ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE by Gail Honeycut

We had a nice gathering yesterday to discuss Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.

Overall the book received rave reviews, 4.75-5.0, with the exception of one 3.0. 

We could hardly believe that this is a debut effort. Gail Honeyman created several lovable and relatable characters, particularly Eleanor Oliphant and Raymond Gibbons. It is immediately evident that Eleanor is NOT “completely fine”.  Why do we say “fine" when asked how we are, as in the snarky response to a loved one or an answer to a waiter in a restaurant about our substandard meal?  The title alone clues the reader into the premise that not everything is as it seems.  

Based on her inept social skills, we assume that Eleanor is on the autism spectrum.  She has had a traumatic childhood, the extent to which we are unaware until well into the book.  Her unfiltered comments, actions and life observations are beyond hilarious, but her lonely existence is quite sad.  Eleanor has accepted her life as it is, until she meets Raymond.  

Raymond is kind, patient, and genuine.  He is so unpretentious and warm, without being sanctimonious or overbearing. He is the kind of friend we should all aspire to be, and the kind of friend we would all be lucky to have. 

But this is far beyond a syrupy love story.  It is not about how Eleanor just needed a boyfriend to fix all her problems.  This book will make you laugh, cry, feel anger towards the cruel world that Eleanor must face, and be deeply touched by the kindness of others.  Lastly, it will cause you to take pause in your own preconceived ideas, reminding yourself to not judge a book by its cover.  

THE FORGETTING TIME by Sharon Guskin

Overall, we all enjoyed the book giving it an average rating of 3.5.  The ratings reflect more about the concept of reincarnation than the writing style. The author's research for this novel was taken from books written by a Professor who researched reincarnation for nearly forty years.  We found the story both, intriguing and compelling but, her addition of sections taken from the research was completely fascinating. 

So, personally, I didn't think the beginning about Janie on vacation and having a brief encounter with the sperm donor was particularly interesting although, she did tie it in to the end of the book. One of us didn't find Jerry Anderson's (the researcher) story particularly compelling but, for the most part the rest of us actually liked the addition of his story to the book. In the end he had a really nice connection to Janie and Noah although, sadly, he wouldn't be able to remember them by the end. Also, him walking into the surf was an interesting way chosen to end one's life. Noah's life began on a beach, while Jerry's would end there....

We all sympathized with Janie as a single mother and her struggle to find out what is wrong with her son, all the while trying to hold it together emotionally, mentally, and financially. Especially after he's been given a possible diagnosis of being schizophrenic. We all agreed that would be a far worse diagnosis than someone else's soul possessing ones body for a short period of time!   

We loved that the spirit within Noah was that of an African American boy, Tommy. We didn't see that coming and thought it was really clever. Denise and her oldest son Charlie were great character's and their story was both very entertaining, when they meet a small white boy who claims to be Tommy and then, unfortunately, completely tragic because of their loss, grief and guilt that they have had to go through during Tommy's disappearance. Personally, one of my favorite scenes in the book was when Charlie and Noah are in the tree house; the other was when Noah wanted Denise to give him a bath.  I thought both of these moments were both, well written and, intimate. It was essential that Denise and Charlie came to the realization that, indeed,Tommy was really there within Noah and, it helped give them closure on Tommy's death, which they both so desperately needed.

Although, it was a good effort for a first novel, collectively, we all agreed the writing was fairly average and at times "clunky".

THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ by Heather Morris

It was nice to have our 4 new ladies at the meeting today, and a special welcome to Lynn.  We read Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.  This was written as a novel after the author interviewed Lali Sokolov for 3 years as he told her his story.  For him, it was a story of his falling in love with the most wonderful girl.  It just happened to take place in one of the worst places and times in history.  With the exception of one member, the book club liked the book.  With one low rating of 1.0, the rest spanned from 3.25-4.50, with an average of 3.5.  

The cons regarding  the book was that while it was a novel, some of the historical data didn’t match with Lale’s recollections of his experience in camp; and the author’s writing style could have been more developed.  Some of the pros mentioned were that it had heart, the reader could feel the sense hope that Lale and Gita felt in the book, the romance was sweet, and the story itself for a “5” even if the writing style was a bit lacking.

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES By Deborah Harkness

The Timbers BookClub, read and reviewed “A Discovery of Witches” by historian Deborah Harkness.  The book is the first of a trilogy that has been made into a TV series in the UK.  This was her first work of fiction.  It is also important to note that she is a well known wine writer.

Our book club followed what seemed to the trend on GoodReads.  Readers seemed to completely love the book or totally hate it. It was interesting that our bookclub felt the same way.  

For the members that did not like the book, some felt that the author spent a lot of time and verbiage on describing a lot of details about the wine and the food and it was suggested that the author needed a better editor.  The members that did not like it also felt that the romance was too juvenile in nature, it was mentioned that the book was too long and it was not a preferred genre of another member.  

Even for those that liked it, some felt that it was very slow going for the first half of the book.  Those that liked the book did enjoy the love story and several members of our club plan to read the next book or have already started it. The historians in the club did really enjoy the book and the references to the events in history.

The average of everyone’s rating was 2.85.

ALL THE UGLY AND WONDERFUL THINGS By Bryn Greenwood

The group engaged a long discussion of All The Ugly And Wonderful Things last Wednesday.   It is the story of a girl (Wavy), who at the age of 8, develops a friendship with a young man (Kellen) who is 20.  Their relationship evolves from a big brother/little sister situation to a sexual one as they get older.  

This book dealt with many uncomfortable subjects: illegal drugs, spousal abuse, child abuse/neglect, murder.  But, in particular, the sexualization of children and pedophilia.  And yet, the author takes that topic, flips it on its side and forces the reader to look at an older man/young girl relationship from a different perspective.   While none of us would ever condone a 28 year old man hooking up with OUR 13 year old daughter, somehow the author flipped this narrative from “Ugly” to “Wonderful”.  What really is the best course of action and care for a child at risk?  We found ourselves scratching our heads, how brilliant a writer, to take something so taboo as pedophilia, and encourage the reader to consider, is this specific relationship okay with me?  Would it be okay if this were a Catholic priest and a young boy?  If not, why?  Why are we not more outraged at the criminality of the situation?  

This novel pushed our boundaries and found us questioning our viewpoint on age of consent.  What defines a healthy relationship?  We found ourselves being appalled by and then defending Kellen's actions, all in the same breath.  This book stuck with many of us, but in the end, we discovered, you don’t have to agree with every story to appreciate it.  The book was highly rated by all of us, scores ranging from 4.0-4.75.

THE WOMAN'S HOUR by Elaine Weiss

Thanks for a good meeting on Friday.  Since we were all there, I don’t know if we need an extensive recap.  Most liked the book, but all agreed that the incredible number of people introduced in the book made it tedious and hard at times.  But all agreed that it’s a story we should know.  Ratings ranged from 2.5 ( with a 5 for content) to 4.25.  The majority rated the book 3.75. 

THE SIGNAL FLAME by Andrew Krivak

So, the first thing I must say about this book is that A: It was not the book I thought it was and I'm not sure how it made it onto my list and, B: I would never have chosen a book that is the second book of a trilogy, even though it proclaimed to be a stand alone book. That's where I stop apologizing for bringing this book to group.

For the four of us that met, THE SIGNAL FLAME was a lyrically written, quiet read and, we found that it offered up great character development and delivered an intimate portrait of the relationships between the characters. The themes of loss, love and, redemption were profound. It covered the devastating impact of war on the soldiers, their loved ones and, the community. It was laced with symbolism throughout and made a powerful impression on us, touching our emotions and enabled us to experience the sounds and smells of the Pennsylvania landscape, through the written word.

We had a lengthy and wonderful discussion and, as a result, the four of us are very much interested in reading the third book, especially given the ending. We will do this independently though, so fear not, those of you who did not like this book. Susan has already started the first book in the series, SOJOURN and, is enjoying it.

The ratings ranged from a 2 to 4.5. 

RADIUM GIRLS by Kate Moore

This is Library Journal's summary and review of the "The Radium Girls" - 

"Moore (Roses Are Red...) details the tragic stories of dozens of young women employed as dial painters during World War I. Often the daughters of immigrants, these women were lured to these prestigious and well-paying jobs unaware of the dangers of the radioactive paint present in their workplace-which caused their bodies and clothes to glow, even outside of work. With America's entry into World War I, demand for painted dials and painters skyrocketed. Soon, many employees suffered aching teeth and jaws, sore joints, and sarcomas. As their ailments worsened, many sought answers from their employers. They were met with denials and misinformation even as evidence mounted that radium poisoned these women. After nearly 20 years, several trials, and thousands of dollars in doctor and attorney fees, the women won a small measure of justice, but for some, it was too late. Moore's well-researched narrative is written with clarity and a sympathetic voice that brings these figures and their struggles to life. VERDICT A must-read for anyone interested in American and women's history, as well as topics of law, health, and industrial safety.-Chad E. Statler, -Lakeland Comm. Coll., -Kirtland, OH © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc."

The following are some thoughts we shared at book club this morning:

   * the radium companies had complete disregard for anything but profit

   * even though there were indicators of radium poisoning early on, the companies hid medical reports and lied to their workers

   * these women were disrespected in multiple arenas..by medical professionals, the legal system and their communities

   * labor laws and workers' rights were advanced because of this tragedy  

   * older people do not seem to react to radioactive poisoning in the same life threatening way that younger people do

   * some modern organizations still behave in ruthless ways, they care only about the money

   * there are products currently sold that are poorly affecting people's health (examples talked about were cigarettes and Teflon)

   * the use of radium and radioactivity in modern medicine continues to improve

   * how is the use of modern technology currently affecting our heath?  Will we someday regret we regularly look at screens on our phones, TVs and computers?

The overall rating of the book was a 3.4, with a low of 2.0 and a high of 3.75.  

Many felt the book was too long and should have focused on fewer characters.  Some felt the book was verbose, tedious and not compelling. We agreed it was an important story and that the author's research was excellent.  One question we asked was, "Why didn't we know this happened?"

THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO by Taylor Jenkins Reid

We enjoyed another beautiful summer morning in July reviewing "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid.  The general consensus was we all enjoyed reading about Evelyn’s husbands and her life story.  The book is loosely based on actresses Elizabeth Taylor, who was married eight times to seven different men, and Ava Gardner, who revealed the secrets of her life to a journalist which was eventually published as well as Brockman Bankhead and Rita Haywood. The novel was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction of 2017. 

The general plot is based on an unknown magazine reporter, Monique Grant, who is hired to tell the life story about an aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon, Evelyn Hugo.  The book is a behind the scenes look at the lives of glamorous celebrity couples and it touches on issues of sexuality, race and what it meant to be a strong woman back in a time where women didn’t have a lot of opportunities.  Evelyn was ambitious and she manipulated the news media in order to bring her career into the limelight.  The plot had some interesting twists as we find out that Evelyn’s deep love of her life is actually for a woman, Celia.  None of us predicted that Monique’s connection to Evelyn was her father’s death in a car crash where Evelyn switches the bodies to avoid a scandal about her 5^th husband, Harry Cameron.  

Our group gave the book an average rating of 3.3 with a low of 3 and a high of 4. 

The next meeting is August 10^th at 9:30 am and we are reading “The Radium Girls” by Kate Moore.

THE GHOSTWRITER by Alessandra Torre

It was a beautiful morning to enjoy book club and discuss “The Ghostwriter” by Alessandra Torre.  The majority of us enjoyed this suspense fiction whose main character, Helena, is a romance novelist with cancer and only has 3 months to live.  The characters were well developed and the author manages to successfully transition back and forth from various character’s viewpoints throughout the book.  We all really liked Mark, the ghostwriter, who is hired to write Helena’s last book that reveals the secret she has been living with for the last 4 years.  Simon, Helena’s husband, has a conniving, manipulative personality and we all felt that he married Helena as a cover for his pedophile obsession.    

It is a sad story and we were all surprised by the twisted ending where Simon turns out to be a pedophile.  There was a lot of emotional relationship turmoil throughout the book between the various characters.  It was difficult to like Helena’s demanding and introverted character but as the plot unfolded, most of us felt sorry for her at the end of the book.  

The average rating was 3.8 with a low of 2 and a high of 4.25. 

The next meeting is July 6^th at 10:00 am and we are reading “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

DARING TO DRIVE by Manal-Sharif

We had a great discussion on the book and the Middle East and Saudi society, etc.  The ratings for Daring to Drive which was the real life story of a woman who was jailed for driving in SA in 2011 (where it is not illegal for women to drive – just against tradition), were all 3.75-4.0.  We all found the contents compelling, but some would have liked better writing.  Because the author has family and a son in SA, in her words she : “had to hold back so many of the views that could get me in deeper trouble.  When I wrote the book, I kept in mind that fine line that I didn’t cross so as to be able to go back home.”  We felt this may have been one of the reasons the writing was as it was.  We are interested in watching how it goes in Saudi Arabia in June when women will finally be allowed to drive!

BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate

Happy New Year Book Club Babes!

Hope everyone had a really wonderful Christmas with family and friends and that you have an equally smashing New Years Eve.

A few weeks ago we met at Susan's beautiful home and had our yearly Christmas brunch. Bonnie Jean, Lindsay, Pam B., Pat, along with myself and Susan were in attendance. Again, thank you Susan for hosting us, we really had a wonderful time and, those of us who stuck around to hot tub were there until 4:30!

Our book this month was BEFORE WE WERE YOURS.  It was a pretty quick read and well received by all of us. The story was based on a real woman (Georgia Tann) and true events, which took place over the course of thirty years (1920's-50's) in Tennessee in which mostly small children and infants were, in some cases, quite literally, stolen from their destitute parents. Parents of new borns could also be conned at the hospital, upon the baby's delivery by signing papers they did not understand and which gave custody to Georgia Tann's whose agency was known as the Tennessee Children's Home Society.  Even though this story was fiction it gave a very good insight into what these children and their families probably experienced. Georgia Tann and her staff were neither kind nor loving and the stories that  would eventually come to light are pretty harrowing.

In all honesty, we didn't really spend a lot of time discussing the book but, all agreed that we liked it very much. The book was told in two narratives, one past and one in the present.  We  found the story about the kidnapped children from the Foss family riveting. The arch, tying the two stories together, between the children who were kidnapped back in 1939 to the granddaughter of one of those girls was well done and both stories were very good.

Collectively our rating was a 4.08.

MISTBORN: THE FINAL EMPIRE by Brandon Sanderson

We met to discuss Mistborn: The Final Empire on Friday November 3, 2017

The genre of the book is fantasy, and it took some of us a while to settle into the world depicted in the story, with trouble visualizing the fantasy world in which it was set.  It left us wanting more detail of the landscape, a feeling like you have an itch on your brain that you can’t quite reach.  It takes some time to get used to the magic in this book.  The magic concepts are quite unique.  Many parts were much too wordy, there was too much energy misspent on the battle scenes.  

The story definitely picked up in the last third of the book.  And for those of us that went on to read the second and third books in the series, we now see where the author was going in the first book, laying the groundwork for what is actually a much deeper and thought provoking story about social and political issues.

Reviews were mixed, ranging from 2.75 to 4.0.  This book stretched our imaginations and took the group out of our comfort zone of “ historical fiction”.

Euphoria by Lily King

Our group met on Friday to discuss Euphoria written by Lily King.  We had an animated and good discussion, only occasionally wandering off topic.  ;)

The book was inspired by real life anthropologist Margaret Mead and the few months in 1933 in which she, her husband Reo Fortune, and Gregory Bateson (whom later became her third husband) spent together on the Sepik River in New Guinea.

The title comes from something that the character Nell (Margaret Mead) says:  "It's that moment about two months ink when  you think you've finally got a handle on the place.  Everything clicks and it all feels within your grasp at that moment the place feels entirely yours.  It's the briefest, purest euphoria."

We struggled with the fact that Nell’s character was too loosely based on Margaret Mead.  We felt it would have been better if the author either had gone full on with Mead’s life or written a story of complete fiction.    This hybrid approach was awkward.  A few of us felt that the characters were only partially developed and had trouble connecting with them, while others were completely invested in the characters and their journey.  Nell’s husband, Fen, is such an outwardly evil person that you wonder what a supposedly strong and accomplished woman as Nell is doing with him.

That said, we mostly found the book very good.  The insight into New Guinea’s various tribes and customs was fascinating, particularly seeing it through a 1930’s perspective.  We enjoyed learning about the different approaches to the study of the new field of anthropology.  The techniques that they developed became an important tool to future anthropologists that had far ranging effects.  We also discussed the themes of tribal savagery versus Western civilization, a theme that is still current today.

Ratings ranged from 3.0 to 3.75.

HER EVERY FEAR by Peter Swanson

We enjoyed a beautiful day out on the Pinery patio discussing “Her Every Fear” by Peter Swanson.  The character development in the book was good although we would have liked to have known more about Corbin and Henry growing up.  We all agreed that Kate was a weak character with all of her anxiety issues.  One of the biggest surprises in the book was that Kate got together with Alan at the end of the book so that was a bit of a shocker.

There were some subtle clues in the book, such as Kate’s drawings being changed, Sanders mysteriously gaining entrance into Corbin’s apartment, and Audrey’s key in Corbin’s apartment disappearing which all came together at the end of the book when we discovered that Henry had been secretly hiding in Corbin’s apartment while Kate was there.  The book had a few twists and turns throughout but we questioned the plausibility of specific events that occurred during the book so the plot was not as well composed as “The Kind Worth Killing”.  

Five of us rated the book and the average rating was 3.15.  Most of us agreed we would not recommend this book to a friend to read. 

We will be meeting on Friday, Sept 15^th and will be reading “Euphoria” by Lily King. 

Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom

Our annual evening party was held and we had a short discussion on July’s book, Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom who also wrote The Kitchen House which all of us had read and loved a few years ago.  Glory Over Everything is the sequel to The Kitchen House.  The average rating was 3.75 so a fairly good rating but the book was not as well written as her previous book in our opinion. 

All of us found the book to be engaging and enjoyed the Underground Railroad journey that Jamie takes to rescue Pan.  The main criticism was that no one really liked the main character, Jamie Pyke.  Jamie was a weak and flawed person that made several poor decisions during the book so it was difficult to embrace him as a lead character.  We did like the love story between Jamie and Caroline as well as most of the outlying characters such as Pan, Robert and Sukey.  Some of us questioned the ending of the book and how plausible it was that Jamie could live with his a white baby, Pan and Robert without drawing attention to themselves so the author could have done more to tighten up the book’s finish.  

We will be reading Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson for August.

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

June's book was JUST MERCY by Bryan Stevenson. We all gave it a score of either a 3.75 or a 4 so, that averaged out to a 3.85.

When starting the book we all knew that our prison system certainly wasn't perfect but, I think we were hoping that cases like Walter McMillians' were exceptional. However, the fact Bryan has made this his mission/career for more than thirty years, proves otherwise. This book was incredibly thought provoking and brought all of us to tears, on more than one occasion, and ultimately changed Pam's mind towards that death penalty. 

Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy was compelling. His assertion that “we are more than the worst thing that we have done” was provocative.  Stevenson’s Methodist (AME) faith informs his profound belief in the possibilities of redemption, and I found his perspective moving.  He presents a series of vignettes that highlight the injustices in the criminal justice system in the Deep South that persisted into the 1980s and beyond. His narrative was particularly moving when he documented the cases of innocent people who were falsely indicted for murder and were incarcerated for crimes that they did not commit.  Stevenson successfully revealed the humanity of people like Walter McMillian and the terrible personal consequences of his time in prison.  It was painful to read about McMillian’s inability to reconstruct his pre-prison family life and business successes after he was released.  His freedom from prison was simultaneously heartwarming and tragic. 

However, Stevenson fails to show the many cases where the sentences were just and the criminals were unrepentant, which might cause the reader to assume that all life sentences are unjust. Nonetheless, Stevenson’s nonprofit organization, Equal Justice Initiative, provides support and hope for people who are improperly sentenced.

Hillbilly Elegy - Review by Kellie

Our book for January was, as you know, HILLBILLY ELEGY.  Unfortunately, only three of us were in attendance for our meeting last Friday, so we bugged out of the Pinery Club and went to breakfast for discussion.  We all enjoyed the story very much and for the most part, thought it was well written.  However, both Bonnie Jean and Lindsay agreed with Susan that his views on Appalachian culture seemed rather exclusive. As a matter of fact, Susan, your review was SO well written I would like to add it to this email, for those who might have missed it.

From Susan: I really enjoyed reading Hillbilly Elegy.  Great suggestion, Kellie!  J.D. Vance provided a fascinating perspective on a timely topic.  I’m really sorry to miss Book Club, and instead I wrote LONG comments!

On the positive side, I found Vance to be an entertaining storyteller who detailed his family story and its relationship to what he calls the “greater Appalachian culture.”  I had never connected Ohio with this culture, especially since my late Czech-American dad was from Cleveland and grew up in a very different ethnic subculture.  I was fascinated by his explanation of the Appalachian diaspora, including migration to western Ohio.  Vance’s story was strongest when he regaled his readers with his colorful family members, particularly his redoubtable gun-totin’ and cussin’ Mamaw and his Papaw.  I appreciated that he wrote the book to pay homage to the critical role that they played in his life.  His narrative certainly underscores the serious issue of widespread unemployment, hopelessness, and drug addiction in many Rust Belt communities. 

On the downside:  

I found that Vance’s tendency to use his own family and community experiences to make broad inferences regarding “Hillbilly culture” and "the white working class" problematic.  Sam and I worked in a family practice clinic in a medically underserved area in western North Carolina for seven years.  We lived there in the 80s and 90s, which was a very different time, but we’ve stayed in touch with our friends. (They preferred to be called Western North Carolinians or Highlanders rather than “hillbillies.”) We found that our friends, patients, and neighbors in a small town south of Asheville tended to be community-oriented, church going, and family oriented people.  There were certainly those with substance abuse problems and families with abuse issues.  While Vance mentions that these less dysfunctional people exist, he leaves the reader with a sense that his family experiences represent “Hillbilly” culture.  In my experience, there were considerable community variations.  There was a nearby county called “Bloody Madison” county because of frequent “feuds” and violence. Patients with gunshot wounds often rolled into the Asheville Emergency Room. It sounded more like Vance's description of his Kentucky hometown. However, it seemed to be an outlier.  I feel that Vance’s over-generalizations are a disservice to people who share a unique Appalachian subculture characterized by close ties of family and community with the usual mix of functional and dysfunctional relationships.  (Or am I just being defensive?  I’m Scots-Irish on my mom’s side.  Scots always get stereotyped as drinkin’ and theivin’ and fightin’!)  This area of western NC has experienced the closing of factories and businesses in the wake of NAFTA.  One problem that they face is the out-migration of young people in search of jobs and an aging population. 

I also think that Vance’s book would have been stronger if he had simply told the strong narrative of his life, family, and community and left the sociological/psychological analysis to the introduction and the conclusion.  His social commentary seemed patchy and at times disrupted the flow of his narrative. 

Nonetheless, Hillbilly Elegy was a good read and it provides one perspective on the problems facing many white working class communities in the Appalachian and Rust Belt areas. The book has certainly sparked conversations about this topic!  I’m sorry to miss our discussion!!

Thanks for making my job easy this month, Susan!  I would say we rated the book a 3.75.- 4.  Also, I will say that this book inspired me so much so, that I am now reading WHITE TRASH by Nancy Isenberg. This book has been difficult to get through but I am determined to finish it. Not written in story form, this book is just facts and figures, very academic and verbose.  I liken it to reading a text book.  Welcome back to school, Kellie :)  That being said I am learning a LOT.

Our book for next month is WILD SWANS: THREE DAUGHTERS OF CHINA by Jung Chang, and our meeting is scheduled for the February 10th.

Circling the Sun - Review by Kellie

Finally finding the time to sit and write the review from last months book, CIRCLING THE SUN by Paula McClain. I chose this book, specifically, because it was written by McClain.  For those of you who did not read this book you may remember reading THE PARIS WIFE.  We rated that book so high, I was excited to read another one of hers.

McClain's writing did not disappoint.  Beautifully descriptive and "lyrical in style" which is how Sue, our newest member, described it.

The main character, Beryl Markham, was a force to reckoned with.  She grew up in Kenya Africa and was raised by her father after her mother left when she was just five years old.  She learned the art of horse training from her father, which would become her main source of income as an adult.  As a matter of fact, she was the very first female trainer for hire in Africa and, did so, at the age of only 19. She would also, eventually, learn to fly and was the first woman to fly solo east to west across the Atlantic. Overall, most of us loved the book and were in awe of Beryl and all that she did over the course of her lifetime.  Keep in mind she lived in the roaring 20's when most everything she accomplished should have been completely out of reach to a woman.  Beryl was strong, resilient, independent and resourceful. However, for one of us, Beryls sexual exploits, deeply tarnished her character. Over the course of the book, she had two husbands, lovers, liaisons and sadly, an abortion, as well.  However, the only man she truly loved was Denys Finch Hatton. To most of us he was in many ways, the male counterpart to Beryl and, for me they were truly soul mates.  However, he was also the lover of Beryl's friend Karen Blixen, which was for our one reader who questioned her sexual behavior in the first place, unforgivable.  This was a much discussed topic during the course of our meeting, as I'm sure you can imagine.

Beryl went on to write her own account of her life, WEST WITH THE NIGHT, which is very highly recommended and Karen Blixen's story is, of course, OUT OF AFRICA.  One of my favorite movies of all time!

Our overall rating for the book was a 3.9, ratings ranged between a 3 - 4.5.

Plainsong - Review by Patty S.

Plainsong definition: A simple and unadorned melody; Gregorian chant.

“From simple elements, Haruf achieves a novel of wisdom and grace – a narrative that builds in strength and feeling until, as in a choral chant, the voices in the book surround, transport, and lift the reader off the ground.” National Book Award Citation 1999

Kent Haruf’s novel Plainsong takes place in small town America, in Holt, Colorado, in a time described by one reviewer as “between then and now”. The story chronicles the life of 8 characters and how their lives intersect over the course of a year, creating community and family, and filling the void in their life brought on by death, abandonment, emotional withdrawal and absence.

The main character, Victoria, is a 17 year old girl that finds herself pregnant after a summer of fun with a young man from another community. When she tells her Mom of her predicament, her mother kicks her out of the house and tells her not to come back. Victoria turns to Maggie, a teacher at her school that she knows she can trust to help her through this situation. While Maggie initially takes her in, she soon finds another home for Victoria with the McPheron brothers, two aging brothers that have lived an isolated life for decades on their ranch 17 miles outside of town. Maggie convinces the brothers to take Victoria in, to find a purpose in life beyond their own needs. “You’re going to die some day without ever having had enough trouble in your life. Not the right kind anyway. This is your chance”.

And so the story begins, the building of trust and eventually family, between the McPherons and Victoria, as well as a surrounding cast of characters that all intersect to create a community that takes care of one another. There is a beautiful rhythm to the story, a simple cadence that evokes a simpler time of life, yet also full of the sorrow and anguish that permeate all human relationships.

The group on a whole loved the book due to its simplicity and the memories it evoked. Plainsong takes you back to a simpler time of life, although no less complicated, and holds you there so as to fully be a part of the story.

Ratings: 4.5 – 3; “Loved the community and the sweetness of the book”. “Took me back to my younger days in a small town”.

4.25 – 1,

4.75 – 1,

3.0 – 1 “I kept expecting tragedy to happen”.