June Meeting and Catching Up!

Before I comment on our most recent meeting I should catch up a bit. I am afraid I have been remiss in not commenting on our past two meetings. In April we met to discuss Debbie's selection of a Paris Wife. This was a biography of Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway's first wife. It was a thought provoking glimpse into the life of one of America's finest writers through a woman's eyes. Most of us enjoyed the book to at least some degree. We enjoyed hearing about life in that very special time as experienced by a very unique collection of people. It also encouraged some of us to revisit the work of Mr. Hemingway.

In May we had a somewhat different meeting. Janet selected the book, Provenance. She was motivated in her selection in no small way by a reference in the book to a rather extraordinary circumstance that has developed in her personal life. The details of that circumstance are not the stuff of Book Club Blogs but in short I will say that the book took a very distant second to Janet's report on the rather extraordinary journey she and her family have found themselves on. By the way it is a wonderful journey!

Last night we met again to discuss The Postmistress, Vicki's selection, and got back to regular Book Club discussions. This book was very well received by the group. The story was gripping. The characters were interesting and well developed and it provoked many spirited discussions on a number of different themes from feelings of isolation, when it is "right" to withhold the truth and even the developments in how NEWS is delivered now as opposed to in the 1940's. I personally felt that it was one of the best discussions we have had in some time.

Next month Debbie is taking an early turn at picking her book as she has a move in her future. She has selected The Swimming Pool by Holly LeCraw. It's a mystery and apparently a nice light summer read. Till then........

February 16th Meeting

Tonight we discussed Linda's selection of The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway. Again the book was met by mixed reviews. I believe that most of the woman enjoyed the book and we had some very heartfelt comments regarding peoples struggles to maintain their humanity during devastating circumstances. One of the beauties of the book was that although it took place in Sarajevo, it could have been anywhere. The people who inhabited the story, were ordinary citizens caught in a nightmare. We tried to imagine what we would feel like and how we might behave in similar circumstances. This is a book with a fairly simple plot. For some of us that was the beauty of it while others felt it lacked depth. Again, we all have different opinions.

We won't be meeting next month as many of our group will be down south. I look forward to meeting with all of you again in April to discuss The Paris Wife. Until then.......

December 8, 2010 Meeting

Tonight we met to discuss Pat's choice for the month, Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verchese. This was a beautifully written novel with a very compelling story line and some fascinating characters. It seems that most of the members of the group enjoyed the book to a degree. A couple of us truly enjoyed it and savoured the way the story unfolded. One of the criticism's from a couple of the women was that it "dragged" a bit at times. This, I'm afraid is a criticism that is often leveled at our books. Admittedly some times it is deserved, but often the book deserves the time to unfold in its own way. This is of course one of the challenges of a Book Club. It is difficult to find stories that will appeal to everyone. We all have very different tastes and expectations from our books. However this is also what keeps the discussions lively.

December 8, 2010

As mentioned last month we would be returning to the Deep South with this months selection, suggested by Bev, of The Help by Kathryn Stockett. This book has been on the best sellers list for some time and we could all see why. It was a book that was easy to read, had lots of well developed characters and a good plot. We all agreed that is was an interesting take on the subject of racism in the South to see it all through the eyes of the Black Women who work as servants in the homes of their White employers. I should mention that this book was set in modern times which again made it a little different from some of the novels on this subject we have read before such as The Book of Negroes. One of the things we all agreed on was that we appreciated that her characters were involved. The "good" people had flaws and the "bad" ones had redeeming features. Perhaps this book will never become a classic but it certainly was and entertaining and thought provoking book.

November 17, 2010 Meeting

Tonight we met at Fran's home to discuss her choice for the month, South of Broad by Pat Conroy. For some of us, who were very familiar with this author it was a pleasure to read another of his books. For others this was an introduction to Mr. Conroy. Everyone seemed to enjoy the book to at least some degree. Those of us that were familiar with the authors other books agreed that it was not his best work but still well worth the time to read it. It was interesting to be taken back to sixties and remember the social morals of the time. We thought that some of the characters were a touch too one dimensional but on the whole the characters were well developed. Some of us thought the novel would have profited by being shorted somewhat while others liked his style and were happy to drift along with him. It is always interesting to visit the South through these novels and discuss the the attitudes of the people. We will be going back to the South next month but the area will be seen through very different eyes. Till then.....

October 20, 2010 Meeting

Tonight we met at the home of one of our new members, Vicki. The book we discussed was The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow. This was an interesting choice and somewhat different from anything we have read to date. The book was written by a Journalist rather than an Author and the style reflected that. It followed the lives of 11 women who had maintained a friendship for over 40 years. I would have to say that the majority of us were not overly taken with the book. Some found it repetitive and others just boring. However, it did bring on lots of interesting discussion. We talked about our own experiences in High School. Seems most of us did not belong to the "In Crowd" and so could not enjoy the story of "the shit sisters" as was intended. They reminded us of people we hadn't liked. It's amazing how many scars can be left from our youth. We did acknowledge that this lasting friendship was very unique. We also talked about how the strength of our women friends can really sustain us at bad times. So, as often is the case, a book that wasn't a favorite enlisted more discussion than some of the more popular choices. That's the beauty of a Book Club. We are introduced to books we may not select on our own but it is always a learning experience. Till next month.......

September 22nd. 2010, Meeting

Tonight we met at Janet's home to discuss her choice of Books Princess. Happily all seven of our members, including our two newest members Vicki and Bev were in attendance. This book is allegedly a Biography of the life of a Saudi Princess as told anonymously to a friend from the West. We have visited this area of the world several times in our books although this was the first time in Saudi Arabia. The story was shocking of course when seen through our Western eyes. If we have learned nothing else through these books we have learned how lucky we are to be born in a country that affords us such freedom.
As I said it is allegedly a true story. Several of us noticed a few discrepancies that made us doubt the books validity although all were sure it reflected the truth. We tried to separate what is truly abuse and what is just culturally different from our way of life. We noted that although we would never want the kind of repression seen in so many Islamic countries we admit that in some instances our "freedom" has caused a real lessening of our moral fabric. These are very interesting but tough questions. All in all a good meeting.
Our next book, The Girls of Ames should be a perfect fit for a woman's Book Club. I look forward to reading it. Till next month.....