A big thank you to Karin who hosted for our fun September meeting. We had great food and even better conversation although not as many people had read the book as usual. That turned out to be a real stimulant as their questions made us think about the plot, its meaning and why were there all those ghosts?
I admit to being overwhelmed by this book and its young author. Jesmyn Ward is now 42 years old and has written 2 novels, both of which won the National Book Award. Her first novel, Salvage the Bones, was published in 2011 and this novel. in 2017. She also became a McArthur Fellow in 2017 which is how I came to find her work. This is a work of an incredible mind with a strong point of view and a story to tell.
That story, in this case, found its home with Jojo, a 13 year-old with a (usually) absent mother tied to her boyfriend Michael and drugs. Jojo is tied to his three year-old sister Kayla, and his loving grandparents, who are aging and ill. The story is of a road trip to Parchman, a prison where his mother will pick up Michael, Kayla's father, and deal drugs along the way with a friend Leonie, his mother brings along.
Leonie, irresponsible and besotted with her own life, is also haunted by the ghost of her brother Givens, shot by a cousin of her boyfriend. Poor Jojo can also see him, although he can't tell Leonie, and also has another haint to navigate. This is a sadder story, one of a young boy convicted of a minor crime and sent to Parchman, notorious for reinstating slavery by renting out its inmates. Many of the inmates were black, their crimes minor if actual, and their sentences harsh.
Richie, this sad ghost stays with Jojo as they travel back home, and stays with him while the ghost of Givens brings his mother, JoJo's grandmother home to him. Richie won't leave, but at last he understands what has happened to him, at an age not much different than Jojo. The ghosts stay on, chaining the present to the past injustices.
The overwhelming sense of hardship, loss and societal disadvantage is difficult to take. Despite that, it is beautifully written, haunting and in some unknown way, a little hopeful about the way forward. If you haven't read it, pick it up, it is amazing.
And so on to next month, which is coming up soon. Our book is The River, by Peter Heller, another writer who can make the page come alive. We are scheduled for Julie Joyce's (thank you!) on Oct. 15. This is a shortish book, no problem getting through it.
Our November book is One Giant Leap, by Charles Fishman, who is a friend of one of our group. It is about Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon and its scientific and technical challenges. Fitting for the 50th anniversary which really makes me feel old.
See you all soon!
Monday, September 30, 2019
Monday, July 22, 2019
No Turtle Soup For Us.
Thanks to Margo Hardy for hosting a really fun and equally hot evening to discuss Babette's Feast by Isak Dineson, the pen name used by Baroness Karen Blixen-Finecke, (Karen Blixen) in the English language publications of her work. In Germanic languages she used Tania Blixen.
Interestingly, Karen Blixen wrote in both English and Danish, publishing her first book in English before the Danish version came out. This caused such a backlash in Denmark that she never did that again, but often published in both languages at the same time. She did not have the work translated, but rather wrote each work in both languages, and the details varied from version to version.
Although the Book of the Month Club selected five of books over time, she is best known for Out of Africa, a memoir of her life in Kenya from 1914 to 1931 and "Babette's Feast", a short story published in 1958 in Anecdotes of Destiny.
There is a reason for that - the character of Babette is compelling. When she arrives, bereft of her family and her country, her impact is one of efficiency and compliance with the pious and austere aging sisters, the remaining heads of their father's religious sect.
The lovely sisters had early chances at a fuller life and denied them out of devotion to their father and his faith. Now, with their lives closer to the end than the beginning, and the few remaining devotees in the tiny hamlet unhappy and bickering, their sacrifice seems futile. Babette changes all that with a dramatic gesture -spending all her winnings from a lottery to create a feast for the sisters and their sect.
Babette, it turns out is an artist, with this last chance to create. Her passion impacts them all, soothes the petty squabbles among the followers and raises the question of whether devotion in religion is less true to faith than the devotion of the true artist, no matter the medium.
We all liked it, although it was a bit dark, or maybe we were remembering the movie version. If you want more Isak Dineson, I loved most of her short story collections, it is just hard to go wrong.
So, on to September as so many of us are traveling in August that we decided to take a break. Our September book is Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. This novel is by a brilliant young author who has won two National Book Awards out of three novels. Not bad! We will meet at Karin's on September 17 at 6:30.
October will be at Julie Joyce's on the 15th. Our book will be The River, by Peter Heller. I just finished it and hope to read it again for our meeting to see if I still feel the same as the first time through.
November will be the 19th at Fiona's. That is a big week as that weekend is the VisArts Craft and Design show, yeah! The book will be A Giant Leap, by Charles Fishman, a friend of Julie W.'s.
Just to round out the year, we set the date for the annual Christmas Book Swap for December 16 - this is a Monday! Julie W. has agreed to host!
Interestingly, Karen Blixen wrote in both English and Danish, publishing her first book in English before the Danish version came out. This caused such a backlash in Denmark that she never did that again, but often published in both languages at the same time. She did not have the work translated, but rather wrote each work in both languages, and the details varied from version to version.
Although the Book of the Month Club selected five of books over time, she is best known for Out of Africa, a memoir of her life in Kenya from 1914 to 1931 and "Babette's Feast", a short story published in 1958 in Anecdotes of Destiny.
There is a reason for that - the character of Babette is compelling. When she arrives, bereft of her family and her country, her impact is one of efficiency and compliance with the pious and austere aging sisters, the remaining heads of their father's religious sect.
The lovely sisters had early chances at a fuller life and denied them out of devotion to their father and his faith. Now, with their lives closer to the end than the beginning, and the few remaining devotees in the tiny hamlet unhappy and bickering, their sacrifice seems futile. Babette changes all that with a dramatic gesture -spending all her winnings from a lottery to create a feast for the sisters and their sect.
Babette, it turns out is an artist, with this last chance to create. Her passion impacts them all, soothes the petty squabbles among the followers and raises the question of whether devotion in religion is less true to faith than the devotion of the true artist, no matter the medium.
We all liked it, although it was a bit dark, or maybe we were remembering the movie version. If you want more Isak Dineson, I loved most of her short story collections, it is just hard to go wrong.
So, on to September as so many of us are traveling in August that we decided to take a break. Our September book is Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. This novel is by a brilliant young author who has won two National Book Awards out of three novels. Not bad! We will meet at Karin's on September 17 at 6:30.
October will be at Julie Joyce's on the 15th. Our book will be The River, by Peter Heller. I just finished it and hope to read it again for our meeting to see if I still feel the same as the first time through.
November will be the 19th at Fiona's. That is a big week as that weekend is the VisArts Craft and Design show, yeah! The book will be A Giant Leap, by Charles Fishman, a friend of Julie W.'s.
Just to round out the year, we set the date for the annual Christmas Book Swap for December 16 - this is a Monday! Julie W. has agreed to host!
Friday, July 5, 2019
Happiness: A Novel had a lot to discuss
Many thanks to Lynn for hosting our discussion last month, what a beautiful and warm place for a lively discussion. What a nice night!
This book, by Aminatta Forna was a great suggestion from Barbara that gave us so much to talk about. On its surface, a story about fox in London would not seem so engaging. In fact, they were a stand-in for the main characters and Jean, all interlopers in ways that were unique to them.
There was a lot going on in this novel - Jean's move to London and her struggle to overcome her failed marriage and strained relationship with her adult son unfolded fairly quickly. Atilla's story took longer to develop; the loss of his wife, the longer term distance from his home country while serving societies in catastrophe around the world, his shorter term distance from a niece.
The niece serves as focal point for the story while never really entering it. Her son has disappeared and Atilla and Jean form a team to find him, using Jean's expertise tracking urban fox and her network of doormen and trash removers developed over the course of her project.
That search, the unfair treatment of the niece and Atilla's last minute involvement in the trial of an immigrant charged with arson are the fabric of the theme that change and migration, like those of the fox into London, are inevitable and that fear and hate do nothing to stem the tide and do much harm in the process. It was a lovely novel, a bit clunky in places but definitely worthwhile.
On to July! We will meet at Margo's house on July 16 at 6:30. Lucky for us, we are reading a short story, Isak Dineson's "Babette's Feast". We talked about a fancy feast in support, any ideas?
See you all there!
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Well that was fun!
Our last meeting seems a very long time ago by now, and it was. Thanks to Ashley for hosting what was one of the funniest nights we have spent together, albeit at the expense of long book related discussion.
The departure point for the laugh-fest was the reaction we had to Less by Andrew Sean Greer. Some of us thought it was hilarious and the detached, ironic narrative (and surprise ending) was clearly tongue in cheek.
Others, like me, found the character pathetic and the humor flat. That kicked off a whole discussion about what one's sense of humor actually is and egged on by the questions Val sent, we had quite a ranging laugh-in.
So, on the book, it was a mixed review but those who liked it really did. On to the next one, which is Happiness: A novel, by Aminatta Forna. Interestingly, this is a novel about foxes in London and maybe other things as well. I can't wait.
We will be at Lynn's, June 18 at 6:30. For those planning ahead, our July meeting will be at Margo's on July 16. We are scheduled to read Babette's Feast, by Isak Dinesen, the first time we have ever repeated a book, or in this case, a short story. There was a reason, but I don't remember what it was, something about food and wine? Wine sounds good, turtle soup, which I remember features in the story, not so much.
See you all then!
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Destiny of the Republic - a great conversation starter
What a fantastic conversation we had that kicked off with Destiny of the Republic, a story of President Garfield's assassination in 1881. We started there, went on to the stubbornness and arrogance of some of the men in the book and others we could think of, and on and on. What a great time!
As for the book, those of us who read it liked it. The consensus was that the topic was fairly thin - it was hard to really fill a book as poor Garfield was inaugurated in March, shot in July and after months of sickness and agonizing treatment, died in September.
The story really was of medicine at the time, and the slow, difficult way of progress. The eminent doctors of the time, even if self-proclaimed, were resistant to the idea of germs and wholly indifferent to cleanliness. At the time, only the indigent and doomed went to a hospital. Those who were cared for at home, like Garfield, suffered from ignorance, arrogance and pain from those who claimed to cure them. And that is excluding the madman who shot him.
One of the most interesting aspects of the story was Alexander Graham Bell and his role in developing technology (which Dr. Bliss, the lead doctor refused to use to its fullest) to find the bullet left in Garfield's side. Bell's dedication to saving Garfield was only one of the many tributes to a well-loved and admired man, shot by someone who sought to gain his attention and favor.
The shooter, a deranged man named Charles Guiteau, somehow thought that by shooting Garfield, he could claim his rightful place as Ambassador to France, denied him by Garfield's Secretary of State, at least in his own mind.
It was clear that the author truly loved and admired Garfield, perhaps a bit too much for a really balanced presentation. At the same time, she also obviously adored Theodore Roosevelt in River of Doubt, and we were all perfectly fine with that, as we all loved him too. While the story was one of a painful loss for the country and his family, it was a great insight into a little known period of our history and I was glad to read this well-researched, well-written history.
And on we go to next month, May 21 at Ashley's. The book is Less, by Andrew Sean Greer. See you all there!
As for the book, those of us who read it liked it. The consensus was that the topic was fairly thin - it was hard to really fill a book as poor Garfield was inaugurated in March, shot in July and after months of sickness and agonizing treatment, died in September.
The story really was of medicine at the time, and the slow, difficult way of progress. The eminent doctors of the time, even if self-proclaimed, were resistant to the idea of germs and wholly indifferent to cleanliness. At the time, only the indigent and doomed went to a hospital. Those who were cared for at home, like Garfield, suffered from ignorance, arrogance and pain from those who claimed to cure them. And that is excluding the madman who shot him.
One of the most interesting aspects of the story was Alexander Graham Bell and his role in developing technology (which Dr. Bliss, the lead doctor refused to use to its fullest) to find the bullet left in Garfield's side. Bell's dedication to saving Garfield was only one of the many tributes to a well-loved and admired man, shot by someone who sought to gain his attention and favor.
The shooter, a deranged man named Charles Guiteau, somehow thought that by shooting Garfield, he could claim his rightful place as Ambassador to France, denied him by Garfield's Secretary of State, at least in his own mind.
It was clear that the author truly loved and admired Garfield, perhaps a bit too much for a really balanced presentation. At the same time, she also obviously adored Theodore Roosevelt in River of Doubt, and we were all perfectly fine with that, as we all loved him too. While the story was one of a painful loss for the country and his family, it was a great insight into a little known period of our history and I was glad to read this well-researched, well-written history.
And on we go to next month, May 21 at Ashley's. The book is Less, by Andrew Sean Greer. See you all there!
Sunday, March 24, 2019
"A Well-Behaved Woman" - highs and lows but overall quite good
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Fiona Ross from her current exhibition at Page Bond Gallery |
There was one girlfriend though, a friend for life or at least Alva thought so. In the end, this was a book on two levels and both worked - one, the story of a determined, intelligent and hardworking person who raised the social status (all that counted if you had money) of her clan. The other was of a lonely, ambitious person whose loyalties were betrayed with relationships that were ultimately of competition and expedience. That she landed these same characteristics on her daughter showed only the implacable acceptance of what was admired and appreciated once one was wealthy. Happiness was not necessarily on the docket, at least not at first.
As a story, there were two standout sections - the first was the unfolding of Alva working her way into a society closed to her and the Vanderbilts and positioning herself as one of its luminaries. It is hard to remember how rigid the wealthy society was, to exclude such great wealth as not good enough, but maybe judgement is the same now, just on different criteria. Another nugget was that Alva used a consultant, Ward McAllister to help her devise strategy and wangle invitations. Who knew that is what it took!
The second standout section as a story was Alva's brilliant extraction from her marriage after finding out her best friend had a long running affair with her husband William. To find out decades later that your best friend engineered your marriage with her paramour because he wasn't good enough for her but she wanted him around? Not good. Alva shows her character again though and finds a way forward that gives her some happiness for a short time.
Lost perhaps is her daughter, forced into a marriage of title but not love and certainly not responsible behavior. Looking at the characterizations at the time, and even all these years later (mind you, it is only Wikipedia), poor Alva is a strict tyrant, protecting the family name to the detriment of all around her. As with so many women before and after her, her ability and willingness to get the outcome she wanted for herself and her family drew criticism, complaint and condemnation. It may not be so different today.
I found the delineation of the Vanderbilt family tree very interesting though, and the side story of the Biltmore was a bit of a highlight.
And so, on we go. It is impossible, it seems, to leave the late 1800's. Our next book is Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard. She wrote the amazing book River of Doubt about Theodore Roosevelt. This one is on the Garfield assassination. Don't despair, she is an amazing storyteller. We are scheduled to meet on April 17 (note, this is a Wednesday) at Wendy's. We need to swap for another venue though as Wendy's is now not available. Any volunteers? Let me know if so.
May is the 21st at Ashley's and the book is Less by Andrew Greer. June is the 18th at Lynn's but no book yet. Put on your thinking cap, see you on April 17!
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
War and Peace, still good after all these years
It had been decades since I last read War and Peace and thankfully I upgraded from my old version to a new translation that seemed much easier to read. Maybe it is the passage of time that makes the story resonate a bit more than the first time through and now I find it hard to shake the more memorable characters.
I had forgotten that Pierre was fat. I had forgotten that Nickolai Rostov was a spendthrift. (Did you notice how many horses he bought? And the gambling debts!) Sonia somehow drifted away from my memory of the story, as did the wicked French ladies companion that dogged poor Marya's life. And I forgot this was about Napoleon invading Russia, at least when it wasn't about people trying to find their way in a time of war, social change and spiritual confusion, an irreparable shift in their lives.
All of us commented on the riveting writing. Tolstoy projects his scenes in a way that surrounds and subsumes the reader. The ball seems to be going on around you, the snow crunching underfoot audibly, the hounds chasing the wolves just out of your sight, but you can hear them. The characters, at least when you figure out who is who, are fascinating, their perspectives seamlessly introduced. It is a wonderful romantic novel, with lots of twists and turns, lots of heartbreak and joy, lots and lots of human nature.
It is also an amazing historical novel, and the history is described beautifully. The battle scenes are carefully wrought. Evidently, Tolstoy went to the battle sites and studied war documents, which led him to much of the commentary he adds to this part of the novel. Once he starts on the philosophical discussions of the war, the book changes its tone much more to a treatise on the futility of war and of the role the leaders play in the outcome of conflicts, which is not much at all.
Tolstoy was only 36 when he started on War and Peace but it oddly foreshadows the course his own life took. He became the most famous Russian in the world because of his role in changing education and then much later creating a religious sect that included travelers like those described in the book. The description of Natasha in her married life was much like his own wife Sonya, and he himself was reflected in Nickolai Rostov.
We did have quibbles about the story, particularly how Tolstoy dispensed with those who no longer served his purpose. Pierre's wife Helena conveniently died right at the time Pierre wanted a different life. Sonia, once Rostov's fiancee, just one day isn't so he can marry Marya and save the family from poverty. (And he has the nerve to say "Sonia was sulking behind the samovar.", as Ashley pointed out, who wouldn't?") The French companion just disappeared from the story, as did a few others who had done their service to the story.
But who cares? It was a wonderful beautiful read. I for one could skip the 100 pages of description of the Free Masons and the 300 or so pages of war philosophy but that would hollow out what is much more than just a novel.
And so on we go. Feb. 6 is our trip to the Congo Mask exhibit at the VMFA with a reception to follow. Thank you Maggie!!
Our next meeting is March 19 at 6:30 at Julie Weissend's. The book is A Well-Behaved Woman by Theresa Fowler. See you all there!
I had forgotten that Pierre was fat. I had forgotten that Nickolai Rostov was a spendthrift. (Did you notice how many horses he bought? And the gambling debts!) Sonia somehow drifted away from my memory of the story, as did the wicked French ladies companion that dogged poor Marya's life. And I forgot this was about Napoleon invading Russia, at least when it wasn't about people trying to find their way in a time of war, social change and spiritual confusion, an irreparable shift in their lives.
All of us commented on the riveting writing. Tolstoy projects his scenes in a way that surrounds and subsumes the reader. The ball seems to be going on around you, the snow crunching underfoot audibly, the hounds chasing the wolves just out of your sight, but you can hear them. The characters, at least when you figure out who is who, are fascinating, their perspectives seamlessly introduced. It is a wonderful romantic novel, with lots of twists and turns, lots of heartbreak and joy, lots and lots of human nature.
It is also an amazing historical novel, and the history is described beautifully. The battle scenes are carefully wrought. Evidently, Tolstoy went to the battle sites and studied war documents, which led him to much of the commentary he adds to this part of the novel. Once he starts on the philosophical discussions of the war, the book changes its tone much more to a treatise on the futility of war and of the role the leaders play in the outcome of conflicts, which is not much at all.
Tolstoy was only 36 when he started on War and Peace but it oddly foreshadows the course his own life took. He became the most famous Russian in the world because of his role in changing education and then much later creating a religious sect that included travelers like those described in the book. The description of Natasha in her married life was much like his own wife Sonya, and he himself was reflected in Nickolai Rostov.
We did have quibbles about the story, particularly how Tolstoy dispensed with those who no longer served his purpose. Pierre's wife Helena conveniently died right at the time Pierre wanted a different life. Sonia, once Rostov's fiancee, just one day isn't so he can marry Marya and save the family from poverty. (And he has the nerve to say "Sonia was sulking behind the samovar.", as Ashley pointed out, who wouldn't?") The French companion just disappeared from the story, as did a few others who had done their service to the story.
But who cares? It was a wonderful beautiful read. I for one could skip the 100 pages of description of the Free Masons and the 300 or so pages of war philosophy but that would hollow out what is much more than just a novel.
And so on we go. Feb. 6 is our trip to the Congo Mask exhibit at the VMFA with a reception to follow. Thank you Maggie!!
Our next meeting is March 19 at 6:30 at Julie Weissend's. The book is A Well-Behaved Woman by Theresa Fowler. See you all there!
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Merry Christmas to all, we have a lot to read!
Thanks to everyone who came to my house for our annual Christmas fun book swap. What a great time! I have to say, we were pretty restrained when it came to stealing books from others, unless it was A Well-Behaved Woman by Therese Anne Fowler which moved around a number of times, leaving some sad people behind. So that is our March book!
March you say? Yes, January is War and Peace, thank goodness I am taking some time off. So much for tourism, I'll be reading. February we have been invited by Maggie to a private tour of "Congo Masks" at the VMFA on Feb. 6 which is a Wednesday. I think the time is 5pm but Maggie will let us know, thank you so much for your kind generosity! The tour will be followed by a private reception, it doesn't get much better than that!
If you are Congo-minded, I did some research on books on the Congo or by Congolese. The first of course is The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. It is a great read if you haven't had the chance yet. Another is The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. A modern Congolese author, Ronan Bennett has gotten great reviews of The Catastrophist, another option.
So March.
As for our books under the tree, wow! What fun we had and the food was both copious and delicious, no big surprise by now. I feel so lucky to be a part of such a smart, well-read, intellectually curious and sophisticated group of people who bring such great ideas.
So here are the books under the tree:
We Are the Lucky Ones - Georgia Hunter
Becoming - Michelle Obama (this one showed up twice under the tree and got traded as well)
Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruis Zafon (another that more than one person wanted)
Summer of Hate - Hawes Spencer. This is about the Charlottesville "events" by a local author
Those We Love Most - Lee Woodruff, daughter-in-law of Judy and Bob. Also popular with the group.
A Time to Be Born - Dawn Powell. I didn't bring this book, but I spent a goodly amount of time trying to decide among two other Dawn Powell novels and one I eventually brought, she is someone to read if you haven't already.
A Well-Behaved Woman - Enough said, people were dying for this book. I can't wait!
The Riders - our old friend Tim Winton. Another must read for me, but not before I finish his most recent, The Shepherd's Hut.
Kingdom of the Blind - Louise Penny. I got my hands on this one and wouldn't let it go.
Unsheltered - speaking of Barbara Kingsolver, her latest.
Empire of the Summer Moon - S.C. Gwynne. Remember when we read this? A great read and a tragic history. One of our newer members brought this, so good to know we are reading things that resonate.
The Makioka Sisters - Junichiro Tanizaki.
The Irish RM - E. Somerville and Martin Ross. I have read this, it is great, first of a couple on this topic.
Before We Were Yours - Lisa Wingate
While I know who brought a few of these, for the most part, it is still a mystery, so fess up if you want.
Any one of these is a great place to start for 2019. We are meeting at Fiona's next time, which is January 22 at Fiona's at 6:30. See you then! Thanks.
March you say? Yes, January is War and Peace, thank goodness I am taking some time off. So much for tourism, I'll be reading. February we have been invited by Maggie to a private tour of "Congo Masks" at the VMFA on Feb. 6 which is a Wednesday. I think the time is 5pm but Maggie will let us know, thank you so much for your kind generosity! The tour will be followed by a private reception, it doesn't get much better than that!
If you are Congo-minded, I did some research on books on the Congo or by Congolese. The first of course is The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. It is a great read if you haven't had the chance yet. Another is The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. A modern Congolese author, Ronan Bennett has gotten great reviews of The Catastrophist, another option.
So March.
As for our books under the tree, wow! What fun we had and the food was both copious and delicious, no big surprise by now. I feel so lucky to be a part of such a smart, well-read, intellectually curious and sophisticated group of people who bring such great ideas.
So here are the books under the tree:
We Are the Lucky Ones - Georgia Hunter
Becoming - Michelle Obama (this one showed up twice under the tree and got traded as well)
Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruis Zafon (another that more than one person wanted)
Summer of Hate - Hawes Spencer. This is about the Charlottesville "events" by a local author
Those We Love Most - Lee Woodruff, daughter-in-law of Judy and Bob. Also popular with the group.
A Time to Be Born - Dawn Powell. I didn't bring this book, but I spent a goodly amount of time trying to decide among two other Dawn Powell novels and one I eventually brought, she is someone to read if you haven't already.
A Well-Behaved Woman - Enough said, people were dying for this book. I can't wait!
The Riders - our old friend Tim Winton. Another must read for me, but not before I finish his most recent, The Shepherd's Hut.
Kingdom of the Blind - Louise Penny. I got my hands on this one and wouldn't let it go.
Unsheltered - speaking of Barbara Kingsolver, her latest.
Empire of the Summer Moon - S.C. Gwynne. Remember when we read this? A great read and a tragic history. One of our newer members brought this, so good to know we are reading things that resonate.
The Makioka Sisters - Junichiro Tanizaki.
The Irish RM - E. Somerville and Martin Ross. I have read this, it is great, first of a couple on this topic.
Before We Were Yours - Lisa Wingate
While I know who brought a few of these, for the most part, it is still a mystery, so fess up if you want.
Any one of these is a great place to start for 2019. We are meeting at Fiona's next time, which is January 22 at Fiona's at 6:30. See you then! Thanks.
Thursday, November 22, 2018
P.G. Wodehouse Never Disappoints
The language might be stuffy and the scenarios from a distant era of a place far away, but the human interactions of Jeeves and his charge Bertie Wooster are endlessly entertaining and on point. The endless cast of overbearing aunts and romantic intrigues made for a great comic novel.
Maybe it is hard to separate one Wodehouse novel from another, as they all seem to include a large cast of exaggerated characters loosely based on Wodehouse's own expansive and odd family tree. Bertie bumbles into an adventure, requiring Jeeves, his clever and calm valet, to find a way to extricate him and make all right with the world.
Still, the writing is very clever. As an example, from the Mating Season comes the line "As far as the eye could see, I found myself gain on a surging sea of aunts." Wodehouse often references literary sources including Shakespeare and Tennyson, even A.A. Milne with comic changes. He also uses variations on familiar word formations to create a comic effect, like "de-dogging the premises". His use of puns, his over-the -top characterizations and the underlying truth of the human condition, rendered with affection made Wodehouse a pretty reliable read.
Thanks to Lynn for hosting in her beautiful house, always a treat and thanks to everyone who brought great things to eat and drink! And many thanks to Maggie who has invited the book club for a private tour and reception of the VMFA Congo Masks exhibit in January. Date TBD, but thank you Maggie for this very kind invitation!
Our next meeting is the annual Holiday Book Swap at my house. There has been a change of date - we will now meet on December 17, which is a Monday at 6:30. Let me know what you would like to bring, I am hoping to get an apple cake on the table.
If you are new, here is a quick rundown. This is a Yankee Swap format. Each person brings a book that you think others should read - no need to buy one if you don't want, just pull your favorite off the shelf, wrap it and write a note about why this book appeals to you. DON'T SIGN THE NOTE!! We want this to be anonymous.
Each of us will pull a number, then select a book. If you want someone else's book, you can steal it when it is your turn. The book that gets traded around the most will be our next read, this year in February. Fun!!
See you all in December, so hard to imagine that it is that time again!
Maybe it is hard to separate one Wodehouse novel from another, as they all seem to include a large cast of exaggerated characters loosely based on Wodehouse's own expansive and odd family tree. Bertie bumbles into an adventure, requiring Jeeves, his clever and calm valet, to find a way to extricate him and make all right with the world.
Still, the writing is very clever. As an example, from the Mating Season comes the line "As far as the eye could see, I found myself gain on a surging sea of aunts." Wodehouse often references literary sources including Shakespeare and Tennyson, even A.A. Milne with comic changes. He also uses variations on familiar word formations to create a comic effect, like "de-dogging the premises". His use of puns, his over-the -top characterizations and the underlying truth of the human condition, rendered with affection made Wodehouse a pretty reliable read.
Thanks to Lynn for hosting in her beautiful house, always a treat and thanks to everyone who brought great things to eat and drink! And many thanks to Maggie who has invited the book club for a private tour and reception of the VMFA Congo Masks exhibit in January. Date TBD, but thank you Maggie for this very kind invitation!
Our next meeting is the annual Holiday Book Swap at my house. There has been a change of date - we will now meet on December 17, which is a Monday at 6:30. Let me know what you would like to bring, I am hoping to get an apple cake on the table.
If you are new, here is a quick rundown. This is a Yankee Swap format. Each person brings a book that you think others should read - no need to buy one if you don't want, just pull your favorite off the shelf, wrap it and write a note about why this book appeals to you. DON'T SIGN THE NOTE!! We want this to be anonymous.
Each of us will pull a number, then select a book. If you want someone else's book, you can steal it when it is your turn. The book that gets traded around the most will be our next read, this year in February. Fun!!
See you all in December, so hard to imagine that it is that time again!
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was an unexpected hit
Wow, was this an enthusiastic discussion about the unexpected fun of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos. Thank you Ashley for hosting this lively discussion. Who knew this was such a phenomenon in its time, turned into a movie in 1928.
It was also a Broadway play starring Carole Channing in 1949, which included the song "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" and a 1953 movie launching Marilyn Monroe. "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" provided the scenario for the music video of Madonna's "Material Girl". And we haven't yet mentioned the Blonde inspired wallpaper and fabric, among other things. Who knew?
We thought this would be a quick and fun read and it was - James Joyce read this book when the strains of writing Finnegan's Wake got overwhelming. (Too bad the book wasn't longer, maybe it could have distracted poor Joyce from a few hundred pages.) Edith Wharton called it "the great American novel."
There is no doubt it was a romp, and it inspired a comic strip that ran in 1926. Evidently, this type of story was not so often told at the time, as it made a huge hit.
The story of the "professional lady" may seem all too familiar, but in this case, the general consensus was that Lorelei Lee controlled her fate and used what she could to get what she wanted, unabashedly. Lorelei was perhaps named for the German mythical siren of the Rhine and the convoluted plot would support that theory.
Lorelei and her "chaperone" Dorothy go through a convoluted series of adventures that result in one man after another buying them jewels, clothes, fancy dinners and more across two continents. In the end, Lorelei gets what she wants, and we were rooting for her.
Supposedly inspired by Loos seeing a young blonde exert control over an older H.L. Mencken, then a highly prominent journalist, this story was told in stylized way that some found hard to read.
This novel was taken up by the women's lib movement, and the author was quoted as saying “They keep getting up on soapboxes and proclaiming that women are brighter than men, That’s true, but it should be kept very quiet or it ruins the whole racket.”
This book was published in the same year as The Great Gatsby and was if anything even more well received. Perhaps it is the odd grammar and spelling of the narrator but this story lives on as film much more so than as a novel, unlike Gatsby.
And so on to November which will be at Lynn's. Good news for us all, we have decided to move War and Peace to January as we are all struggling with the small type. I keep getting distracted by the French, so I am crawling through it, although I am quite happily immersed.
Our November book will be The Mating Season by P.G. Wodehouse, which was one of our Christmas swap books, brought by Gordon. While it may be in the same vein as Blondes, we wanted something light and fun to give us time for Tolstoy. Also, if you have read Wodehouse, or are attracted to a different one of his books, no problem, read what you want of his and we can have a more general author discussion. I have a stack of Wodehouse and feel Jeeves and I are old friends already.
It is a pleasure to read something, like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, that I would have never, ever picked up on my own that was a cultural phenomenon in its time. It is one of the things I treasure about this group! Thanks everyone!
It is a pleasure to read something, like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, that I would have never, ever picked up on my own that was a cultural phenomenon in its time. It is one of the things I treasure about this group! Thanks everyone!
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