Meeting of May 28, 2012

This meeting was hosted by Colette.  Present were Beth, Colette, Jane, Jolene, Linda, Michèle and Shirley. This month's book was The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis presented by Linda.  The book was recommended to Linda by a teacher and librarian.  She read both this book and Mr. Fallis' second book The High Road that is a sequel. After she read the books, she decided that a book that gave us the chance to laugh was a good choice.  Mr. Fallis won the 2008 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour and The Best Laid Plans won the 2011 Canada Reads competition.

All of us agreed that it was a very pleasant and interesting book.  Even Michèle who prefers dark, dramatic books enjoyed the story.  The story is about a political speech writer for the Liberal Party who wants out of the political life as an election is about to be called.  To appease his feelings of guilt of leaving the Liberal leader high and dry, he agrees to find a liberal candidate for an Ottawa area riding that has not voted liberal for decades.  He ends up managing the campaign with little money and no input from the candidate.

We all related to the local settings, the Cumberland-Prescott riding, Parliament Hill, downtown Ottawa, downtown Cumberland, the University of Ottawa.  All of us could "see" in our minds places that he described in the book.  The characters were well developed and easily imagined.  Angus was definitely the favourite character from the book.  The diary that Angus wrote to his departed wife, Marin Lee, a well-known feminist was moving and allowed us to see a side of Angus that was not evident in his everyday discussions with Daniel; Angus' way of pushing through the grief.  It was a favourite part of the book for many of us.  The twists and turns of the campaign had all of us turning the pages and wondering what would happen because of course, we all knew there had to be some way Duncan Angus McLintock would win because that is where the story was going!


Linda wrote to Terry Fallis and arranged for us to Skype with him during our meeting.  We all found it very easy to speak to him and several of us asked questions and related some of our observations. We asked if political pundits noted that he had an incident of "robocalls", directing voters to fictitious polls in his book way before the scandal of the Canadian 2011 federal campaign. Did someone copy the idea from his story?  It was very generous of him to give us of his time on a Monday evening.  Mr. Fallis' next book is Up and Down,  to be published in September 2012 is about astronauts, a departure from his politically based novels.

We offered to give him a tour of the riding of Cumberland-Prescott the next time he comes to Ottawa.  Though Mr. Fallis described the riding fairly well, he admitted to us that he has never actually been to Cumberland!

Thank you Linda for an excellent choice, great book to read; laughter is good for the soul!

Meeting of April 23, 2012

The meeting was held at Colette's home with Jane hosting.  Present were Carla, Colette, Betty, Jane, Janet and Michèle.  This month's book Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton was presented by Janet. Since the story is in South Africa, Jane provided us with wonderful sausage called Boerwors served with a wonderful mango chutney and Biltong which is a South African dried meat.  There was also a very nice maple cheese and of course, we were served a South African wine.  Later with coffee and tea, Jane served a lemon basil ice cream with a lemon/blueberry cake.  Thank you Jane for a wonderful spread!

Janet first read the book in 1998 when she was living in South Africa with her family as a Ph.D. student. Alan Paton wrote the book in 1946 as he was travelling the world visiting reform schools in different countries.  It was first published in 1948 in the United States a few months before Apartheid laws were adopted in South Africa.  The book was banned in South Africa.  It is sometimes considered as South Africa's version of Uncle Tom's Cabin.  As Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel highlighted slavery and the abolitionist movement in the United States,  Cry, the Beloved Country showed how segregation, that existed even before Apartheid, contributed to the "brokeness" of tribal culture and left many Africans without the traditions and support of their tribes.  A way of life that provided meaning and purpose was fast disappearing, leaving the young people searching and no reason to remain in their villages.  It is very similar to what has happened to our Aboriginal communities in Canada.

The novel is about two fathers searching for their sons.  Stephen Kumalo's who is a Zulu priest and a white landowner James Jarvis. In the context of the stories of these two men, the author Alan Paton, develops several themes, family relationships, good and evil, temptation, forgiveness and reconciliation.  Both men find themselves journeying to Johannesburg.

We first meet Stephen who originally goes to Johannesburg after receiving a message that his sister Gertrude is in trouble. He goes, hoping to also see his son Absalom and his brother John.  He finally finds his son, but only after Absalom has murdered James Jarvis' son Arthur.  Stephen is heartbroken by the events that take his sister back to a life of disrepute and his son to execution.  However, the kindness of people he meets that help him in Johannesburg gives him hope and he goes back to his village with a sense of peace.

We meet James Jarvis, who is from the same region as Stephen, when goes down to Johannesburg to claim his son's body after he is murdered and discovers Arthur's beliefs as he reads through his notes. He realizes that he has lived in a cocoon, ignoring what has gone on outside of his farm.  He reads Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address that he finds in Arthur's house. As he reads more and more of his son's writings, he begins to rethink his relationship with the villagers that live near his farm.

Everyone loved this book and several of our members quoted passages from the book.  Arthur's text in chapter 21 that James reads begins "The truth is that our civilization is not Christian it is a tragic compound of great ideal and fearful practice, of high assurance and desperate anxiety, of loving charity and fearful clutching of possessions. Allow me a minute. . . ."


There is the text in chapter 11 that gives the book its title and reminds us that though South Africa is a beautiful land, the problems caused by the separation of the races are grave and ingrained and there is still a long road ahead before all that South Africa has to offer can be embraced.   
"This is no time to talk of hedges and fields, or the beauties of any country. . . . Cry for the broken tribe, for the law and the custom that is gone. Aye, and cry aloud for the man who is dead, for the woman and children bereaved. Cry, the beloved country, these things are not yet at an end."


And of course there is also the quote from the Mission House Minister, Msimangu who greets Stephen,  helps him find his sister Gertrude, and finds him a place to stay. Msimangu fears that antagonists such as John Kumalo, Stephen's brother, will bring hate. 
"I see only one hope for our country, and that is when white men and black men . . . desiring only the good of their country, come together to work for it. . . . I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find we are turned to hating." 


Everyone agreed that this is an eloquent and powerful book that has become a modern classic, still read in classrooms everywhere.  The characters were well developed and as a reader you engaged with them. You hoped that Gertrude would succeed in making a better life for her young son.  You felt for Stephen every time he gave in to his weaknesses and cheered when he was hopeful.  The descriptions of the countryside give you images of the beauty South Africa has to offer.


Thank you Janet for this wonderful book choice.  

Meeting of March 26, 2012

The March meeting was held at Carla's home.  Wonderful brie cheese with a spicy pepper jelly, samosa and toasted asparagus bites were tempting.  Carla also served us a sticky toffee pudding that was sublime! Beth, Betty, Carla, Colette, Jane, Janet, Jolene, Michèle and Shirley were present.  We were missing only Linda who will be back next month!

We discussed Colette's choice Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James, a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.  P.D. James is well known as a detective and mystery writer from Great Britain.  Her books featuring investigator and poet Adam Dalgliesh are well known and loved throughout the world.  She began writing in the 1950's and published her first novel in 1962 Cover her Face. P.D. James, after the publication of her last mystery novel with Dalgliesh as the main character The Private Patient decided that since she had turn 90, she could indulge in her two loves, writing detective novels and Jane Austen novels.  The result was Death Comes to Pemberley.


In a note at the beginning of her sequel novel, Ms. James apologizes to Jane Austen for involving her characters in such odious subjects as murder and she says that Miss Austen would have probably responded that "had she wished to dwell on such odious subjects she would have written this story herself and done better."


Pretty well all our members have enjoyed Jane Austen novels and most also enjoyed this book.  However, one member felt a bit like Ms. James thinks Jane Austen would have responded.  P.D. James should have left well enough alone.  All thought that she did very well in capturing the voices, characters and atmosphere of Austen's novels.  There have been many sequels to Miss Austen's stories, not many that have been successful and  P.D. James certainly is more successful with this novel.  One of our members noted that Carrie Bebris' sequels that are written as murder mysteries are probably among the best.

Ms. James succeeded in keeping the suspense of this murder mystery.  None of us guessed before the end who had murdered Captain Denny.  She succeeded in pointing the finger towards others such as Fitzwilliams that we all suspected at one point in the novel or maybe Mrs. Bidwell?  It became obvious however, that it could not be any of Jane Austen's beloved characters, not even Mr. Wickham who was formally accused and brought to trial could be the murderer.  We did after discussion note that with twist and turns, clues are planted through out the novel pointing to the ailing young Mr. Bidwell. We wondered how realistic it could be that the young Mr. Bidwell, who was on his deathbed could have summoned the energy to be able to hit Captain Denny with enough force to kill.  However, it is explained away by his all encompassing desire to avenge his sister's "supposed" rape.

Sequels with stories and characters from another author's novel is certainly quite a challenge and we thought that P.D. James succeeded in integrating more "modern" aspects such as Georgiana's selection of a husband that she could do herself since she was of age and it was a new era. In a true Jane Austen story, Georgiana's choice would have not been hers alone.  Ms. James also described some of the differences in an investigation and trial in modern times and in the 19th century and this was appreciated, especially by our lawyer member.

There was some criticism.  We felt that Elizabeth's sparkling personality and independent spirit is missing in this novel.  We also wondered why Darcy seemed so unsure of himself and his choices, very unlike the self assured personality he displays in Pride and Prejudice.  Some felt that we had little insight into Elizabeth's and Darcy's relationship.  The only time they actually talked was in the Epilogue and they discussed what had happened back before their marriage.  Some felt that though Elizabeth and Darcy were characterized as excellent parents, they spent little time with their children, probably typical of that class of society in the 19th century.

All in all we were glad to have read this novel and appreciated the effort P.D. James made to make quite a successful sequel to Pride and Prejudice. 

Meeting of February 27 2012

The February meeting of Muse and Views was held at Colette's home, with Betty hosting.  Lovely wines, hors d'oeuvres, and Joe's fresh cinnamon buns and coffee warmed us up on a wintery evening.   Betty, Carla, Janet, Shirley, Colette and Jolene attended.  We discussed The Book Thief by Marcus Suzak, Betty's choice and a real hit with most of the group.  Betty had not read the book beforehand, but was pleased with the choice, suggested to her by a friend from another club.

Betty gave us some background on the author, who was born of an Austrian father and a German mother.  Their lives helped inspire the book; in fact, the loveable Hans Huberman was a house painter like Suzak's father.  Another detail of interest was that Suzak's dad had been forced into the Hitler Youth program as a young person.  Suzak wanted young adults to get a different perspective of the Holocaust and to try to find beautiful moments in ugly times.  He was surprised by the success of the novel, which won a Michael L. Printz award.  (What a great surname for someone in the literary domain!)  The book was originally published as adult fiction in Australia, where the author's parents had emigrated after the war.  Several commented that they were surprised that the book has been classified locally as teen or young adult fiction, no doubt largely because it is a coming-of-age story.

Another theme of the book was the power of words, whether the power of Hitler's words to inspire hatred, or the power of Leisel's oral reading  to bring encouragement to townspeople during difficult times.  The narrator of the story was Death, and most found this interesting.  The perspective of a German child was also appreciated, since we often see the Holocaust from an adult, Jewish viewpoint.   All but one found the characters very well described, with even foul-mouthed Rosa endearing because of her good heart.

The only real criticisms were that the book was sometimes difficult to follow, with so much jumping around, and that a better explanation could have been given as to why Rosa and Hans would want to foster the child of a communist in Nazi Germany.  In the end, however, all were glad they had read the book, and some said they might not have to read any further to decide on the "Best Pick" of the year.

Meeting of January 23, 2012

Our host this month was Michèle.  Present were Beth, Betty, Carla, Colette, Jolene, Michèle, Shirley and briefly via skype, Linda.  Canapés, cheese and grapes were served along with a vanilla cranberry cheese cake.

As is our tradition, in January we award a prize to the member whose book in the previous year was most popular.  The Academy Award 2011 goes to Shirley  for Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda that received four votes.  This is the second year in a row that Shirley has won. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Gordon and Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie came in second with two votes each.  Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson and Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks each received one vote.  The variety of books we read in 2011 is clearly a reflection of the eclectic interests of our members!

The book choice this month presented by Michèle is The Mark of the Angel by Nancy Huston.  Ms Huston is a Canadian writer who has lived in France for several years.  She has published 45 books of which 13 are fiction written originally in French and self-translated into English.  She has also written 14 non-fiction books in French of which only two have been translated, the most recent The Tale-Tellers - A Short Study of Humankind in 2008. 


The Mark of the Angel is a story about a young German woman Saffie, who has immigrated to Paris in 1957 and the two men in her life, Raphaël her husband and Andràs her lover.  It is obvious from the beginning of the story that Saffie's troubled past and the demons she lives with impact on her actions and reactions to others. She shows little emotion with Raphaël and none of the emotions usually felt by motherhood.  She changes significantly when she meets Andràs, a Hungarian who lives with his own demons.

Several members enjoyed the book though found it a dark and tragic story. A couple of members did not enjoy the book because there is no hope of happiness or even of a better life in the story.   Generally we felt the characters were well developed.  Raphaël is self-absorbed in his professional career as a musician, has a love-lust relationship with Saffie.  Andràs, who we meet a little later in the story, is a spirited revolutionist and Saffie is immediately attracted to him.  Saffie lives a double life and her personality changes with each man. She is Raphaël's wife in their rue de Seine apartment, orderly, quiet and bourgeois.  She crosses the Seine by the Pont des Arts and becomes Andràs' lover in a life filled with disorder and unpredictability.

The story takes place during the Algerian's quest for independence from France and though there are several descriptions of demonstrations and France's reaction, it does not impact on the story.  There does not seem to be connection except as a vehicle for Andràs' revolutionary beliefs.

There are no characters in this story that we can become attached to, like or find endearing.  Some felt sorry for Raphaël and believed that he truly loved Saffie, enough to refuse to visit his mother if she did not accept his wife.  All felt sorry for Saffie and Raphaël's son Émil who was used by his mother as a foil in her relationship with Andràs and tragically also used by his father Raphaël, blinded by Saffie's betrayal.

A resumé of our reflections on this story cannot be complete without one member's very dramatic reaction to the story.  She was furious and frustrated by the characters and the story.  She felt that we did not get enough about the characters' backgrounds to understand their actions and reactions to each other, especially Saffie.  She wanted to learn more about Mme Hortense Trala-Lepage, Raphël's mother who stays in the background.  She felt that the story was incomplete.

For those who might think of reading other books by Nancy Huston, be forewarned that characters in her stories rarely have endearing qualities and she does not write stories with happy endings.

Meeting of November 28 2011

Our host this month was Beth.  Present were Beth, Betty, Carla, Colette, Jane, Janet, Jolene, Linda, Michèle and Shirley. All were present for this last meeting of 2011!  To put us in the mood of an English countryside in this novel, Beth served some wonderful english cheeses and a great ginger chutney.  She also prepared a delicious English trifle. Thank you Beth.

The book choice this month presented by Carla was Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks.  Ms Brooks was originally an Australian journalist who worked as a foreign journalist for both Australian newspapers and eventually also American newspapers including the Wall Street Journal.  She worked principally in the Middle East.  She eventually became an American citizen.   Ms. Brooks has written 6 books, the last four are fiction.  She won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2006 for her novel March about the March girls' from Little Women absent father, gone to fight in the American Civil War.

Year of Wonders is a historical novel, taking place in the village of Eyam in Derbyshire in 1665-1666.  When the plague arrived in the village, the Rector convinced the community to quarantine itself and contain the plague within their community avoiding it from becoming widespread in England.  The story is narrated by Anna Frith, the housekeeper of the Rectory.  The other main characters are the Rector Michael Mompellion and his wife Elinor.  They together, work tirelessly to tend to the needs of the sick and help those still healthy.  There are several other characters including Anna's father Josiah Bont a miserable, mean person, his wife Aphra, Anna's selfish step-mother; Anys Gowdie and her mother Mem, the village herbalists and midwives and Anna's boarder, George Viccars.  All members felt that there was some excellent character development by Ms. Brooks,  both for the major persons such as Anna, the Rector and his wife Elinor and the more minor characters that were complex and interesting.

All members agreed that Ms. Brooks described very well the atmosphere of 17th century village life, of a mining and agricultural community.  She wrote in a language of the time and did not shrink from describing the realities of life in that time, the fragility of new borns, the filth, the never ending chores and work of both men and women, the belief in the wrath of God and also the superstitions and panic that can spread because of ignorance.  Some of us found parts of the story wrenching and difficult to read.  When Anna descends into the lead mine, the tension that is created can raise your blood pressure and even though you know that Anna is a main character and narrator you wonder if she will come out of the mine alive.  The lynching of Anys Gowdie is extremely well described. The hatred and desperation leaps off the page.

All members enjoyed the book but several of us were surprised by the ending, the last 50 pages.  Michèle read a review taken from Goodreads that gives the book 4 stars for the first 255 pages and one star for the last 50 pages.  Though some were pleased by the "happy" ending many of us felt that there was a definite disconnect with the story itself and that the description of how Anna turns her life around and where she finds herself is not at all true to the realities of the time in which the story is situated and so well described in the first 255 pages.

Beth read a part of a hymn written by Martin Rinkart in the 16th century that she feels describes the message that Rector Mompellion tried to pass on to his flock.

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.


Historical novels always allow us to acquire knowledge of a past events and places and we have all enjoyed Year of Wonders for this reason.  Thank you to Carla for a good choice.

Meeting of October 24th 2011

Our host for this month was Shirley.  Present along with Shirley were Beth, Carla, Colette, Jane, Jolene, Linda and Michèle.  Shirley served wonderful sausage, chorizo and a sweet sausage with an apple chutney.  She also served apple quesadilla and cream cheese and crab quesadilla.  She had a wonderful fruit dessert with vanilla ice cream.  Very nice.

The book choice this month presented by Jane was Sanctuary Line by Jane Urquhart.  Ms. Urquhart is a Canadian writer and this is her 8th novel.  She has also written 4 books of poetry, edited a Book of Canadian Short Stories and a biography of L.M. Montgomery.  In 2001 she was nominated for the Giller Prize for The Stone Carvers.  The Book Club read it in 2006.

In Sanctuary Line, the narrator Liz Crane is an entomologist who specializes in monarch butterflies.  Jane who is a member of the Monarch Teacher Network, gave us an enthusiastic explanation of the life of a monarch butterfly and its migration patterns from Canada to Mexico.  She also explained the goals of the Monarch Teacher Network in using monarchs as a learning tool in science, geography, about change and the need to use our environment responsibly.

Most members liked the book, however found it slow at the beginning and found it difficult to settle into the book. There are several themes in the book, migration, immigration, cultural differences, oppression of migrant workers among others.  As in The Stone Carvers Ms. Urquhart is very good at describing landscape.  There is a definite sense of place in her books.  The story of Sanctuary Line takes place mainly in south western Ontario along the shores of Lake Erie.  Those of us who know the area could easily imagine it and others could easily picture the flat farm lands of the area and the shoreline of the lake.  She has given fictitious names to many locales but the area was still quite identifiable.

The book has a melancholy feel to it and memories of loss and tragedy are what moves the plot along.  Many of Liz's  memories of her summers on the farm with her aunt and uncle describe awkward experiences such as her uncle's attempt to have all square dance, the tension between Uncle Stanley and Aunt Sadie palpable, especially when Stanley urges Teo and his mother to join.  The visits to the old school where Uncle Stanley once taught have a very melancholy feel.  Stories from the past that Stanley recites are often tragic, the barn fire, the Butler lighthouse keepers.  One member noted that none of the "couple" relationships lasted, Stanley and Sadie,  Stanley and Dolores, Mandy and Vahil and Liz herself and Teo.

Some members like the ending and other did not.  However, all in all, we all felt it was a good choice. Thank you Jane.

Books and Meetings in 2012

The list will be updated as members choose their books.

Monday January 23 -  Michèle's choice The Mark of the Angel by Nancy Huston,  Michèle hosting

Monday February 27 - Betty's choice The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Betty hosting

Monday March 26 -  Colette's choice Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James, Carla hosting

Monday April 23 -  Janet's choice Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, Jane hosting

Monday May 28 -  Linda's choice The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis, Colette hosting

Monday June 25 -  Beth's choice, Vaclav and Lena by Haley Tanner, Linda hosting

Monday September 24 - Shirley's choice, Left Neglected by Lisa Genova, Jolene hosting

Monday October 22 - Jane's choice, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson, Shirley hosting

Monday November 26 - Carla's choice Unorthodox,The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman, Beth hosting