Bookend Bloggers...The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes

If you're familiar with Erin, the Blue-Eyed Bride, you'll already know about Book Beginnings and Bookends. She and another blogger have started an online bookclub and I am EXCITED. I have always wanted to belong to a bookclub, but have never had the chance.



This week’s reading was Chapters 11-20. To see my views on Chapters 1-10 click here.



Poor CeeCee. I just go back and forth feeling sorry for her and feeling angry at her!


***Recall, please, that I’m going to discuss the plot of these chapters. If you think you might read the book in the future, you’ve been warned! I haven’t read past Chapter 20, though, so if you’re caught up like I am don’t worry about anything being ruined!***


CeeCee has been left with the governor’s very pregnant wife, Genevieve, in her care. When Genevieve mentions to CeeCee that she thinks she might be having contractions, CeeCee thinks she is just saying that so she’ll allow her to leave. Unfortunately, Genevieve was being serious.


CeeCee has to deliver (with Genevieve telling her what to do) the baby. Genevieve experienced trouble with bleeding after her first baby and explains to CeeCee that she might need to massage her uterus after delivery to stop the bleeding. Although CeeCee does everything correctly, Genevieve winds up hemorrhaging and does not live. CeeCee flees with the baby and goes back to Naomi and Forrest’s house for help.


Over the next few days, Naomi explains to CeeCee that she must now “go underground.” She has been an accomplice in the kidnapping and murder of the governor’s wife and she has the baby in her possession. She has to completely forget Tim and make a new life for herself and the baby. They set her up with birth certificates for herself and the baby. She will now be Eve Bailey and the baby is Corinne. She’ll have to go live in Charlottesville with another woman involved in SCAPE. This woman, Marian, will help CeeCee get on her feet and make a new life for herself.


CeeCee decides that she’ll never be able to keep baby Corinne. She decides to drop the baby off at the governor’s mansion on her way to Marian’s home. She obviously doesn’t think this idea through and realizes when she gets there that she’ll never be able to just drop a baby off with so many police officers at the mansion. Instead, she thinks she’ll leave the baby in a police car parked nearby. She sets off the police car’s alarm and flees the scene, taking the baby with her.


CeeCee arrives in Charlottesville and begins her life with Marian. Marian helps her to get on her feet and get a job and is very motherly in taking care of both CeeCee (“Eve”) and Corinne.


CeeCee is still hoping that Tim will come and rescue her one day so that they can be a family together. Bless her heart, she still believes that he’d loved her.

I decided to answer the reading questions along with the post this week:


1. Where do you think Tim and Marty are at this point in the story?


* I really, really think that Tim has pulled one over on CeeCee. I don’t think he ever loved her and I think he was just using her because he knew he could talk her into helping. I think he and Marty have decided to give up their fight and have go into hiding. When CeeCee saw the news coverage they mentioned that the police had interviewed a girlfriend. Marian tells CeeCee that the police probably said it to flush her out from hiding. I tend to believe that Tim does have another girlfriend. Genevieve already told CeeCee that Tim was a ladies’ man.


2. What were your thoughts as CeeCee was helping Genevieve deliver her baby?


* I just knew when Genevieve went into labor that one or both of them would die. I just knew it! I hate that CeeCee had to be a part of that. I couldn’t believe how brave Genevieve was in telling CeeCee exactly what had to be done during her labor and delivery.


3. After Genevieve died, what would you have done with her baby if you had been in CeeCee's shoes?


* I have no idea. I probably would’ve cowered in a corner waiting for someone to come and save me. I think she did the right thing in taking the baby back to Naomi because at least she survived.


4. Why do you think CeeCee/Eve is still holding onto hope that Tim will come for her?


*She’s a baby. She believes with her little teenage heart in this man. He charmed her and he made her believe in him. She was head over heels in love with him and cannot see him for who he truly is.


5. How do you think Eve will establish her new identity in Virginia?


* I hope she’ll be able to hold down a job, make friends, and start over. As horrible as that sounds, because I do believe she should be punished for her involvement, I hope she’s able to move forward.


6. What do you think of CeeCee/Eve now after she has gone through with the kidnapping, the delivery of the baby, the escape, and the relocation?


* I still feel sorry for her. I just hate that she was duped by this man. I hope she smartens up and uses her brain so that she won’t fall deeper into a trap or look for him.