Are We All In Agreement..

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

That in QoA Eddis mentions a pair of earrings that Gen stole from her. When she asks where they are, Gen carefully avoids answering...later we learn that Gen has left Attolia a pair of earrings he thought she would like (basically pissing her off to no end). When I read this, I immediately thought "THAT'S WHAT HE DID WITH EDDIS'S EARRINGS!"

And then I wondered what the rest of you thought....

So, thoughts?

Also: I have two friends that have just started the series, and I'm basically bitting my tongue when I'm around them!! My predictions are that one of them will really like QoA and the other will really like CoK. But I feel like I'm nagging them to read the rest of the series. Any advice for me or them?? loll Also what are some of your favorite parts of The Thief? Or maybe those little things you never noticed? I want to bring them up, but I'm having a hard time remembering them all! 

Comments

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

Nope. I always think Gen had the ones for Attolia made special to match her headband. I don't see him giving her Eddis's old ones -- those probably ended up on the altar.

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

K good cause after I thought that...I didn't quite like the idea of it. =)

[freenarnian.livejournal.com]

I thought they were the same earrings... but now that I think about it, Gen said something about them being garnets instead of rubies, right? I always laughed at that because it sounded like Gen was playing fashion police and stole them away from Eddis to spare everyone the humiliation. I can't see him satisfied with matching garnets with rubies... so he'd hardly pass those earrings on to his honeybunches Attolia.

OH WAIT... am I thinking of the pin (rather than the earrings)? The one Gen uses to fasten his sleeve? Now I'm uncertain.

[(Anonymous)]

Ah, the garnets on Eddis's fibula pin. Eugenides's father thought they were rubies when he mentioned it to Eugenides.

[stubefied-by-gd.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure they are the same ones. I'm not sure what else could explain the line "her eyes narrowed with what looked to Attolia like puzzlement" when the two queens finally meet up, other than recognition of her own lost earrings. It's on p. 303 of my paperback.

[stubefied-by-gd.livejournal.com]

I'm curious - why not?

[chubbyleng.livejournal.com]

I agree!

I just feel like it's not something Gen would do. I mean, I feel that jewelries are pretty important accessories, especially for royalty... and I have an inkling that it'll be like "hand-me-downs" if Gen did give Attolia Eddis's earrings. I don't really know how to explain it. It's just that it feels very insulting if Gen gave them to Irene.

Something like, "Hey, remember when I said I like Eddis better than you? Well, wear these! Then you're one step closer to becoming like her!"

Or something...

But really, don't listen to me. I just got back from Eco class.

[openedlocket.livejournal.com]

I always thought they were the same, partly because I always thought it was a symbolism to Gen's loyalties sort of being directed more towards Irene now than Helen. That's just me, I'm not entirely sure of that theory anymore.

[stubefied-by-gd.livejournal.com]

Also, on re-read it seemed sort of glaring that his response when confronted about the disappearance of that pair of earrings had been to try to sidestep the topic instead of giving a perfectly good reason like he had just done for the other thing he stole from her. When he said he'd never steal from Eddis, he clearly meant he'd never do it without good reason, for fun like he might steal from other people. His other theft we know about was to keep her from looking hideous. That he won't tell her why he stole that pair of earrings definitely sticks out in comparison.

[freenarnian.livejournal.com]

Ha. There goes my theory, then. =)

[lizzyazula.livejournal.com]

I agree, I always thought Eddis' earrings went on the altar. Perhaps he wasn't avoiding telling her where they were, but they both knew where the earrings ended up. I mean, most of what Gen stole ended up on the altar anyway, and from that one Disney short story, it seemed he had a habit of stealing everyone's random jewelery anyway (Which is JUST LIKE GEN!). Also, I seriously doubt Gen would steal from Eddis and give to Attolia...just think what would happen if either of them found out...and besides, Eddis would recognize her earrings on Attolia's ears, right?

As for the friends reading the books, just don't try to kill them if they don't end up being obsessed. I had all three of my sisters read them, and none of them seriously loved them like I did. DEPRESSING. And weird, seeing as all four of us like the same kind of books.

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

Like you point out context clues led me to believe that they were Eddis's...but the idea of Gen stealing from Eddis to give them to Attolia just didn't sit right with me.. I really liked Eddis, but it took me a while to like Attolia. I didn't love her until like KoA and then even more so in CoK but TT and QoA she *WAS* the enemy for the most part. And it made me feel uneasy because it suggested that Gen's undying loyalty to Eddis was torn in some way...which I guess it was.

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

I literally LOL'd at this.

It would be REALLY REALLY horrible (and yet Gen like) to say something like that..

[etv13.livejournal.com]

I just feel it would be horribly tacky for Gen to give Irene Helen's earrings, and whatever Gen's faults, being tacky isn't one of them. (God, I feel so southern talking like this, and I haven't lived in the south since I was six.) I agree with the person above who said Gen had Attolia's earrings custom-made to go with her headband.

Also, while I can't imagine Gen having anything else in common with Freddie Standen, I believe he does share the belief that garnets are "trumpery things." Rubies are what you give your true love.

[chubbyleng.livejournal.com]

Hehe, I'm glad I got my point across though. ^^

Yeah, it never actually crossed my mind that those earrings could have been Eddis's; I just thought about it after I saw it here, and even then, I had difficulty believing he would do something like that. Irene would be appalled! She'd probably take them off the moment she finds out, and be all.... heartbroken and stuff.

[stubefied-by-gd.livejournal.com]

I still like Eddis more than Attolia, but I'm okay with this. It's odd because a lot sort of symbolically points toward a tearing of his loyalty, but I don't get the feeling Gen really thinks about it that way. In a way, it's like he's less torn now because before he was living in one country while secretly trying to save/preserve/rescue the heart of another (warring) country's queen. Now the countries are at peace and there's nothing secret about it if he cares about his cousin.

Plus, it sits a lot better if you see it less of the earrings going from queen to queen and more from his elder female family member to his new wife, like an heirloom engagement ring. Only of course Gen would steal his heirloom.

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

She might just be insulted and roll her eyes. I dont know..I can see both sides of the situation (read stu's comments above about a gift from Eddis to Attolia via Gen)

I think I would have to go back and look at the context clues and see if the suggestion really does stand out enough for it to be the same earrings...I don't know if Eddis even mentions what *kind* of earrings they are...

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

We do know he stole earrings from all his cousins, I just thought it was strange how he just changes the subject and then later we know that Attolia found some earrings...

I wonder if there's a difference when you discover the books on your own as opposed to being told to read them because they're awesome. loll
I know, I'm going to try not to be, but I'm still hoping =)

[chubbyleng.livejournal.com]

Yeah... I guess it depends on the reader's perception. I dunno... for me, I guess the symbolism of the earrings being passed on to her has a totally different meaning, one that has unpleasant connotations. But maybe I'm just taking it the wrong way. ^__^ Oh well, that means it's probably time for a reread.

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

But Gen is such a fashion-conscious guy. I'm sure those earrings match EXACTLY for Attolia, and I just doubt that Eddis had the perfect earrings lying around for him to take. Also I see this as Gen's big, grand gesture to Attolia (a little misguided. I think he designed exactly what he wanted for her. Just my reading.

[stubefied-by-gd.livejournal.com]

I'm sure Eddis's earrings could have matched perfectly for any number of reasons, mostly connected to the headband being meant to evoke Hephestia's jewelry -- where would you be more likely to find beautiful, Hephestial jewelry than in the possession of the Eddisian royal family? There might even be a matching headband lying around Eddis somewhere, too.

It sounds a little like a stretch, but to me it is less of a stretch than ignoring the parts of the text that otherwise go unexplained - Gen's explaining what he did with the necklace he stole, but not the earrings, and later Eddis's look when she first sees Attolia after the battle. MWT doesn't throw lines in for nothing, so I'd need good reasons of why she included those.

Also, I'm not sure Gen would have had the earrings commissioned, since Eddis is so clearly full of gossipers who would have had something to say about the Thief commissioning and buying the article he most likes to steal. Would have drawn way too much attention that lies couldn't fully divert, I think. But that is really just more conjecture and interpretation.

I by no means wanted the earrings to be Eddis's. It's just the reading that, for me, reconciles best with otherwise unexplained bits of the text.

[lizzyazula.livejournal.com]

I hope your friends do love them. I love Sounis, but it's really nice having, you know, real people to scream, speculate, and obsess with. Expressing your love in caps lock only gets you so far...

[hazelwillow.livejournal.com]

I don't have the book with me to go back and check, but... did it mention whether eddis's earrings were ruby? It doesn't seem likely to me that Gen would have found earrings that match Attolia's headdress perfectly simply sitting in Eddis's jewelery box, somehow. But I could be wrong seeing as she is imitating the Eddisian goddess.

Maybe Gen took the rubies from Eddis's earrings, had them re-cut and re-mounted (is that the right word?) onto a new pair of earrings, and gave those to Attolia. Would Gen have had the money to just have a pair made? (maybe he pawned Eddis's earrings and used the money, lol...). Without actually going back and checking, though, I'd place my money on them being different earrings. The second-hand gift doesn't sit right with me, even if it might be in character.

[sunshinebutter.livejournal.com]

Eugenides stealing usually has a purpose - Even in The Thief when he combs through his pocket and finds a whole lot of objects, like the penknife or the comb, or the magus's fibula pin - he was taking them for a purpose, even if for e.g. the fibula pin didn't end up having a purpose - it would have been potentially useful - or in the case of Ambiades comb - done out of spite.
In The Queen of Attolia when he says, "I would never steal from you" and she says, "What about my..." - He was doing it out of a familial love. So Gen wouldn't then go steal something from the Queen of Eddis, who he so deeply cares about and is fond of to impress or care for the Queen of Attolia who he cares about - it wouldn't have any meaning for him.

(I do realise that I'm a bit late to the party on this discussion - but I was reading through old posts)