The Wager - a long story of historic importance

 David Grann's The Wager tells an historically important story that is little known, equal parts historic retelling and adventure tale. And did it ever have details! Truly well researched, the story was of a shipwreck in the early 1700's, where unbelievably two groups of survivors managed to make their ways home to Britain and tell very different stories of what happened. 

Historic controversy, monomaniacal characters and tangled facts make for a complicated story, and David Grann specializes in them. As a group, we felt that perhaps there were too many details, too difficult to follow who was involved in what and why. 

Despite that, there were still things that captured our interest - was Byron Shelly's grandfather really on the ship? And survived a shipwreck on an island, a mutiny, and a perilous trip bak to Britain in what really was a slapped-together raft with some makeshift sails. Over thousands of miles, with people who were malnourished and exhausted! And how did the they survive, much less the journals they kept oh so long ago in such difficult conditions. 

And the historic importance of the mutiny trial when back home - what an ending to a journey. And all this because the Brits felt it their right to intercept the Spanish ships sailing home with their own plunder. What a world it was back then. 

The consensus was well written, full of fascinating facts, an amazing story in so many ways and just a bit too much of it all for most of us. 

And so on we go to another historic era, the Vietnam War, told from the vantage of the wives, Absolution by Alice McDermott. We will meet at Karin's on Nov. 18 at 6:30 pm.  See you all then!

Fates and Furies sured stirred up reactions

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff has a very interesting structure, with two sides of the same marriage, and they could not have been more of a contrast. We find Lotto (could that possibly not mean something?), a sad boy banished by his rich and eccentric mother to boarding school which is inevitably followed by being the college big man on campus. 

He meets and quickly marries the mystery woman on campus, now called Matilde, who is of course tall, thin, beautiful and aloof. She also becomes the perfect wife to Lotto, and it does seem they have a strong, loving marriage. Except that, after reading Matilde's side of the story, he never knew her at all and she wanted it that way. 

It was a bit too much (for me and others) of a stereotype that Lotto had a blessed life, with lots of lucky breaks, a wife who rewrote his plays at night so they would work, just the right looks, charisma, etc. The "perfect" wife, by contrast had a tragedy at an early age that caused her to be cast out of her family, growing up in poverty with the "bad" grandmother, sent to America with a cold relative and then resorted to some kind of prostitution to make ends meet until she snagged Lotto and cut him off from his mother. Not that she ever told him any of that. And then there is the horrible best friend that gets off the hook in the end. 

Yikes. 

It was (mostly) well-written, with an imaginative structure and most of us didn't like it at all. It add to the list of modern novels with no hero, no clear protagonist to support. The reviews were all pretty positive for this book, maybe because of the interesting structure, and maybe I am missing something. Still, on to the next one. 

That you Gabrielle for hosting, we had a wonderful time at your gorgeous home! And the food was fab, thanks to everyone for contributing. 

We are reading The Wager by David Grann, the author of Killers of the Flower Moon for our next meeting, which will be at my house on Oct. 14. 

See you all then!

The Expendable Man was Very Well Received

Hi all, and thank you to Ashley for hosting, it was a fun night filled with fun conversation. We had a new member join, Lacey Huszcza, who came armed with an Arnold Palmer cake that was just fab. Please come back! 

Usually, when I pick the book no one likes it so I was quite relieved that The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes was well received. Mary even tracked down the two movies made from her books, one of them starring Humphrey Bogart! This author was largely lost to obscurity until she was republished  fairly recently, so this feels a bit like a find. 

This story was really well paced, and the tension really built up. The characters were really interesting, and really well written. Although not everyone loved it, and at least one person thought it was fairly predictable, it was still a really good read and a reminder of how much in some ways our society has changed. 

And on to the next read, the book is The Confidante by Christopher C. Gotham, the story of yet another woman lost to obscurity but this one is non-fiction. We will meet at Carole's - I will be traveling, so maybe someone can volunteer to keep everyone informed? The date is Tuesday, August 13, at 6:30. I have Carole's copy if anyone else would like to borrow it from her. (Carole, I assume you won't mind!)

We had a burst of organization and got all our dates and books down for September, October and November. September will be at Gabby's, the book is Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff. Note, the date shifted for this meeting to September 17. The city dwellers will want to car pool, it is a beautiful, but a bit long drive. (Very close to Anna Powers though, hint hint.) This book has gotten great reviews and Groff is a wonderful writer. 

October will be on the 14th, at my house. The book is The Wager by David Grann, a story of a shipwreck, a mutiny and its aftermath. David Grann is such a great storyteller, of just amazing history. I hope my house will be a bit more finished and that Val is back in town as this was the book she took from me at the Christmas swap!

November will be on the 18th at Karin's, we can all anticipate Craft and Design which will be that coming weekend. The book is Absolution by Alice McDermott, another highly praised book. We are going to have a great reading fall! 

Our Holiday Swap will be on December 18 at Fiona's, and I can't wait. The NY Times has published its list of the 100 best books of the century (so far) and lots of our past picks are on it. There might be some ideas for next year too! 

See you all in September, I will be in Scotland for August. Have a great time!

Local girl makes good! The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland

 What a fun and interesting discussion we had about Rachel Beanland's new book, The House is on Fire. And very far-reaching, from the reputation for cowardice that Virginia men had as a direct result of climbing over the women to escape this very fire, to the way the names are inscribed on the monument and much in-between. We are so lucky to have among us smart, engaged and interesting people who can share such good conversation! 

Of course the book was great, it went right along with a good story, told well with characters that kept one's interest. Because the event that inspired the book happened right here in Richmond, it has a particular cache, but it is a good read for anyone. Rachel's first book Florence Adler Swims Forever also got some kudos, 

I tried to get Rachel to come talk with us but no luck. Here is an interesting story about her talking about the book - what a strange situation! 

https://forward.com/fast-forward/559619/rachel-beanland-florida-jcc-book/

We are skipping our June meeting because there are a lot of people out of town. Ashley has volunteered to host our July meeting which will be on July 15. The book is The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes, one of our Christmas swap books. It is not long, but it can be hard to find. The Richmond Library has it, the Henrico Library did not the last time I checked. 

See you all then! 

Covenant of Water - A Generational Story set in history

 Thanks to Lynn who very kindly hosted our discussion of Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. It is always a pleasure to see everyone particularly in such lovely surroundings. And we had a great discussion about the book, which most people really liked. I found it tedious in parts when the details just piled up. That being said, the story was so fascinating in its positioning in history, and so well written with compelling characters and interesting interactions. All in all a good read! 

Our next book is A House on Fire by Rachel Beanland. I have been trying really hard to get Rachel to come to our next meeting but she has not responded. If anyone else has a good in, please use it! And we have our next meeting on May 13, which might be a bit soon for people since I am so slow getting this out - we could move back a week if that is easier. I can host unless someone else wants to volunteer - my place is tiny! 

Let me know what you think about the date! See you soon. 

Postcard Kept Us Reading

 Thanks to everyone who braved the cold to come to my little house - good timing as everything is going to get packed up and stored for a while while the floors get done. Fun! It will be nice when it is over. At least I got to host one book club! 

And we had a great discussion, such fun to have everyone. The Postcard by Anne Berest was an unusual approach for a novel centered on the Holocaust. The structure, centered on one Jewish family in France, kept the pages turning, and we generally really liked the book, despite the upsetting material. There were details none of us had heard before, particularly about the state of the returned prisoners and the way France tried, with mixed results to accept these poor people back in and provide some care. The desperation of those hoping for news of their own loved ones was just wrenching. 

The whole mystery of the postcard, who sent it and why, was the mechanism to investigate and tell the story, which Anne Berest says is that of her own family. I personally really liked the story line and the resolution but not everyone did. I listened to this book on my long migration to Florida, so that might have colored my view - to me it is a very different experience than reading. 

We had some trouble scheduling February with travel, so we picked Feb. 6 as the date for our next meeting. Carole has volunteered to host, thank you! Since that is pretty soon, we selected a quick book to read - The Art Thief by Michael Finkel. It is a great read, and easy to get through, and an amazing story. 

See you all then, let Carole know what you can bring! 

Another great Holiday Swap!

 Many thanks to Margo for hosting our Holiday evening on Monday, what great fun! We had an absolute blast and thanks to everyone who brought fantastic things to eat and drink. There was a great holiday cookie tray, was that also our hostess with the mostest Margo? It was fab. 

And so were the books, which had a different twist this year. Our goal was to bring books that we wanted to read in the coming year, and that turned out to be a great idea. There were still a lot of swaps, but there was also a lot of discussion about the books.  Generally we knew them as they tended to be recent, and that meant a bit of swapping around, and in some cases lurking waiting for a chance. 

So here is the whole list of the books that showed up, and how about this, I have who brought them and who got them! Amazing. 

There might be a few errors, it was a lively night! 

Title	Author	Who Got It	Who Brought it
The Wager	David Grann	Val	Wendy
Here in the Dark	Alexis Soloski	Wendy, then Celia	Margo
Absolution	Alice McDermott	Gabby	Karin
Down Cemetary Road	Mick Herron	Margo	Fiona
Let Us Descend	Jesmyn Ward	Celia to start	Gabby
Heaven and Earth Grocery Store	James McBride	Kathy Baker	Val
The Golden Spur	Dawn Powell	Jean	Celia
The Art Thief	Michael Finkel	Karin	Maggie
A Man Walks into a Barn	Chad Oldfather	Mary	Kathy
The Covenant of Water	Abraham Forges	Ashley	Jean
The Postcard	Ann Berest	Fiona	Mary
Fates and Furies	Lauren Groff	Maggie	Ashley

No progress at all was made on January, except I vaguely remember selecting The Postcard as the January book. Get started, it is a bit long! Would Jan. 15 work for our next meeting? We can all try squeezing into my tiny little newish house if so. 

See you all then, I hope!

Dartmoor's Daughter was really fun!

 What a great time we had learning all about Dartmoor, the setting for Arthur Conan Doyle's Hound of the Baskervilles and the folklore and history that led up to its creation. 

Emma Cunis, who is the founder of Dartmoor's Daughter was just a delight and a fount of information about all parts of the moor, and a lot about Conan Doyle as well. She was kind enough to stay up (very) late as Emma zoomed in from the U.K., in between tours and lectures on the moor. I was lucky enough to take a hike with her last June when I was there, and it was well worth it. 

Conan Doyle had evidently been ill and had gone to Dartmoor to stay with a friend. During that time, and later visits, he walked up to 17 miles a day on the moor (not hard to do, I will say, as the space is vast) and learned much of the folklore of the area. There was a cruel and difficult lord who terrorized the local population in earlier centuries, he evidently had a big, black and cruel dog that he used to good effect. 

The variable and difficult weather of the moor led to tales of witches with enchanted animals endangering the hapless people who might be out at night, or even taking revenge on those who wronged them - more fodder for the fairly terrifying events of the story. And of course, the prison, with its feared escapee is still there in Princetown, high on the moor, still in use, and still allowing for a famous escapee in the '60's.

The moor itself is so much a character in the story. Conan Doyle talks about the ancient peoples who created and left behind villages and memorials. Emma was able to show us some of the many remnants that still litter the landscape, beautiful in their way and wholly different than the even more ancient thors which are natural granite formations, carved by the wind and time itself, also mentioned in the story. The bogs were also a danger, along with the massive hound. 

Emma just did a masterful job of showing us the actual places, the actual landscape in the context of the history, it just made it all so fun, thank you Emma! I cannot recommend a trip to Dartmoor enough (there are riding tours!) and when you go, make sure to call her for a tour. 

All this was made possible by Maggie, who grew up going to the moor in the summers as her family had a home there, and in turn bringing her own children there. Thank you Maggie!!

And thank you to Karin for hosting in her beautiful home and thank you to Sally who worked on the technology challenges - we definitely need to import a 16 year old for night like this to reduce the whole stress level of high tech. 

Karin also provided the idea for our next book - Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. I contacted Ann (or her publicist at least) to see if she would zoom in for a discussion. She turned me down flat so we will just have to struggle on without her. Can anyone volunteer to host? Our date should be Nov. 20. See you all then! 

Pursuit of Love - surprisingly entertaining and interesting

 This may have seemed like a period comic novel at first page but in fact it turned out to be an interesting reflection of the effect of world politics on the people who lived through them, in all its personal opportunities and costs. 

The book was based on the author's own life and her family, making her and her sisters famous in their time. It is the first of a trilogy, an immediate best seller and has been repeatedly adapted into film and television, a pretty good result for what might be considered a flimsy novel. 

We found plenty to talk about, from why gentlemen wear pink coats to fox hunt (they are actually red and named after the tailor who invented them) to the politics of running away to the Spanish Civil War and/or marrying a fascist. The choices of these family members put them on opposite sides of history with all the complications that would normally arise from that. It is truly a reflection of its time. 

We all enjoyed it so much that it is a contender for movie night, which is our August plan. We are meeting on August 14, at 6:30 and the plan is to meet at the Deep Run Hunt Club so we can use the large screen TV. If you have another idea, let me know, either for venue or for the movie. 

See you all then! 

The Personal Librarian - mixed reviews, a fascinating history

There is a lot to like in the history of this accomplished woman who became the personal librarian to J.P. Morgan, and perhaps more importantly, the force behind the donation of that library to New York City. Marie Benedict (a pseudonym as it turns out for Heather Terrell) has written, with a co-author, Victoria Christopher Murray, the story of Bella Da Costa Greene, a light-skinned black woman who, despite all the odds against it, becomes a famous professional whose work is acclaimed across the globe. 

And so the set-up is a great one, the story has much to offer but our group felt (with some exceptions) that the story itself was tediously told and the most difficult part, passing as white, was not a major factor in the plot. It was however, clear that the choice to invent a Portuguese heritage came with a huge emotional cost - she was not only completely cut off from her family, she refused to marry or have children. The risk was too high, she wrote, because her children might expose her true heritage through their own skin tone. That is pretty hard to imagine. 

I was surprised to see the range of historic topics this author had taken on, including Hedy Lamarr who between movies was a ground-breaking inventor with significant contributions to the WWII efforts, Agatha Christie's unexplained disappearance in 1928, and the story of Winston Churchill's wife Clementine. The co-author, Victoria Christopher Murray, has been largely overlooked but is herself the author of more than 30 books, most geared to the African-American Christian audience. 

We are lucky to be going back to Gabby's for our next meeting, as she says the roses will be out! Yeah! Our next book is Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Gramus, which has garnered a lot of buzz in the literary press. The date is May 8, at 6:30. See you there!