Response #4
The endings of Chinese Handcuffs, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, Running Loose, and Stotan! leave the reader with some unanswered questions. Chris Crutcher assumes the reader knows the ending, but he doesn't come out and say it. You take control and write the overview of one more chapter to these books. If there was one last chapter, what would it be about. How would you tie up loose ends, if you were the author?
I read Stotan and I feel like I have the best way to tie up loose ends. I would talk about is Jeff was either going to live or die from his cancer because we never really get to know. I would also talk more about the boys future because i would love to know if Norite, Lion and Walker went to college. The last thing i would talk about is Walkers problem with Elaine is he over her for good or is there still something there. I feel like if this was explained at the end of the book i would have liked it alot more.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely like what did they look like what where did they all go what happened to Jeff did he live or did he die. Also, Walker's problems with Deveen have been going on for many chapters and when I see that being talked about in the book it sometimes makes me want to stop reading the book because it's the same thing over and over.
DeleteI feel as if Chris Crutcher left out the future in all of these books and left us wondering what is going to happen next. In my book it never tells us about how the rest of the characters move on from all of the incidents and leaves me wondering how.
DeleteI agree, if there was another chapter it should definitely talk about if Jeff really dies or not. That was the main turning point for the swimming team. They were so excited about state and then Jeff didn't get to swim. It was nice that Nortie, Lion, and Walker even did the 400 free relay at the end in honor of Jeff. Overall, the book never really said anything about Jeff towards the end. All it said was that he wasn't doing much better and it left a lot of us wondering if he ended up recovering.
Deletei agree with Luke I would like to know what ends up happening with jeff does he like or does he die
DeleteI agree with you luke, I also would want to hear about what happens to Jeff, and to hear aboht the guys future.
DeleteI do agree that we should have heard more about Jeff in the last couple chapters, but I don't mind if we never found out weather he passed away or not because it was one of the many things that Crutcher left me wondering about after reading the book.
DeleteI read Chinese handcuffs, and I don't think Chris left us hanging in this book. he did a good job wrapping stuff up and leaving the reader with enough closure to feel satisfied. in the epilogue we were given a few examples of characters getting their proper conclusions. the only thing i would add is a little more explanation on what happened to Stacy as she sort of stopped showing up in the final chapters. the way Chris ended Chinese handcuffs was enough to show how the different characters had developed and even if he did add more with Stacey it wouldn't have been needed.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Chris did a decent job wrapping the book up, after all he is the professional. He did this for a reason. He wants the reader to think about the possibilities that could have happened. I do agree though that Stacy just kind of dropped off the map at the end.
DeleteI agree, they went from Stacy being bold and telling the entire school that Ryan was in fact her child not brother to hearing nothing more of her. They did mention her one time and say her and Jen were friends but that was not enough info on her after she did something so bold if you ask me
DeleteI agree, I was not left with many questions as Chris did not leave me with that many questions. But I was curious about Stacy and Jens friendship, Chris sort of just through in the book for 2 pages.
Deletethat's nice that your book wrapped up mine didn't wrap up as much as i wanted it to but it did an alright job
Deletei agree i feel like Chris did a great job of wrapping up the book and not leaving me with any questions. i really liked the fact that in the epilogue that it kind of answered the last questions I had as well
DeleteI read the book Stotan. I feel like if there was one more chapter in the book it should be about like did they graduate from college, did they make it in the world, did Jeff die from his blood disease, did they swim in college, and did they have kids. Also, if there is anything about Walker's girlfriend Deveen in there it should say if they stay together or separate from each other because I got extremely bored of hearing the same problem over and over. It's just there are many questions that we have and there is no answer for them because the book cuts you off. Overall I thought it was a good book but I think I would have enjoyed it more if the problem between Deveen and Walker was not discussed in almost every chapter.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as if Chris Crutcher really left you hanging. You have a lot of questions still. My book Chinese Handcuffs was somewhat similar in regards to cliffhanging but not to that extreme. I'm glad you liked your book, it looks like there is a variety of topics covered in the book.
DeleteI agree i was just so confused on what would happen to any of them. Jeff was my biggest confusion he just left us off on him having cancer but did not give us any information on if he would die or not.
DeleteI agree with you in the fact that there is a lot of cliffhangers but i still thought it was a good book there was a lot of things not summed up in the book.
DeleteI agree, I got really board of hearing the same stuff about Walker and Devnee. He set up several times where he was going to break up with her and he never ended up doing it. That is why in the last sentence in the book made me mad because he was trying to resolve that problem the whole time in the book and that's how it ended was him going to pick her up again. It totally could've had a better ending other than talking about another time how Walker was probably going to chicken out and not break up with Devnee.
Deletei have to agree with you Sawyer i dont know about any of the other books but at the end of the book Stotan they just leave you hanging like what the heck.
DeleteI also agree with you, it was very annoying just getting left hanging not knowing what really happened. One thing I would like to know more of is Max’s life with his daughter
DeleteI also agree with you Luke I would like to find out what happened with max and also walker and his girlfriends
DeleteI had Chinese Handcuffs and if I were to write another chapter it would be about Jen and her sister putting all of the chaos behind them. I would also include what happens to T.B (what he gets sentenced with). OR I would make a whole new book and make the plot T.B getting off the hook and coming back. There are many different ways Chris Crutcher could have ended this. However, its not a bad thing to leave readers in suspense
ReplyDeleteI agree, if there was a second book made I was thinking it would be based on their lives after the fact and how they moved on from the traumatic events. although I do like your idea for the second book better. I would read the second book no matter the plot. Would you?
DeleteAll though I didn't read this book i bet it must have left you with a lot of questions. I feel like Chris did this on purpose just to make you wonder more and you think of your own future for the characters.
DeleteI think a sequel to this book would be better than just another chapter. adding a chapter wouldn't bring much more important information. I also like the idea of focusing on Jennifer and her sister.
DeleteI agree with you Sawyer as well as Nolan. A sequel to the book about Jen and Dawns life and Jens pov would make a great book. We would get a better look into Jens brain and really get a better picture of what she is going through.
DeleteI agree that T.B Needs to be punished for his actions because what he did is wrong and I hate that the book ended not knowing exactly what happened to him. I think if there were a sequel to this book it would be a lot more interesting than this one because we as readers would get a lot if not all of our questions answered.
DeleteI read Chinese Handcuffs. I think the last chapter was pretty good in the sense that it left the reader hanging but not completely lost with what would happen next. Chris implied that T.B. was going to caught by the police. With that being said, I think the next chapter would talk about T.B. leaving town but then the cops showing up to put him in jail and that's all we would hear about T.B. for the rest of the book. As for Jen I think her and her mom will be reconnected and trying to move on with their lives. I hope that her mother would stop bringing trash guys around and focus on her children more. I also hope Dillon and Jen will revisit the thought of a relationship because they click very well.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the end of the book would be even better if it had something about Jen and her mother finally figuring things out. Also, I really hope Jen will get over her fear of men and be able to commit to a relationship with Dillon.
DeleteHi Makayla!
DeleteI did not read Chinese handcuffs, but in my book it is very similar. I was not completely lost when reading the last chapter, but knowing a little bit more would have been nice. Adding more context so we are not lost would leave the reader satisfied.
Kaylee
Hi Makayla,
DeleteI agree with you that there wasn't enough closure with T.B. leaving town. It seemed as if there was going to be more drama with him leaving. I also hope that Dillion and Jen will end up together because throughout the book it seemed as there relationship was progressing.
The ending of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes was very unexpected, it didn't surprise me that Virgil went crazy but I didn't expect him to stab Moby. After the stabbing, Carver who is Erics step-dad, thinks that Virgil needs to be punished so he says he is going on a vacation and goes and beats up Virgil to near death. If I had to finish off the book i would talk more about erics recovery and more about sarah and her journey to recovering from abuse. I would also talk more about what happens to Virgil.
ReplyDeleteHey Colin
DeleteI agree with you, he leaves you hanging when you don't know what the rest of the characters are going to do and how they move on. I think he left us thinking about it so that we could create our own ending for the story.
I agree with you Colin with all these different characters no one knows what they end up doing after the last chapter because Chris Crutcher makes you think during the whole book so he just wants us to think about what happens.
DeleteI think Virgil will get all of 20 years like the end of the book said. I think Eric will have to wait a year for his arm to completely heal from the stabbing. Ellerby might do some missionary schooling and end up competing against Eric with swim.
DeleteI read Staying fat for Sarah Byrnes and I would have finished the book by writing about how the characters went on with life and what happened to them. I would like to know that Virgil went to jail and got what he deserved and the rest of the characters prosper and move on from that rough patch. I would also write on how carvers relationship with Eric and his moms was effected by his "vacation".
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are missing out on a lot of info that would be nice to know at the end of your book. I have not read the book but when you say you wish you would know if they sent Virgil to jail and to know if he got what he deserved definitely sounds like something they should of talked about more at the end of your book.
DeleteHi Amelia!
DeleteI agree with you completely! Having the character and the rest of their lives wrote out would have been nice. It is always good to know what happens with the characters because we have been reading about them for three weeks. Having conclusion about the end of the book is nice.
Kaylee Schueller
I agree with how you would have finished out the book. I think that they should have at least told the readers what happened to virgil and if he recovered or not.
DeleteI also agree with you because it really just leaves you hanging and your mind runs wild with all the ideas and its just hard to know.
Deletei agree that he should have wrote more about how what Carvers relationships were affected by the decision to go after Virgil and if he got closer to Eric or if it made it worse.
Deletei think Carver's relationship with Eric will be better if Eric's mom still likes Carver. She probably thinks he lied to her about his military service and the "vacation". I'm assuming Virgil recovered from his injuries and go to jail.
DeleteI as well read Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. The ending was not good at all, we do not know what happened to the characters. It was good to know Sarah's dad got what was coming for him but I wanted to know he was in jail.
DeleteI read Running Loose and I enjoyed reading this book a lot. The ending was good and you could kind of see how it was going to play out but still left something out that could have made it even better. If I was the author and was to add another chapter, I feel like i would talk about what ended up happening with Louie and the life he eventually had. I feel like this would of made for a better ending and kind of have closure to the book. All in all, i would recommend this book to anyone.
ReplyDeleteI agree that at the end of the book they should of added more about his like after he graduated. At the end with him going back to the school with the sledge hammer made me think that he didn't have closure yet about what had happened to Becky.
DeleteI read Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes and i also think that they should explain more of what happened to the characters so the reader can get closure
DeleteI agree, Louie's life is left up in the air about how it played out. I will have to disagree with you Logan about thinking Louie doesn't have closure. Louie is pissed off about what Jasper said and that he signed the plaque for Becky's tree. I believe that Louie should keep taking the plaque until Jasper finally changes it to something less selfish towards Jasper.
DeleteI think it would be nice if Jasper would have realized he was being selfish and did something about it. But instead he just replaced the plaque and I think if Jasper realized that it would be a good ending.
DeleteI agree that think Chris Crutcher should've gone into more into detail about Louie's life after high school and should've given more specific details about Becky's past with Mr. Jasper and maybe that would be the reason why he destroys the plague at the end but who knows, maybe he doesn't destroy it.
DeleteI read Chinese Handcuffs and I enjoyed this book very much. The ending was packed full of action but left me with no questions as the author Chris wrapped up the end very well. A couple of things I would like the end to have was a little bit more explanation on Stacy and Jen's friendship. How they got so close, maybe from one of the girl's perspective. Then the other thing is I would of loved to see the step-dad not just pack up and leave after Dillon blackmailed him, but I would of loved to see him go to jail or have his reputation ruined forever. I only had 9 days to read but finished it in 6 it was that good. I would definitely recommend this book.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the ending of Chinese handcuffs was good, and didn't leave the reader with to many questions. I think more input on Jennifer's and Stacy's relationship would've been good as well.
DeleteJenifer's stepdad deserves a painful death in my opinion. I hate that we will never know if he is still walking free
DeleteI agree that I would love to read that Jen's step-dad got sent to jail. I think he deserves to rot for the rest of his life because of what he did.
DeleteHi Sara,
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed your book but id have to disagree with the book ending not leaving any questions. It would have been nice to know exactly how Dillon and Jens relationship could've played out and what could come from those two. I would also liked to know how Stacy could handle life with her baby on her own. Chris Crutcher just has an interesting way of writing and it seems like all of his endings left readers unsatisfied.
I agree with the ending being pack full of action I also agree with i wish the step dad didn't just pack up and leave I feel there should of been more of a argument over it. I would also love to see in get sent to jail as well.
DeleteI read the book Running Loose. In the end it didn't leave too much out but there was definitely some things that could of been added. Louie got his head straight towards the end of the book but if I was the author I would of did one or two more chapters talking more about his life after high school. I feel that if we could of seen more of him after school and when he started to get more closure with everything that happened we would of been able to see him change more then he had after everything he had went through. Over all the book was really good and i would highly recommend it to anyone.
ReplyDeleteHi Logan,
DeleteI agree with you 100%. Louie got his stuff straightened out and figured out a good path to go towards. I also thought the same as you and should of led more into Louies life after everything to give the book an even better ending. I am glad you liked the book, I did too.
I totally agree with you it was nice that Louie got his life together at the end and was on the right path. I also thought that he should of wrote more about Louie's life after high school so you could see if he stayed on the right path. I am glad you enjoyed the book because I did to.
DeleteI feel the same way about my book because the book ended on a massive cliffhanger, one of the main characters Jeff got cancer and had to be hospitalized because he passed out and fell in a pool. And the maon character is stuck in a relationship and has the hots for someone else and he is trying to figure out how to break up with hsi girlfriend or to stay with her.
DeleteI agree, Louie's life is left up in the air about how it played out. I will have to disagree with you Logan about thinking Louie doesn't have closure. Louie is pissed off about what Jasper said and that he signed the plaque for Becky's tree. I believe that Louie should keep taking the plaque until Jasper finally changes it to something less selfish towards Jasper.
DeleteI think it would be nice if Jasper would have realized he was being selfish and did something about it. But instead he just replaced the plaque and I think if Jasper realized that it would be a good ending.
DeleteI agree with you Logan i think it would be nice to see how Louies life played out after high school to see what kind of future he would have
DeleteI read the book Running loose, and if I were the author, I would go into more detail about Louie's life after Becky died. I was sort of confused when the book just stopped, so I would just add more about how Louie dealt with track and the summer and who he is friends with now and who supports him. I think Chris Crutcher assumed we knew, but really I have no idea how Louie is doing. I think one more chapter that goes into the summer and lets us know what Louie is doing for the summer and fall.
ReplyDeleteKaylee Schueller
Hi Kaylee,
DeleteI like the thought of what you would do if you were to add another chapter and agree. I think it needed more on what happen with Louie after everything panned out so like what you kind of said. I was a little confused to on what totally happened but still had an idea. Hope you enjoyed the book.
I feel the same way it would be really nice for Chris Crutcher would explain the summer and see if Louie ended up getting over Becky's death even more. I would also like to know if he and Carter ended up staying best friends since Carter was going to college for D1 sports.
DeleteHi Kaylee. I think that adding a chapter to explain the stuff you stated would also make things a lot more understandable. We can assume and guess what happens and who Louie has to support him, but we don't fully know unless Crutcher were to explain. I also feel like everything wrapped up too fast. Like when Jasper when from yelling at Louie almost every time he'd see him and then their last encounter he was friendly and asking Louie what he thinks they can do to improve the plaque. I believe adding another chapter will really pull the book together a lot better.
DeleteI read Stotan and if i were to write one last chapter i would talk about how jeff did. If he beat cancer or if he lost. I would also write about walker and desree and how they played out, whether he broke up with her or if he stuck with the relationship and put the past and his feelings behind him.
ReplyDeleteHello Cole,
DeleteI'm reading running loose, and from what I read, you and me kinda have the same perspectives of how the last chapter would be written. And how it would be written is to basically talk about how their lives continue. which you and me are basically saying for both books.
Hey Cole,
DeleteI agree with you about Walker and Desree's relationship because it was one of the major conflicts throughout the story and it just got overshadowed by other events later in the story.
I read the book Running Loose. You could see how the book was going to end but I didn't really feel the closure that I wanted. If I was the author and was going to add another chapter, I would talk about Louie's life after high school. This would give me a lot of closure and I would see how much Louie grew up and see how he lived his life. This book was really good and I would recommend this book to everyone.
ReplyDeleteHi Tyler,
DeleteI completely agree with you. I needed some closure for the ending of this book and want to know what happens to Louie after life in high school. one of the main things I want to know is if Louie will ever get another girlfriend.
I definitely agree with you because it could give the reader a perspective on what everybody is doing after high school and telling us accomplishments that each of them has made during high school.
Deleteif i wrote a chapter in the book i would write the first chapter saying the day and the year so i know where this took place and it would explain more on what was happening cause the book was the most confusing book ive ever read. i would explain more of each character like jeff and more about max cause he was just kinda there we got to know the littlest about him like he just outta no where he started driving towards his daughters house to say hi and during stotan week all we heard of him was motivation and him yelling workouts they had to do
ReplyDeleteI read the book Chinese Handcuffs, and it really leaves you hanging. If I were to write another chapter I would make it so the book was a happy ending. Jen and her mom would go to therapy and learn to get along, Stacy would live happily with her baby, Dillion and Jen would also live a happy life together. I would also add in Dillion grieving about and accepting Prestons death. All of the characters would continue to grow up and become respectful adults, accept how their past sucked but also make so their future is better.
ReplyDeleteHi Kaitlyn,
DeleteI agree with you that this book needs a happy ending. I also think it is a good idea that you would add Jen and her mom go to therapy. Knowing what they went through it would definitely help build a stronger bond and mother and daughter.
Jen deserves so much better and deserves a happy ending. Justice for Jennifer!
DeleteRunning Loose was an extremely entertaining book, the action barely slowed down once it actually started. The ending is almost completely closed, except for how the rest of Louie's life plays out. If I could add a chapter, I'd add more details about Louie busting Becky's second plaque out of the ground, and more about after Louie graduated. I would also consider how Jasper and Lednecky respond to Louie after he busts that plaque out of the ground a second time. Especially now that they believe it isn't him.
ReplyDeleteI think this is also a good idea too to just hear how they were planning if they were planning to do something about the plaques
DeleteI would definitely agree with you on that will, and talk about the second time Becky Sanders plaque was destroyed by Louie. But, to also talk about Louie's next chapter in life is a good one as well. I would love to see a last chapter of his life forming into a good beginning and end.
DeleteHi William, I also like the idea of having Louie get caught by jasper busting up the stone and hopefully they would talk and Louie would set Jasper straight. I hope you enjoyed this book as much as I did.
DeleteI read Staying fat for Sarah Byrnes and the book just stopped and really no direction on how the characters moved on or what happen to them. if there was one last chapter I would hope that Virgil would get what he deserves and I would want to see Eric, Sarah, and Dale become close again and be friend throughout adulthood and for Eric's mom I would keep Carver in the picture for a father figure for Eric.
ReplyDeletei agree with you because i want to see what life is like after Virgil is gone. Chris does just leave the story very abruptly and i would like to know where they all go with their lives and if they stay friends or if they at least stay in touch with each other.
DeleteI also read staying fat for Sarah Byrnes, I agree how bad the ending of the book was. We know Virgil got beaten but i think the author should have mentioned he was in jail.
DeleteI read this book as well. I agree about the ending needed to have a lot more information to tie up loose ends. We know some things that happened but not many. I agree with Kate in the sense that the author should have really mentioned that he was in jail instead of just leaving the reader on a cliff hanger to guess.
DeleteAfter reading the book Running Loose, I think Crutcher left some loose ends for us to think about and decide for ourselves. The book ends after Jasper replaces the broken plaque, Louie says "In about five minutes I'm going down to the station to get the hammer." In think this was a good way to nd it off leaving readers with a little laugh but it would be interesting to see what Jasper would do when he finds out. Maybe he would realize that he is being selfish or maybe not but Crutcher lets the reader decide.
ReplyDeleteHi Sam,
DeleteI agree with you that Crutcher left us off mysteriously and let us decide what happens in the future. This also can leave a chance for the author to write a sequel to this book.
Hi Sam, I also agree that Crutcher left off on a spot to let us decide what we think is going to happen. I does give readers a little laugh at the though of how long Louie would keep this act going until he felt accomplished. It is also funny that Jasper swears he knows it's Louie, but has no way to have proof so Louie is going to do it again.
Delete
ReplyDeleteif i could add one more chapter i would make it about about whether or not Eric stayed in touch with any of his friends, especially Sarah, because of how close those to were and that they both went through traumatic things from the same person. so i would like to know if that made them closer or drift apart as soon as they were apart from each other.
If i were to add one more chapter to the book running loose i think i would put it on Louie vandalizing the plaque. It would have Jasper rolling up on him as he does it and them getting into a fight or something worse
ReplyDeleteIf I was the author of Running Loose, I Would have added what happened to Louie after high school. After Becky dies in a car accident Louie does track and does well. However he still has Becky on his mind. If there was an extra chapter they could have added if Louie ever does get a girlfriend and what kind of job or family he has in the future. That is what I would do if I was the author and could add another chapter.
ReplyDeleteHi Jayden, I personally do not think that Louie would get another girlfriend for a while and I would hope that instead of going right into working he would attempt college and possibly even try to run in college.
DeleteI read the book Stotan! by Chris Crutcher. Overall, I really liked the book, but he could've ended the book off with a better ending. The book ended off by Walker saying, "Right now I've got to get dressed and go pick up Devnee. Gotta set her straight." If there was one last chapter it would definitely be talking about how Walker ends things with Devnee and focuses on spending more time with Jeff as his days are dwindling down. Jeff ends us being ok in the end and fights the disease but it is something that he is going to have to live with for the rest of his life so he still may never be able to swim or function as well as he used to. It would also talk about how Nortie's dad goes to jail because Nortie's mom turned him in because she was tired of staying at her friend's house and was scared of what her husband would do to her if she went back home. Lastly, it would talk about how Lion, Walker, and Nortie go off to college but still stay in touch and remain friends in the end. Overall, the author, Chris Crutcher, left the book off at a bad ending where it almost made me mad because there was so many problems in the book that still needed to be resolved.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything that you said because it talks about so many problems that each of the characters' have and Chris Crutcher is like I think that this is a good spot to stop. The ending sounds like if a writer was writing a book and died then no one else put any effort into ending the book about what happened to the characters'.
DeleteI read Chinese Handcuffs and I enjoyed this book but wished it ended a little different. If I were to write another chapter of this book I would definitely have added that Dillion and Jen figure out their relationship and not leave it up in the air if they will ever be together. I would also add something about Dillion and his father grieving over Preston's death. I think it would have been nice to see a little more closure than just the final letter that Dillion wrote to Preston.
ReplyDeleteI agree I would have liked to hear about Jen and Dillon. Even if at the end we find out that it was a flashback and we get to hear about Dillon's future in the last chapter
DeleteI read Chinese Handcuffs and I feel like Chris wrapped the book up pretty well the only thing I was left wondering about was Stacey. After she told everyone that the kid was hers and Preston's we never heard from her again. I also kind of wonder about Dillon's mom and sister.
ReplyDeleteI was also curious about what happened to Stacey and her baby. I wonder if Dillon told his dad that he was a grandpa or if he didn't get that involved in it.
Deletei read the book stotan and if i were to right another chapter i would talk about jeff like what ended up happening to him. Did he die or did he live? i would also talk about the kids and the end of their highschool experiences. One other thing i would write about is Nortie like if he would ever move back in with his dad or what ever happened to his dad. I was never a big fan of this book since i started reading it but one thing i hated was at the end of the book they just left you hanging.
ReplyDeleteIf I was the author to write the loose ends in Running Loose into one more chapter, I would make the last chapter be mostly about Louie of course, and talk about what Louie's next chapter in his life would look like. For instants, I will talk about which college he chooses to go for or even if he goes to college maybe the workforce or the military. I would talk more about the cliffhanger in the last chapter of the book and explain what happened to Louie when he damaged the plaque in remembrance to Becky Sanders "Louie's girlfriend" a second time. I would say that Louie for what he did to the plaque two times was okay and was basically justice for Becky because Jasper writing his signature in the plaque was disrespectful to Becky's name. In the end, I would definitely write about Louie's achievements in his life and where he is now.
ReplyDeleteHi Thomas so I notice that our author specific is basically similar also because in my blog I also have describe that I would like to add the chapter by towards the end so we can explain our readers our end up plot vs leaving them on unanswered questions like college life and life after the plot.
DeleteHi Thomas!
DeleteI like your idea a lot about finding out what happens to Louie after he smashes the plaque. Is he going to get caught or will he get away with it again? I also really love the idea of fast forwarding a little ways to see what kinds of things Louie had achieved in his life a little ways down the road. Hope you liked the book as much as I did :))
Cade Messer
I read Running Loose and if I was the author I would definitely add one last chapter because I can write down where everyone goes after high school and give the reader a perspective on where they are right now or write down their next chapter would be like after high school and maybe end the book with Jasper actually listening to Louie for once and I would go into detail on Louie's life after high school and the accomplishments he has made during high school and also explaining on what on what happens to Louie's parents and the station.
ReplyDeleteHi Alik, I would agree on the part where you want to add chapter and explain the readers about after loves after the story or plot happens. so yes I like the idea of yours Alik keep it up man.
DeleteI read Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes If I were the author or in his/her specific I would go and add another chapter of story by towards the end so you can have better chance to understanding the story with answered questions. something I like how Chris Crutcher that he leaves his last chapter with undefine stories or the plots but I also like that how it makes us thinking and we can come up with our own solution.
ReplyDeleteHi Jaksh! I completely agree with you when you mention the novel needing at least one more chapter at the end. As a reader it's almost disappointing to not get the final answer to what happens to characters after spending a lot of time reading a book. Most all novels have some sort of closure and do not leave you hanging like this. However, this may just be the way that Chris Crutcher writes his books.
DeleteWhen i got to the end of the book Chinese Handcuffs, i felt really unsatisfied. A lot of things were left hanging and lead to suspense being left in the air. I really liked that feeling of not knowing exactly where the characters end up because it gives me room to imagine it how i wanted to end. If i had the power to write one last chapter, i think i would tie up the loose ends around Jennifer's abusive stepdad. I would write him the most gruesome slow and painful death i could think of because that's what he deserves. It makes me queasy thinking about the fact that he mights still be free in the Chinese Handcuffs universe because it never specifies that he went to jail. i would also write Jennifer a happier ending. I would make a flashfoward of her mom finding a really nice man that loves Jennifer and her mom and sister to be her stepdad.
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing the book Stotan the author did leave us hanging by a lot! So if I could write one more chapter I would write it mainly about Jeff’s last days And how he’s losing his battle. After that are probably right about his funeral and have all the characters talk about such a good times they had with him. I would talk about walker setting things straight with his girlfriend. Lastly I will talk about the boys graduation day
ReplyDeleteAnd what they plan on actually doing in the future.
I just got done reading Stotan and Chris Crutcher left us hanging by a thread by not telling us about Jeff's health and what's going to happen to him. He also left us off with what Walker is going to tell his girlfriend Devnee.
ReplyDeleteI read Chinese handcuffs and he kind of left us on a cliff hanger aswell, it looks like its a common theme of his is to leave his books on cliff hangers whit lots of unanswered questions.
DeleteWhen I finished Chinese Handcuffs I felt like there were still a lot of unanswered questions. In my mind I imagine that Jennifer's stepdad T.B. went to jail for the rest of his life. Jennifer's mom more than likely found a new abusive boyfriend. I think that Dillon finally got the closure he needed after losing his brother and almost losing Jennifer. As for Dillon and Jen's relationship, I don't think they could ever end up together because of what Jennifer went through.
ReplyDeleteOnce I finished Chinese Handcuffs I still had a lot of questions that I wished I had gotten answered. I noticed that Chris Crutcher seems to have a constant theme of ending his books in a way that makes readers angry in a way. The one thing I especially didn't like about the end of the book is that I felt that I didn't get the closure that I was hoping. It would have been nice to know where exactly the characters ended up and what happened after all the craziness went on in the beginning/ middle of the book. If I Could've written my ending chapter, i would have ended in answering the questions I had came up with as a reader.
ReplyDeleteI agree that he makes us angry by the way he just leaves us on a cliff hanger. it almost sets himself up for another booka nd make it into a series, sadly he doesn't do that :(
DeleteI agree I feel like it was a little underwhelming and there was not closure
DeleteFor my book Chinese Handcuffs, if I was the author, i would add one chapter showing Dillon and Jennifer hanging out with each other and finding out that T.B. got arrested down in Florida, and Jennifer being happy that he's now locked up for good. I think that would be a much better way to end the book than what Chris Crutcher did before.
ReplyDeleteI agree I'd like to know how Jennifer feels about the situation
DeleteIn the book Chinese handcuffs the author leaves a lot unanswered and the end seemed kind of rushed. I would add a chapter explaining how TB got caught and how everything went down/ How Jennifer feels about the situation. I'd add some resolve to the Stacy pregnancy situation, and finally I would have given Dillion/ and or the reader some resolve about his brothers suicide. This is what I'd change about the end.
ReplyDeleteI read running loose which i enjoyed reading a lot. If i was the author I would of had the principle catch Louie breaking the stone and them talking about how to honor Becky in a very honorable way without having the principles name on it. I would also talk about Louie and Carters future and what happens after college. Overall this book was very good and would recommend to anyone.
ReplyDeleteHey Max!
DeleteI think the ending of this story is a great idea! It would be awesome to know where both Carter and Louie ended up in college (if Louie does decide to run track). I am glad that you liked the book too!
Cade Messer
Hi Max, I think that this would be good ending. I really like the fact that Becky would be recognized more.
DeleteI wish that we could tie up the loose end of walker and his girlfriends because then all of the dead parts in the book would actually have an ending and not be for nothing and I would also probably respect walker more and see him as a higher person but he also has a lot going on with his friends and be hard to end an relationship with what he is going threw
ReplyDeleteI would write another chapter about Virgil's court trial. Maybe Sarah could sit in on the trial and feel some sense of justice. I think Eric would get a scholarship or something for his courage to stand up to Virgil and Mautz. I think Lemry would get an outstanding citizen reward for adopting Sarah
ReplyDeleteIn the book Chinese Handcuffs if i could add a chapter i would add it of how Jens and her mom reacted after the ending and how they connected. i would also add something in about Stacy and how what happen to her i feel she kind of got left out over the past few chapter so i would add her in the last chapter so we could have closure on her as well.
ReplyDeleteThe way I would tie up loose ends in Chris Crutcher's book “Running Loose” would be by having Louie walk to the station to pick up the hammer. Louie then goes back to the tree at the school and smashes the plaque as it says Jasper's name on it. When the people wake up again the next morning they find out about the broken plaque. Jasper does not even question Louie about it this time as he does not think he has anything to do with it. Instead, he orders up a new plaque just the way Louie said originally, without Jasper's name on it. Jasper does so and the book ends happily ever after with everyone remembering the life of Becky with the small tree by the school.
ReplyDeleteCade Messer
I agree I feel like that would have been a good punch towards Jasper, in getting his final revenge. And I wish there was more excitement towards the end
DeleteNow that I have finished up Stotan, I do believe that there is one improvement that could have been made to make the last couple chapters a little better. I think it was okay that we never found out if Jeff ended up passing away, because this was one of the many questions that the author left me with at the end of the story and that is what Chris Crutcher wanted was for readers to keep guessing even once they were done reading. I think what story should have added was giving Jeff more of a wisdom role when he developed cancer. I don't think that he was used to his full potential because of this. I think it would have gave Jeff more meaning to be giving out life lessons to his best friends while they were starting adulthood and gave me as the reader some more value from the book.
ReplyDeleteI have finished reading Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. I was actually upset about how the book ended, I wanted more answers. If I was able to add a chapter, it would be about where Virgil went and what happened after Carver visited him. Also add about what happened with Lemery, Eric, and Sarah after catching Sarah before she ran away. Lastly I would write about Carver coming home to his family and that Eric reunited with his friends at school safely
ReplyDeleteI read Running Loose. I really enjoyed how the book ended up playing out but I wish there was more. While it was satisfying, it would have been much better if there was more to the ending or maybe another chapter. It could have possibly about his life after graduation and what he doing with his life.
ReplyDeleteI read the book, Running Loose, and overall I think Chris Crutcher wrapped it up pretty well besides the small part about Louie going to destroy the plaque again. The whole story itself was wrapped up but he could've gone further to explain exactly what Louie was going to do to the plaque again. However, even though he didn't say exactly what Louie was going to do, we can imagine and assume since he has already ruined the plaque once. It really just left you wondering how long Louie would keep this secretive act up or when Jasper was going to give up and make the plaque better.
ReplyDeleteI read the book Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. The way I would have finished the book would be to write more about how the characters went on with their lives and what happened to them in more detail. I would really like to know that Virgil went to jail and got what he deserved. I'd also like to be assured that the rest of the characters move on from their rough patch and start their own lives again. I would also like to talk more about Carvers relationship with Eric, and how his moms was effected by his "Vacation".
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