Boekverslag : Judith Guest - Ordinary People
De taal ervan is Engels en het aantal woorden bedraagt 1498 woorden.

Title

Ordinary People



Author

Judith Guest



SUMMARY

CHAPTER 1

THE START OF A NEW DAY

Conrad has been back from mental hospital for a month. He's trying to start the day.



CHAPTER 2

FATHERHOOD

Calvin thinks about fatherhood. He finds it dificult to take good care of his children. Conrad isn't recovered yet, although his family expects it to happen soon.



CHAPTER 3

WORN OUT

When Lazenby doesn't show up, Conrad fears his illness could come back. Conrad, Stillman, Lazenby and van Buren are talking while they are going to school. They fool Conrad. In school he isn't popular amongst teachers, he likes to be left alone. In the swimmingteam is no place for lazy people. Conrad promised to swim again. In the choir, where's he needed, he meets two girls. He comes home, all alone, after a short time his mother comes in and he tells her about the swimmingteam. He's worn out.



CHAPTER 4

CAL'S BUSINESS

Calvin meets Beth. They talk about the past. Beth wants to live an ordinary life like any ordinary people. Calvin thinks it's to difficult because of Conrad. In the office, Ray and Calvin prepare the meeting with Mr. Sandlin. After the preparation, Ray and Calvin talk about their children. Cal tells Ray he lost his son Jordan last year.



CHAPTER 5

AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE

Conrad goes to Mr. Berger who looks like a monkey and asks Conrad al lot of questions. Conrad doesn't feel comfortable and he has to come back twice a week.



CHAPTER 6

THE THOUGHTS OF CALVIN

In his office, Calvin is thinking about last night. He had a terrible fight with his wife. A second thought was how his study and career started. Also he thought about the death of his mother, Bacon and his son Jordan.



CHAPTER 7

KAREN

Conrad meets Karen, a girl from the hospital. They talk about their recovery. Karen wants to meet him another time, soon...



CHAPTER 8

DINNER

Cal and Beth are going to the Murray's for a dinner. Cal didn't like Phil that much. When they come home, Conrad already sleeps.



CHAPTER 9

THE TEST

Conrad has a mathstest. That night he has a nightmare about last Christmas. Berger wants to help him to convince that he must better take tranquilizers and stop swimming. Conrad didn't like swimming anyway.



CHAPTER 10

GOING HOME

Conrad overhears his friends talking about him after swimmingpractise. They show their doubts about him, so he decides to quit swimming.



CHAPTER 11

ORDINARY PEOPLE AFTER ALL?

Beth wants everything to be perfect. Since Jordan's accident she has changed. Cal thinks it goes better with Conrad. He wants to give Conrad a car. Con comes home with good results for trig. Ordenary people after all?



CHAPTER 12

FEELINGS

Conrad is going to buy Christmaspresents. After that he went to see Berger. They had a conversation about Con's feelings, he isn't able to show them. Berger tries to explain this feelings. On the way home, Conrad walks over with Jeanine. They talked about all sorts of things. Con is relaxed. He thinks about his brother. First time he feels no pain.



CHAPTER 13

THE FIGHT

Conrad is going to buy a Christmastree, which is twelve feet high. Later that day he has a terrible fight with Beth. She's angry because she heard from others that Con has quited swimming. Con is furious.



CHAPTER 14

A TALK

Conrad feels lonely. He tells Berger that he doesn't want to make it up with his mother. According to Berger he has to forgive himself for some troubels he's causing



CHAPTER 15

CHRISTMAS

Last Christmas was very nice. Ellen and Howard are going to visit them this year. Conrad is gonna get a car.



CHAPTER 16

THE LIBRARY

Conrad is thinking a lot and makes notes about school. He went to the library and chose some books. He's also going to visit Berger again for a talk.



CHAPTER 17

CON'S BIRTHDAY

Conrad celebrates his birthday and he had also a really nice conversation with Berger.



CHAPTER 18

THE TESTS

Conrad has a testweek. Later that day he calls Karen. She isn't home. Then he calls Jeanine and he asked if she likes to go with him on a date.



CHAPTER 19

THE NEW SECRETARY

Ray and Cal took a new secretary. Her name is Sandy. They talk about Christmas when Calvin lost Con in the undergound at the airport.



CHAPTER 20

THE DATE

After visiting Berger, he went to Jeanine. They went bowling and had a meal at McDonalds.



CHAPTER 21

ARNOLD

Beth likes to go to the tournament with Ward and Audrey. Cal thinks about the time when they were in Granada and the fact he never had an affair and why he never wanted one. Beth wouldn't accept it.



CHAPTER 22

AGAIN...

Con feels bad when one of the guys talks about Buck, bad things. When Con walks around with his friends, he suddenly gets into a fight with Kevin Stillman. He's afraid to be punished. Lazenby talks to him, but Con can't share his feelings. He's afraid to hear the voices again.



CHAPTER 23

THE COUCH

Con drove behind a slow driver. At home he slept on the couch. Cal woke him up and Con tells him about the fight with Stillman.



CHAPTER 24

ANOTHER DATE WITH JEANINE

Con goes to his grandparents, because Cal and Beth are going to Beth's brother with the plane. Con doesn't like it at all, because his grandparents live in an old-fashioned way. He picks up Jeanine and went to her house. They had to babysit on Mike. Con helps her with her problems, about her mother's new boyfriend.



CHAPTER 25

A NORMAL TALK

Cal is playing golf with his friends and they talk about their children. He thinks about Buck ( page 104 ). He doesn't talk to Beth, he talks to Sissi all evening. Beth doesn't want to talk about Con, she wants a normal life like normal people.



CHAPTER 26

A VERY BAD DREAM

Conrad came home at 1.30 at night. Grandmother really doesn't like that. That night Con feels ill. He doesn't sleep very well and he also has nightmares, about Karen who killed herself in her car. That morning he drives to school, earlier than usual, but first he goes to Berger.



CHAPTER 27

HOME ALONE

Conrad visits Berger, he cries a lot. There's something he can't tell him. After the talk Con wants to see him again tomorrow. At home he thinks about Buck while he takes a shower.



CHAPTER 28

STILL ON HOLYDAY

Cal, Beth and a few friends are still on holyday. Cal and Beth have a fight. Cal wants to make it up.



CHAPTER 29

BACK HOME

Conrad makes an illusion. Cal and Beth are back home.



CHAPTER 30

CON'S EVENING WITH JEANINE

Jeanine tells Con that Suzanne loves him, but they went to bed together. Jeanine tells Con about her past.



CHAPTER 31

EUROPE

Beth wants to go to Europe alone. Con asks Cal why he had a fight with Beth. He loves his parents.



MAIN CHARACTERS

CONRAD: - mentally ill - need routine to start the day - swims - thinks very much about his dead brother ( Jordan/Buck ) - tried to commit suicide ( cut his wrists ) - only feels at ease at the choir

CALVIN: - attorney; orphan; Conrad's father - problems with being a father - blames himself for what's going on with Conrad

BETH: - Conrad's mother - doesn't blame herself - doesn't really talk with Calvin - wants life to be ordinary

BERGER: - psychiatrist



CHARACTERS

JOE LAZENBY:

DICK VAN BUREN: fellow students

KEVIN STILLMAN:

CRAWFORD: - doctor in the hospital

JEANINE PRATT: - soprano in the choir; redhead; long hair; blue eyes

GAIL NOONAN: - soprano

SALAN: - swim coach

FAUGHAN: - leader of the choir

JORDAN/BUCK: - drowned in a lake; Con's brother

DR. BRANDT: - doctor

SANDLIN: - Cal's collegue

RAY: - Cal's friend and partner

HOWARD: - Beth's father

KAREN: - a girl who Conrad met in the hospital; good friends

FAMILY MURRAY: - friends of Calvin and Beth

DONALD:

ED AND MARTY GENTHE: friends

MAC AND ANN KLINE:

LYNN SEARLES: - had an affair with Ray

NANCY HANLEY: - Ray's wife

MR SIMMONS: - a maths teacher

SUZANNE: - a student whose in Conrad's class

MOSELY

TRUAN

ANN LANDERS: - Ray hates her, but Calvin doesn't

CAROLE LAZENBY: - she looks like a farmgirl; Joe's mother

JOHN LAZENBY: - Carol's husband

KATY LAZENBY: - " daughter

GIDDY: - empty girl with hidden energy

MR. KNIGHT

MR. HELLWARTH

SANDY: - the new secretary

MIKE: - Jeanine's brother
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