Meeting of March 25, 2013

We met at Carla's to discuss Kathryn Stockett's The Help, Jolene's choice this year. To set the scene, Carla greeted us in uniform...with a long white apron covering a black dress. Her chicken-cucumber appetizers and brie cheese with edible flowers were wonderful, and she topped the evening off with some "terrible awful" chocolate pie. Carla, Beth, Colette, Jane, Shirley, and Jolene were in attendance, with other members all vacationing or working out of town.

According to a CBS interview in 2011, Kathryn Stockett began writing the book in the wake of 9/11 as she was homesick for her native Jackson, Mississippi. She calls the story a love letter to Demetrie, the maid who helped raise her. Originally, Ms. Stockett received 60 rejection letters, which she has kept in order to encourage other young writers to edit and persevere when trying to have a novel published. The book has now been produced in French and Spanish as well, and has been made into a feature film by her friend and director, Tate Taylor. While there are differences between the movie and the book, the author was on set every day and was satisfied that the movie felt like the book, remaining true to its essence.

While both the film and the book have become wildly popular, there has been some controversy surrounding the story. Stockett's brother's maid Ablene Cooper filed suit, feeling that her identity had been appropriated. The case was dismissed because the Statute of Limitations had run out. Dr. Duchess Harris of Macalester College and William Mitchell College of Law also has harsh criticism for Stockett. Dr. Harris laments, for instance, the fact that the protagonist championing the cause of black domestics is white Skeeter, just as Atticus Finch was the white hero in To Kill a Mockingbird. Skeeter is dealing with her own issues and leaves the black domestics in the south at the book's end. Despite negative press like this, The Help has sold upwards of 10 million copies since its publication in 2009.

The Muse and Views ladies in attendance liked the book, without exception. The characters and relationships were well developed, with Celia Foote being a particular favourite. Minnie was likened to To Kill a Mockingbird's Calpurnia. The heat, food, and atmosphere of Mississippi were brought to life as well, as was background history such as Rosa Parks' stand for civil rights. Several ladies also saw indirect connections to their own lives or to literature, some having had family members with nannies, or having read stories such as Jane Eyre, where class structure and the mistreatment of governesses figured prominently. We also briefly touched on racial, religious and linguistic tensions in Canada's history.

Stockett is apparently working on a second novel about life in the Roaring 20's and the Depression years, but she has missed deadlines in an effort to write it well and not risk being a one-hit-wonder. Coincidentally, next month we will discuss Rules of Civility, similar in time setting to Stockett's new story in the works.

Meeting of February 25, 2013

Muse and Views met at Colette’s home, with Betty serving lovely pinwheel sandwiches, cheeses and other yummy hors d’oeuvres.  Present were Janet, Carla, Beth, Jane, Colette, Betty and Jolene.  We discussed Alone in the Classroom by Elizabeth Hay.

Janet had originally chosen the book because of its setting, with both Saskatchewan and Eastern Ontario figuring in the story.  It was clear from a look at the author’s biography that she often connects events in her stories with those in her own life.  She is now based in Ottawa, but has travelled widely and has lived in such diverse places as Owen Sound, Wiarton, London (England), Guelph, and even Latin America and the Queen Charlotte Islands.  She has written several books, most notably Late Nights on Air, a Giller Prize winner, inspired no doubt from her days as a broadcaster.

Alone in the Classroom received mixed reviews from our group.  Even Janet said that the book didn’t live up to expectations.  She admits regret at having gifted it to her mother-in-law, who during her lifetime had been a teacher in a one-room classroom.  The book does, however, show that people with a dark past sometimes cover up their problems by moving to small towns in need of professionals like the character Parley Burns.   

Most of our group agreed that the book had some good moments, with description and characterization being its strengths, rather than plot.  The influence of teachers struck a chord.   (The author likened good teachers  to people who may dip grey pebbles—children --into water to bring out their beautiful colours.)  References to Thomas Hardy, mustard gas, the dust bowl, and the Great Depression were also appreciated.  Jane did note inaccuracies regarding monarch butterflies, and others commented on how contrived the story seemed to be, with characters coincidentally crossing paths too often.   The biggest criticisms were that the narration jumped around a lot from Anne to Connie and that there was little resolution to the mysteries in the book.  For most, the story had a promising start but a disappointing finish.  Several ladies did say, however, that Hay’s writing was strong enough that it might prompt them to read another of her novels.

Meeting of January 28, 2013

Despite the snow and cold, we had a warm reception at Janet's home, with a roaring fire, lovely wines and juices, carrot cake, great cheeses and dates, and cocktail wieners wrapped in pastry (I'm sure even they wanted to snuggle up in a blanket on a wintery evening.)  In attendance were Janet, Colette, Carla, Shirley, Beth, Betty, Jolene...and Michèle and Linda via Skype. Michèle and her husband had invited Linda and her hubby over for dinner in Florida, so it was wonderful that distance did not prevent their participation in our Book Club.

The votes were tallied, and the prize for the favourite book club read of 2012 went to Betty for The Book Thief.  It was a tight race, which shows just what great books we read as a group last year. 

Betty gave us a little insight into the life of Lisa Genova, who wrote Still Alice, the book under discussion this month.  The author's background is in bio-psychology and neuroscience.  She self-published the book because publishers were apparently not interested in the beginning.  Our group had previously discussed Left Neglected, also by Lisa Genova and very popular, but everyone enjoyed Still Alice better because of its readability.   We are not alone in our high opinion of the book since Still Alice has garnered several prizes and was popular on the New York Times bestseller list.   For those who wish to read more by Genova, her newest book is Love Anthony, about autism.

To say that we "liked" Still Alice would not be the right choice, almost too light a word. A better description would be to say that everyone appreciated it. The book was moving and insightful, but at the same time, anxiety-producing as it hit so close to home.  We all related stories about friends and family afflicted with various forms of dementia, though not at such an early age as with Alice.  We enjoyed the way the author was able to relate the story from Alice's perspective, rather than from an outsider's point-of-view.  The book was well written, with good characterization, and even the Alzheimer's Society has endorsed it.  The relationships between Alice and her husband and children were discussed at length.  The feeling was that it is hard to build a strong relationship between spouses once a disease such as Alzheimer's sets in, if the foundation is not there beforehand.  We were all pleased that the daughter Lydia and Alice ended up as close friends, though we felt that the book's ending was a little unrealistic.  Would someone with such a debilitating disease really be able to set up a support group and make profound speeches the way Alice did?  Betty commented that she had spoken to an Ottawa librarian dealing with a loved one with Alzheimer's.  The librarian could not read the book and said there is never a happy ending with Alzheimer's.

Linda suggested a couple of other books to read with respect to Alzheimer disease:
Alzheimer's Disease: What if There Was a Cure? The Story of Ketones by Mary T. Newport, M.D.
Remembering the Music, Forgetting the Words - Travels with Mom in the Land of Dementia by Kate Whouley

All in all, a great choice, Betty.  We would highly recommend the book to others.

Meeting of November 26, 2012

The meeting was hosted by Beth.  She had some wonderful cheese, pâté and crackers including a lactose-free cheese along with olives and a date and amond cake.  With tea and coffee we had a very nice stollen and quite decadent cupcakes.  

The book discussed this month, Carla's choice is Unorthodox - The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman.  This is a memoir in which Ms. Feldman describes her life in the Hasidic community of Williamsburg in Brooklyn NY.  She was born in Williamsburg and raised mostly by her grandparents after her mother left the community.  Her father was the mentally disturbed son of her grandparents. 

Hasidic Judaism is a Jewish religious movement that originated in Eastern Europe in the 18th century. The Hasidic tradition is a constant striving for an intimate give and take relationship with God in every moment of human life. (see link above).  Satmar Hasidism is a Hasidic movement composed mostly of Hungarian and Romanian Holocaust survivors and their descendants. They believe that the Holocaust was punishment from God because Jews had become too secular and that the state of Israel was blasphemy because Jews had to wait for God to create the Holy Land.  Most of the Jews praticing Satmar Hasidism are in the Brooklyn community, Williamsburg and Kiryas Joel, New York.  There is a small community in Montreal and some scattered elsewhere in the state of New York. 

The initial comments from the group were divided.  Some of us found the book to be very interesting and a page turner and a couple of us found it boring and difficult to finish.  However, the discussion was quite animated and all of us enjoyed an excellent discussion.  Many enjoyed her narrative of life growing up with her grandparents her ability to remember childhood memories in such detail. It is a coming of age story.  We learned a lot about the rules and regulations and traditions of Orthodox Jews and more specifically about the Hasidic Community.  Some such as the demeaning treatment of women and the blame that was put on women for men's weaknesses were upsetting.  Ms. Feldman describes an insular community with its own police and paramedics that allow crimes such as sexual abuse and maybe murder to be hidden.   

From articles and reviews that have been written about this memoir it is very evident that Ms. Feldman wrote her own perception of life as a Hasidic Jew and left out details of her life that she believes were not relevant to her story.  For example, we learn from articles that she had a younger sister and that she lived some time with her mother and attended a public secular school for the first few years of elementary school.  Some of us questioned the veracity of her story. How could a young teenager who was curious enough about life to sneak off to the library and enjoyed reading in English as much as she did not be curious enough about her own body to know she had a vagina?  Had she really not consulted a biology book at the library to satisfy her questions about the first night of mariage?  It is also evident that she is very young and in writing about some of the incidents may not have thought through the impact on her family and community.  She changes all the names but puts in the book photos of her family allowing easy identification of who is her family.   She is surprised by the negative reaction of the community. However a more mature person would have known that no community likes to publicize its dirty laundry.  

There is an article in the Jewish Week written by Samuel Katz, a young man who also left the community that gives some credibility to her story.  However, Mr. Katz's hope that her book would begin an open discussion about the community has not happened because of the doubts about her story.   

Beth read a poem Autobiograhical by the Canadian poet A.M. Klein  who grew up in Montreal's Orthodox Jewish community that paints a much more positive picture of growing up in an Orthodox community.  

So though not all members of the group enjoyed the book, we certainly had an excellent discussion.  Thank you Carla for this choice of book.  

Books and Meetings in 2013

This list will be updated as members choose their books.

Monday January 28, 2013 - Betty's choice, Still Alice by Lisa Genova, Janet hosting

Monday February 25, 2013 - Janet's choice, Alone in the Classroom by Elizabeth Hay, Betty hosting

Monday March 25, 2013 - Jolene's choice, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Carla hosting.

Monday April 22, 2013 - Michèle's choice Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, Jane hosting

Monday May 27, 2013 - Linda's choice, No Time to Wave Goodbye by Jacquelyn Mitchard, Michèle hosting

Monday June 24, 2013 - Beth's  choice The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, Linda hosting

Monday September 23, 2013 - Shirley's choice, Deafening by Frances Itani, Janet hosting

Monday October 28, 2013 - Jane's book choice, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie, Michèle hosting

Monday November 25, 2013 - Carla's book choice,  Little Bee by Chris Cleave, Beth hosting

Meeting of October 22, 2012

This meeting was hosted by Shirley.  Present were Betty, Carla, Colette, Jane, Janet, Jolene, Linda, Michèle et of course Shirley. Shirley had some lovely English cheese, spicy lamb sausage with mint sauce and a wonderful chutney, wine of course, coffee and tea.  And she had a sublime dessert, pots de crème citronée.  The recipe is at the end of this post.

The book discussed this month is Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by author Helen Simonson.  Ms. Simonson, originally from England lives in Brooklyn, New York.  This is her first novel.  Major Pettigrew's Last Stand is a story of a retired gentleman, Major Pettigrew and the clash between the traditional and sometimes rigid values and customs of a small English village and the new modern England.  Major Pettigrew, the vicar and his wife, other original residents members of the village golf club and the local manor owner seem to live in the past, shooting parties, restricted membership at the golf club and little connection to the new ethnic Brits who are moving into the village.  The Major's son Roger, his girlfriend and the younger generation have no respect for tradition.  The balance is further upset when Major Pettigrew's friendship with Mrs. Ali, the owner of a local shop and a British born of Pakistani origin grows to a love interest.  He finds himself torn between his traditional values and customs and his growing concern for the disdain his friends and neighbours have for those unlike themselves.

We all enjoyed the book and found it to be a good sumer read. The characters are well-developed, we can picture not only the main characters such as Major Pettigrew and Mrs. Ali but minor characters such as his neighbour who "steals" some of his plants and participates in the protests against shooting parties, Mrs. Ali's nephew who has decided he must follow the traditions of his Pakistani origins.  Many of the characters are given exaggerated personalities that highlight the perceived negative characteristics of traditional Brits, immigrant families who refuse to moderate their traditions and customs inappropriate to modern day England and younger generations such as Roger, the Major's son who is obsessed with climbing the corporate ladder, exploiting all connections.

We had a discussion about racism.  Core values, cultures, religion and/or life style are so different.  Is it  just racism or a lack of flexibility and knowledge that keep people from understanding and accepting the differences?  We saw the lack of acceptance not only amongst the people of the village but also in the actions of Mrs. Ali's family.

Some thought that the second part of the book lacked structure and felt that some of incidents were not plausible.  However others liked the predictability and that you could telegraph what would happen.  The incidents at the annual golf club gala were easy to predict and Major Pettigrew's paralyzing non-action when Mrs. Ali is humiliated is evident.  He well knows that the actions of his neighbours and friends are inappropriate but he is unable to react appropriately right away.

We all knew that the decision the young couple Abdul and Amina made to live separate lives was wise and we all wondered if Major Pettigrew and Mrs. Ali's relationship would survive the differences in their culture and the reactions of neighbours and family.

A good choice Jane. Thank you!

Here is the recipe for Shirley's sublime dessert from the book "Three Chefs, the Kitchen Men" by Michael Bonacini, Massimo Capra and Jason Parsons.   A White Cap Madison Press Book. 

Pot de crème citronée avec petits fruits

2 1/4 cups of whipping cream

2/3 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of lemon juice

In a medium pot, combine the cream and sugar and bring them to a simmer, stirring  until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.  Pour the mixture into 6 ramekins or bowls  and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Garnish with fresh berries, mint and a bit of icing sugar.

It takes less than 15 minutes to prepare and is absolutely sublime!  I have made it already for company and it was a big hit. Thanks Shirley. 

Meeting of September 24, 2012

This meeting was hosted by Jolene.  Present were Beth, Betty, Carla, Jolene, Linda, Michèle and Shirley.  Jolene made a lovely ham and cheese pastry roll.  The book discussed this month's was Shirley's choice Left Neglected by Lisa Genova.  Ms. Genova who is a neuroscientist, has written two other novels, all related to the functions of the brain,  Still Alice whose main character has Alzheimers and Love Anthony about an autistic child.

Left Neglected is the story of Sarah and her family and how they cope with a neuropsychological condition she is left with after a car accident.  Left neglected is a condition in which deficit in attention to and awareness of one side of space is observed.  Sarah and her husband are type A personalities and organize their life in a "type A atmosphere" with three children, two homes and plenty of activities scheduled around their high-powered work lives.  When Sarah has a car accident, her husband tries to continue the same lifestyle with the help of Sarah's mother.  Sarah in a rehabilitation centre and with physiotherapists tries to get back all her physical and psychological abilities so she can jump back into their type "A" lives.

Generally the book was enjoyed by all members.  We all felt that Ms. Genova's medical background made the description of the condition and its impact very realistic and the rehabilitation Sarah had to go through credible.  However we also found the writing style a bit choppy and the stream of consciousness with Sarah was sometimes too much.  This can be because of Ms. Genova's scientific background and better editing could have corrected it.

There were several relationships that were well developed, Sarah and her mother, Sarah and her son Charlie, her relationship with her therapists.  Hoewever, some of us would have liked to see better development of Sarah's relationship with her husband Bob.  All found that Ms Genova's desciption of their family life before Sarah's accident was well done and gave us a good picture of life on a treadmill.  Ms. Genova also did a very good job of describing Sarah's difficulities coping with the limitations her condition caused, the step by step therapy she experienced and the humbling experiences she went through because of her condition.  A good example of this is their night out to their favourite restaurant to celebrate their anniversary.

The story has a happy ending and though some of us thought the end of the story was too quickly wrapped up, most were particularly pleased to have read a book with a happy ending!

Linda reminded us that a lesson learned from this story is that we must all appreciate what is important in life and not neglect our family, friends, and the life around us.  She has given us a challenge for our next meeting to report back about at least one thing we have done that we keep putting off that would give us or someone else some satisfaction.

Another book was suggested for those who would like to read on similar topics, My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor.

Thank you Shirley for an interesting read!

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.