Fourteen members attending the discussion of this months book. Spring, after winter, sends us searching for the first sign of spring, any sign of life on branches or in the ground. The Language of Flowers was good to read at this time because it opened our eyes to the awe of flowers and message it brings. It was a hard book to read, however, because of the heartbreaking life that Victoria had through her years as a child and then as a young mother.
Nine people liked the book, one did not enjoy it at all, one person didn't read it yet and there were three people that were in the middle, not really liking, not really disliking it. One person said, "it didn't go in the way I thought it would." "Didn't flow for me" another comment. One person said " I tried tried to understand what Victoria had gone through, but my life is so different from hers." One person shared that their heart went out to the girl, she felt sorry for her and was glad she had the flowers in her life, something she could do.
"I think a book is good when it makes me think when I am done with it." The discussion we had did just that. Many of us didn't know about the use of flowers used to convey a message. During the Victorian age emotions and feelings weren't "spoken," often. Flowers would be used to communicate what you wanted to say.
The novel was written with two story lines, one of Victoria at current time, another during her earlier years. Consensus of the group was that we liked that part, not having it too much at one time. The "bits" of information that were tossed out from her earlier up-bringing were then compared with the current life. The story line was so heavy, that having it shorter was easier to "take in."
Victoria, through Elizabeth, learned about flowers and that continued to help her with life and a job. We liked that her business name was "Message." The "Iris," in this book under the Victorian Language is message, and that is what Victoria gave out to help spread her business information. As in the book with Grant, we found there are different meanings for flowers. The "Iris" also means, faith, hope and wisdom. While reading this book, I think we found that there was hope for Victoria, others had faith in her (Elizabeth, Renata, Grant) and she had wisdom (although she thought she might not have any). "She could love and be loved" someone said.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Monday, March 3, 2014
The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne
We read and discussed the Washington County Library One County, One Book for 2014 -- "The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family." Every year for several years, Washington County has chosen a book for a "County Wide Read." One of our members asked what is the criteria for selection. Our library liaison shared with us that they have three key county library employees look over books, which uses the Legacy Fund monies to support the purchases and program. This year they selected a book that had faith, disability, sport, and reading entertainment in an inspiring way.
As flexible as we (Park Grove Library Book Club members) are, we were able to slide this one in this month, and with 10 of us attending the book club, we had a very lively discussion. It was a well-liked book by most (one person said it wasn't her favorite, but she pointed out some very good characteristics about the book that she liked). Having 9 out of 10 people enjoying the book was good. It was about a LIBRARIAN. My own personal opinion when I first looked at it was that it was going to be slow and BORING. I loved it and would recommend it for anyone to read, far from boring! It had me engaged immediately in the book, the introduction shared stories that a librarian would share. Josh shared: "The purpose of libraries -- to organize and provide information -- hasn't changed. They're billed as the Poor Man's University." "Libraries have shaped and linked all the disparate threads of my life. The books. The weights. The tics. The harm I've caused myself and others. Even the very fact that I'm alive. How I handle my Tourette's. Everything I know about my identity can be traced back to the boy whose parents took him to a library in New Mexico even before he was born." It was personal stories of Josh's Librarian experiences that helped make this entertaining!
Our first discussion question was "Do you remember your first trip to the library? Do you read more or less now than you did as a child? Why?" Oh the memories we dragged up. Many members shared memories of their first trips to the libraries, some influenced by their parents' love of reading. Many talked about a "Book Mobile" with books lined on both sides. Personally, I can remember the smell of that small town library my mother took me to when I was first able to read and have my very own library card. Our leader asked "Was there a book or character in a book that infatuated you as much as Charlotte's Web and Fern did Josh?" Many comments about favorite books, and we also wondered about our own children. Will they continue to love going to the library and reading books as we had? One member has had a list of the books she has read for many, many years, and she reads a lot of books! We were envious of her ability to have had the endurance to start young and keep track.
When we first shared whether we liked the book or not, people mentioned they liked the different threads that came together in the book, his life experiences were unique and individual. He shares about his Morman Faith, his Tourette's disease, his commitment to exercise with weights and then his own family, both the one he was born into and the one he created. Someone said "it sounded so authentic with the emotions" and "enjoyed his sense of humor."
Someone commented: "What struck with me was his strength of character. I admired how accepting his parents and the Morman community were for just the way he was." We also admired him as an author and his story. It gave us a perspective of how Tourette's affects him, how hard it is to work in a library (someone said they had great pity for librarians) and about the Morman faith. We commented on the end of the book when he is doing the Highland Games, an ancient Scottish event, and he catches himself talking out loud. He pauses and recognizes that he was saying "oh please, oh please, help me, help me, help me." A prayer to a higher power. We felt that wrapped up a large part of the book. Strength, Faith and the Power of Family, a Memoir of Tourette's by the World's Strongest Librarian Josh Hanagarne, a well-loved book.
As flexible as we (Park Grove Library Book Club members) are, we were able to slide this one in this month, and with 10 of us attending the book club, we had a very lively discussion. It was a well-liked book by most (one person said it wasn't her favorite, but she pointed out some very good characteristics about the book that she liked). Having 9 out of 10 people enjoying the book was good. It was about a LIBRARIAN. My own personal opinion when I first looked at it was that it was going to be slow and BORING. I loved it and would recommend it for anyone to read, far from boring! It had me engaged immediately in the book, the introduction shared stories that a librarian would share. Josh shared: "The purpose of libraries -- to organize and provide information -- hasn't changed. They're billed as the Poor Man's University." "Libraries have shaped and linked all the disparate threads of my life. The books. The weights. The tics. The harm I've caused myself and others. Even the very fact that I'm alive. How I handle my Tourette's. Everything I know about my identity can be traced back to the boy whose parents took him to a library in New Mexico even before he was born." It was personal stories of Josh's Librarian experiences that helped make this entertaining!
Our first discussion question was "Do you remember your first trip to the library? Do you read more or less now than you did as a child? Why?" Oh the memories we dragged up. Many members shared memories of their first trips to the libraries, some influenced by their parents' love of reading. Many talked about a "Book Mobile" with books lined on both sides. Personally, I can remember the smell of that small town library my mother took me to when I was first able to read and have my very own library card. Our leader asked "Was there a book or character in a book that infatuated you as much as Charlotte's Web and Fern did Josh?" Many comments about favorite books, and we also wondered about our own children. Will they continue to love going to the library and reading books as we had? One member has had a list of the books she has read for many, many years, and she reads a lot of books! We were envious of her ability to have had the endurance to start young and keep track.
When we first shared whether we liked the book or not, people mentioned they liked the different threads that came together in the book, his life experiences were unique and individual. He shares about his Morman Faith, his Tourette's disease, his commitment to exercise with weights and then his own family, both the one he was born into and the one he created. Someone said "it sounded so authentic with the emotions" and "enjoyed his sense of humor."
Someone commented: "What struck with me was his strength of character. I admired how accepting his parents and the Morman community were for just the way he was." We also admired him as an author and his story. It gave us a perspective of how Tourette's affects him, how hard it is to work in a library (someone said they had great pity for librarians) and about the Morman faith. We commented on the end of the book when he is doing the Highland Games, an ancient Scottish event, and he catches himself talking out loud. He pauses and recognizes that he was saying "oh please, oh please, help me, help me, help me." A prayer to a higher power. We felt that wrapped up a large part of the book. Strength, Faith and the Power of Family, a Memoir of Tourette's by the World's Strongest Librarian Josh Hanagarne, a well-loved book.
Monday, February 10, 2014
The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak
What a perfect book for February! We all agreed that we thought this was a great book and one that left us wanting to learn more about Islam, Rumi and Shams. One of the members wasn't able to attend and she shared her thoughts: "This was a tough book to read for me. The cultural differences made me
aware of how little background I had to understand and enjoy the book. Names,
titles, practices, religion all created barriers for comprehending the novel
within a novel. I recall a line from the book I will paraphrase. Religions are like rivers
in that they all run to the same place. We are are all more alike than
different." I think that some of us felt that the Forty Rules of Love could very well have been directed with Christians in mind.
Some mentioned that the book was hard to get into with the characters until they looked back and re-read parts of the book and figured out who each chapter was about. Another concern was the book going from modern day to 13th century time period. Some questioned why the author had the modern day storyline, would have just liked the medieval time period story alone. We shared that combining helped to compare the two story lines. Someone said they would have rather had the Ella part out of the book; another person stated "Loved the Ella part, read every Ella page first." A few people had stated they would have never picked up this book but was so glad it was a part of our book club. {Noted: a good reason for our book club, we read books we would have never picked up. We would have missed out on a great read.}
It was noted that each chapter begins with the letter B. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, which I believe means, "In the name of Allah, the Benevolent and Merciful" is mentioned in the beginning of the book. There are a lot of chapters and if I counted right I saw it came to 94. I wondered if there were 99 chapters because there are 99 names of God in Islam.
One of the fourty rules of love which I thought connected well with the story in this novel "Whatever happens in your life, no matter how troubling things may seem, do not enter the neighborhood of despair. Even when all doors remain closed, God will open up a new path only for you. Be thankful! It is easy to be thankful when all is well. A Sufi is thankful not only for what he has been given, but also for what he has been denied."
It was a wonderful evening of discussion and the local cable channel was there to record some of our thoughts. We will keep you posted on their tv show.
Some mentioned that the book was hard to get into with the characters until they looked back and re-read parts of the book and figured out who each chapter was about. Another concern was the book going from modern day to 13th century time period. Some questioned why the author had the modern day storyline, would have just liked the medieval time period story alone. We shared that combining helped to compare the two story lines. Someone said they would have rather had the Ella part out of the book; another person stated "Loved the Ella part, read every Ella page first." A few people had stated they would have never picked up this book but was so glad it was a part of our book club. {Noted: a good reason for our book club, we read books we would have never picked up. We would have missed out on a great read.}
It was noted that each chapter begins with the letter B. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, which I believe means, "In the name of Allah, the Benevolent and Merciful" is mentioned in the beginning of the book. There are a lot of chapters and if I counted right I saw it came to 94. I wondered if there were 99 chapters because there are 99 names of God in Islam.
One of the fourty rules of love which I thought connected well with the story in this novel "Whatever happens in your life, no matter how troubling things may seem, do not enter the neighborhood of despair. Even when all doors remain closed, God will open up a new path only for you. Be thankful! It is easy to be thankful when all is well. A Sufi is thankful not only for what he has been given, but also for what he has been denied."
It was a wonderful evening of discussion and the local cable channel was there to record some of our thoughts. We will keep you posted on their tv show.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
When I first was reading this story, I couldn't believe how big of a novel it was. When I was about a third of the way through I understood why. It is one of those stories that needs the expanded time to explain, that needs the artistic creation to exemplify what Verghese wanted to share. For me, it was a classic novel.
Before we even discussed the book one member emailed her thoughts: "Verghese is such a superb writer, it is hard to imagine that this is his second career. Set in Ethiopia made it fascinating to me with Italian colonization, Mussalini, then civil war as a background to the story of the twins Marion and Shiva life. With Marion as a narrator he tells the story of their lives. I fell in love with these characters and the challenges they faced. The ending seemed a little too neatly tied up. It seemed implausible that Thomas Stone operated on his long lost twins and saved their lives. But I did get caught up in the story and it made me feel good that all strings came together in the end of the novel. This was one of the best books we have read for a while." And another one emailed: "I read the book in 2012, and loved it just as much this second time around. I think Verghese is just brilliant."
There were seven of us at the Book Club, many out of town traveling these next few months, but we had a lively discussion about the book. EVERYONE LOVED IT. Someone said "Epic" in their description of the book, another said "characters are well-developed, you can get into their heads and I'm in awe in the writing style and his own experiences." Three people in the book club had mentioned that they have read this before, and all said they enjoyed reading it the second time around, one stating she had her "horizons stretched twice."
We talked about the characters of the book, the medical part, the historical information written into it, and how it brought to us, the real meaning of a family. A few times in the book we noted that real family wasn't just biological, both in Ethiopia and in New York, family included those who you worked with and were a team with.
We liked several of the messages through out the book, and I hope members comment below, as one has already.
One of my favorite quotes of the book: "You are an instrument of God. Don't leave the instrument sitting in its case, my son. Play! Leave no part of your instrument unexplored. Why settle for 'Three Blind Mice' when you can can play the 'Gloria'? No, not Bach's 'Gloria.' Yours! Your 'Gloria' lives within you. The greatest sin is not finding it, ignoring what God made possible in you.”
I think Abraham Verghese followed his advice in this book -- He completed his own movement, his own piece of what God has made possible in him.
Before we even discussed the book one member emailed her thoughts: "Verghese is such a superb writer, it is hard to imagine that this is his second career. Set in Ethiopia made it fascinating to me with Italian colonization, Mussalini, then civil war as a background to the story of the twins Marion and Shiva life. With Marion as a narrator he tells the story of their lives. I fell in love with these characters and the challenges they faced. The ending seemed a little too neatly tied up. It seemed implausible that Thomas Stone operated on his long lost twins and saved their lives. But I did get caught up in the story and it made me feel good that all strings came together in the end of the novel. This was one of the best books we have read for a while." And another one emailed: "I read the book in 2012, and loved it just as much this second time around. I think Verghese is just brilliant."
There were seven of us at the Book Club, many out of town traveling these next few months, but we had a lively discussion about the book. EVERYONE LOVED IT. Someone said "Epic" in their description of the book, another said "characters are well-developed, you can get into their heads and I'm in awe in the writing style and his own experiences." Three people in the book club had mentioned that they have read this before, and all said they enjoyed reading it the second time around, one stating she had her "horizons stretched twice."
We talked about the characters of the book, the medical part, the historical information written into it, and how it brought to us, the real meaning of a family. A few times in the book we noted that real family wasn't just biological, both in Ethiopia and in New York, family included those who you worked with and were a team with.
We liked several of the messages through out the book, and I hope members comment below, as one has already.
One of my favorite quotes of the book: "You are an instrument of God. Don't leave the instrument sitting in its case, my son. Play! Leave no part of your instrument unexplored. Why settle for 'Three Blind Mice' when you can can play the 'Gloria'? No, not Bach's 'Gloria.' Yours! Your 'Gloria' lives within you. The greatest sin is not finding it, ignoring what God made possible in you.”
I think Abraham Verghese followed his advice in this book -- He completed his own movement, his own piece of what God has made possible in him.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron (May 19, 1941-June 26, 2012) was a playwright, screenwriter and novelist besides writing the book we just read for Book Club, "I Feel Bad About My Neck." She grew up in a family of screenwriters and attached her name to many movies that most us know: "Silkwood," "When Harry Met Sally," "Sleepless in Seattle," "You've Got Mail," and even "Julie and Julia." She wrote, directed and produced many movies over her years on earth. Our group, who are all women, laughed when we shared our thoughts about her book, which was published in 2006. She has been nominated and has won many prestigious awards, but winning our hearts through her laughter with this book was a big hit with us.
We all loved the book. One person said "she takes every day situations that aren't the greatest and makes them into a story, which made me laugh."
Nora said her mother taught her a very fundamental lesson of humor, which is "if you slip on a banana peel, people laugh at you, but if you tell people you slipped on a banana peel, it's your joke. You are the hero of the joke because you're telling the story."
She did tell a good story and we all laughed. Great book for our evening out as friends.
We all loved the book. One person said "she takes every day situations that aren't the greatest and makes them into a story, which made me laugh."
Nora said her mother taught her a very fundamental lesson of humor, which is "if you slip on a banana peel, people laugh at you, but if you tell people you slipped on a banana peel, it's your joke. You are the hero of the joke because you're telling the story."
She did tell a good story and we all laughed. Great book for our evening out as friends.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret
With only six of us in attendance (Thanksgiving maybe threw some people off we wondered?) there was mutual agreement we all loved the book.
In my opinion, I loved the book. It was one I would have NEVER GRABBED OFF THE SHELF. But guess what? I am pretty glad that someone in our group knew Peg Kehret and recommended it, because it made me think about how polio affected people so many years ago. I have seen stories of the iron lung where polio patients stay in to help them breath, but Peg Kehret description of what she went through made it very real. She also shared a story about a boy Tommie, who was in one of these iron lungs.
We talked about since 1979, the western hemisphere has been without a polio case, but how countries in the middle east are being affected. November 30, 2013 NBCNews posted an article about 13 children having polio in Syria. http://www.nbcnews.com/health/60-years-iron-lung-us-polio-survivor-worries-about-new-2D11641456
Martha Ann Lillard, now 65 is quoted in the article
Published by WHO organization in the middle of November
Seven countries will work to immunize children through WHO and Unicef in December. What an undertaking this must be, but to read what Peg wrote in this book, it would quickly become a fear not only in the Middle East, but world wide.
We reflected on what we had for immunization years ago. One person said the whole area was immunized. They had three different times of immunization. I found some Minnesota history at the MN Dept of Health. The first Salk vaccination was May 20, 1955 to 1st and 2nd graders, only 112,000 given to students in Mpls, St. Paul, Duluth and Rochester. This site also shows data charts about the virus which is interesting. http://www.health.state.mn.us/library/dhsjournals/Chapter3.pdf
We talked about how children at that time, were treated differently then we do now. They were told about their diagnosis, and like Peg, were very, very scared. Parents weren't there with their children because of how contagious it was. Peg's parents were wonderful to connect with the girls in Peg's room. Sad that they were so far from home and didn't get visitors often, but that is how times were. We also talked about when Peg got back home someone commented about how their hair looked so bad, and Peg's thoughts were far from how her hair looked. Life's perspective had changed.
We liked Dr. Bevis. In the Epilogue of the Anniversary edition, published 10 years after her book, she shared that she was able to get in touch with Dr. Bevis. We felt that Dr. Bevis believing that Peg will walk again gave her the hope to drive her to walk again.
In the anniversary edition of the book, Peg Kehret has written "More About Polio." She shared that March of Dimes started in 1938 by then President Franklin Roosevelt to combat polio.
Life has changed our world as many people died and were affected by polio. Having this eradicated disease return is a scary prospect that many who suffered years ago and to this day with Post-polio syndrome hoped never to hear of again.
Great book, would highly recommend it!
In my opinion, I loved the book. It was one I would have NEVER GRABBED OFF THE SHELF. But guess what? I am pretty glad that someone in our group knew Peg Kehret and recommended it, because it made me think about how polio affected people so many years ago. I have seen stories of the iron lung where polio patients stay in to help them breath, but Peg Kehret description of what she went through made it very real. She also shared a story about a boy Tommie, who was in one of these iron lungs.
We talked about since 1979, the western hemisphere has been without a polio case, but how countries in the middle east are being affected. November 30, 2013 NBCNews posted an article about 13 children having polio in Syria. http://www.nbcnews.com/health/60-years-iron-lung-us-polio-survivor-worries-about-new-2D11641456
Martha Ann Lillard, now 65 is quoted in the article
"If my mother would have had the
opportunity to give me the vaccine, she would have done that,” says Lillard,
who was a kindergartner in 1953 when she woke up with a sore throat that
quickly progressed to something much worse — a life-threatening infection with
polio virus. “To let somebody go through what I went through and what other
children went through. What if people had to do that again? It would be just
unbelievable.”
Published by WHO organization in the middle of November
"Seven countries and territories are
holding mass polio vaccination campaigns with further extensive campaigns
planned for December targeting 22 million children. In a joint resolution all
countries of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region have declared polio
eradication to be an emergency and called on Pakistan to urgently access and
vaccinate all of its children to stem the international spread of its viruses."
Seven countries will work to immunize children through WHO and Unicef in December. What an undertaking this must be, but to read what Peg wrote in this book, it would quickly become a fear not only in the Middle East, but world wide.
We reflected on what we had for immunization years ago. One person said the whole area was immunized. They had three different times of immunization. I found some Minnesota history at the MN Dept of Health. The first Salk vaccination was May 20, 1955 to 1st and 2nd graders, only 112,000 given to students in Mpls, St. Paul, Duluth and Rochester. This site also shows data charts about the virus which is interesting. http://www.health.state.mn.us/library/dhsjournals/Chapter3.pdf
We talked about how children at that time, were treated differently then we do now. They were told about their diagnosis, and like Peg, were very, very scared. Parents weren't there with their children because of how contagious it was. Peg's parents were wonderful to connect with the girls in Peg's room. Sad that they were so far from home and didn't get visitors often, but that is how times were. We also talked about when Peg got back home someone commented about how their hair looked so bad, and Peg's thoughts were far from how her hair looked. Life's perspective had changed.
We liked Dr. Bevis. In the Epilogue of the Anniversary edition, published 10 years after her book, she shared that she was able to get in touch with Dr. Bevis. We felt that Dr. Bevis believing that Peg will walk again gave her the hope to drive her to walk again.
In the anniversary edition of the book, Peg Kehret has written "More About Polio." She shared that March of Dimes started in 1938 by then President Franklin Roosevelt to combat polio.
Life has changed our world as many people died and were affected by polio. Having this eradicated disease return is a scary prospect that many who suffered years ago and to this day with Post-polio syndrome hoped never to hear of again.
Great book, would highly recommend it!
Sunday, October 20, 2013
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
October's book was perfect for Halloween, a story about witches, both in old colonial times and more recently in 1991. It was a story about subtle witches, using their "craft" for good purpose, more so to using it in healing. Most of us, 11 out of 12 liked and enjoyed the novel, to different degrees. One person said they just couldn't get into it, and struggled reading it.
The book, going back and forth through time periods stretching hundreds of years on US soil, illustrated the connections between Mother/Daughter and then lineage through time. ***see the end of article*** Some liked the character development and could definitely see this book as a movie. Some of us didn't know the Salem Witch time period so wanted to delve more into that after reading this book, some liked the history of the book. Some members wished the book would have been "scarier."
Our leader shared with us that the book is published in 20 some countries. We talk about the mother/daughter relationships in the book, and how women have been perceived over the centuries. We talk about the women's influence as midwives. What has changed for us women in these 300 plus years, included the right to vote.
We talked about being a preservationist like Sam, or a historian like Connie. Both are important, and some of us were more inclined like Sam, wanting to preserve history, but some said you can't save it all! We agreed they complimented each other in this novel, glad she weaved that part into the storyline.
We had quite a discussion about Arlo. In Ch 2, Connie talks about how she came to have Arlo with her at Harvard. Some noted this with interest, while others, just flew over that information. At the end of the book, the last chapter, we see an older couple sitting and observing a dog, sitting by a tombstone, which is revealed to have started with the letter "D." Someone thought that maybe Deliverance came back as a dog, and someone else suggested, that the dog was the same dog through the years for the family lineage, and the tombstone, marked "D" for dog. Fun that she wove that part into the storyline.
One question in the discussion was whether Christianity is contradictory or complementary to magic in this story. In this story it is complementary, but we don't think it has been in the realm of Christianity. You choose, someone said, what side. Another said it was fascinating to read that the witches in this book found it important to have that connection with God.
We also talked about magic -- what does it mean? It can mean many different things, there is magic that is spiritual, magic that is dark, magic that is fairy tale and optimistic, like a leprechen. We even recognized we have the Magical Kingdom, so there is "magic" in the real world!
I found this story to be an easy quick read, one I personally did not want to put down. The "witches" of the colonial days used their gift for healing, obtaining herbs to help along with their spells. Having the book weave around Connie working on her doctoral dissertation while at Harvard and going back to her mother's family home near Salem is enticing, leaving us to wonder how these two worlds will combine. We find out when she finds a key in a Bible. Like someone said at book club, I can easily see this as an interesting movie. Someday.
Thanks to one of our members, here is the lineage
Deliverance & Nathaniel Dale, dates mentioned 1681-1692
Mercy & Jedediah Lamson, 1715-1763
Prudence & Josiah Bartlett, 1741-1798
Patience (Patty) 1747
Sophia & Lemuel
Grace & Leo Goodwin
Constance Goodwin
The book, going back and forth through time periods stretching hundreds of years on US soil, illustrated the connections between Mother/Daughter and then lineage through time. ***see the end of article*** Some liked the character development and could definitely see this book as a movie. Some of us didn't know the Salem Witch time period so wanted to delve more into that after reading this book, some liked the history of the book. Some members wished the book would have been "scarier."
Our leader shared with us that the book is published in 20 some countries. We talk about the mother/daughter relationships in the book, and how women have been perceived over the centuries. We talk about the women's influence as midwives. What has changed for us women in these 300 plus years, included the right to vote.
We talked about being a preservationist like Sam, or a historian like Connie. Both are important, and some of us were more inclined like Sam, wanting to preserve history, but some said you can't save it all! We agreed they complimented each other in this novel, glad she weaved that part into the storyline.
We had quite a discussion about Arlo. In Ch 2, Connie talks about how she came to have Arlo with her at Harvard. Some noted this with interest, while others, just flew over that information. At the end of the book, the last chapter, we see an older couple sitting and observing a dog, sitting by a tombstone, which is revealed to have started with the letter "D." Someone thought that maybe Deliverance came back as a dog, and someone else suggested, that the dog was the same dog through the years for the family lineage, and the tombstone, marked "D" for dog. Fun that she wove that part into the storyline.
One question in the discussion was whether Christianity is contradictory or complementary to magic in this story. In this story it is complementary, but we don't think it has been in the realm of Christianity. You choose, someone said, what side. Another said it was fascinating to read that the witches in this book found it important to have that connection with God.
We also talked about magic -- what does it mean? It can mean many different things, there is magic that is spiritual, magic that is dark, magic that is fairy tale and optimistic, like a leprechen. We even recognized we have the Magical Kingdom, so there is "magic" in the real world!
I found this story to be an easy quick read, one I personally did not want to put down. The "witches" of the colonial days used their gift for healing, obtaining herbs to help along with their spells. Having the book weave around Connie working on her doctoral dissertation while at Harvard and going back to her mother's family home near Salem is enticing, leaving us to wonder how these two worlds will combine. We find out when she finds a key in a Bible. Like someone said at book club, I can easily see this as an interesting movie. Someday.
Thanks to one of our members, here is the lineage
Deliverance & Nathaniel Dale, dates mentioned 1681-1692
Mercy & Jedediah Lamson, 1715-1763
Prudence & Josiah Bartlett, 1741-1798
Patience (Patty) 1747
Sophia & Lemuel
Grace & Leo Goodwin
Constance Goodwin
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