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”.

Red Notice-Review by Bonnie Jean

First of all a great big thank you to Valerie (and Mark – although his picture taking abilities are somewhat limited😊,) for having us to their lovely home – which is now even lovelier with their new kitchen island and chandeliers!  We had a great evening, enjoying food, fellowship, and a lively book discussion.  Deb and Pam H. – we missed you!  Ratings for Red Notice were varied.  There were a couple of 3’s.  All the rest were in the 4’s – ranging from 4.0 to 4.75.  Most of us like the fast pace of the book, the intrigue of the real life story and the author’s life switch from making money to helping people in need from other countries.  We all felt like we learned from the book and that we are more aware of Russian and Putin’s governement in particular.  Those who rated the book lower, got a bit bogged down in the financial matters in the middle of the book.  And some were about 2/3 through with the book. 

People of the Book - Review by Bonnie Jean

Well, Kellie, Lindsay and I were surprised to find ourselves the only 3 at book club this Friday.  But, we enjoyed the small group and had a long and lively discussion.  We all loved the book.  Kellie and Lindsay rated it a 5.  I rated it a 4.5 …I’m never that generous with my ratings😊  Since those of you who didn’t come didn’t write in with any comments or ratings on the book, I’m not sure who read it.  It is a story about a woman who is an expert at preserving books and researching/dating/exploring the various things that are found in old books (blood drops, wine stains, etc.)  The book she is asked to preserve is a particular Haggadah (a Jewish book that tells about the Passover).  This Haggadah dates back to the 1400’s and is an actual book housed in Sarajevo today.  It is a curiosity because it has illustrations.  However, in the 1400’s the Jews considered illustrations in a sacred text to break the 2^nd Commandment of not having any idols.   The storyalternates between Hannah – the book preserver in modern time, and older times.  Each chapter set at an earlier date describes a particular time period and the lives of the people who owned/created the book.  The dates range from the 1400’s up through WW2 and give a mini history of the book during that time.  I am not by any means doing the book justice but it is hard to describe.  Most of the stories about the “people of the book” are tragic, but really interesting.  It was a very unique way to tell a story, and we appreciated the author’s writing, her creativity, the contents of the stories, and just about everything about the book!

The Nightingale - Review by Pat

For our May meeting, we met and reviewed The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.  With five of us at the meeting, we all were of the consensus that it was an easy read and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the book.  The overall ratings ranged from 4 to 4.5 with an average of 4.35.  All of us in attendance agreed that when we compared this book with the other World War II books we have read recently at book club (The Book Thief and All The Light We Cannot See), we felt that Hannah’s writing style was not as eloquently written but the overall plot and character development was intriguing and well executed.  

The Nightingale is the story of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, each with their own unique personalities that come into play with how they deal with surviving World War II.  The story begins with the narrator, Vianne, recanting her life story of the war beginning in France, 1939 and the reader doesn’t know until the end of the story which sister is the narrator.   This is one of the many twists and turns that the reader encounters throughout the book.  

The sisters have opposite personalities as well as a significant age difference between the two of them. Isabelle is eighteen, rebellious and reckless, and she joins the Resistance to save numerous lives in her quest to fight the Nazi’s.  Vianne, is older with a passive personality, however, as the story progresses, she becomes braver and assumes an active role in saving her best friends son as well as saving the lives of Jewish children.  Our book club decided each sister was equally heroic based on the circumstances and the decisions each of them had to deal with during the war.  Vianne had her children, Sophie and Ari, to protect and we all agreed that she had to assume a more cautious role in order for her family to survive.  

Each of the sisters had their own love stories and the book follows their strength, endurance and courage during this dark period of their lives.  The book had some brutal scenes with starvation, rape, torture, and prison camps – just what you expect when reading about World War II.  The story does a good job of portraying the strength both of these women exhibited and what they had to sacrifice in order to survive. 

The biggest disappointment we had about the book was the ending where Isabelle died in Gaetan’s arms which we felt was a little contrived and unrealistic.  We did like the reunion scene at the end of the book where Vianne reconnects with Gaetan and Ari.  In summary, this book gets a solid “thumbs up” as a really great read.

Angle of Repose - Review by Lindsay

Wallace Stegner’s Angle of Repose was the winner of the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.  The book is set in Grass Valley, California, during the spring and summer months of 1970. Lyman Ward is the novel's protagonist.  He is a physically disabled professor of history and has retired from teaching and is living in his grandparents' old home.  He undertakes to write a biographical novel focusing on his grandparents' lives, Susan Burling Ward and Oliver Ward, from the late 1800’s.

Susan Burling, Lyman's grandmother, was a prolific letter writer, artist, and cultured young woman from New York. Her husband and Lyman's grandfather, Oliver Ward, was a talented mining engineer whose career took his family to California, Colorado, Mexico, Idaho, and back to California.

Lyman feels the world around him is sliding downhill, both morally and intellectually.  It was written during a time of great political and social upheaval in the United States.  In that vein, he juxtaposes the life of his grandparents as a time of more commitment to family, relationships, work, and dreams.  While their lives were in no way trouble free, their commitment to the life they had chosen was steadfast.   There are also many similarities between the time periods.   At one point in the novel, Lyman refers to the resulting "rictus" or grimace of the historian when he or she sees how the present is tied to historical precedents.  He leaves the reader contemplating which generation has the better life. 

This novel is very slow paced, particularly in the beginning.  It weaves the story between the past and present, initially confusing and difficult to follow but settles into a rhythm that makes sense towards the middle and end. 

Many of us found Susan Burling Ward a totally unlikable and snobbish character.  Perhaps the intent was to see the west, through the eyes of an easterner.  This theme is pervasive throughout the novel, the stark contrast between East and West.  She was initially horrified at the lack of culture, the dust, dirt, and extreme climate. Susan eventually finds herself able to appreciate the raw beauty of her new surroundings, and is successful in building comfortable homes for her family. Yet throughout her married life she defines herself through her east coast roots, questions Oliver’s worthiness as a husband and provider, and pines over what she has given up in exchange for her life in the west. 

Briefly, we touched on references throughout the book to the Doppler Effect.  You hear a frequency much louder as it approaches than as it recedes.  Meaning, that while time doesn’t completely heal all wounds, the pain lessens over time.  We talked about the role of the Western terrain as a “character” itself in the novel.  We discussed the definition of “angel of repose” and how is applies to the story.  Also discussed was the power of nature, human frailty, and the healing power of forgiveness.  That is a lot to cover in 2 hours!  

While this book had much more content that could be discussed and studied, there is no way I can do it justice in this short review.  The ratings ranged from a high of 4.5 to a low of 2.0.  Many of us liked it so much more after our discussion, as is often the case with our group.  The common complaint was that is was boring, slow paced, difficulty getting into the book and the unlikeable characters.  Others felt that the book was an intellectual stretch, a novel of great historical significance, a literary work of art, and a beautifully written piece of literature.

Until next time…

Lindsay

The Whip-Review by Kellie

Last month we gathered to talk about our book The Whip by Karen Kondazian.  The book is inspired by the true story of a woman, Charlotte "Charley" Parkhurst (1812-1879) who lived most of her extraordinary life as a man in the old west.  As a young woman in Rhode Island, she fell in love with a runway slave and had his child.  The destruction of her family drove her west to California, dressed as a man, to track the killer.

Charley became a renowned stagecoach driver for Wells Fargo.  She killed a famous outlaw, had a secret love affair, and lived with a housekeeper who, unaware of her true sex, fell in love with her.  Charley was the first known woman to vote in America in 1868 (as a man).  Her grave lies in Watsonville, CA.

The above two paragraphs are exactly as the synopsis is written.  However, the reality is, very little is known about Charlotte, the woman, before she became Charley Parkhurst; man and stage coach driver.  What is known, is that as a child she was raised in an Orphanage.  According to Fern J. Hill (Author/Editing and Formatting services) In 1812 Charlotte Darkey Parkhurst was born in Lebanon, NH (though her middle name may have been Durkey). (Documented).  In 1824 Charley runs away from an orphanage. She reaches Worcester, MA and gets a job with Ebenezer Baich.  This is the man Charley supposedly learned her horse skills from. Mid-Late 1840's, Charley leaves Providence, RI for Georgia with one other (stage coach) driver.  Her exact whereabouts during that time are unclear. In 1849, upon her return to RI, from Georgia, Charley worked for William Hayden and Charles H. Child.  Charley meets Jim Birch and Frank Stevens who leave Providence to start the California Stage Company. In 1851 Charley leaves Boston aboard the R.B. Forbes for Panama on her way to California. Once Charley arrived in California, he became a Stage Coach driver for Jim Birch.  

Other known facts, while during Charley's driver career are as follows: She rolled an empty coach once and "busted in" his sides (probably broke a few ribs), but never saw a doctor about it.  She drove her passengers over the rain-swollen Tuolumne River reaching solid ground just before the bridge collapsed. An incident with hogs scaring the horses so they "jumped grade" happened on the Santa Cruz Stage.  Five deaths occurred. In 1856 while on a run from San Francisco to San Jose, Charley was kicked in the eye (and lost the eye)  by an unhappy horse, and became known as "Cockeyed Charley." In 1858 Sugarfoot held up Charley's coach for the first time in June.   When  Sugarfoot held Charley up a second time six months later, she shot and killed him.  Most of these facts are in the book and when you think about it, are pretty amazing.

The problem a couple of us had were the fictional parts of the story about Charlotte/Charley.  Firstly, her childhood companion (Lee Colton) from the Orphanage becomes an obsessed stalker/raper of Charlotte.  Then  Charlotte marries a black man, has his child, but both are murdered by a mob, thanks to Lee.  Once Charlotte becomes Charley and is a Whip in California, she has an affair with a man (who upon meeting her suspects she is female) who in the end, is the infamous Stage Coach robber known as Sugarfoot. Remember, Sugarfoot the robber is fact but, them having an affair is pure fiction. These parts seemed to us, not only fictional but, also very unrealistic.

All of that being said, the book was actually well liked and was given a total rating of 3.96.  Most everyone enjoyed that it was very easy to read and found it very enjoyable.   We loved reading about the old west, which was portrayed very well, and gave us a bit of a refresher course on western history. What was absolutely the most striking of all, of course, was that Charley actually existed!   What an incredibly tough, brave, strong, resourceful woman.  We imagined and wondered so many things about her.  What drove her to become a man in the first place?  How did she keep that fact SO well hidden for more than 30 years?  Even though she clearly had friendships, some more than 20 years long. Was she lonely and did she lack intimacy in her life?

In the end when Charley died, she was a home and land owner, had owned several other successful businesses after retiring as a Whip, AND had voted (as a man).  All of these things were virtually unheard of, not to mention unattainable for an unmarried woman to accomplish at this time in our history.

Upon his death in 1879 from cancer of the mouth, it was, of course, discovered that Charley was a woman.  On the day of her death those with her also found a baby dress in an old trunk.....Charley had been a mother at some point in her life.  That made us very sad and was also a long point of discussion. What could the facts possibly be surrounding that child?

Charley's grave stands in the Pioneer Odd Fellows Cemetery in Watsonville, CA.  It reads...

CHARLEY DARKEY PARKHURST

                  1812-1879

NOTED WHIP OF THE GOLD RUSH DAYS

DROVE STAGE OVER MT. MADONNA IN 

EARLY DAYS OF VALLEY. LAST RUN

SAN JUAN TO SANTA CRUZ. DEATH IN

CABIN NEAR THE 7 MILE HOUSE,

REVEALED "ONE EYED CHARLIE"

A WOMAN. THE FIRST WOMAN TO VOTE 

IN THE U.S. NOV. 3, 1868