When we first met Natalie, she came across as a perfect person. In Chapter 22, we see her continue to compare herself to Reena. What do you think of this reminder that even she is human?
What do you think of the agreement between Doug and Natalie in Chapter 24?
Natalie believes the shift in her demeanor in Chapter 25 is due to the tonic given by Maeve. Do you think it was the tonic? Or was it rather Natalie coming to terms with her new reality and that this is the life that she worked for?
Natalie has always tried to control the way in which her life unfolded. What do you think of the lengths she is going to in order to control Caleb and her opportunities to get pregnant?
Do you think Natalie was cruel to Abigail because she knows that everything she brought up would also be her problem if she left Caleb?
Do you think life on the present Yesteryear ranch and life on the past Yesteryear ranch mirror each other? What makes them so different?
12 responses to “Yesteryear Day Four”
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When we first met Natalie, she came across as a perfect person. In Chapter 22, we see her continue to compare herself to Reena. What do you think of this reminder that even she is human? – She has this warped sense of reality where she constantly compares herself to Reena. This is such a testament that this conversation and comparison is still being done by most of woman as to what is the perfect woman and what reality is the correct one.
What do you think of the agreement between Doug and Natalie in Chapter 24? – This was actually quite shocking but at the same time so expected and doesn’t surprise me. A man like that doesn’t get to where he is by not getting what he wants and having problems disappear.
Natalie believes the shift in her demeanor in Chapter 25 is due to the tonic given by Maeve. Do you think it was the tonic? Or was it rather Natalie coming to terms with her new reality and that this is the life that she worked for? – I do think there is very much more to the tonic than meets the eye. They clearly gave her something to calm down but how is that possible.
Natalie has always tried to control the way in which her life unfolded. What do you think of the lengths she is going to in order to control Caleb and her opportunities to get pregnant? This was utterly shocking to be honest. Natalie is so set in what her life is and should mean that she literally will go to any lengths to achieve that. And it is all to show everyone this facade of her.
Do you think Natalie was cruel to Abigail because she knows that everything she brought up would also be her problem if she left Caleb? I think that Natalie wanted to be cruel to Abigail but also listening to that exchange, I think it was more a warning to Abigail that what she thinks is completely different to who Caleb actually is.
Do you think life on the present Yesteryear ranch and life on the past Yesteryear ranch mirror each other? What makes them so different? I want to say yes but also no. They are the same but also complete opposites.
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1. When we first met Natalie, she came across as a perfect person. In Chapter 22, we see her continue to compare herself to Reena. What do you think of this reminder that even she is human?
She claims to look down on Reena, but throughout the book she clearly thinks about her a lot. Why would you constantly compare yourself to someone you don’t respect?
2. What do you think of the agreement between Doug and Natalie in Chapter 24?
I think she sees Doug as a “real man” who gets things done. She sees him as a powerful figure who can help her gain the control she needs.
3. Natalie believes the shift in her demeanor in Chapter 25 is due to the tonic given by Maeve. Do you think it was the tonic? Or was it rather Natalie coming to terms with her new reality and that this is the life that she worked for?
There is definitely something going on with that tonic. I got the impression she’s in some kind of facility IRL where she’s being kept calm with medication.
4. Natalie has always tried to control the way in which her life unfolded. What do you think of the lengths she is going to in order to control Caleb and her opportunities to get pregnant?
Well she made a promise to Doug. And having many children is how she thinks things should be. It’s what she knows, and she will do whatever it takes.
5. Do you think Natalie was cruel to Abigail because she knows that everything she brought up would also be her problem if she left Caleb?
Oh she is definitely jealous of Abigail’s ability to change her life. I don’t think she would ever be brave enough to do the same, and somewhere deep down she knows it.
6. Do you think life on the present Yesteryear ranch and life on the past Yesteryear ranch mirror each other? What makes them so different?
The past ranch just feels the same, but stripped down to make everything harder. Life isn’t all that different, just minus any luxury.
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1. When we first meet her through the eyes of those around her in the beginning of world, she feels almost like an untouchable, poised, effortless, and seemingly immune to the anxieties that plague the other characters. But Chapter 22 strips that away, showing that her internal monologue is just as loud, insecure, and self-critical as anyone else’s.
2. It acts as a major turning point for Natalie’s character, by highlighting just how far she is willing to go to maintain the illusion of order, perfection and control in her life. What makes this agreement stand out is the calculated nature of it. Up to this point, Natalie has fiercely tried to dictate the terms of her own narrative and how she is perceived by others. By entering into this arrangement with Doug, she makes a conscious, transactional choice to accept a compromised version of her reality and play the role of submissive housewife, all the while being the one that wears the pants in the relationship to fool the world.
3. It is highly unlikely that Maeve’s tonic was a magical cure all drink. Instead, the tonic functions a placebo I think, a physical catalyst that allowed Natalie to finally accept the heavy, calculated choices she made in Chapter 24. The shift in her demeanor is much more grounded in her internal psychology than in any herbal remedy. This change shows Natalie coming to terms with her reality instead of what Maeve’s brewing in the kitchen.
4. For Natalie, a pregnancy isn’t just a natural next step or a desire for motherhood; it is the ultimate project. It is the missing puzzle piece required to solidify her status and secure her future under the agreement with Doug. Because the stakes are so high to her, she treats Caleb less like a partner and more like a variable that needs to be precisely managed. Ultimately, her behavior shows a woman pushed to the brink by her own perfectionism and it shows how far shes willing to go.
5. Yes, absolutely, her cruelty to Abigail is a classic case of emotional projection, and it is rooted entirely in her own deep seated terror of her own life falling apart just as her sisters has. When Natalie lashes out at Abigail, its almost as if she isn’t really fighting Abigail she is fighting her own worst fears. Abigail represents the path not taken, the terrifying reality of what happens when a woman in their world chooses independence, breaks the rules, or leaves and that petrifies Natalie as she knows she has nothing to her name and would be the one on food stamps with all her children if she has to leave Caleb.
6. They absolutely mirror each other, functioning like a pair of distorted, multi-generational mirrors. The dual timelines of the Yesteryear ranch shows that while the clothing, technology, and language change over time, the underlying power, isolation, and control remains exactly the same. The present and the past are locked in a loop of sorts, showing the exact same timeline but in different ages. Its sad so see how woman are forced to bare the children and just go on with their day like nothing even happened no matter the timeline.
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1. I was sad and frustrated with Natalie that she constantly had to tear down Reena in her mind to make herself feel good. This toxic competitiveness was constant throughout Natalie’s life.
2. It was gross, agreeing to have children in exchange for funding Natalie’s lifestyle choices. It also underlined how little either of them think of Caleb. He’s simply a token to be managed and contained.
3. She’s totally drugged up. Reminded me of Amelia and her pills!
4. That was absolutely beyond unhinged!!! Natalie is so boxed in by how she thinks her life should be unfolding that she’s going to outrageously extreme measures to get it done.
5. Yes, but also because if Abigail succeeds in divorce, it will be glaringly obvious that Natalie has done too many unacceptable and unnecessary things. If Abigail – someone she looks down on – can have a second chance as a single mom, then Natalie could have had one too. Natalie cannot accept a world where her choices were not the correct ones.
6. They do. Past Yesteryear is everything Natalie claimed she had accomplished in present Yesteryear but was lying about. The difference of course is that past Yesteryear is no aesthetic picnic. It’s hard, demeaning, non-stop work, unlike playing a part online!
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When we first met Natalie, she came across as a perfect person. In Chapter 22, we see her continue to compare herself to Reena. What do you think of this reminder that even she is human? The saying that “comparison is the thief of joy” comes to mind. Natalie uses Reena as a benchmark for what her life would be like if she had to take a different route in life. She is secretly jealous of that “simplicity” but convinces herself that she’s made “better” choices than Reena.
What do you think of the agreement between Doug and Natalie in Chapter 24?
It’s actually quite sad but not surprising based on what we’ve learned about their characters.Natalie believes the shift in her demeanor in Chapter 25 is due to the tonic given by Maeve. Do you think it was the tonic? Or was it rather Natalie coming to terms with her new reality and that this is the life that she worked for?
I think Natalie is on some sort of meds that may have been skipped for a few days, hence her shock move to past. Yesteryear.Natalie has always tried to control the way in which her life unfolded. What do you think of the lengths she is going to in order to control Caleb and her opportunities to get pregnant? I was left speechless.
Do you think Natalie was cruel to Abigail because she knows that everything she brought up would also be her problem if she left Caleb?
Definitely. She’s secretly jealous of Abigail’s bravery.Do you think life on the present Yesteryear ranch and life on the past Yesteryear ranch mirror each other? What makes them so different?
It’s actually very similar (relationship wise) in the past Yesteryear – but more different without all the comforts and without the cameras watching. -
1. This shows how certain habits really grow with you well into adulthood. And if you compare yourself to someone you will always compare yourself and maybe sometimes to convince yourself that you’ve made progress that they haven’t made.
2. It’s sad how it seems that she longs for her husband to be like his father and how both Natalie and Doug don’t believe in Caleb at all.
3. I was honestly so confused by this but I definitely think they gave her something. Just still not sure what and why.
4. I mean if she wants the life that Doug must fund she needs to give Doug the grandchildren he wants. It’s just sad that she didn’t have those children because she wanted them but because they were part of a trade agreement.
5. I guess she just hated the fact that her sister was brave enough to go choose herself. Something she couldn’t do.
6. To be honest the past seems to be the present and the present seems to be the past for me. They definitely do mirror each other. The disfunction in it all. At no point past or present was it healthy for the parties involved.
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1. Natalie spent so much time presenting herself as perfect that her constant comparisons with Reena reminded me that perfection is often rooted in insecurity. Even Natalie isn’t immune to jealousy and self-doubt beneath her perfectly curated world
2. The agreement between Doug and Natalie made me uncomfortable. It felt less like a healthy arrangement and more like two broken people enabling each other’s fantasies. Doug wanted the image of a big, all-American family for his son, and Natalie wanted the farm and the traditional life she had always dreamed of. In a way, they were both trying to force life into the shape of “tradition” instead of accepting what was.
3. I don’t think it was the tonic. I think Natalie simply stopped fighting her reality because, after all, this was what she wanted…the perfect traditional life. The problem was that pioneering life wasn’t as easy or as natural as she originally thought.
4. Natalie’s need for control is both disturbing and sad. It shows just how far she was willing to go to force her life into the picture she had in her head. Rather than accepting the reality of her marriage and Caleb’s lack of interest, she took matters into her own hands. I don’t think this came from malice as much as fear and obsession. She could not tolerate uncertainty or a life that didn’t match her ideal, so I think she was terrified of losing the dream she had built her entire identity around. The tragedy is that the more she tried to control everything, the more miserable she became.
5. I do think Natalie was cruel to Abigail, and I think it highlights how little empathy she had. Divorce wasn’t just a practical issue to her…it was a sin and almost blasphemous. Abigail’s choices went against everything Natalie believed a wife and mother should be. I don’t think Natalie was afraid of facing the same problems herself as much as she was horrified by the idea of abandoning her marriage. In judging Abigail so harshly, she failed to see both a victim and a sister who needed to escape an abusive marriage.
6. I think life on the present Yesteryear ranch and life on the past Yesteryear ranch mirror each other in some ways. Both seem isolated, demanding, and centered around family and traditional roles. It does seem ironic that Natalie spent so much time romanticizing the past only to find herself living many of the same struggles in the present.
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1. I liked this reminder because it shows that no matter how perfect someone’s life looks from the outside, they still have insecurities and compare themselves to others.
2. I found it interesting because it shows how practical and transactional relationships could be in that time period. It also highlights how limited Natalie’s options are.
3. I think it was more Natalie beginning to accept her reality. The tonic may have helped, but I think most of the change came from her mindset shifting.
4. It didn’t surprise me. Control has always been a huge part of Natalie’s character, and this feels like another example of her trying to shape her life rather than letting things unfold naturally.
5. Yes, I think there was some truth to that. It felt like Abigail was voicing concerns that Natalie didn’t want to face herself.
6. I think they mirror each other in the values they promote, but the reality is very different. The modern ranch is a curated version of the lifestyle, while the past ranch shows the hardship, limitations, and sacrifices that come with it.
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1. The author shows us that even Natalie falls victim to comparing herself to others. She seems perfect but we see how insecure she is and how she uses Reena as a way to determine her worthiness. She uses Reena as a reminder that even though Natalie may be struggling, at least she’s not in the position that Reena is, even though one can argue that Reena might be happier than Natalie.
2. I think this agreement shows in one of the ways men have control over women’s bodies. Natalie knows that if she refuses to bear another child that they won’t be able to provide for her family, so she puts her body through the strain of another pregnancy. Natalie is essentially having to play both roles in her marriage.
3. I don’t think it was the tonic that shifted her demeanour. She’s always been someone to adapt and make use with what she has. Natalie just became so used to her reality that she’s now adjusting to it.
4. I think Natalie has been so brainwashed in the idea that her role in life is to provide children and it doesn’t help that Doug tells her to keep having children. Even though she’s disconnected in her role as a mother, she still chooses to keep having more kids and not giving enough nurturing to her present children. She’ll do anything to keep her image picture perfect.
5. I think Natalie has thought about leaving Caleb but the problems she presents to Abigail are the same problems she’s thought about herself. She knows that she doesn’t have anything to her name and that although she won’t have to struggle with having a useless husband, she’s still going to struggle in other ways if she leaves him. Natalie is jealous that Abigail is brave enough to do what she won’t do.
6. I think the two ranches are different in terms of how they look and that everything is much harder in the present ranch without the conveniences. But the ranches are similar in that Natalie is still disconnected to her children and her marriage with Caleb has still not changed. Even though Caleb is more of a “man” in the present ranch, nothing actually changes about their marriage.
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1. Natalie often comes across as self assured and confident, but her comparing herself to Reena shows that she is human and most probably still as insecure as she was when she attended her first day of university. Despite her success as a “influencer” she still compares her self worth to those around her.
2. I think it shows us how power hungry Natalie truly is, and to what extent she will go to get what she truly wants.
3. There is something more to the tonic that meets the eye. Maybe something that could make her more calm. Or my second guess is that there is nothing and Natalie just believes that there is something in it. Like reverse psychology.
4. Again it shows us till what lengths she will go to control her own narrative. She truly believes that she can always be in control and that things will play out as to how she planned and envisioned it.
5. By het attacking Abigail, it shows that she is projecting. I think deep down she knows her life with Caleb will most probably take the same route and that is a truth that she is not ready to deal with. Or maybe she might not even be brave enough to take the steps to start over.
6. There are some parallels between the two timelines but what stands out the most is how different the people are in the past. Caleb is literally the type of husband she always wanted him to be. -
1) I think she secretly envies Reena’s life. She thought that she was better than her but Reena lives rent free in her head 24/7. She is constantly wondering what Reena is doing but pretending as if she thinks that life Reena chose is so ridiculous.
2) I think it’s so gross. Basically giving her money to keep giving his son children.
3) I think the tonic was a placebo. She is definitely forced to come to terms with this life.
4) It’s insane to me how their marriage is so transactional. She is clearly very unhappy with him but she knows he can give her what she wants so she stays and forces things to be a certain way. As long as it’s picture perfect from the outside it’s all good. Image matters more than anything else.
5) Yes. I think Natalie was projecting her own fears. Especially because she mentions that the farm is on Caleb’s name only and how he must never realise the power he has.
6) I think it’s different in the sense that Caleb is a completely different man, he is not the docile man she married. He is the “man” she wishes she had but not in the way she wanted. I think it reflects everything she took for granted.
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1.It reminds us that at the end of the day everyone is human and that no matter how perfect their life may look like on the outside, they may still be in a state of comparison and struggle with confidence.
2.What an absurd agreement betweent the two. Makes me wonder why Dough asked this of Natalie. Is there a reason that we aren’t yet privvy to? Dough is also a very calculating man unlike Caleb, so I can see how this agreement between him and Natalie is some sort of insurance that Natalie won’t just up and leave or swindle Caleb.
3.I have a feeling Mary gave her something to feel a little better because everything about this feels like a common occuranace with Natalie. Mary doesn’t seem so phased by Natalies outlandish behaviour and outbursts.
4.I truly feel for Natalie. This scene made me so sad because I just think about what she has been told repeatedly about a womens duty – as a wife, mother, daughter – and how hard Natalie has always tried to be perfect for others, especially her mother. It must be exhausting to be constantly planning every single thing in her life instead of just being. So for her to go to the lenghts of falling pregnant is quite jarring but not at all surprising.
5.Natalie was projecting her own fears onto Abigails but would I say it was cruel of her to voice these thoughts? Not really as everything Natalie said is true and as the reader you can tell it is something she has thought of deeply. In comparison to Abigail who just needs an out no matter the consequences, she chose herself.
6.They do have similarities for sure. There are blaringly obvious differences such as present and past Caleb and the kids being vastly different. Past Yesteryear is very old school in that theres not a lot of modern technologies or conveniences that Natalie has in present Yesteryear. But all in all life in both present and past Yesteryear is very old school and has the same mentality. So if you think about it, besides the material things, is there any real difference to life?
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