What did you think of the treasure hunts Vincent had first Poppy and then Olivia undertake? Have you ever done something similar?
I think the treasure hunts are great. Last August while my 12 year old granddaughter was with me she made quite a busy treasure hunt for me. I am keeping all of the clues.
1 Like
I think the treasure hunts for Poppy were done because it amused him and he knew she loved them. And he loved her. For Olivia, not so sure, maybe just checking her intelligence? They almost seemed cruel.
1 Like
I think they started out as a fun game but not sure Poppy and Olivia saw them the same. I liked the idea of them and while not a treasure hunt I plan mystery trips with various events planned for birthday surprises. Maybe I will think of a treasure hunt as the surprise in the future!
1 Like
Sometimes his treasures hunts crossed the line with both girls, but he did have a bit of a macabre personality. We had a treasure hunt every year for our kids for their Easter baskets. Always fun! My son has kept up the tradition with his kids.
1 Like
I agree with Patricia here. I think they were more about Vincent than doing something fun for Poppy and Olivia. It was as if he was trying to prove his superiority. The hunts seemed to have a hard edge to them.
1 Like
Paula_Walters, I think that is so sweet what your granddaughter did for you. How fun and what a memorable time.
The treasure hunts were supposed to be fun but did cross over into being strange. I have done treasure hunts with my kids and my grandkids and they are designed for fun. They asked for them and would want to make some up for us as well.
I think Vincent originated them with Poppy as a way to bond with his sister. They were a special thread that pulled them together. They also carried secrets and a warning of sorts. With Olivia, I think Vincent was trying to show his love and encourage her to really think. They were a tough-provoking part of the book. I haven’t done something similar.
1 Like
When Vincent did the treasure hunts with Olivia, I think it was his way of remembering his sister Poppy. Though some of them did not turn out well, at which point, you would think that he would have stopped doing them.
I loved the treasure hunts. I have always done them for my son, though never with harsh clues like Vincent’s. But they are fun to make and watch.
It’s really original. When I was younger, my friends and I would do “hunts” in our textbooks (turn to this page, then that page until they would finally reach a particular page where we would scribble something silly of funny), and I remember my brother gifting me a huge box for one of my birthdays, that contained smaller and smaller box until the last one held an anklelet that I had been asking for. My dad captured a picture of us standing among boxes strewn around, my laughing, but my brother having the biggest grin ever lol Every time one of the treasure hunts was mentioned in the book, it made me remember that picture and my brother’s goofy smile and how much fun opening all those boxes had been.
I LOVED the treasure hunts. What a great bonding experience with a family member or a friend. My aunt would do this for the cousins when we gathered each summer for our big family reunion. I still have the “treasure” from our very last hunt. A Hummel figurine that once belonged to my grandparents. I can’t help but smile every time I look at it and thinking of those carefree summers on the beach with all our extended family.
I did treasure hunts with my grandson at Christmas when he was younger. He’s an adult now and still talks about how I hid his gifts and he had to search for them (not all of his gifts - just one per year)
Yes I have done similar things. When my grandsons were small every Christmas I had a treasure hunt for them. Sending them all over the house finding notes that lead to some small gift. Part of the fun was just sitting there and watching them. When they became older teens it was - take a seat and “stay out of their way” . I also did scavenger hunts for my husband - usually on a special day - ending in some type of surprise - once a flight to Las Vegas for 3 days. Some of them were hard to pull off…lol!
I haven’t done anything similar but think it would be interesting and maybe fun. It shows Vincent’s involvement with both his sister and his daughter.
The treasure hunts may have crossed a bit of a line at times… I personally have not really done any treasure hunts, but I know they often have them on cruise ships, but I’ve never participated when we cruise.
I think Vincent’s treasure hunts with Poppy were a way of having a relationship with his sister, that was just for the two of them, leaving out his brother. Often they were fun, but at times strange. When he began them with Olivia, I think he was trying to make and keep a connection with her, while he was very busy at work. She would still be thinking of her father and what he might surprise her with. Again, at times, he would become strange, a personality trait seen throughout the novel.