Tully, by Paullina Simons, is a narrative following the personal journey of growth and independence of a young woman, Tully Makker, over twenty years. I found that the structural and narrative techniques of manipulation of time, point of view, time frame and musical references and poetic lyrics employed in the text, allowed me to explore characters and their contrasting values and attitudes at a deeper level. The main themes explored regard family, love and sex, friendship, and the importance of music and dance. I felt positioned, by the shaping of Tully, to respond to its heavy plot, characters and themes in particular ways; either accepting or rejecting specific values and attitudes.
             Tully is an American narrative by Paullina Simmons, which follows the life of Tully Makker, a confused and unsettled woman, and the people around her who become involved and affected by her own journey and exploration of life. It is set in the small town of Topeka, Kansas, in the USA and is spread over 20 years; allowing the audience to delve into all elements of life and living. Tully, is a tale of heartache, despair, redemption, abuse, strength, and above all, love. The target audience is primarily western women, who are able to relate to life in the similar, unprepared way, as Tully. I was captivated and thoroughly absorbed in the tale of this character's life and the issues she is surrounded by.
             Through its careful construction, the text Tully encourages me to reassess my own concept of family and its significant role in shaping a person. Through the manipulation of time I was able to gather a well rounded perception of the values and attitudes of each of the complex characters and from this, take a better understanding of how they have been shaped by their family and up bringing. Upper, middle, and lower class Catholic, German, American and Mexican characters all exists within the text and share the same common factor; that they come from ...