This month's meeting takes place in Crawley to discuss Miss Carter's War by Sheila Hancock.
I really enjoyed the dance through the decades, the Forrest Gump-like way that Marguerite seems to be at every major event of the twentieth century, and the teacher's 'reward' in the closing stages of the novel.
The flashbacks from the war years are also satisfyingly resolved and reflected in interesting ways in the contemporary narrative. I found the early teaching descriptions a little naive and idealistic, but then I suppose that was intended to reflect the protagonist at that point in her life.
The whole novel was ambitious in its scope since as well as containing a 'life' in almost its entirety, the narrative also seemed to incorporate every major issue since the war - including AIDS, dementia, social injustice, 9-11, the education system, drugs, teenage pregnancy - as well as being a meditation on the ageing process and the meaning of life.
It was not what I expected at all; and it has made me want to rethink tomorrow's wardrobe as we return from the Easter holidays!
Sunday, 12 April 2015
Monday, 9 March 2015
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
This month's book is The Postmistress by Sarah Blake, telling parallel stories of lives in London, in America, and across Europe in the grip of World War II. I have enjoyed parts of the book and some of the characters, but also found aspects of it strangely unsatisfying at times - so it will be interesting to see what everyone else thought of it.
The questions for tomorrow night's meeting in Horsham have been sourced by Hazel. There are quite a few of them! Don't forget that we have also introduced a scoring system as from last month...
1. Much of The Postmistress is centred on Frankie’s radio broadcasts. How do you think the experience of listening to the news via radio in the 1940s differs from getting news from the television or the internet? Do you think there is something that the human voice conveys that the printed word cannot?
2. “Get in. Get the story. Get out.” That is Murrow’s charge to Frankie. Does The Postmistress make you question whether it’s possible to ever really get the whole story?
3. Seek Truth. Report it. Minimize Harm. That is the journalist’s code. And it haunts Frankie during the book. Why wasn’t Frankie able to deliver the letter or tell Emma about meeting Will? For someone whose job was to deliver the news, did she fail?
4. If you were Iris, would you have delivered the letter? Why or why not? Was she wrong not to deliver it? What good, if any, grew up in the gap of time Emma didn’t know the news? What was taken from Emma in not knowing immediately what happened?
5. In the funk hole, Will says that “everything adds up”, but Frankie disagrees, saying that life is a series of “random, incomprehensible accidents”. Which philosophy do you believe? Which theory does The Postmistress make a better case for?
6. After Thomas tells his story of escape, the old woman in the train compartment says “There was God looking out for you at every turn.” Thomas disagrees. “People looked out. Not God.” He adds, “There is no God. Only us.” How does The Postmistress raise the questions of faith in wartime? How does this connect to the decisions Iris and Frankie make with regard to Emma?
7. Why do you think Maggie’s death compels Will to leave for England?
8. The novel deals with the last summer of innocence for the United States before it was drawn into WWII and before the United States was attacked. Do you see any modern-day parallels?
9. What are the pleasures and drawbacks of historical novels? Is there a case to be made that The Postmistress is not about the 1940’s so much as it uses the comfortable distance of that time and place in order to ask questions about war? About accident? Are all novels historical?
11. We know that Emma was orphaned, that Will’s father had drinking problems, that Iris’s brother was killed in the First War, and that Frankie grew up in a brownstone in Washington Square. How do these characters’ backgrounds shape the decisions that they make?
12. Early in the novel, Frankie reflects on the fact that most people believed that “women shouldn’t be reporting the war.” Do you think that Frankie’s gender influences her reporting? How does Frankie deal with being a female in a male-dominated field?
13. Why does Otto refuse to tell the townspeople that he’s Jewish? Do you think he’s right not to do so?
14. Why is the certificate of virginity so important to Iris? What does it tell us about her character?
15. When Frankie returns to America, she finds it impossible to grasp that people are calmly going about their lives while war rages in Europe. What part does complacency play in The Postmistress?
16. Discuss the significance of the Martha Gellhorn quote at the beginning of the book, “War happens to people, one by one. That is really all I have to say, and it seems to me I have been saying it forever.” What stance towards war, and to telling a war story, does this reveal?
The questions for tomorrow night's meeting in Horsham have been sourced by Hazel. There are quite a few of them! Don't forget that we have also introduced a scoring system as from last month...
1. Much of The Postmistress is centred on Frankie’s radio broadcasts. How do you think the experience of listening to the news via radio in the 1940s differs from getting news from the television or the internet? Do you think there is something that the human voice conveys that the printed word cannot?
2. “Get in. Get the story. Get out.” That is Murrow’s charge to Frankie. Does The Postmistress make you question whether it’s possible to ever really get the whole story?
3. Seek Truth. Report it. Minimize Harm. That is the journalist’s code. And it haunts Frankie during the book. Why wasn’t Frankie able to deliver the letter or tell Emma about meeting Will? For someone whose job was to deliver the news, did she fail?
4. If you were Iris, would you have delivered the letter? Why or why not? Was she wrong not to deliver it? What good, if any, grew up in the gap of time Emma didn’t know the news? What was taken from Emma in not knowing immediately what happened?
5. In the funk hole, Will says that “everything adds up”, but Frankie disagrees, saying that life is a series of “random, incomprehensible accidents”. Which philosophy do you believe? Which theory does The Postmistress make a better case for?
6. After Thomas tells his story of escape, the old woman in the train compartment says “There was God looking out for you at every turn.” Thomas disagrees. “People looked out. Not God.” He adds, “There is no God. Only us.” How does The Postmistress raise the questions of faith in wartime? How does this connect to the decisions Iris and Frankie make with regard to Emma?
7. Why do you think Maggie’s death compels Will to leave for England?
8. The novel deals with the last summer of innocence for the United States before it was drawn into WWII and before the United States was attacked. Do you see any modern-day parallels?
9. What are the pleasures and drawbacks of historical novels? Is there a case to be made that The Postmistress is not about the 1940’s so much as it uses the comfortable distance of that time and place in order to ask questions about war? About accident? Are all novels historical?
11. We know that Emma was orphaned, that Will’s father had drinking problems, that Iris’s brother was killed in the First War, and that Frankie grew up in a brownstone in Washington Square. How do these characters’ backgrounds shape the decisions that they make?
12. Early in the novel, Frankie reflects on the fact that most people believed that “women shouldn’t be reporting the war.” Do you think that Frankie’s gender influences her reporting? How does Frankie deal with being a female in a male-dominated field?
13. Why does Otto refuse to tell the townspeople that he’s Jewish? Do you think he’s right not to do so?
14. Why is the certificate of virginity so important to Iris? What does it tell us about her character?
15. When Frankie returns to America, she finds it impossible to grasp that people are calmly going about their lives while war rages in Europe. What part does complacency play in The Postmistress?
16. Discuss the significance of the Martha Gellhorn quote at the beginning of the book, “War happens to people, one by one. That is really all I have to say, and it seems to me I have been saying it forever.” What stance towards war, and to telling a war story, does this reveal?
Sunday, 8 February 2015
Perfect by Rachel Joyce
This month's book club subject is the second novel by Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I'm looking forward to tomorrow night's discussion in Horsham, not least because this book annoyed me all the way through and then made me weep at the end. I wonder if others had the same reaction?
Thank you to Sheila for organising; here are the questions for discussion:
1.Why do you think Rachel Joyce gave this novel the title "Perfect?"
2.Which story did you enjoy reading more, Byron's or Jim's? Why?
3.At what point did it become clear to you how the stories connected?
4.When Byron's mom hits the girl on the bike, what did you expect to happen? Were you surprised by what actually happened as a result?
5.Do you think Diana's friendship with Beverley was realistic?
6. To what extent was Diana's unwinding over the summer the result of the accident and to what extent do you think it had to do with other factors, such as her marriage and depression? Do you think she would have fallen apart either way?
7.How are Byron and James the same and how are they different? Why do you think Byron ended up spending his life in an institution and James became famous and successful? Do you think that if their families were reversed, their fates could have been reversed as well?
8.Why do you think Joyce focuses on the idea of adding two seconds to the year? Do you think this was important to the plot? Was it fleshed out well? What does it represent?
9.What do you think draws Eileen to Jim? What do you think will become of their relationship?
10.What was your impression at the end of the novel? Were you surprised? Do you think it was realistic? Was it hopeful?
11.There are a number of issues raised in the story. The treatment of mental illness is the biggest issue, but Joyce also delves into social class, marriage dynamics and gender roles. Which of these issues made the biggest impression on you? Why?
Thank you to Sheila for organising; here are the questions for discussion:
1.Why do you think Rachel Joyce gave this novel the title "Perfect?"
2.Which story did you enjoy reading more, Byron's or Jim's? Why?
3.At what point did it become clear to you how the stories connected?
4.When Byron's mom hits the girl on the bike, what did you expect to happen? Were you surprised by what actually happened as a result?
5.Do you think Diana's friendship with Beverley was realistic?
6. To what extent was Diana's unwinding over the summer the result of the accident and to what extent do you think it had to do with other factors, such as her marriage and depression? Do you think she would have fallen apart either way?
7.How are Byron and James the same and how are they different? Why do you think Byron ended up spending his life in an institution and James became famous and successful? Do you think that if their families were reversed, their fates could have been reversed as well?
8.Why do you think Joyce focuses on the idea of adding two seconds to the year? Do you think this was important to the plot? Was it fleshed out well? What does it represent?
9.What do you think draws Eileen to Jim? What do you think will become of their relationship?
10.What was your impression at the end of the novel? Were you surprised? Do you think it was realistic? Was it hopeful?
11.There are a number of issues raised in the story. The treatment of mental illness is the biggest issue, but Joyce also delves into social class, marriage dynamics and gender roles. Which of these issues made the biggest impression on you? Why?
Sunday, 11 January 2015
Skios by Michael Frayn
January begins with Skios by Michael Frayn. An easy read after some of the weighty tomes of 2014!
We are meeting in Crawley tomorrow, and here are our questions for discussion:
1. Do you think Skios could have worked as a play?
2. Michael Frayn describes this book as an experiment to see whether farce can work in a novel. Do you think it does?
3. Have you ever been tempted to steal someone else’s identity or pretend to be someone else, as an escape from your own life?
4. How recognisable is the island of Skios as a believable holiday resort?
5. The Greek debt crisis and protests were occuring when the book was first
published. Do you think Michael Frayn could have addressed this in his
novel?
6. Have you ever seen any of Michael Frayn’s plays, such as Noises Off, or his films, such as Clockwise? How does this book compare?
7. There are questions of identity at the heart of the novel – do you think it’s
possible to tackle serious issues in comedy?
8. How sympathetic were you to Dr Norman Wilfred’s plight in Skios? Does the identity swap have an effect for the good on him?
We are meeting in Crawley tomorrow, and here are our questions for discussion:
1. Do you think Skios could have worked as a play?
2. Michael Frayn describes this book as an experiment to see whether farce can work in a novel. Do you think it does?
3. Have you ever been tempted to steal someone else’s identity or pretend to be someone else, as an escape from your own life?
4. How recognisable is the island of Skios as a believable holiday resort?
5. The Greek debt crisis and protests were occuring when the book was first
published. Do you think Michael Frayn could have addressed this in his
novel?
6. Have you ever seen any of Michael Frayn’s plays, such as Noises Off, or his films, such as Clockwise? How does this book compare?
7. There are questions of identity at the heart of the novel – do you think it’s
possible to tackle serious issues in comedy?
8. How sympathetic were you to Dr Norman Wilfred’s plight in Skios? Does the identity swap have an effect for the good on him?
2014's Year of the Book
I am determined to stay on top of the blog this year; so I will begin with a photo from December's Christmas meal and meeting to discuss Sara Gruen's book Water for Elephants:
Followed by a quick rundown of last year's books so that discerning members can keep track of what we have read. I think that there were ten books last year with confusion over dates in the first half of the calendar and no book in May as a result, so I hope that I haven't got that wrong.
Here is our year of books:
January - Seventy Two Virgins by Boris Johnson
February - The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
March - May We Be Forgiven by AM Homes
April - Toby's Room by Pat Barker
May - No book
June - Igboland by Jeff Gardiner
July - The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
August - No book meeting for the summer holidays
September - Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin
October - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
November - The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
December - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
2015 begins with Skios by Michael Frayn; a much more light-hearted choice than we have had for a while!
Happy new year to all. May it be filled with good books.
Followed by a quick rundown of last year's books so that discerning members can keep track of what we have read. I think that there were ten books last year with confusion over dates in the first half of the calendar and no book in May as a result, so I hope that I haven't got that wrong.
Here is our year of books:
January - Seventy Two Virgins by Boris Johnson
February - The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
March - May We Be Forgiven by AM Homes
April - Toby's Room by Pat Barker
May - No book
June - Igboland by Jeff Gardiner
July - The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
August - No book meeting for the summer holidays
September - Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin
October - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
November - The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
December - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
2015 begins with Skios by Michael Frayn; a much more light-hearted choice than we have had for a while!
Happy new year to all. May it be filled with good books.
Friday, 12 December 2014
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The dual narrative of the young and old Jacob Jankowski and his adventures with the circus past and present had me turning the pages at speed. The ending is also strangely captivating. Looking forward to some good discussion!
We are meeting this week for our Christmas meal in Billingshurst. Questions for discussion:
1. What is the impact of the dual narrative?
2. Does the ‘twist’ of the ending work? What happens when you compare the prologue and final chapters in relation to the murder?
3. To what extent was the ‘contemporary’ ending satisfying?
4. Are faithfulness and loyalty rewarded in Water for Elephants?
5. Jacob begins his story by announcing his virginity. From the cooch tent to the erections the older Jacob gets when being bathed, sexuality is woven into the whole story. Why?
6. ‘A canvas balance between beauty and violence?’ What did the circus setting contribute to the narrative?
7. Jacob's veterinary knowledge saves him initially, and gains him a place near the top of the hierarchy in the circus. How does the gulf between performers and working men contribute to the narrative?
8. How credible were the main protagonists, and the depiction of August's illness?
9. How are women represented in the novel?
10. What is the significance of the title?
11. What is the genre of the novel? Does it fit with other recent reads where the protagonist is a nonogenarian?
We are meeting this week for our Christmas meal in Billingshurst. Questions for discussion:
1. What is the impact of the dual narrative?
2. Does the ‘twist’ of the ending work? What happens when you compare the prologue and final chapters in relation to the murder?
3. To what extent was the ‘contemporary’ ending satisfying?
4. Are faithfulness and loyalty rewarded in Water for Elephants?
5. Jacob begins his story by announcing his virginity. From the cooch tent to the erections the older Jacob gets when being bathed, sexuality is woven into the whole story. Why?
6. ‘A canvas balance between beauty and violence?’ What did the circus setting contribute to the narrative?
7. Jacob's veterinary knowledge saves him initially, and gains him a place near the top of the hierarchy in the circus. How does the gulf between performers and working men contribute to the narrative?
8. How credible were the main protagonists, and the depiction of August's illness?
9. How are women represented in the novel?
10. What is the significance of the title?
11. What is the genre of the novel? Does it fit with other recent reads where the protagonist is a nonogenarian?
Thursday, 6 November 2014
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Entirely accidentally we seem to have read several novels with African settings of late.
This was not what I had expected at all, and it was terrifyingly clear about the nature of dangers in the Congo.
Discussion Questions
1. What are the implications of the novel's title phrase, the poisonwood bible, particularly in connection with the main characters' lives and the novel's main themes? How important are the circumstances in which the phrase comes into being?
2. How does Kingsolver differentiate among the Price sisters, particularly in terms of their voices? What does each sister reveal about herself and the other three, their relationships, their mother and father, and their lives in Africa? What is the effect of our learning about events and people through the sisters' eyes
3. What is the significance of the Kikongo word nommo and its attendant concepts of being and naming? Are there Christian parallels to the constellation of meanings and beliefs attached to nommo? How do the Price daughters' Christian names and their acquired Kikongo names reflect their personalities and behavior?
4. The sisters refer repeatedly to balance (and, by implication, imbalance). What kinds of balance—including historical, political, and social—emerge as important? Are individual characters associated with specific kinds of balance or imbalance? Do any of the sisters have a final say on the importance of balance?
5. What do we learn about cultural, social, religious, and other differences between Africa and America? To what degree do Orleanna and her daughters come to an understanding of those differences? Do you agree with what you take to be Kingsolver's message concerning such differences?
6. Why do you suppose that Reverend Nathan Price is not given a voice of his own? Do we learn from his wife and daughters enough information to formulate an adequate explanation for his beliefs and behavior? Does such an explanation matter?
7. What differences and similarities are there among Nathan Price's relationship with his family, Tata Ndu's relationship with his people, and the relationship of the Belgian and American authorities with the Congo? Are the novel's political details—both imagined and historical—appropriate?
8. How does Kingsolver present the double themes of captivity and freedom and of love and betrayal? What kinds of captivity and freedom does she explore? What kinds of love and betrayal? What are the causes and consequences of each kind of captivity, freedom, love, and betrayal?
9. At Bikoki Station, in 1965, Leah reflects, "I still know what justice is." Does she? What concept of justice does each member of the Price family and other characters (Anatole, for example) hold? Do you have a sense, by the novel's end, that any true justice has occurred?
10. In Book Six, Adah proclaims, "This is the story I believe in..." What is that story? Do Rachel and Leah also have stories in which they believe? How would you characterize the philosophies of life at which Adah, Leah, and Rachel arrive? What story do you believe in?
11. At the novel's end, the carved-animal woman in the African market is sure that "There has never been any village on the road past Bulungu," that "There is no such village" as Kilanga. What do you make of this?
This was not what I had expected at all, and it was terrifyingly clear about the nature of dangers in the Congo.
Discussion Questions
1. What are the implications of the novel's title phrase, the poisonwood bible, particularly in connection with the main characters' lives and the novel's main themes? How important are the circumstances in which the phrase comes into being?
2. How does Kingsolver differentiate among the Price sisters, particularly in terms of their voices? What does each sister reveal about herself and the other three, their relationships, their mother and father, and their lives in Africa? What is the effect of our learning about events and people through the sisters' eyes
3. What is the significance of the Kikongo word nommo and its attendant concepts of being and naming? Are there Christian parallels to the constellation of meanings and beliefs attached to nommo? How do the Price daughters' Christian names and their acquired Kikongo names reflect their personalities and behavior?
4. The sisters refer repeatedly to balance (and, by implication, imbalance). What kinds of balance—including historical, political, and social—emerge as important? Are individual characters associated with specific kinds of balance or imbalance? Do any of the sisters have a final say on the importance of balance?
5. What do we learn about cultural, social, religious, and other differences between Africa and America? To what degree do Orleanna and her daughters come to an understanding of those differences? Do you agree with what you take to be Kingsolver's message concerning such differences?
6. Why do you suppose that Reverend Nathan Price is not given a voice of his own? Do we learn from his wife and daughters enough information to formulate an adequate explanation for his beliefs and behavior? Does such an explanation matter?
7. What differences and similarities are there among Nathan Price's relationship with his family, Tata Ndu's relationship with his people, and the relationship of the Belgian and American authorities with the Congo? Are the novel's political details—both imagined and historical—appropriate?
8. How does Kingsolver present the double themes of captivity and freedom and of love and betrayal? What kinds of captivity and freedom does she explore? What kinds of love and betrayal? What are the causes and consequences of each kind of captivity, freedom, love, and betrayal?
9. At Bikoki Station, in 1965, Leah reflects, "I still know what justice is." Does she? What concept of justice does each member of the Price family and other characters (Anatole, for example) hold? Do you have a sense, by the novel's end, that any true justice has occurred?
10. In Book Six, Adah proclaims, "This is the story I believe in..." What is that story? Do Rachel and Leah also have stories in which they believe? How would you characterize the philosophies of life at which Adah, Leah, and Rachel arrive? What story do you believe in?
11. At the novel's end, the carved-animal woman in the African market is sure that "There has never been any village on the road past Bulungu," that "There is no such village" as Kilanga. What do you make of this?
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