Still Life with Woodpecker - the Golden Ball

[Paul M. Cook]

Greetings,

Veteran newsnet junkie, newsgroup newbie here. I'm re-reading all of TR's
books having just finished Still Life with Woodpecker, my second reading in
16 years. Amazing how much I missed before, shallow youth and all.

Still, the Golden Ball I think eludes me. Enlighten me if you will. I
think I know what it is but I want to be sure.

Paul
---
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http://home1.gte.net/pmcook

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[Dale Kirby]

Welcome, Paul. I have to admit that I'm still stumped by the whole Golden Ball
thing.

Maybe it's the symbol of lost virginity. Maybe it signifies love that won't
stay. Maybe Tom just forgot to explain it. Or maybe Tom whispered the explantion
into Leigh-Cheri's ear toward the end of the novel and she just couldn't hear
him.

Dale

[little toad]

Dale Kirby wrote in message <37CB0C11...@stones.com>...
:Welcome, Paul. I have to admit that I'm still stumped by the whole

Golden Ball
:thing.
:
:Maybe it's the symbol of lost virginity. Maybe it signifies love that
won't
:stay. Maybe Tom just forgot to explain it. Or maybe Tom whispered the
explantion
:into Leigh-Cheri's ear toward the end of the novel and she just
couldn't hear
:him.
:
:Dale

do you suppose that TR had read Henry James' The Golden Bowl? or
Frasier's The Golden Bough?

i have just started reading Woodpecker again (many years after my
first reading) :-) and i will be thinking of this as i read. may i
offer up my $.02 after i've completed it?

little toad

ps - Dale - in another post, you forgot to switch your deja name from
Dale to CQ but you signed it CQ anyway. ;-)

:
:

:

[Paul M. Cook]

It's possible, she was deaf by then after all and couldn't hear what he was
saying. I don't know about the virginity part, she certainly wasn't one
after all. The "lost innocent" angle just seems to trite for me. Bernard
was moved to exasperation at needing to know what became of the Golden Ball.
So much so he blew his good conduct, and visitation privileges, in jail.
And the frog thing, being tossed against a wall and becoming a prince.
Strange indeed.

Paul
---
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Dale Kirby <tr...@stones.com> wrote in message
news:37CB0C11...@stones.com...

> Welcome, Paul. I have to admit that I'm still stumped by the whole Golden
Ball
> thing.
>
> Maybe it's the symbol of lost virginity. Maybe it signifies love that
won't
> stay. Maybe Tom just forgot to explain it. Or maybe Tom whispered the
explantion
> into Leigh-Cheri's ear toward the end of the novel and she just couldn't
hear
> him.
>
> Dale
>
>