13 Comments so far

1. Jenny Crusie July 22nd, 2007 11:36 am

   You’re all reading Harry Potter, aren’t you?

2. pats July 22nd, 2007 12:53 pm

   Ok, I am reading Harry Potter (and loving it) but I’m still checking in. I loved watching Xan’s frustration in trying to control her minions — as the old saying goes, it you want something done right you have to do it yourself! But my favorite part was when Xan turned Vincent-the-jerk into a cockroach — and Maxine smushed him. Yep, she was using him but he was much, much worse!

3. Diane (TT) July 22nd, 2007 1:01 pm

   Nah, I read Harry Potter last night. I will probably read it again when I get home, but I didn’t go to bed ’til I knew what happened, so I’m free to catch up on the mail I missed by househunting in IL for 3 days. And I’m taking a break from THAT by visiting here.

   Turning Vincent into a cockroach (and not having to squash him herself - so it wasn’t HER fault he was dead!) was good, but following on the humiliation of being ignorant of his engagement…. Sort of takes some of the gilt off.

   In fact, she didn’t have many good moments, because desperation is not an easy place to have good moments. There were some hopeful times, when she thought the sisters might turn over their powers, and a really good entrance on the mountain, but, in light of the way it all turned out, they were all pretty illusory.

4. Naked Under My Clothes July 22nd, 2007 3:37 pm

   Maybe this is odd, but I liked watching her interact with her nieces. It was all from their POVs, so I got to see her operate from an outsider’s view.

   And my God, she’s good. She’s very very good.

   I’m not reading Harry Potter. Not a big fan. I also don’t like Jimmy Stewart except in The Philadelphia Story and Harvey, though, so I’m obviously out of step with the global international public.

5. Kay T July 22nd, 2007 9:10 pm

   I couldn’t like Xan in the scenes with the nieces because you knew (or found out) that she was just a big-fat liar. But I liked when she was making the libido spell and Maxine knocked the see glass in. And that she smelled “good.” And that she was probably nearing/entering menopause. Okay, favorite moment, the libido spell.

   (P.S. Do you know how much the audio version of HP costs?!!!! I have listened to all of them and intend to do so with this one, but at 40% off it is still around $50. Can’t handle that. I wonder what it is at Costco? Anyway, I can wait–NO don’t tell me what happens.)

6. patmc July 22nd, 2007 10:50 pm

   it’s silly, but i loved her reaction to maxine when she kept appearing back, when she was sure she had gotten rid of her. And, Xan’s reaction when he got dumped before she could be the dumper, not be the dump-ie.
   priceless

7. robena grant July 22nd, 2007 11:24 pm

   I’m treading very cautiously here, being on my best behavior so as not to experience the wrath of Xan. Heh.
   I liked how she reacted in one of her earlier scenes with Maxine and the see glass when she was recalling how Vincent had said they should dine more by candlelight. It made me laugh and think of we middle-aged women and our problems with aging, and how guys get silver-haired, paunchy and bald, and damn it, they still think they’re hot.

8. K.L. July 23rd, 2007 12:27 pm

   I really loved the Vincent/cockroach scene, but I have to say, my favorite scene was the libido scene, when she commented about it being a hot time in the old town, then covering it all up because she just didn’t want to watch.

9. Sheri July 23rd, 2007 7:56 pm

   Xan was amazing. And it was interesting to me how she was able to zero in on each of the girls’ weaknesses and use them against them. I know just how Dee felt when Xan told her how proud she was of her–there is a hole in your heart when a parent is missing from your life (or someone else who was important to you as a child) and when you find that person again and they say something to the effect that they always loved you or are proud of you–god, it just hits you HARD!

   I also loved how she was jealous of Lizzie and Elric. Even though she kept saying she wouldn’t hurt the girls, she was also not going to feel too badly if something just happened to go wrong with Lizzie and she died. That’s when I knew for sure that no matter what she said, she was definitely evil through and through. So I didn’t feel too badly when she got a big rock dumped on her at the end.

10. Sheri July 23rd, 2007 7:59 pm

    Gee, I forgot to say what her best moment was–long day… So I think it was the way she was able to manipulate each of the girls’ feelings, how she knew exactly the right thing to say to each of them to make them feel something for her, to register some doubt in each of their hearts. It gave her the opportunity to connect with them for just a minute, but it was enough. (Too bad that she didn’t realize that it was also the absolute WORST thing she could have done, because when they all recovered they were convinced of her evilness, and it wasn’t just Dee this time!!)

11. McB July 23rd, 2007 8:22 pm

    I though Xan’s best moment was she found out that Vincent was two-timing her. And I want to say that she redeemed herself somewhat because she did bring Elric and Lizzie together when she really wanted him for herself. But I’m not sure it was so altruistic.

12. Christine July 24th, 2007 7:55 am

    I loved it when she turned Vincent into a bug. How many women would love to be able to do that when they caught their man cheating on them? I know I would have used that power to do that! Crushing him went a little too far. I think she should have kept him that way indefinitely.

13. Jane George July 24th, 2007 5:37 pm

    Xan’s “best” moment, well not for her, but for me, was the section where she’s made two mistakes, but she only admits one to herself. The first being “I picked the only person in Salem’s Fork who’s allergic to magic.” (Maxine.) And the second, Crash Who?

    PS Haven’t started Potter, yet. Son grabbed it.

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