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Say Goodnight, Gracie is a book written by Julie Reece Deaver. She grew up in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. This happens to be her first novel. This is a fiction book that fits into the genre of realistic fiction. The story takes place in Chicago Illinois in the late 1980 s. Jimmy Woolf and Morgan Hackett, who are both seventeen have known each other their whole lives.
Their mothers were high school friends. They were reunited in the maternity wing at Geneva Hospital, the week they were born. Since then, Jimmy and Morgan have been best friends. Jimmy loved to dance and Morgan likes to act. So in and out of downtown Chicago they go for classes and auditions.
Morgan and Jimmy usually ditch school to make auditions and Jimmy had a big one coming up for Oklahoma. So he and Morgan went. The choreographer asked them to dance in pairs of six and he would give the good ones a call to come for the finals. Jimmy got a phone call and was asked back on Saturday. He got a call that said it was changed to Friday, so Morgan and Jimmy ditch school to go. At the theater Jimmy was real nervous and totally bombed on the audition.
He was real upset and said some things to Morgan that made her cry. Then Morgan got angry and ran to the hospital to see her Aunt Lo. Her aunt is a psychiatrist. At the hospital she told her aunt the story, and Loey told her to spend the night at her house. Her aunt tells her she is having a party and to get dressed in the new clothes she bought for her. At the party, Morgan finally agrees to talk to Jimmy and they settle it with a pillow fight.
Her aunt is standing in the doorway laughing because she knew they would make up. Jimmy needed to talk to Morgan and to get away from everyone they went into the living room. There, Jimmy told Morgan he was going to start working at the Children s theater again. He asked Morgan to be an assistant and she agreed.
May I say, very hesitantly. Morgan began her job in early November. Jimmy was showing her the stage when the director walks in. Ben Kubelsky (director) gave Morgan a coffee pot and scripts. He said to pass them out to the actors. Morgan was hating the idea of this assistance job.
Morgan felt like quitting. If anything couldn t get worse. Next Jimmy s girlfriend in the play, Robin comes in and gives Jimmy a big kiss. Morgan was a bit jealous, but Jimmy reassured her she was his number one girl. Jimmy always knew what to say, to help her feel better.
She would not know what to do without him. Morgan s big chance to act came few weeks prior to Christmas. Robin was cramming for midterms and she could not make the show. It seemed as though Morgan could fit into the dress so Ben asked her to play the part. Morgan rushed over to tell Jimmy the news, so he helped Morgan rehearse for the lines. There was very little time before the show and Morgan practiced her lines.
The big moment had arrived. Morgan was nervous, and excited while the curtains were coming up. As she was starting to enter the stage, she fell flat on her face. Jimmy covered for her with a joke. While Morgan was all but crying. After that huge embarrassment, Morgan slipped out the back door.
Jimmy follows her down the stairs but Morgan is not in the mood to talk. Jimmy says now you know how I felt when I did not want to talk to you. Morgan said that she was not mad, Jimmy knows she is not okay even when she says it. Morgan never wanted to go on stage and act ever again.
Jimmy tries to convince Morgan to take a bow. Morgan would not. Due to her refusal, Jimmy had to drag her on stage. To make Morgan feel better he said her favorite line, say goodnight Gracie. The play ran through Christmas. As soon as the last curtain came down Jimmy and Morgan went to North Avenue.
Morgan wanted to go Christmas shopping, Jimmy sighed and agreed. They went up and down Main Street. She bought her aunt silver filigreed bracelet from Rystroms. From Warner s she bought her father a canvas. At Du Jardine she bought her mom a new book. As Jimmy was getting into the car, she ran quickly to get his gift.
It was a light blue sweater from Horse s. On Christmas morning the Woolf's came over for brunch. Jimmy and Morgan were sick of singing, they went to talk in the other room. Jimmy told her that he was going to do summer stock in Wisconsin. Morgan was upset.
Jimmy s wise cracking ways always cheered her up. The next afternoon Morgan was getting ready. Jimmy arrived to pick her up and he was honking for her to hurry up. In the car Morgan was freezing. Jimmy took off his jacket and gave it to her. Jimmy and Morgan decided to meet back here in an hour.
At the theater, they were having a semester ending party. Morgan felt weird without Jimmy being beside her. He was always good at breaking the ice with people. Morgan left the party and was waiting for Jimmy.
This was the first time in history he was late. Morgan calls Actors Equity and they say Jimmy has not shown up. Morgan says it is not like Jimmy not to call. Than a car pulls and it was Morgan s mother.
Her mom tells her that Jimmy has been in car accident. Morgan cannot believe it, Jimmy always has been a careful driver. Her Mom told her that the other driver was drunk and apparently skid into Jimmy s car. Jimmy was thrown a hundred feet from the car. Morgan could not believe Jimmy was being taken away from her.
Jimmy was gone and Morgan walked away without a single emotion. While her mother, aunt, and Mrs. Woolf were falling apart. Morgan s hands were shaking and the death of Jimmy had not caught up with her. To stop the shaking her aunt gave her a shot. Morgan spent the night at her aunt s house.
When she woke up she did not know what she was doing there. Morgan asked Loey what happened to the other driver? Her aunt s told her that he was out on bail and that he was being charged with reckless homicide. Jimmy s funeral was going to be held day after tomorrow. Morgan was trying to deal with it all on her own and she refused any help. Morgan was still wearing Jimmy s jacket, she had not taken it off at all.
When Morgan got home she threw his jacket in the garbage. Morgan could not sleep that night. She woke up in the middle of the night and put back on Jimmy s jacket. When she woke up, she hid it under her mattress. She felt as though she had Jimmy wrapped around her arms. When they reached the church, Morgan could not go in.
She said jimmy was not religious and neither am I. Morgan went right back to school Monday. At school everyone was showing sympathy towards her and she could not take. it. As school went on Morgan s grades began to drop. Her mother was worried she went back to school to early.
For the next 3 weeks Morgan stayed home. All she did was lay in bed. She had fell into a depression sort of state. Morgan fells as though she has to handle Jimmy s death on her own and it finally caught up with her. Her father comes into her room and say why don t we take a walk. For the first time since Jimmy s death Morgan felt safe and supported.
The next day she decided to go back to school. She had finally made another friend, her name was Jody. Jimmy s birthday was April twentieth and she went to his house to give his mother some flowers. Mrs. Woolf wanted Morgan to have something of Jimmy s, so she gave her his baby ring. Mrs.
Woolf told Morgan that the were moving out of state. Morgan felt her whole world changing. Morgan went to the hospital where he aunt was working. Morgan s hands were shaking and she asked Loey for some of the pills. Aunt Lo said before you can start to heal you will have to let him go. Morgan finally broke down.
She was letting out her true feelings for the first time. That night she went back to her aunt s house. Her aunt told her grief travels a certain route, if you could plot it on a map, you d probably have a line that twists and weaves and eventually ends up near the point of departure. The next afternoon she and her aunt had lunch. Morgan finally knew that she was going to be all right. Morgan walked out with her aunt.
She walked onto madison and stopped on the bridge. She remembered Jimmy saying spring is around the corner, hang in there. Morgan thought spring is here and she really was going to be all right. She took off Jimmy s jacket and hurled it over the railing. She stayed long enough on the railing to watch a gust of wind catch it and send it down in a whirling spiral. Then Morgan remembered the train, and ran to the station.
Morgan is a seventeen year old girl and Jimmy is her best friend. Jimmy is a joker, a fun loving guy. Morgan is a more quite, reserved girl. Jimmy brings out the wacky side in her.
One thing is true they, are best friends and they never are apart. After his death Morgan must live on her own without someone backing her up in times of trouble. She becomes more quite and loses focus on life. Morgan is very self -sufficient, innocent, reserved person. Jimmy is more outgoing, loving, caring person. The theme of the book is the bond between two friends and dealing with the lose of someone you love.
The author shows the strong relationship and the love between Jimmy and Morgan. By telling how they helped each other in times of need. The author describes how Jimmy holds Morgan s hand the first day of school, when she was scared to walk in alone. She mainly builds the story with the devotion and compassion Jimmy and Morgan share.
My feelings through out the book varied. At the beginning I thought it was boring. Let me say, only for a couple of chapters. It was boring when Morgan and Jimmy were looking through the photo album and remembering their childhood. Towards the middle I really liked how the author showed the dependence Morgan and Jimmy have on each other.
Bailing each other out. Like when Morgan forgot her train money and Jimmy paid for her. I felt like crying when Jimmy died. I actually did.
It is so sad to loose someone you love. It can make you go crazy. Say Goodnight, Gracie by Julie Reece Deaver is a great book that shows you what friendship is all about. I truly do recommend the book.
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