American Dirt - Jeannine Cummins - April 25, 2022

Present were Beth, Betty, Carla, Colette, Linda, Marg, Michèle and Shirley.  We met at Colette's home and she provided us with an excellent variety of goodies, a lot Mexican,  taco torte, guacamole, both spicy and not, a nice variety of cheese and French chocolates.  Wine, coffee and tea was of course, also served.  

We discussed Marg's book choice, American Dirt by Jeannine Cummins.  This book was initially highly recommended by Oprah Winfrey.  It became very controversial when some Mexican-American authors criticized Ms. Cummins and the publication business of cultural appropriation, of creating Mexican stereotypes and using inaccurate Spanish phrases in the book.  The cover of the book with barbed wire was also severely criticized and has since been changed. Marg described the original cover with bluebirds that are free to fly anywhere including over borders and the barbed wire as cages that could limit. Both version appear above.

Jeannine Cummins is an American author.  She has published 4 books, 3 novels and a memoir.  She received a 7 figure advance for the book American Dirt.  

The novel is the story of a young middle class mother Lydia and her young son Luca who find themselves plunged into the terrifying life of migrants when her journalist husband and family are all assasinated.   They have no choice but to flee towards the American border.  

All our members enjoyed the book and found the story riveting and well worth reading.  Some found it exhausting but felt compelled to continue, to turn the page to read what situation Lydia and Luca would have to confront.  Ms. Cummins did an excellent job of describing the stress, the panic, the pressure to make instant decisions in difficult situations.  The characters are all well described, those they meet as they make their way to the border and those left behind.  

We had a discussion about the controversy the book caused in America and the publishing world.  Certainly we all agreed that limits cannot be placed on who writes about what story or subject.  However,  admittedly as a group of white middle class women, can we truly assess the impact such a book has on the Latinx authors community and the objectivity of the American publishing community?  

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.  

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson - February 28, 2022

 Present were Beth, Betty, Colette, Janet, Linda, Marg, Michèle and Shirley. We discussed Betty's book choice, A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson.

Mary Lawson is a Canadian author living in Great Britain. This is her fourth novel, all having received rave reviews. It was on the long list for the 2021 Booker Prize. We read her first book Crow Lake in 2003 and The Other Side of the Bridge in 2009.  

The story takes place in a small, fictional Northern Ontario town called Solace and through 3 main characters tells a story of grief, remorse and love. Clara, a young girl of 8, waits by the window for her sister Rose who has run away from home. Elizabeth Orchard lives next door and is in hospital. She wills her house to Liam, a divorced man in his 30s who has left Toronto, his family and job.  

Clara is longing for her sister to come home. Her parents, wanting to protect her, won't talk to her and explain why Rose has left. She takes care of Elizabeth Orchard's cat while she is in hospital. Elizabeth is in hospital and knows she is probably dying and tries to make amends for past actions.  She wills her home to Liam and as the story progresses, we learn of the drama between Liam and Elizabeth.  

Almost all of our members enjoyed the book and appreciated Mary Lawson's writing and how well she develops the characters in her stories. Some of our members would have liked more description of the town and the surrounding Northern Ontario scene. It was, as a couple of our members said, a nice light read, in which you could easily find yourself engrossed in the story and the characters. Some felt it was a sad story but others felt it finished on a positive note with Clara being the link whose attitude allowed some optimism to emerge.  

Thank you Betty for a good choice.  It is always good to read again an author that we so much enjoyed.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett - January 24th 2022

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. 

 

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell - October 25, 2021

 

Present were Betty, Carla, Colette, Jane, Janet, Linda, Michèle and Shirley.  We discussed Jane's book choice Hamnet or Hamnet & Judith by Maggie O'Farrell.   

Maggie O'Farrell was born in Northern Ireland and lived in Wales and Scotland.  She presently lives in Edinburgh with her husband, author William Sutcliffe and her children.  Ms O'Farrell has won several awards for her 8 novels.  She has also written a memoir called I am, I am, I am: Seventeen Brushes with Death.

Hamnet is the story of William Shakespeare's son who dies of the plague at 11 years old.  Shakespeare had three children, Susanna and twins Hamnet & Judith, with Anne Hathaway known in this book as Agnes.  The novel is briefly about Hamnet but the main character is his mother Agnes who is strong, well known in the village as a free spirit and a herbalist sought after by the villagers.  Village life is well described, the buildings, the people, merchants and those who have been to Stratford-upon-Avon felt almost as if they were there in the village. It is really the story of 17th century life, of grief and marriage. 

Most of us enjoyed the book and found the storyline, the descriptions, the characters well written.  Like a Jane Austen book you could easily be engrossed in the story,  some described it as a page-turner.  The description of Agnes preparing her son Hamnet for burial was so real you could feel her grief. Shakespeare is never named, he is the husband, the father, the Latin tutor.  Their marriage is well described, the absences as their each dealt with the grief of the death of Hamnet, the love that existed between them.  We almost all found the book fascinating.  

Thank you Jane for an excellent book choice.  For those who wonder why there are two titles for this book, it seems as if in Canada, published by Penguin Books, it was titled Hamnet & Judith and in the UK and the USA it was published by Alfred K. Knopf as simply Hamnet. 

Becoming - Michelle Obama - September 27, 2021

Present at our first meeting since summer are Betty, Carla, Colette, Jane, Janet, Linda, Marg, Michèle and Shirley.  The book to be discussed was Colette's choice, Becoming by Michelle Obama.

Most of us enjoyed the book and found that it was written as if she was talking to friends about her life. It was easy to read. Those of us who listened to the audio version read by Michelle Obama herself found it to be especially evident. She talked about her life as a child with her parents and brother, life on the east side of Chicago, the support she received from her parents and family, grandparents, aunts and uncles.  Being close to family and neighbours in a mostly black neighbourhood, when she went on to university and found herself in the minority, with few students who were black, it was difficult for her to participate in social activities.  We found her description of campaigning fascinating and it was obvious she did not enjoy it but she described how Barack, her husband relished the challenge of the race.  She described life in the White House a bit like living in a fish bowl.  Nothing could be done on the spur of the moment, everything had to be planned and their security detail was always present.

It was easy to admire her as a person; strong, energetic, kind, and supportive of her kids and her husband.  We would have liked to know more about life after the White House.  What were her plans? What is she doing now?  One member who read both this book and Barack Obama's book thought this one was more enjoyable.  We did find that there was some repetition in the book, about her dislike of politics and we found that she described many of life's experiences as black and white, or black vs white?

Thank you Colette for suggesting this interesting autobiography. 

Books and Meetings 2022

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

January 24 - Carla's choice The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett,  Marg hosting

February 28 - Betty's choice, A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson,  Jane hosting

March 28 - Beth's choice. The Company We Keep by Frances Itani, Carla hosting.

April 25 - Marg's choice,  American Dirt by Jeannine Cummins, Colette hosting.

May 30 - Michèle's choice, Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker, Shirley hosting.

June 30 - Linda's choice, Operation Angus by Terry Fallis, Michèle hosting.

September 26 - Jane's choice,   A Killer in King's Cove, Iona Whishaw, Beth hosting.

October 24 - Janet's choice, The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, Betty hosting 

November 28 - Shirley's choice,  Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall, Linda hosting.