The Sympathizer - A Telling Portrait

Most of us gathered to discuss this facinating and excellent first novel grew up in or around the VietNam war era and had personal connnections, close or a bit removed, that still today left strong impressions and emotions. 

This novel presented another view, that from the perspective of the Vietnamese who lived through the conflict on their own soil, watched as their villages were destroyed, then escaped to the land of their enemy and in a very real way, their savior. 

The lives of these refugees, and of one person left behind, make up this story, told by an irregular narrator from all perspectives. A Vietnamese boy fathered by a French priest he was not fully of his home country. His father gave him no access to his own life and culture, so he was suspended in a way that he says created his ability to sympathize with both sides of a story. 

And so, he was also a double agent, working for a general in the army while spying for one of his best friends who has remained behind as high ranking communist functionary. And he is the link between his two closest friends, the Communist and the traditionalist who lost his wife and child in the chaos of leaving the country. 

The stories of the refugees was touching and depressing - accomplished people, respected in their own country now running liquor stores and gas stations while clinging to hope of return. The actions of ther narrator, never called anything except The Captain, were horrifying, done in the spirit of one who, with divided ties, has no moral compass. 

The writing was beautiful for the most part, thoughtful, evocative and lyrical. The book had its phases though and to me, the first 50 or so pages that set the stage were the strongest. From there, satire and a campy feel cropped up too often for me, giving the book a definite Catch 22 flavor. It became a bit difficult to follow - whas this supposed to be funny? Was it over-exaggerated for effect or was this supposed to be an actual description? 

Yet, these questions were minor in comparison to the quality of the book. It was a strong story and a difficult one, but one that will stir discussion for a long time. 

And so on we go to the next. We selected I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. I have not read her before and so am really looking forward to this! We will be at Julie's on May 16. 

For those of you wanting the Parmesan Rosemary Pecan wafer recipe, here is a link, enjoy! 

https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/rosemary-parm-cookies

And if you want even more and much better commentary on the book, here is great review by Philip Caputo in the New York Times.  Philip Caputo wrote, among others, Indian Country, another VietNam war book. He is well know for war fiction. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/books/review/the-sympathizer-by-viet-thanh-nguyen.html?_r=0

A charming, sweet story

We had a great group assembled to talk about the charming book, A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Granted, it didn't start with much promise - a (very) grumpy man with an attitude that would alienate the most tolerant stomping around his neighborhood trying to get the other residents to  follow his rules. Still, somehow the author kept us turning pages until the lovely end of a sweet tale.

As the book progressed, the backstory, revealed bit by bit was to me at least, unbearably sad. Still, there were many comic components, not the least of which were the other characters in the book. A mangy cat, an Iranian woman with her two, soon to be three, children and inept husband and the former best friends who were now ex-communicado were all part of it. Not to mention the overweight young man next door.

All these characters came together and became a family and Ove, with this many heartbreaks, found love with the children next door who called him Grandpa. The journey to get to this point was improbable and the characters were a little cartoonish and broad. But no one cared. There was plenty to be critical about, but why would anyone bother? The end result was so sweet and the journey was so fun.

This was a first novel that had a hard time getting traction when presented to publishers. Since then it has been published in at least 35 countries, and has been a best seller everywhere. In the tradition of "It's a Wonderful Life", this reminds us of how intertwined we all are and how much of an impact we can make on each other if we allow it to happen.

So on to our next book, which is The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. This one won the Pulitzer for Fiction last year, and I can't wait to read it! We will meet at Karen's house on the Southside, thank you Karen! And our May book, so you can all get ready is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Yeah!

Many thanks to Jean for hosting in her beautiful house with gorgeous flowers and to everyone who brought yummy things to eat. And best of luck to Susan Smithwick who is leaving us for the West Coast, I miss you already!

See you in April.

Remember "The Tenth of December"? George Saunders again, and he is amazing.

Just these few minutes ago, I finished George Saunders's new and first novel, called Lincoln in the Bardo. Those of us who read his collection of short stories, The Tenth of December will not be surprised that this novel is very unusual, so odd that I had to read some reviews to figure out the setting. So strange, flat out weird and yet incredibly touching and challenging, it was an amazing experience.

The entire story unfolds in one night, in a cemetery that, as my husband Rick says, is filled with people too old and dead to talk. Yet they do, as it is populated with souls who can't or won't accept that their old lives are over, that no one will come for them. One person, a Reverend, is an exception. He knows he is dead and yet is too afraid of final judgement to move out of this in-between state. These lost souls are frozen in their old pain, their old burdens, which distort their appearances to their last, lost regret.

Into this village drops the incredulous, innocent young Willie Lincoln, beloved son of the then President of the United States. He traveled here by way of a fever, lost during a Presidential reception that provided a backdrop for the agony of his father, Abraham Lincoln. Willie can't move on out of belief that his father would come for him and bring him back. When Lincoln does come again, it shocks all in this limbo to rethink. Would someone come for them too? Will Lincoln help them? Can Willie? If not, why are they still there, waiting? And yet, we know the truth - no matter who or why, death is final.

Poor Lincolns, young and old. The pain is palpable in this amazing novel, hard to bear even when some aspects are comic. Abraham Lincoln's great burden is beautifully rendered while barely described - a grief-stricken father, a husband whose wife is driven mad and so musters on alone, a President responsible for scores of deaths as he tries for a greater and longer term good, a man who buoys so many, even as they cling to him and threaten his ability to take his very next step.

These souls lost in limbo exemplify Lincoln's burden. His young son, caught in the abyss can't  imagine his father won't lift him away. But it is Lincoln's sorrow that enables him to go on, and also allows all these souls, caught in limbo, to accept their own situations,  illuminated by the great man who finally accepts the loss of his beloved son.

This is not everyone's cup of tea novel, granted. Still, it is a wonderous thing.

Lynn wrote from the beach today that she also has a great novel to recommend, The Sympathiser by  Viet Thanh Nguyen which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2016. Can't wait to move on to that one! See you all soon.

Between Me and the World, a thought provoking and interesting experience

Hats off to Fiona for hosting our most recent gathering, another warm and gracious hostess and everyone brought fabulous things to add to Fiona's famous bread. Lucky us!

And as for the book, well, whether you agree or disagree with the author's point of view, it was certainly generated thought and discussion. This book challenges in unexpected ways, and we had a wide-ranging and interesting conversation about just what we thought.

The construct of a letter to the author's son allowed for a commentary on "them" versus "us" in a unique way of portraying "those who see themselves as white" as "dreamers", as in they can aspire to, and expect the American Dream. The "us" is the black population stuck in an America that treats them as a danger to be controlled and suppressed  even at the cost of individual life with little provocation and with no repercussion. It is hard to read in many places and even harder to imagine dealing with on a daily basis.

The daily struggle to find a way to stay safe, to protect oneself on the streets in ones neighborhood, against school authorities, police and public policy is described as "protecting one's body" and here our conversation turned to our own experience of these feelings. As Val pointed out, this is our own experience in at least one way. We are constantly on guard for our physical safety, and in some cases for our emotional safety as well.

As one who remembers walking down the middle of the street instead of the sidewalk to get to my home in Boston, this certainly hit home for me, as it did for others. We are guarding our physical selves. Our difference is that we expect courtesy from police who stop us for minor infractions, instead of mortal danger.  And we expect safe neighborhoods, good schools and a supportive family that helps us achieve our goals in every way.

One thing that was consistent in our comments was just how well written this book was. The sentences, even the difficult ones, were beautifully constructed, and the logic compelling. And yet, I couldn't help but feel as though the story wasn't finished - as a letter to the next generation, shouldn't there be some optimism about a way forward? Some encouragement about a path to take? Not in this book. Maybe there is another, and if so, I will certainly read it.

So on to our next book. We decided on A Man Called Ove  by Fredrik Backman. This has recently been made into a movie for those who want a short cut, but I hear the book is much better. Isn't that always the case?

We are going to meet at Jean's house on March 21 at 6:30. This is a change as the original schedule was for Julie's. Lucky us, Julie is taking April. See you at Jean's in March and Julie's in April. And be thinking about how you would like to celebrate our 10th anniversary in June! I am looking for ideas.

Please comment, this past book was a strong draught, let us know what you think!

Hi everyone!

Thanks again to Kathy Baker for hosting our most recent book club meeting - we all had a wonderful time, and lively conversations about Hamilton in her lovely home.

During our conversation, Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven was mentioned as a possible future read for the group.  Kathy Baker has written a review of Station Eleven that was published in the 2014 September issue of Real Simple Magazine, page 39.

Due to the magazine's space restrictions, the review is condensed from Kathy's full review of Station Eleven, published on her blog site Better Etiquette.  To read her review of this intriguing book in its entirety, click here...

We are so lucky to have great readers -and- great writers in our book group!

See you all soon,
Fiona
 

Alexander Hamilton - worth the work. Note new day for our next meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 6:30 pm at Fiona's.

Wow, what a great read! Lucky thing since the book was both long and dense, particularly in the sections on The Federalist Papers. Unusually, everyone seemed to like this book and it has been a while since we got such good consensus. This was a wonderful example of a very serious, thorough biography that had a great narrative and told the story beautifully. There were many places in the book that were are joy to read for those who love language. The trail between scholarship and storytelling goes right through this wonderful book.

This was an interesting and different view of history than that described in history books. The contrast really reinforces the point vividly made in the Hamilton, the musical, that history is told by those who are left behind. Sadly, those left behind like Jefferson, Madison and Monroe were not friends of Hamilton and gave perhaps a jaundiced view of his contributions and life.

Luckily for us, Hamilton himself left many, many documents behind including the very puzzling Reynold pamphlet about his extra-marital affair. While this seems a bit tame compared to Jefferson and Burr's romanic exploits, their facts did not come out for decades or even centuries. That Hamilton felt it a worse slur on his honor to be accused of stealing from the federal purse than to have an affair is both a comment on the times and on his character.  Poor Eliza.

So seeing history with Hamilton as a main character was really interesting. While the writing at a few points was really a bit reverent, for the most part, Ron Chernow kept a good perspective. His portrayal of Jefferson was a shock. For those of us in Central Virginia, Jefferson borders on a deity, so his tactics in politics and governance were jarring to say the least. In particular, Jefferson and Monroe's mindless support of the French Revolution seemed particularly wayward.

Those conflicts, and Chernow's careful telling of the Revolutionary period and beyond, demonstrated just how difficult it was to end up with a functioning republic, thanks in large part to Hamilton's ability to create governing procedures and rules. There was little unity, other than George Washington himself, among the founding fathers. Each had his own idea of the direction of the country, his own purpose in acting which sometimes was not the long view of a democratic republic.

All in all, this was a model biography, and it is not hard to see how it could have inspired other great art in the form of the musical, hip hop and all. So on to the next one!

We come to the other end of the republic in our next book, Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This book and author have gotten great attention, and I am really looking forward to it. We will meet at Fiona's house, maybe we can see some art as well!

Please note, we are shifting our regular meeting days to Tuesdays. I have joined a new chorus and we rehearse on Mondays, so thank you all for agreeing to accommodate my schedule. Our next meeting is Feb. 21.

Extra pages! I have been powering through some new books lately and finally got to one Val recommended a while ago, Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel. Kathy Baker published a review of this book in "Real Simple" magazine a while back, very impressive! This book was so interesting, so unusual in its form and message. It is a post-apocalypse novel but the story is with the people, not the circumstances. Really good.

And I have also been submerged in a new detective series, Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline Winspear. These are set just after World War I in England, a very sad time with many scars on the people and the places. The stories are a bit far fetched, but so beautifully written, just "mind candy" as Jean says.

See you all in February!

Holiday Fun! Now on to 2017 (!) and Hamilton

Every year when we gather for our book swap, I feel so blessed to spend time with such interesting, energetic, intelligent people. Our book choices reflect our similarities and differences and are so additive to the fun atmosphere and great conversation that we have at every meeting. Welcome to Rene Massey, who braved the book swap as her first meeting, so glad to have you. Thank you all and Happy New Year!

Lucky me, I got the number 1 spot and so grabbed the Hamilton musical cast recording and companion book. If you haven't seen the show or heard the music, I really recommend it and it is getting me going for reading our next book which is Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Our next meeting is Jan. 16 at Kathy Baker's (thank you Kathy!) at 6:30.

So, as usual, we had a great array of interesting books to choose from and also some great cards to go with them. Here is the list, including who brought the book - I did not capture who ended up with them, but feel free to ask around and make private deals if you want!

So here it is:

Victoria by Daisy Goodwin - Fiona
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates - Val
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday - Rene
Mother Tongue and The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson - Maggie
Freddy and Frederica by Mark Helprin - Liz
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy - Gordon
A Man Called Ov by Fredrik Backman - Lynn
I'll Take You There by Wally Lamb
The Red Tent by Anita Diamond - Mary
The Innovators by Walter Isaacson - Jean
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salmon Rushdie - Celia
Elephant Company by Vicki Croke - Julie
Hamilton, the Revolution and Hamilton Cast Recording by Lin-Manuel Miranda - Kathy
Howard's End by E.M. Forster - Ashley

There is a reading list for 2017, a super place to start! Thanks to everyone for bringing in such good ideas to share. We had a relatively tame number of swaps, as everyone really seemed to like what they chose. A Man Called Ov changed hands at least once, as did the Hamilton set. Between the World and Me went around a couple of times and so is our February book! Yeah! Val told me about it a while ago and it has been on my list since then. I am looking forward to reading it.

Here are some additional titles that were mentioned as great reads:
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
Dreamland - not sure if it is the one by Robert L. Anderson (fiction) or Sam Quinones (nonfiction)
Winston Churchill Autobiography, the first 30 years

For what it is worth, I am haunting the library these days, thanks to Lynn and Julie. Here is my recent list, at least as much as I can remember:
The Hanging Garden by Patrick White (Nobel prize winner)
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (a series, I have three of them so far)
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (another Val recommendation)
Thus Bad Begins by Javier Marias, considered Spain's most important contemporary author, as well, two of his earlier books
The Bright Edge of the World and The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. Alaskan lit, who knew? Go for the first one if you are interested.
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. I may read his next one, Gentleman in Moscow, it has good reviews. I am iffy on the other.
The Dispossessed by Szilard Burbly. Hungarian, sad, literary and central European. What's not to like.
News of the World by Paulette Jiles (winner of the National Book Award for fiction)
News from Spain by Joan Wickersham - really good short stories
Dreams of My Russian Summer by Andre Mankind. This book won both major French literary awards in the same year, unprecedented. He has a long list I want to read.

We have our Feb. date set for the 20th at Fiona's. See you all in January, feel free to add in your ideas on great books to read! Happy Holidays!

The Bridal Wreath - a timeless story, a trying telling

Well, despite the fact that this is one of my favorite books of all time, it was not a big hit for our group. In fact most of us didn't even finish it, or were having a hard time slogging through. This novel, which has never been out of print since it was published in 1927 failed to capture the imagination even of devoted historic fiction fans in the group.

The culprit keeping enthusiasm at bay was primarily the stilted, dated language, translated from Norwegian by Charles Archer in the 20's. While there are those (count me in) who think this evokes the time and place as well as the rhythm of the original Norse, it could be stiff and wordy. Evidently, there is a new translation, done in the late 90's that is more lyrical and natural sounding. The majority of us read the old translation.

And why, oh why do I love it when no one else did? Maybe it was the main character, Kristin and the way Unset uses her to unveil the history, society and legal structure of the region. All through the novel Undset puts her in  situations new to her, but common to her people, so through her experiencing and learning each new step of her life, we can all learn along with her. It doesn't get much better for a historical novel in my opinion. There is no stopping the story to explain the customs  of the times - they are unfurled to us as they are to Kristin as she matures from a little seven year old girl to a wife and mother.

Because of this narrative structure, the footnotes were so interesting, so well explained that they really added to the story. After reading this, much of the current culture of Scandinavia made more sense to me, especially the relatively more equal footing of women in today's culture. Women inherited property, which remained their own in the 14th century - in England, that took until the 19th century. Is it any wonder things are different?

As well, her story was one of the ages. The beautiful, much loved, willful daughter of an influential man choses the wrong person to love and pays the price. Is that not the stuff of many a wonderful story? And I really loved Kristin, for all her bad choices and firm determinations, and for the richness of her story. Ok, so I was the only one who felt that way.

On to our next meeting, which is our annual Christmas Book Yankee Swap. For those who are new to the process, or who need a refresher, here is the way it works. Each of us brings a book to go under the tree that you want others to read. Include a card about why you picked that book, but don't sign it! We want no undue influence in selection! We will all get a number at the beginning of the evening. Lucky number 1 selects a book first and opens it. Number 2 goes next and so on. Each person can decide to keep her choice, or swap for any of the books opened so far. Why is number 1 lucky? Because she gets the final choice of all the books!

We have no book to read for December since we will be otherwise engaged, but January is Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Start now, the print is small and the pages numerous.

We will meet at my house on December 12 at 6:30, 1137 Manakin Rd. Let me know if you need directions, see you all there then!

The Six Suspects, a good read if a bit odd

Well, we had a great discussion on this book, which was a somehow a cross between a comedy, a mystery and a social commentary on the seemingly corrupt and striated Indian society. So what did the author intend? Any or all of the above? Who knows, it is all a bit tongue in cheek while the plot moves forward with what are fairly damning twists.

The structure was daunting, as each of the six suspects was introduced in a chapter, then the story developed from each character's viewpoint. It took me a bit to figure out who was talking as those stories developed, all except the uber-stereotype of the stupid American. You know who I mean. Was it an accident that the character was named after an internet pioneer but was actually a forklift driver at Walmart? I don't think so.

The Bollywood actress maybe got the most words; she seemed to be an interim character. From a poor village and family, she now sits in a place of privilege and wealth, sought after by many of the richer, politically powerful characters. Her end was a bit shocking, a bit inevitable. As Ashley said, having someone else pretend to be you never ends well.

Each of the characters had its own position in Indian society and its own perspective, and that was the  most interesting part of the book. The mystery was not so compelling, and few of us were reading on to find out "who done it." We read on, based on our discussion, because we were fascinated by the turns of the characters, the perspective and history, and the underlying criticism of the system that created and allowed them all.

So, overall, a really good read. On the other hand, it read like a screenplay and could be difficult to follow. I can't wait to see how the movie is, coming out in 2018!

On to our next book, a historical novel set in 14th century Scandinavia. The novel is The Bridal Wreath by Singrid Undset, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928, an honor not often given to women in that age or any other for that matter. We will meet on November 14 at Susan Smithwick's house.

December is our annual book swap at my house (unless someone else wants to host) and January's book is Hamilton by Ron Chernow, the inspiration for the phenomenon that is the Broadway show. Lynn says start early, it is long with small type. Can't wait!!

The Underground Railroad is an amazing ride

The Underground Railroad in this book is a physical thing, a tangible track to other places, different worlds for each stop yet all in their way treating black men and women as less than human. This is a novel about slavery and the runaway slave Cora in particular,  but it is also imaginative and slightly mystical in the way it goes about telling the story, starting with that truly iron railroad.

The novel more or less is told in episodes, each corresponding to a new stop on the journey, after escaping Cora's cruel owner and plantation. Each stop, the two Carolinas, then Tennessee, then finally Indiana, has its own cruelties, its own peculiar way to demonstrate its dominance over the former slaves and free black people that landed there.

Some situations seemed benign, even supportive when Cora first arrived, like South Carolina. That warm welcome masked sinister medical procedures and experiments that Cora barely escaped. And North Carolina had no such veneer of kindness. That stop found Cora hidden above an attic, watching  the weekly ritual of another lynching of a black person found in the area. Harrowing.

Throughout this book, which was nominally a historical novel, I found myself looking up details of events described in the book, only to find that there was something similar in history, just not quite the same. By not sticking strictly to the history, Whitehead in a way creates a whole new perspective on slavery, by adding what might have happened. It isn't quite the same, and this new interpretation seems completely fresh and new as a result.

We all had a very strong reaction to this book, particularly those raised in the south where the overhang of slavery was still strong. The extensive and willful cruelty, the shocking disregard of basic humanity were often hard to read and reminded us again that the effect of slavery was not just a loss of freedom. It was often living in hell.

That said, we generally loved it. It was extremely well written, imaginatively conceived and for all its weighty topics, easy to read. And it sparked off a very interesting and far ranging discussion of our own experiences and attitudes.

It doesn't get much better than that for a book.

Our next meeting will be on October 17 at 6:30pm at Catherine's house. Thank you Catherine! The book will be Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup. See you all there!