A Casual Vacancy - was there a moral to the story?

Hello all, as usual we had a blast getting together although the general consensus is that Mosaic is not the right environment for us. It is too loud and our usual table is too big for comfortable conversation.

Despite that we had a spirited discussion about J.K. Rowling's first book for grown-ups. We were hampered a bit because many hadn't had time to finish since our meeting was not that long after the publication date. No matter where each of us was in the story, almost all of us liked it with Dawn as a fairly emphatic exception.

The characters drew most of us in and the story moved along with good pace and of course the author knows how to build a plot. Our major question was whether this was just a good story or if she was trying to tell us something.

Dawn thought there were no characters with any appeal and that the conclusion was that the people in this town at least were unable to grow or change in their lives.  Others weren't sure of that but were sure that the town residents were certainly stuck in their ways, reluctant to accept change and for those on the right side of the tracks (or Fields) were pretty darn pretentious about it all.

So, a good read but not Anna Karenina. Or for that matter, House of Mirth by Edith Wharton which is our December book.

As a reminder, our November meeting will be Nov. 10, a Saturday. Our author, Fiona's friend David Harris Ebenbach will be at the Fountain Bookstore at 2pm, discussing his new book Into the Wilderness. Early reviews from our group are really good! We will convene with the author after the public event to the Urban Farmhouse, across from the Fountain for a private discussion. Thanks Fiona for organizing!

 

Our December meeting will be at my house, to discuss one of my favorite books ever, House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. Bring along your favorites of all time, or things you want to introduce to the group so we can plan out as much of 2013 as possible. Our favorite books over time are a great inspiration for future ideas. 

The date is December 10, 6:30 pm and we will have a bit of a Christmas celebration together. As an aside, our group has been together now for over five years. Jean, Julie and I are the only remaining original members, but Mary was not far behind. Thanks to everyone for participating, this is a great group that is truly inspirational. 

Last note, we discussed a number of other books as well. I was stuck in Tinkers by Paul Harding, a true work of art, and so was late to our regular book. We mentioned Lolita (Nabokov), Tinker, Tailer, Soldier, Spy (LeCarre), among others. Remind me of the others! 

Thanks to all!