Hey All -
I finally read an entire book! Thanks Amy! After class, I really didn't have a grasp of what my book was actually talking about. I had to completely read it. I wasn't able to give a good synopsis in class, so here goes. I really would love feedback on my covers tomorrow, so knowing what the book is about will help.
The book is about a young man named Sebastian Barnack. He lives in England and he's a curly-haired, blond cute kid. He wants everyone to take him seriously, but he looks so young, He's infatuated with the art of poetry and is constantly writing poems about any and everything.
The gist of the story is this: he wants a dinner coat for a party, but his father (who thinks it's a waste, b/c it's not for the greater good of society.) He's upset, b/c he feels his father should at least stop with Politics and being a humanist and be a dad for once. The story goes on and he goes on Holiday to his uncle Eustace's house in Italy. Uncle Eustace is the complete opposite of his father. He's an atheist and an individualist. He's also rich, so he likes the finer things in life. Eustace agrees to buy him a dinner coat and offers to bequeath a Degas painting to him when he dies, because of his love for the arts and poetry. Unbeknownst to anyone, uncle Eustace suddenly dies of a heart attack. So he doesn't get his dinner coat. (There's some afterlife and seance stuff here.)
His uncle's estate is being handled by Daisy, but Sebastien doesn't mention the Degas painting. He sells it for less than it's worth, goes straight to a tailor..and plans to buy the dinner coat. Daisy adores Sebastien, b/c he reminds her of her son, whom she lost when he was 14...along with her husband. So she becomes motherly towards Sebastian. Daisy offers to buy him his dinner coat, but in the meantime her lawyer (who is taking account of Eustace's possessions) notices the Degas painting is unaccounted for. The family goes into a stir, and Sebastian doesn't want to tell them the truth, but instead tries to get the painting back with the help of Bruno. Bruno is basically a Saint and tries to teach Sebastian about Christianity and how to lead a good life. Bruno was able to get the painting back and all is well, until the police take Bruno away for stealing the painting, etc.
The story come to an ends when Sebastian is a grown man. He's out and about and a man shows up...and it's Bruno. Bruno now has throat cancer and needs help. Sebastian decides he would take care of Bruno since it was his fault Bruno was put in jail and now is sickly. During their time together, Bruno writes several notes of "good will/gestures" on small pieces of paper for Sebastian. Bruno dies.
All of this occurred because of this desperate WANT for a dinner coat. He ruin a few people's lives in the process...Bruno and the servant child (the family placed blame) on for stealing the painting. But in the end, he becomes all the wiser and actually begins to forge a friendship with his father.
