Waldorf & Juli - Summer Reading Review by My Beautiful Niece Paige!
My beautiful niece, Paige came up to me during her recent visit and let me know that she had finished reading Waldorf & Juli as her summer reading assignment. The one thing she said was: "Write a Waldorf & Juli II, please."
And it is really weird. It was a book that I wrote while I was writing another book, Desperation.
Desperation had a really heavy feel to it and I decided to play around with Waldorf & Juli.
I actually ended up finishing and publishing Waldorf & Juli first because once I started writing it I couldn't stop...because it was fun.
But reading Paige's review I grew a little sad...because I had forgotten the plot.
I forgot what it was about!
Paige also included a couple of quotes in her review and as I read them through I thought, 'Damn, that's pretty good.'
But what is really great is Paige's effort here!
A book I wrote before she was born! And now she's asking for a sequel!
Thank you, Paige...love you!
Journal Entry #1: Summary
Beginning:
Waldorf loves Juli and Juli loves Waldorf. They each love each other so much they decide to get married, but they fight...a lot. The fighting soon begins to ease once they welcome a new member of the Smith family; a dog named Sam. After a couple months, Juli gets pregnant and has a beautiful baby boy named Jeffrey, and Waldorf and Juli are as happy as they were when they were when they fell in love.
Quote (Page 163):”I was just thinking that he might be crying, and I couldn’t stop his pain”… “It’s okay,’ I said, brushing her hair softly with the side of my hand. “I’m here to watch out for him too.” I said. “I know you are,” Juli said softly. “Promise me that nothing bad will ever happen to him.” I hesitated. That was a hell of a promise. “I’ll build a moat to protect him,” I said. “Perfect,” she said. She had never spoken such a true word. The world was just perfect.
Analysis/ Explanation: This quote is important because it shows the relationship and love between Waldorf and Juli, and the affect it has on Jeffrey. For example, they both adore each other so much, that they make a promise to each other, themselves and Jeffrey, that they will always protect him and love him like great parents do.
Middle:
Jeffrey is 5, and he is going to kindergarten. Waldorf goes into work and in the middle of the day gets a call from Jeffrey’s school about Jeffrey hurting another kid so badly, that the kid needed stitches. When Waldorf and Juli get to the school to talk with the teacher, Juli gets into an argument with the teacher, because the teacher called Jeffrey retarded. Waldorf talks to the principal, and Jeffrey is switched to a different class. Juli gets pregnant again, and wakes up in the middle of the night, and calmly says to Waldorf, “My water broke.” For some reason, Juli wanted to take a shower, and in the bathroom, saw blood instead of water. One of Waldorf’s best friends, George, takes Jeffrey. The baby is healthy. The baby’s name is Carrie Lynn.
Quote (Page 220): “Waldorf!” Juli cried out… “It’s blood!” she was already crying. “Jesus,” I said… “The baby,” I said. “Please god I hope the baby’s okay.”
Analysis/Explanation: This quote brings one of the main problems in the story, and it is important because it leads to other problems, like Juli getting sick and being depressed, which leads to her making bad choices.
End:
Juli recovers, but feels deeply depressed, so she goes to her parents’ house for a weekend, and she still is depressed when she comes back. Juli and Waldorf see a therapist, and Waldorf gets mad, because he thinks it’s ridiculous. Two years later, Juli recovers a little but not fully. Then, Waldorf has a heart attack and almost dies. Juli is very sweet to him and takes care of him when he feels better and comes home. He can’t have coffee, and has to have grapefruit for breakfast. Juli tells Waldorf to come home early so she can tell him something. When Waldorf gets home, Juli and George tell him that when Juli went to her “parents,” she actually went to George for advice, and ended up sleeping with him. Waldorf couldn’t believe it. He loved Juli with all of his heart and soul. He needed alone time to think. He stormed out of the house, George and Juli, Juli crying, behind him. He turned around once, and slugged George in the mouth. He goes to a hotel bar, and talks to a nice bartender named Noelle. He gets drunk, but after a lot of tears, Noelle told him to be a man, and to go home. The next morning, Juli slips a note under his door at the hotel, asking him to forgive her and to come home. Waldorf checks out of the hotel and goes to a restaurant. There, Juli sits down next to Waldorf and they make up, and Waldorf goes home, to his family.
Quote (Pages 302,303,314):”I can’t live with it anymore,” Juli screamed... “Forget it,” I said. “You stay here. I’m leaving.” Juli screamed. She was actually rolling on the floor, begging for forgiveness… “I’ll never be able to tell you how sorry I am,” she said. “Just tell me that you’ve always loved me,” I said. “I’ve always loved you,” she whispered. She started to cry. “God I missed you,” She leaned across the table. “I can’t live without you,” she said. I held her to me. I couldn’t live without her either. “History is history,” I said. “The future is perfect.”
Analysis/Explanation: This quote is important because it shows that it’s not always easy to forgive people, but sometimes it is the right thing to do, and that strengthened Waldorf and Juli’s relationship. Also, forgiveness was the solution to one of the main problems in the story.
Journal Entry #2: Diction and Tone
Quote #1 (Pages 158,159): The first passing of gas came blessed with the audio portion and it came to be best described as a booming crash type sound… The stink soon followed. Being the understanding husband that I am, I left the room… I looked to the dog. “Why the hell don’t you let her outside?” He seemed to ask with his eyes. The thought struck me funny, and I laughed out loud… Just as I had exited the room, I turned back to catch a glimpse of the scampering dog. If that dog had been blessed with such an ability, he would’ve been holding his front paw over his nose.
Describe the feeling: Holding his front paw over his nose= Juli smelled so bad Waldorf thought Sam wanted to plug his nose. He seemed to ask with his eyes= The dog can’t speak so Waldorf thinks the look in his eyes tells him something. Passing of gas/audio portion; Juli farted and it sounded like a booming crash.
Tone:
This passage could be described as humorous as Juli farted and Waldorf thought the dog was asking him to make it stop.
Quote #2 (Page 161): It was about a thousand degrees in the delivery room… “Come on, Waldorf,” I coaxed. Come on, buddy get some guts.” I was pounding my fist into my hand. “This is it,” I said. “This is game time. Don’t fumble the ball. Don’t swing and miss. Get in there, be brave, be strong. Do it.” I actually clapped my hands together and made for the door.
Describe the feeling: Thousand degrees in the delivery room= It isn’t a thousand degrees in the delivery room but it is warm and Waldorf is panicky so it feels like a thousand degrees. This is game time= Waldorf is telling himself that his wife is actually delivering his baby, it’s the real deal. Don’t swing and miss= Waldorf is telling himself to go back in the delivery room and to not miss his baby being born.
Tone:
This passage could be described as serious yet humorous because Waldorf is seriously trying to prepare himself for the life ahead of him, but it is humorous because he is comparing having to prepare for his baby being born to sports.
Quote #3 (Page 292): “I don’t know where he gets it,” I said, laughing. “It’s not funny,” Juli said. “Our kid thinks he’s a construction worker. I heard him yelling at Carrie this afternoon too. He said, Cut the shit, you son-of-a-bitch.” “I’ll talk to him,” I said. “Waldorf, we don’t use that kind of language. Where does he get it from?” “Probably other kids.” I said. “Where is he?” “In his room. I told him not to come out until he learned how to speak like a little gentleman.”
Describe the feeling: Construction worker= Juli compared Jeffrey to a construction worker because they say some bad words out loud and so does Jeffrey. Little gentleman= Jeffrey has to stop swearing and behave before he can come out of his room. Don’t know where he gets it= Waldorf is kidding/ being sarcastic, and is saying (since Juli and Waldorf sometimes cuss in front of Jeffrey), that Jeffrey leaned bad language from them.
Tone: This passage could be described as frustrating, because the parents don’t know why Jeffrey is behaving the way he is.
Journal Entry #3: Characterization
Quote (Page 214): “It doesn’t have to be this way,” I said. “You can get him to stop hitting you.” The mark on the side of her face had swelled to the size of a golf ball. She was bleeding from her nose, and it almost felt as though I was getting through to her. Those deep brown eyes began to fill with tears, and she seemed to be contemplating her next move. “I love him,” she said. I felt my jaw drop in shock.
Characterization: Waldorf meets a girl at the DMV and she keeps getting hit by her boyfriend. Waldorf seems helpful because even though he doesn’t know this girl he wants to help her and he knows that she will never be happy if she keeps letting her boyfriend hit her.
Quote (Page 302): “Now I’m supposed to forget that George is the biggest scum on the planet?”… “It wasn’t cheap and sleazy,” George said. “We’re friends that care about one another.”… “George, how could you do it?”… “It was the biggest mistake of my life,” he said. We were just a foot apart… “It was a long time ago,” George said. “Whether or not you know it, it’s already getting better.”
Characterization: George seems selfish because he knew that Juli cheated on Waldorf with him, but he keeps asking Waldorf to forgive him and move on like it isn’t hurting Waldorf.
Quote (Page 184): “Don’t be so uptight about it,” Juli said. “Have a sense of humor about it. You always have chest pains and headaches, and it’s all because you can just never laugh it off.”
Characterization: Juli seems optimistic because she looks at the good side and is telling Waldorf to do the same in order to be happy.
Journal Entry #4: Theme Statement
The novel Waldorf and Juli by Clifford Fazzolari explores the idea of love by focusing on humor, marriage and family and teaches the reader that even through difficult times, love always prevails.
And it is really weird. It was a book that I wrote while I was writing another book, Desperation.
Desperation had a really heavy feel to it and I decided to play around with Waldorf & Juli.
I actually ended up finishing and publishing Waldorf & Juli first because once I started writing it I couldn't stop...because it was fun.
But reading Paige's review I grew a little sad...because I had forgotten the plot.
I forgot what it was about!
Paige also included a couple of quotes in her review and as I read them through I thought, 'Damn, that's pretty good.'
But what is really great is Paige's effort here!
A book I wrote before she was born! And now she's asking for a sequel!
Thank you, Paige...love you!
Journal Entry #1: Summary
Beginning:
Waldorf loves Juli and Juli loves Waldorf. They each love each other so much they decide to get married, but they fight...a lot. The fighting soon begins to ease once they welcome a new member of the Smith family; a dog named Sam. After a couple months, Juli gets pregnant and has a beautiful baby boy named Jeffrey, and Waldorf and Juli are as happy as they were when they were when they fell in love.
Quote (Page 163):”I was just thinking that he might be crying, and I couldn’t stop his pain”… “It’s okay,’ I said, brushing her hair softly with the side of my hand. “I’m here to watch out for him too.” I said. “I know you are,” Juli said softly. “Promise me that nothing bad will ever happen to him.” I hesitated. That was a hell of a promise. “I’ll build a moat to protect him,” I said. “Perfect,” she said. She had never spoken such a true word. The world was just perfect.
Analysis/ Explanation: This quote is important because it shows the relationship and love between Waldorf and Juli, and the affect it has on Jeffrey. For example, they both adore each other so much, that they make a promise to each other, themselves and Jeffrey, that they will always protect him and love him like great parents do.
Middle:
Jeffrey is 5, and he is going to kindergarten. Waldorf goes into work and in the middle of the day gets a call from Jeffrey’s school about Jeffrey hurting another kid so badly, that the kid needed stitches. When Waldorf and Juli get to the school to talk with the teacher, Juli gets into an argument with the teacher, because the teacher called Jeffrey retarded. Waldorf talks to the principal, and Jeffrey is switched to a different class. Juli gets pregnant again, and wakes up in the middle of the night, and calmly says to Waldorf, “My water broke.” For some reason, Juli wanted to take a shower, and in the bathroom, saw blood instead of water. One of Waldorf’s best friends, George, takes Jeffrey. The baby is healthy. The baby’s name is Carrie Lynn.
Quote (Page 220): “Waldorf!” Juli cried out… “It’s blood!” she was already crying. “Jesus,” I said… “The baby,” I said. “Please god I hope the baby’s okay.”
Analysis/Explanation: This quote brings one of the main problems in the story, and it is important because it leads to other problems, like Juli getting sick and being depressed, which leads to her making bad choices.
End:
Juli recovers, but feels deeply depressed, so she goes to her parents’ house for a weekend, and she still is depressed when she comes back. Juli and Waldorf see a therapist, and Waldorf gets mad, because he thinks it’s ridiculous. Two years later, Juli recovers a little but not fully. Then, Waldorf has a heart attack and almost dies. Juli is very sweet to him and takes care of him when he feels better and comes home. He can’t have coffee, and has to have grapefruit for breakfast. Juli tells Waldorf to come home early so she can tell him something. When Waldorf gets home, Juli and George tell him that when Juli went to her “parents,” she actually went to George for advice, and ended up sleeping with him. Waldorf couldn’t believe it. He loved Juli with all of his heart and soul. He needed alone time to think. He stormed out of the house, George and Juli, Juli crying, behind him. He turned around once, and slugged George in the mouth. He goes to a hotel bar, and talks to a nice bartender named Noelle. He gets drunk, but after a lot of tears, Noelle told him to be a man, and to go home. The next morning, Juli slips a note under his door at the hotel, asking him to forgive her and to come home. Waldorf checks out of the hotel and goes to a restaurant. There, Juli sits down next to Waldorf and they make up, and Waldorf goes home, to his family.
Quote (Pages 302,303,314):”I can’t live with it anymore,” Juli screamed... “Forget it,” I said. “You stay here. I’m leaving.” Juli screamed. She was actually rolling on the floor, begging for forgiveness… “I’ll never be able to tell you how sorry I am,” she said. “Just tell me that you’ve always loved me,” I said. “I’ve always loved you,” she whispered. She started to cry. “God I missed you,” She leaned across the table. “I can’t live without you,” she said. I held her to me. I couldn’t live without her either. “History is history,” I said. “The future is perfect.”
Analysis/Explanation: This quote is important because it shows that it’s not always easy to forgive people, but sometimes it is the right thing to do, and that strengthened Waldorf and Juli’s relationship. Also, forgiveness was the solution to one of the main problems in the story.
Journal Entry #2: Diction and Tone
Quote #1 (Pages 158,159): The first passing of gas came blessed with the audio portion and it came to be best described as a booming crash type sound… The stink soon followed. Being the understanding husband that I am, I left the room… I looked to the dog. “Why the hell don’t you let her outside?” He seemed to ask with his eyes. The thought struck me funny, and I laughed out loud… Just as I had exited the room, I turned back to catch a glimpse of the scampering dog. If that dog had been blessed with such an ability, he would’ve been holding his front paw over his nose.
Describe the feeling: Holding his front paw over his nose= Juli smelled so bad Waldorf thought Sam wanted to plug his nose. He seemed to ask with his eyes= The dog can’t speak so Waldorf thinks the look in his eyes tells him something. Passing of gas/audio portion; Juli farted and it sounded like a booming crash.
Tone:
This passage could be described as humorous as Juli farted and Waldorf thought the dog was asking him to make it stop.
Quote #2 (Page 161): It was about a thousand degrees in the delivery room… “Come on, Waldorf,” I coaxed. Come on, buddy get some guts.” I was pounding my fist into my hand. “This is it,” I said. “This is game time. Don’t fumble the ball. Don’t swing and miss. Get in there, be brave, be strong. Do it.” I actually clapped my hands together and made for the door.
Describe the feeling: Thousand degrees in the delivery room= It isn’t a thousand degrees in the delivery room but it is warm and Waldorf is panicky so it feels like a thousand degrees. This is game time= Waldorf is telling himself that his wife is actually delivering his baby, it’s the real deal. Don’t swing and miss= Waldorf is telling himself to go back in the delivery room and to not miss his baby being born.
Tone:
This passage could be described as serious yet humorous because Waldorf is seriously trying to prepare himself for the life ahead of him, but it is humorous because he is comparing having to prepare for his baby being born to sports.
Quote #3 (Page 292): “I don’t know where he gets it,” I said, laughing. “It’s not funny,” Juli said. “Our kid thinks he’s a construction worker. I heard him yelling at Carrie this afternoon too. He said, Cut the shit, you son-of-a-bitch.” “I’ll talk to him,” I said. “Waldorf, we don’t use that kind of language. Where does he get it from?” “Probably other kids.” I said. “Where is he?” “In his room. I told him not to come out until he learned how to speak like a little gentleman.”
Describe the feeling: Construction worker= Juli compared Jeffrey to a construction worker because they say some bad words out loud and so does Jeffrey. Little gentleman= Jeffrey has to stop swearing and behave before he can come out of his room. Don’t know where he gets it= Waldorf is kidding/ being sarcastic, and is saying (since Juli and Waldorf sometimes cuss in front of Jeffrey), that Jeffrey leaned bad language from them.
Tone: This passage could be described as frustrating, because the parents don’t know why Jeffrey is behaving the way he is.
Journal Entry #3: Characterization
Quote (Page 214): “It doesn’t have to be this way,” I said. “You can get him to stop hitting you.” The mark on the side of her face had swelled to the size of a golf ball. She was bleeding from her nose, and it almost felt as though I was getting through to her. Those deep brown eyes began to fill with tears, and she seemed to be contemplating her next move. “I love him,” she said. I felt my jaw drop in shock.
Characterization: Waldorf meets a girl at the DMV and she keeps getting hit by her boyfriend. Waldorf seems helpful because even though he doesn’t know this girl he wants to help her and he knows that she will never be happy if she keeps letting her boyfriend hit her.
Quote (Page 302): “Now I’m supposed to forget that George is the biggest scum on the planet?”… “It wasn’t cheap and sleazy,” George said. “We’re friends that care about one another.”… “George, how could you do it?”… “It was the biggest mistake of my life,” he said. We were just a foot apart… “It was a long time ago,” George said. “Whether or not you know it, it’s already getting better.”
Characterization: George seems selfish because he knew that Juli cheated on Waldorf with him, but he keeps asking Waldorf to forgive him and move on like it isn’t hurting Waldorf.
Quote (Page 184): “Don’t be so uptight about it,” Juli said. “Have a sense of humor about it. You always have chest pains and headaches, and it’s all because you can just never laugh it off.”
Characterization: Juli seems optimistic because she looks at the good side and is telling Waldorf to do the same in order to be happy.
Journal Entry #4: Theme Statement
The novel Waldorf and Juli by Clifford Fazzolari explores the idea of love by focusing on humor, marriage and family and teaches the reader that even through difficult times, love always prevails.
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