Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano - May 27, 2026

 This month's meeting was hosted by Michèle . We had British scones, better known as biscuits here with whipped cream and strawberry jam, bran muffins and fruit salad. Coffee and tea were offered. Present were Carla, Colette, Kathleen, Marg and Michèle.  

We discussed Marg's book choice Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano.  Ms Napolitano is an American novelist and writer and this is her 4th novel.  It is the 100th book selection of Oprah's book club. Her third book, Dear Edward, has been adapted into a series on Apple TV.  

The novel is about 4 sisters who grow up together and are close.  Julia, the oldest marries and young man, William who comes from a loveless family and he is overwhelmed by the family and though he loves the interaction between the parents and sisters, when Julia becomes pregnant, his family background and trauma that was caused by parental neglect kicks in and he refuses to bond with the child.  Sylvie, one of  the other sisters realizes that William is struggling when he tries to commit suicide and with his friends, she helps him restore a life that he can accept and they eventually fall in love. 

Almost all of our members loved the novel. Everyone found  the complexity of the sisters' relationships and that of William dramatic.  A couple of us found that the interactions between family members and others to be similar to a soap opera, full of drama, difficult interactions and sometimes unbelievable scenes. One of our members who is a soap opera watcher, could hardly put the book down, like a soap opera, what is going to happen next?

Most found the book well written, the characters well developed, the interactions between the sisters, between William and his friends very believable and often touching.  We all liked that it ended with the reunion of the sisters and their children, Rose the mother and William well integrated and emotionally stable. 

Marg's choice was excellent and it generated a lot of discussion not only about the novel but about family dynamics .   Thank you Marg.  

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett - March 23, 2026

 

This month's meeting was hosted by Cathy, one of our new members.  We had lovely home-made muffins and bread with a variety of preserves, fruit and veggies with lovely dips.  Coffee that was wonderful and tea.  Present were Betty, Carla, Cathy, Colette, Kathleen, Linda, Michèle and Sharon.

We are discussing Sharon's book choice, Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. Ms. Patchett is an American writer whose has written several books.  We read one other of her novels, Commonwealth in January 2017.  She has won several awards and prizes for her writing including the PEN/Faulkner Women's Prize. She co-owns a Parnassus Bookstore in Nashville and is a spokesperson for independent booksellers.  

The story, Tom Lake, is about a family with three grown daughters who come home during the first year of the pandemic to help with the harvest of the family's fruit farm.  As they pick the cherries and other fruit, they ask their mother, Lara about her youth and her time as an actress.  She tells them about her life as a budding theatre actress and her relationship with a young actor, Peter Duke, who has become a famous movie star. 

The iconic play Our Town is an integral part of the story.  Lara in her youth and time as a young stage actress stars in the play as the character Emily and Peter Duke who stars by her side, becomes her lover.  Lara's daughters are curious of the relationship and question her constantly. 

Members in general, enjoyed the novel and felt it is a feel good story about the dynamics of a family during the pandemic.  The story reminded many members of the importance of asking questions of family members and keeping family stories alive. 

Thank you Sharon for the book choice.  Thank you Cathy for hosting, what a pleasant gathering we had! 

The Maid by Nita Prose - February 23, 2026

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by. 

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection. 

But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late? 

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

This description comes from Goodreads

The Undertakers Assistant by Amanda Skenandore

This first meeting of the year 2026 was hosted on January 26th at Marg's home.  We discussed Betty's book choice The Undertaker's Assistant by Amanda Skenandore. Along with Marg, Betty, Carla, Kathleen and Sharon attended despite the significant snowstorm that we had on the weekend. Because there was a street parking ban on all Ottawa streets, there was a last minute frenzy of contacting neighbours to obtain enough parking for the attendees,  Car pooling and taking the bus helped the situation.Betty chose the book because she likes historical fiction and the members had previously read another of Amanda Skenandore's books, The Nurse's Secret, last year.

The main character is Effie Jones, a former slave who learned the skill of embalming from an army surgeon whom she lived with after being freed as a slave.

Another prominent character was Adeline, a Creole women of a higher class status than Effie but was not wealthy.

Also, Samson Green, a black man, former slave, an elected public official.

Themes in the book of resilience, identity, racial injustice, personal growth and social change in the post-civil war era in New Orleans, USA.

Most people felt that the book had a slow start and it took them a while to "get into it"

Everyone liked it but didn't love it.  Overall, those who read the Nurse's Secret by the same author, liked it better.

Several people didn't really like the topic of embalming.  We felt Effie likely had some form of Asperger Syndrome as she was very smart but  had difficulties socially.  She was probably a unique person as a former slave who could read and write and had a practical skill which enabled her to be employed and earn money.

Sharon felt there was some good historical info and liked the historical context.  Felt there were lots of pieces in the novel - post-civil war issues, embalming, and romance.

Kathleen felt Samson's character could have been further developed.  Cathy felt it was a very slow start and again, felt it was likely not representative of the typical freed slave.

Carla noted that the reason for Effie leaving Indiana was not well developed.  She also felt that the romance part between Effie and Samson didn't really work.  Also it was a bit unusual for Effie and Adeline to be friends after Adeline had gotten together with Samson.

Betty felt the book was a fascinating and interesting read.

Marg listened to an audiobook and, once she got into it after a slow start, found it interesting. 

Books and Meetings 2026

This list will be updated as members make their book choice.

January 26  - Betty's choice, The Undertaker's Assistant by Amanda Skenandore - Marg hosts

February 23 - Colette's choice, The Maid by Anita Prose - Carla hosts

March 23 - Sharon's choice,   - Tom Lake  by Ann Patchett, Cathy hosts

April 27 - Marg's choice,   - Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano - Michèle hosts

May 25 - Michèle's choice, Pick a Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa - Colette hosts

June 22 - Carla's choice - The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict - Kathleen hosts

September 22 - Linda's choice - Sharon hosts

October 26 - Kathleen's choice - The Air Raid Bookclub by Annie Lyons - Betty hosts

November 23 - Cathy's choice - Michèle hosts

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans - November 24th 2025

This month's meeting was hosted by Michèle who served pastries from La Maison du Kouign-Amann in Kanata and Apple-Bran muffins.  Present were Betty, Carla, Marg, Michèle and we welcomed a new member Cathy. 

This month's book choice was The Correspondent by American author Virginia Evans.  She studied at James Madison University in Virginia and also completed a M.Phil in Creative Writing at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.  This is her first novel.  

 The book is written in an epistolary style. Sybil the main character is a retired lawyer, divorced.  She communicates with friends, family and even close neighbours by letter.  She seems to have no filters when she writes to friends and family, sometimes upsetting and insulting her chosen correspondents.  Sybil has two suitors, her neighbour Theodore, who helps her with tasks around the house and her garden and Mick (or Harry) from Texas.  She has several other correspondents, a friend Rosalie, her daughter, her son, a young teenage boy and also several "official" correspondents with customer services. 

With the exception of a couple of our members, the book was not particularly enjoyed.  Many found that Sybil has a mean streak and does not mince words when she is unhappy with a service or a comment from a friend or family member.  Some members would have appreciated some text between letters to allow more information about Sybil's life and her family.  Some felt it took too long via the correspondence to reveal the obvious emotional and dark time of her life. 

Those who liked the book felt that her character and personality was revealed through her correspondence. The back and forth with her suitors, especially Mick from Texas, added humour and allowed us to peek a bit into her younger self, when emotional baggage did not colour her life as much. 

As usual, a book that our members react to in different ways, always generates good conversation and some debate.   

Books and Meetings 2025

This list will be updated as members choose their book choice.

January 27 - Colette's choice, Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, Marg hosts

February 24 - Betty's choice, The Nurse's Secret by Amanda Skenandore, Shirley hosts

March 24 - Sharon's choice ,  Held by Anne Michaels,  Carla hosts

April 28 - Marg's choice, Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon, Michèle hosts

May 26 - Michèle's choice,  The Beauty of Humanity Movement by Camilla Gibb,  Linda hosts

June 16 - Carla's choice, The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer, Colette hosts

September 22 -Linda's choice, The Briar Club by Kate Quinn, Sharon hosts 

October 27 - Shirley's choice, The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris, Betty hosts

November 24 - Michèle's choice, The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, Michèle hosting

The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris - October 27, 2025

 This month's meeting was hosted by Betty.  Present members with Betty were Colette, Linda,  Marg, Michèle and Shirley.  Betty had lovely cinnamon rolls along with fruit and coffee, perfect for a Monday morning meeting. 

Nathan Harris is a young American author and The Sweetness of Water, a historical novel, is his first novel.  It quickly became popular making Oprah's Winfrey's Book Club list and Barack Obama summer reading list.  It made the Booker Prize long list and several other literary lists.  

The story begins as the Civil War ends and the Emancipation Proclamation is declared.  We meet two former black slaves, Prentiss and Landry who are determined to go north and find their mother and a white Georgian farmer George who would like to hire them to clear his land.  We also meet Isabelle, George's wife.  The story revolves around the reality and impact of emancipation, the realities of life after war and the acceptance of the south's loss and surrender to the North.  

Members thought the book is very well written, the prose is beautiful, well constructed. The characters were well described. It is a compelling story that includes loss, sadness, anger, frustration and grief.  Relationships such as the ties between brothers Prentiss and Landry, the growing wall between George and Isabelle and others are well defined as the story develops. 

We discussed the meaning of the title The Sweetness of Water.  Water is a symbol of life , the cleansing of the soul. The "sweetness" can be seen as the hope for a more peaceful and meaningful life after the Civil War.  

Members agreed that it was a book well worth reading.  Sharon brought up another book with a similar theme by Canadian author Kai Thompson, In the Upper Country. 

Thank you Shirley for the book choice.