The End of the Alphabet by C.S. Richardson - June 26, 2023

A vicious local storm, summer vacations that were already underway, and illness almost forced us to postpone our meeting. We were therefore a small group as Carla, Linda, Betty and Shirley met at our host Colette’s and Beth, whose book choice we were discussing, attended by zoom. 

Colette provided some special cheeses (particularly the creamy, dreamy Chateau Bourgogne from Jacobsons) representing countries visited by the characters in the book as well as samosas to spice things up followed by fresh strawberry shortcake. 

Our book this month was The End of the Alphabet by Canadian author, C.S. Richardson. This was Richardson’s first novel, and it won the 2008 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book. Richardson was for many years the VP and Creative Director at Random House where he won the Alcuin Society Award for book cover designs many times. His sparse prose is a definite reflection of his thoughtful and creative cover designs.

The book is a new take on tackling bucket lists or the plot device of a character with one month to live. Here we never know why our main character, Ambrose Zephyr, has suddenly been given one month ‘give or take’ to live. Faced with this news, Ambrose and his wife Zaporra (Zipper) embark on a whirlwind tour of all the places he has most loved or has always longed to visit, alphabetically from A to Z, Amsterdam to Zanzibar.

This is a very short, spare novel; there are no long descriptions of place, character or emotions, no flowery words. Ambrose and Zipper were a very devoted but insular couple, and we understand that the life sentence given to Ambrose is given to Zipper in almost equal measure.

The book certainly brought forward thoughts of mortality. What would we do under the same circumstances? Travel the world? Curl up in a ball? Rage against the unfairness of it all? We had a thoughtful discussion of what we would do, and we ended the discussion with a reminder to make end of life decisions … prior to end of life.

While one member of our group wanted a ‘happily ever after’ ending to the book, the book was well written, spare and beautiful. Thank you, Beth, for this thoughtful selection

The Company We Keep by Frances Itani - March 28, 2022

 

Present were Beth,  Carla, Colette, Jane, Janet, Linda, Michèle and Shirley.  We met at Carla's home and she provided us with a lovely spread of cheeses, olives, nuts, roasted halloumi,  roasted asparagus rolls and of course wine.  After our discussion she served us a pavlova with lovely fruit and whipped cream.  

We discussed Beth's book choice The Company We Keep by Frances Itani.  This is the 4th novel by Ms. Itani that we have read.  We also read, Deafening, Tell and Requiem.  She is one of our favourite Canadian authors.  Ms. Itani was born in Belleville Ontario and now lives in Ottawa. She studied Nursing and practiced and taught Nursing in Canada and the United States. She has published 18 books, children's books, poetry and 8 novels.  

The Company We Keep is the story of 6 people who meet once a week to talk.  All are grieving and we learn of each person's particular life as Ms. Itani dedicates entire chapters to each person.  The characters are well developed, we get to know each one of them well.  There is no plot to this story it is about the lives of each person and their interactions on Tuesday nights, the friendships that develop and the bond that is created between all of them.  Each has run into a wall and cannot seem to move forward with their life. They find the support to move forward within the group.

All who were present liked and enjoyed the book.  Some felt it is the best of Ms. Itani's 4 books that we have read.  It is low-keyed but the characters are compelling and we found that we became attached to the characters. Most loved the humour in the story that came mainly from the parrot Ricco.  Gwen, who accepts a part-time job taking care of Ricco develops quite a relationship with the parrot.  

Some of our members lost close relatives and friends during the pandemic and this book hit close to home.  Since services were restricted during this time, it was difficult to grieve properly and the how some of the character dealt with their loss seemed to help.  It was definitely a story for the time we are going through.  Certainly our former member Jolene who unfortunately passed away in 2018, would have particularly enjoyed this book since it has a wonderfully happy ending. 

Thank you to Beth for this book selection.  

The Dig by John Preston - November 22, 2021

Present were Beth, Betty, Carla, Colette, Jane, Janet, Linda, Marg, Michèle and Shirley.  We discussed Beth's book choice, The Dig by John Preston.

John Preston is an English journalist and novelist. He has written 7 books, three that are novels.  He was the Arts editor at the Evening Standard and The Sunday Telegraph.

The Dig is a fictionalized account of Britain's most important archeological find, Sutton Hoo.  Beth referred us to the British Museum website that has several photos of the Dig and of the treasures that were found. 

Most but not all our members had not only read the book but had also seen the movie, so we had a good conversation about the differences between the two.   We all appreciated learning about Sutton Hoo and the treasures that were found.  Edith Pretty, the owner of the property where the mounds were wanted to honour her husband who died before they could investigate what may be buried in the mounds. She hired an amateur archeologist Basil Brown to begin the dig. When the local museum in Ipswich finds out what Mr Brown has discovered, they and the British Museum get involved.   

Most of us found the book very readable, "lovely" how some of us described it. There is no great drama but you want to know what happens between Basil Brown and his wife May, between Peggy the young newly married woman and Rory the photographer.  Some found the pace of the book a bit slow, it is definitely not a page-turner.  We all agreed however, that the text was very well written and there were some beautiful passages such as the description of the nightingales' song that evoked more than just the song.

...The nightingale waited for a response. but there was nothing, only silence.  After a few minutes, the singing started up again, both louder and more passionate than before. Bubbles of sound streamed up into the night sky.

 The sound was sadder than anything I had ever heard before. Full of yearning and desperation and the proximity of regret....  page 197.

 All of us found that learning about the archeological find Sutton Hoo was well worth the read. Thank you Beth for the book choice and the reference to the British Museum website that explain and shows through photographs, what was found. 

 

The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion - June 22, 2020

Our June meeting before our summer break was held again via Zoom.  Hopefully by September we will be meeting again in person! Present were, Beth, Betty, Colette, Linda, Janet, Michèle and Shirley. We discussed Beth's book choice The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion.  This is the third of a series that we have read of the Rosie books.  Mr. Simsion began his adult life as a data modeler and went on to be an author, screenwriter and playwright.  Along with the Rosie trilogy, he has published books on data modelling, a novel with his wife called Two Steps Forward and The Best of Adam Sharp. He lives in Australia with his wife Ann Buist and two children.  

The Rosie Result, continues the life story of Don Tillman, a University professor.  Don and his wife Rosie and son Hudson have moved back to Australia after spending some time in the U.S.A. The book deals with the life education of Hudson who is having difficulty readjusting to life in Australia and school.  Don, who is having a few problems of his own at the University, decides to take a leave of absence from teaching to help Hudson.  To ensure financial security, he decides also to open a cocktail bar.  Throughout the story as Hudson's challenges are described and as the Don's attitude and "solutions" come out there are hints that Hudson may be on the autistic spectrum and/or have Asperger syndrome.  Rosie and Don struggle to decide if they should let the school test Hudson, not wanting him to be labelled.  

As his other Rosie books the characters are well developed and there is interesting rapport between the characters.  It was suggested however that there was not as much humour as his other books and that the relationship between Don and Hudson could be frustrating at times. It was interesting to read how Hudson, realizing what his parents were trying to do, takes over the "Hudson Project" and understands what is required of him in society if he is to have a "normal" life.  

Though Don's circle of friends he had acquired in the first two books that helped him cope with life were present in this book, some of us felt they were not as interesting in this book.  Several of us felt that this was not as interesting a novel as the first two. However, the reality of autism and Asperger's in the school system was well described and the frustration of parents with the educational system well explained through the situations as they arose with Hudson.  

All in all, it followed this family well and concluded the "project" but most of us felt it was not as good as the first two books of this trilogy. 

Brooklyn by Colm Tobin - June 25th, 2018

The June meeting of Muse & Views was hosted by Linda.  Present were Beth, Betty, Colette, Jane, Linda, Michèle and Shirley.  This month's book, Brooklyn by Colm Tobin was presented by Beth.

Colm Toibin is an Irish writer currently a professor of Humanities at Columbia University in New York. He is also Chancellor of the University of Liverpool.  He worked several years as a journalist and has written six novels, published two books of short stories and has also published non-fiction books and poetry.  Several of his books reflect on life in Ireland and he has relatives, his grand-father and uncle, who were members of the IRA.

Brooklyn his sixth novel, tells the story of a young woman who is encouraged to move to Brooklyn in the United States so she may have a more productive life.  She battles severe homesickness but eventually adapts, working, taking bookkeeping classes and participating in a social life. She meets an Italian young man and eventually falls in love with him.  When her sister suddenly dies in Ireland, Eilis goes back to Ireland to mourn and eventually finds herself in a dilemma.  Should she stay in Ireland or go back to Brooklyn to Tony who she secretly married before leaving?

Our members all enjoyed the book, found it to be a good enjoyable read.  Mr. Toibin describes well life in a small Irish town, the jealousies, the despair, the limits that were part of many European countries in the 1950's after the war.  When Eilis immigrates to Brooklyn, she lives in a rooming home owned by an Irish woman and much of her life is still rooted in Ireland.  However when she meets Tony who comes from an Italian family, she is exposed the the opportunities of life in America.

We found that Eilis really let life happen to her rather than being proactive.  Her sister arranges for her to meet the priest who will convince her to move to America, she lets her sister make the decision for her.  In America she is influenced by Father Flood and eventually by her boyfriend Tony.  She is easily manipulated not a decisive person.

Colm Toibin's writing is not overly descriptive, he gives us enough information and description of life for us to easily imagine the difficulties of life after the war in Europe and the opportunities of life in America that encourage people to immigrate.  The story was a good read.  It was made into a movie in 2015 and was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.  Thank you Beth for an excellent choice,

Meeting of June 26, 2017

We met at Colette's and, although she was unable to attend, Jolene hosted.  Present were Beth, Carla, Colette, Jane, Linda, Michèle and Shirley. We began with a very nice wonton soup and lovely tea sandwiches, a very tasty dip and some nice cheese.  Jolene also made a wonderful frozen rasberry pie with a chocolate crust.  We also had a nice bubbly which some of us drank as a mimosa with orange juice.  Thank you Jolene.  The dessert was especially nice.

This month's book was Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien presented by Beth.  Ms. Thien was born in 1974 in Vancouver the year her parents immigrated to Canada. Her father was a Malaysian Chinese and her mother was from Hong Kong.  She studied Dance at Simon Fraser University and then completed an MFA in creative writing at UBC.  Do Not Say We Have Nothing is her fifth published book and second novel.  She also published two books of short stories and a children's book, The Chinese Violin.

Ms. Thien's last  two books, Do Not Say We Have Nothing and Dogs at the Perimeter, have dealt with repressive and cruel regimes in China and in Cambodia.  It has meant that she spent the last 10 years researching the devastation and cruelty caused by regimes that controlled the people of their country by fear, repression, starvation and cruelty.

Do Not Say We Have Nothing is the story of three musicians in China, Sparrow a composer, Jiang Kai a pianist and Zhuli a young violinist. The story spans about 60 years beginning when Mao Zhedong came to power in 1949 through to the events of Tiananmen Square in 1989.  The story is narrated by Jiang Kai's daughter Marie who lives in Vancouver.  The story begins in Vancouver with Marie recounting her father, Kai's suicide in Hong Kong in 1989 not long after the events of Tiananmen Square.  The story recounts the trials and tribulations of the three musicians and their families through China's rollercoaster history, from the schemes of the "Great Leap Forward" era of the 1950's,  the famine especially in the countryside when Kai loses his whole family to starvation; the Cultural Revolution and the re-education camps that Zhuli's parents were forced to endure; the destruction of all Western- inspired culture when the Shanghai Conservatory of Music was closed and instruments were destroyed and the pro-democracy student-led demonstrations that ended with the massacres of Tiananmen Square.

Throughout the story the three musicians study and teach.  Western classical music is frequently referenced, beginning and ending with Glenn Gould's interpretation of Bach's Goldberg Variations.  Many of Ms. Thien's most beautiful passages come out of references to music such as Beethoven's Emperor Concerto when Marie is riding in the car with her father in Vancouver (pg 14) or when Sparrow listens with his father to Bach's Goldberg Variations No. 21.

"The seventh canon of Bach’s Goldberg Variations rolled towards Sparrow like a tide of sadness. Sparrow wanted to step out of the way but he was too slow and the notes collided into him. They ran up and down his spine, and seemed to dismantle him into a thousand pieces of the whole, where each part was more complete and more alive than his entire self had ever been.” Pg 74 

 All of us found the book to be a challenging read.  In the first half of the book, especially when it jumps from Vancouver to China and from one era to another, it is difficult to understand who is who and when events are taking place.  However, all found that the book is a worthwhile read.  One of our members described her phrasing as "delicious" and musical.  The complexity of the story required time, many of us taking three to four weeks to finish the book, and a couple of our members read it more than once.  It was informative as we learn a lot about China's modern history and how the decisions of its leaders impact the population and especially the two families we follow.

Beth suggested, for anyone who would like to learn more about China's modern History, Nien Cheng's book Life and Death in Shanghai published in 1986 and available at the Ottawa Public Library.  Michèle also suggested that we read Bob Douglas' review on the website "Critics At Large" The Power of Music and Remembering  .

Thank you Beth for selecting this challenging book and thank you Jolene for providing such wonderful food, good for the soul and spirit.

Meeting of June 22nd 2015

Muse & Views was hosted by Linda at Shirley's home. Present were Beth, Carla, Colette, Jane, Jolene, Linda, Michèle and Shirley. Linda served some very nice English cheese and a wonderful dessert.

We discussed a classic novel, Beth's choice, The Prime of Miss Jeanne Brodie by Muriel Spark.

She was born Muriel Sarah Camberg in Edinburgh in 1918 and was educated in private schools in Edinburgh. She married Sydney Oswald Spark in 1937 and they moved to Rhodesia shortly after their marriage.  They had a son, Robin, in 1938.  Muriel soon realized that the marriage would not work and left to go back to the United Kingdom in 1944 leaving her son with his father.  She worked in intelligence during the war.  She began writing after the war, beginning with poetry and literary criticism. Her first novel was The Comforters published in 1956.  She published 22 novels. The Prime of Miss Jeanne Brodie published in 1961 was her most successful novel. It was presented as a play and a movie starring Maggie Smith in 1969. Ms Smith won an Oscar for her role as Miss Brodie. After living some time in New York she moved to Italy where she met an artist Penelope Jardine. They lived together in Tuscany until Ms Spark's death in 2006.

Since many of our members are or were teachers, the discussion was mainly about Miss Brodie's teaching methods and the influence she had on her students.  She was a charismatic person, who influenced a particular group, The Brodie girls, and excluded others.  She was able to get away with many indiscretions. It was interesting how much she could manipulate and influence her pupils in comparison with what is possible in today's society.  Miss Brodie had her definite preferences in her pupils and those not in her close circle clearly suffered.  She also more or less ignored the curriculum and taught using her own experiences as examples.  She talked about how she was in her prime and the experiences she had as a woman in her prime.  Some of the sections when she talks of her prime are entertaining and even hilarious.

In the end, one of the book's theme is betrayal.  She betrayed many of her students ignoring some and unduly influencing others to their detriment. And she was betrayed by one of her students. She never discovered who betrayed her.

Meeting of April 28, 2014

It is the end of April and still rather cool outside but there is a hint of Spring and Janet and her family have opened the pool!  In attendance this month are Beth, Carla, Colette, Jane, Janet, Jolene, Linda, Michèle and Shirley.  Our book this month is Beth's choice The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. Janet has some lovely cheese and dips and vegetables, very nice.  We were also treated to a lovely tarte aux pommes et pâte d'amande made by Janet's daughter Julia.

Graeme Simsion, the author is an Australian who has written mainly screen plays, The Rosie Project is his first novel.  Beth chose the book because of her familiarity with Asperger's Syndrome. She is not the only member of our Bookclub who knows someone with this syndrome.

The novel is about a professor of genetics Don Tillman, who by the description of his life and how he lives it has evidently Asperger's. He decides to find a woman to marry and to ensure she meets all the requirements that suit him, he creates a questionnaire for the Wife Project.  One of his friends refers him to Rosie who is looking for her biological father. As a geneticist, he is intrigued and creates the Rosie Project.  The book has several very funny situations and scenes and as the two projects evolve the plot changes and the two projects intersect.  It is funny, witty and we find Don endearing.  We want him to suceed and find someone with  whom to share his life.

Those who are familiar with Asperger's Syndrome thought that Don had very identifiable traits but was also highly functional. He was, for example, able to step back and analyze why Rosie refused his mariage proposal and he is able to analyze his own emotions.

Beth suggested another book about Asperger's Syndrome, The Journal of Best Practices by David Finch who suffers from Asperger's.  He describes the problems it has caused in his family and marriage and works hard to try to keep his marriage together.

All of us found the book very enjoyable.  Any book that can get you to laugh out loud and read sections of it to others is worth reading.  Thank you Beth.

Meeting of June 24, 2013

Linda hosted this month's meeting at Shirley's home. Present were Beth, Colette, Jane, Janet, Jolene, Linda, Michèle and Shirley. We were served excellent cheese, a vegetable dip with a wide variety of veggies and a ring of nice pink shrimp with sauce, along with of course wine.  Linda served us a wonderful gluten free carrot cake and fruit with a chocolate sauce, wonderful for those of us with a sweet tooth.  We discussed Beth's choice, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry a first novel by Rachel  Joyce.

Ms. Joyce developed a career writing radio plays and working as a stage actress.  This first novel won the "Writer of the Year" of the National Book Awards 2012.   She developed this novel from a radio play To Be a Pilgrim that won the 2007 Tinniswood Award.  Her second novel Perfect, will be available July 4, 2013.

A pilgrimage has it origins in religion and in spirituality.  There are many reasons why someone will head out on a pilgrimage. It can be connected to a person's faith, some will walk a pilgrimage to seek forgiveness for wrongs done, to reconnect with their inner self, to begin a new stage of their life.  Harold's was an "unlikely" pilgrimage since he started out just to mail a letter and just continued.

There have been many books written about pilgrimages and pilgrims, The Pilgrim's Progress from this World to That Which is to Come was written by John Bunyan and published in 1678.  The Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the late 14th century is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims. The most famous pilgrimage is the Camino de Santiago in Spain and has resulted in many books, the most famous, from the Brazilian writer Paul Coelho The Pilgrimage and The Alchemist.  

Everyone enjoyed the book very much and found it a quick and easy read. It had elements of mystery, a love story and is in a travelogue format. The map at the beginning of the book allows you to follow Harold's journey. The character development is excellent.  All three of the main characters, Harold, Maureen and Queenie are easily imagined and their actions and thoughts give us a good notion of who they are as persons. The relationship between Harold and Maureen is also well described and the changes they go through as Harold walks, each separately and then as they begin to communicate gives this novel a positive story line.  You cheer for them more and more as Harold progresses on his walk.  There are sections of the story when Harold or Maureen are discouraged and as you read about their son David it tugs at your heart strings.  However, the positive story line wins out. Harold's pilgrimage helps him heal and rediscover a self-worth and rediscover his love for Maureen as she also, alone in their house, begins to live again, to open up and see a better life with Harold.

There were many other references that were brought to mind in reading this story; Robert Browning's poem Love Among the Ruins, Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson.  It was also noted that men in British novels are often described as repressed such as in Major Pettigrew's Last Stand or the Rector Mr. Michael Mompellion in Year of Wonders.  We could even include Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. 

Often when we read a book that everyone enjoys, our discussion is shorter and less animated.  However, it is a testament to the quality of the writing and the story of the book that we had a very lively discussion.  Thank you Beth for an excellent choice.

Have a great summer everyone!

Meeting of June 25, 2012

This meeting was hosted by Linda at Shirley's home.  Present were Beth, Betty, Colette, Janet, Jolene,  Michèle and Shirley.  Linda provided the hors d'oeuvres and wine but unfortunately was not able to come to the meeting.   The book recommended was Beth's choice, Vaclav and Lena by Haley Tanner.

The story revolves around the lives of two young russian immigrants in New York who meet in an ESL class at school.  Vaclav who lives with his parents is fascinated by magic and wants to perform as a magician on the boardwalk of Coney Island.  Lena's childhood at the beginning of the story has been much less stable.  She spends all her time at Vaclav's home and is his beautiful magician's assistant.

All members enjoyed the book and found it an easy read, an excellent "visual" story.  The descriptions of Vaclav's home, the kitchen, the smells of borscht, the living room and Vaclav's father sitting on the sofa with his vodka are easy to imagine.  Ms. Tanner's descriptions allow us to picture the characters and their surroundings as we read the story.  She uses, in dialogue a choice of words that lets you "hear", as you read,  the accent of immigrants from Eastern Europe.  An excellent example, in the first part of the book is Vaclav speaking to Lena as he convinces her that practicing the magic tricks is essential.  "Lena, what we are having here is perfect introduction to the act." 

We also found that the principle characters in the novel are well developed and scenes well described.  We can feel Rasia's, Vaclav's mother, love for her son. The description of Lena's "grandmother" dead in the shower and Lena's reaction as a 5 year old child who has been deprived of love and affection is very easy to imagine.  We identify with Lena's teenage angst in the school bathroom when she locks herself in one of the stalls on her 16th birthday.

Some of us found the ending a bit abrupt and wondered if there will be a sequel.  Thank you Beth for a good choice as our book before the summer break.

Meeting of June 27th, 2011

Our host for the last meeting of the Muse & Views Bookclub before the summer break was Linda.  Present were Beth, Carla, Janet, Jolene, Linda, Michèle and Shirley.  Linda prepared a great snack for us with of course, both red and white wine, always present at our meetings.

The book choice was Beth's Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.  Mr. Ishiguro is a Japanese born British author well known for his book The Remains of the Day that won the Man Booker Prize and was made into a very popular film.  He has written 6 novels, plays and short stories. Never Let Me Go has a science fiction base as it is about cloning.  Though there is nothing in the story line that describes the raison d'être Hailsham, it becomes evident as we progress through the novel that these children are being groomed for the  health benefit of others.  The story is narrated by Kathy who is in her mid-twenties at this point and as she tells us her story and her friends Ruth and Tommy, she goes back and forth in time.

This book generated the most interesting, fulsome and animated discussion of any book in the past year.  While some of us liked the book some of us did not like the writing style.  However, we came to a consensus that maybe the style was dictated by the age and limited experience of Kathy the narrator. The book has a moody, dark and sad atmosphere. All of us were horrified by the emerging plot and realization of the reason for Hailsham and the acceptance of society for the program.

The previous book discussed The Forgotten Garden, was partly about self-identity and the importance of knowing who we are and where we come from.  It is evident in this book that the young people, Kathy, Ruth and Tommy wanted to know where they came from.  They travelled to Norfolk because someone had possibly seen a Ruth lookalike and Kathy went through the porn magazines left at the cottages to see if she recognized faces because someone had said that they had been cloned by prostitutes or others of that seedy part of society.

Some of the comments from members were that this book reminded them of books such as 1984 and Brave New World, both books about how society can be controlled and truth skewed.  Gattaca, a story about genetic enhancement was also mentioned. Some compared the control of society as similar to slavery.  The movie The Island, also about cloning was also mentioned.

We had a lengthy discussion about the ethical issues around the use of others to benefit ourselves or members of our family such as couples who have another child to help an ill older child with the harvest of a kidney or the bone marrow transplants.  We also talked about gender selection, genetic enhancement and other ethical issues.

Linda, who did not enjoy the book, decided to read other novels from Mr. Ishiguro.  She read The Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans.  She felt the need to understand why he is such a celebrated author.  She recommends we read When We Were Orphans that she says is the best of those she read.

Have a great summer and we shall see you all in September!

Meeting of May 31st, 2010

Muse and Views met May 31 at Linda's to discuss the Thomas Hardy book Far From the Madding Crowd (FFTMC), Beth's choice. In attendance were Linda, Shirley, Carla, Betty, Colette, Beth and Jolene. Asian food, pinwheel sandwiches, yummy cake, and a free book table added to the fun.

Beth gave us a detailed description of Hardy's background and writing passions. He lived in the late Victorian period from 1840 to 1928 and was born in Dorcester, near the area that he writes about, renamed Wessex in his books. He was an architect by trade, but once he became successful as a writer, particularly with FFTMC, he gave up his architectural career. His novels were popular even during his lifetime, and his poetry has grown in appreciation since his death. Poems like Darkling Thrush have even been set to music. Among his 10 novels are A Pair of Blue Eyes (1873), from which the term "cliff hanger" may be derived, Tess of the d'Ubervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge, and Jude the Obscure.

Beth pointed out Hardy's fascination with architecture, ecology, Christian faith, and mystery. Ghosts, coincidence, preserving the environment and a distaste for class distinctions are frequent aspects of his writing. An intriguing question involved his burial. The executor of his will wanted him interred in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey, and indeed that is where his ashes are. However, his heart was apparently taken to be buried with his first wife, with whom he had had a difficult relationship and over whom he felt remorse. Did the heart make it back to Dorset, or was it misplaced? A theme right out of Hitchcock! Finally, Linda mentioned that Hardy is held in particularly high esteem in Japan and they make pilgrimages to his home in England.

Five out of seven members in attendance liked the book. All agreed that because it was written in serialized form, it was quite it l-o-n-g. Janet added her comments via e-mail, pointing out that we all hope our daughters don't make the mistake that Bathsheba made, choosing the looks and superficial Troys over the strong and steady Gabriel Oak's in life. The lengthy descriptions typical of the period did not always appeal to our modern tastes, but the happy ending, interesting plot, and good characterization were appreciated. Those who had had the opportunity to get the movie from the library found the film helpful and close to the novel in detail. Biblical references, evident even in the names, were also interesting.

Beth and Linda had personal connections: Beth's husband has an ancestor named Richard Jeffries, who wrote a book at the same time as Hardy, and no doubt would have become just as popular, if Hardy had not stolen the limelight. :) Linda has a friend in a professor named Dr. Baker, a writer himself and avid reader, and we encouraged her to invite him to book club next May when he is in town again. Linda may pick a Sue Grafton novel for him to discuss with us.

Other business: Next meeting is at Colette's place June 28, discussing The Book of Negroes, Shirley's choice. Colette will encourage Jane to give us her September choice by the end of June, so that we can read it over the summer break. Carla has opted for The Collaborator of Bethlehem by Matt Beynon Rees for October.

Meeting of April 27, 2009

This month´s meeting was at Jolene´s home. She provided us with excellent appetizers including a wonderful cheese and ham pastry. We had almost full attendance this month, Beth, Betty, Carla, Colette, Janet, Joan, Jolene, Linda, Michèle and Shirley. Our book choice this month is Beth´s, Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor.

Beth informed us that the author Elizabeth Taylor was one of several British authors, well known in the 1950´s to 1970´s who wrote about women´s lives. Ms. Taylor was not a sentimental writer but rather wrote with considerable detail about everyday challenges in women´s lives. Beth compared this book to Margaret Laurence´s The Stone Angel. The subject matter is about coping with ageing and the limited options as we grow old. The subject matter had all of us thinking of our own mothers and their situations. Janet mentionned the movie The Curious case of Benjamin Button that begins with the main character being old and depicts the limited options that he has because of age.

All liked the book, however many found the subject matter depressing. There was however considerable discussion and comparison of our own parents´ situation and of our own futures. We also discussed the differences between the book and the movie that most of us saw. Jolene installed the DVD on her new large screen and we were able to watch one scene in particular, that is the first evening meal, that set the tone for the atmosphere at the Claremont Hotel.

Jolene noted that the author seems to have inserted herself in the novel on page 136 of the paperback version when Mrs. Palfrey talks to ¨Miss Taylor¨ at the Library.

We all agreed that this was a good choice and thanked Beth. Our next meeting is on Monday May 25 at Linda´s home and the book choice is Shirley´s Those who Save Us by Jenna Blum.

Meeting of April 28th , 2008

Colette, Beth, Carla, Jolene and Linda discussed John Berendt's City of Falling Angels, about Venice just after the Fenice Opera House was burned down in 1996. Beth had suggested the book after it had been given to her by her father-in-law, an avid opera-goer who has been to the Fenice. Beth pointed out that the author is based in New York but stayed in Venice off and on for 9 years until 2005. His writing is in the style of Truman Capote and Tom Wolfe, labelled "new journalism" or "literary non-fiction." Berendt was drawn to Venice in the off-season and liked the city's magical beauty and unreality. He also apparently enjoyed investigating the mystery of the Fenice fire, considering the possibilities of arson, negligence, an Act of God, and even the sinister work of the Mafia. (Note that in the end, two electricians were found guilty of arson, and the one who had fled the country was apparently arrested in Mexico last year.) Berendt says that the feedback he gets about his writing is that people are drawn to his eccentric characters, whom he sees as artists. Long time Book Clubbers may remember discussing his Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil several years ago.

Most of the ladies liked the book because of characters like the brilliant glass maker Seguso and because of the sense of history, detailed in both the architecture and city life of Venice and in the likes of famous people such as Ezra Pound. I ( Jolene) was in the minority, finding the book boring overall, gossipy in nature. I did like the Italian memories the book revived, as the photos of my childhood gave proof. :)

Beth concluded by saying that she herself found the book uneven, with Berendt's depiction of places like the Barbero Palace well done, on the one hand, but his failure to pull all the pieces of the narrative together, a drawback on the other hand. The evening ended with a clip from the film version of Wings of the Dove by Henry James, a turn-of-the-century period piece shot in 1997 in the Barbero, where James himself had been staying.