Speaking of fun, we are about to embark on 2 very fun adventures!
First off, I just announced that my A to Z Challenge theme this year is Pianissimo. In 6 days, we will travel through the story and the alphabet. It's gonna be awesome!
Secondly, we are officially starting our Character of the Week series. Now there won't be any Character of the Week posts in April due to the A to Z Challenge, so what I decided to do was use this first week as a lead-in to the A to Z Challenge, and then once we hit May, we will continue on with these studies of my characters.
So without further ado, let's jump into this week's character study: Agnes, from Pianissimo.
In the story, we know a little about her family history. We learn that she comes from a prominent Louisville family. We also learn that she tragically lost her parents when she was eighteen. Most of what we know of her past is told only through the abstract on the house, newspaper articles, and her brief mentions of her story. But who is Agnes Walker?
Agnes was born an only child. Although she came from two powerful families, the farm was still a working farm.
Chores aside, the farm fed her passion for horses. We are later introduced to her best friend, Chief. He was the only soul who knew her, who didn't judge her, and who loved her unconditionally. He was her companion, a soul-mate of sorts. In a world where being a lesbian is taboo (though she doesn't even realize that she is), Chief consoles her and gives her freedom to be herself.
When her parents die tragically and unexpectedly, Agnes is forced to take on an entirely new role of working and managing the farm completely by herself. She is never truly able to mourn the loss of her parents as she immediately felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. She quickly becomes strong and cynical. She keeps to herself; though she eventually becomes a teacher, she doesn't socialize much with her co-workers.
When Margaret Begum arrives as a new teacher, there is a gentleness about her that Agnes cannot resist. Though she still hasn't defined herself as gay, she cannot help but be drawn to her. The pair quickly forge a strong friendship. Margaret quickly and quietly worked her way into Agnes' heart. Agnes opened herself up to someone like she never had before.
It doesn't take long for Agnes to fall in love with Margaret. She's thrilled and petrified at the same time. She was vulnerable, and that alone was frightening. Moreover, she was scared because she didn't understand her feelings. She could not fathom what was going on. She feared losing the best human friendship she ever had. Always one to be stoic, Agnes never let on that she was madly in love with Margaret until Margaret mustered up her courage to confess her love.
Agnes and Margaret share a beautiful life together. Though Agnes sadly loses everyone who is ever important to her: her parents, Chief, and eventually Margaret. Agnes knows great sadness. She tries desperately to hide her emotions, lest no one ever discover her vulnerability. In the end, however, she is simply a human - a woman doing the very best that she can.
Agnes was always a very potent character. From the very beginning, she made her presence known. She's a strong woman; she is deep, emotional, brave...she is a hero. Living a life that is true to herself. She is an amazing character, and I'm glad that I was fortunate enough to write her story. ;)
So that's our background on Agnes from Pianissimo. I think she's a great way to introduce the book, this series, and the A to Z Challenge!
Happy reading!
http://www.amazon.com/Pianissimo-Lauren-Shiro/dp/0692310819/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426886459&sr=8-1&keywords=lauren+shiro
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