A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White was a novel we liked. Part of our discussion was about the differences that step-sisters, Ruthie & Julia, had after their parents, Naomi & Phil (Phil was Julia's step-father) died in a plane crash. We felt that Ruthie took the best out of San Francisco and her time with her aunt, and Julia took the worst of the time with her dad & step mother in a small Virginia town. Although Julia had a very hard life and treatment, we felt this helped develop her as a writer. It brought us to our own discussion of having a will for our children (5 had legal wills -- 3 did not), and where our children would go.
We also enjoyed discussing how creative the girls were, and making up their own games when they were younger. We felt this helped Julia in her creative writing. This brought us back to our childhood and what fun games we played and how things are different now. Many of us freely ran around the neighborhood playing many different games with our siblings, friends and neighbors.
We talked about their life growing up and how differently it was. When Julia wrote her story, she talked about her sister's abortion, which caused much havoc when Ruthie found out. Did she cross the line by bringing this into her story? We agreed Julia wanted to share how different their caregivers helped them through issues. Ruthie had a loving aunt to help her through her abortion, but Julia's dad had her in this terrible treatment facility, very different results. We felt, though, that Julia had crossed the line, she didn't stop to think about her sister.
One comment made was about Ruthie using alcohol for her problems. Each daughter survived and with the plane crash at the end confirmed their connection, yet. We ran out of time discussing!
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This was a good book.
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ReplyDeleteIt was just Max & I testing out the system!!!
DeleteI enjoyed "A Soft Place to Land", and reading about the (half)-sisters, Julia and Ruthie, separated by practically oppositite coasts in their new homes, after their parents died -- (I could REALLY relate to Ruthie's new home, San Francisco, as that's my hometown, too! -- I enjoyed reading about some of the landmarks mentioned). But the synopsis on the back of the book mentions another "accident" that was going to happen in the story, and toward the end, I was wondering what that something was going to be - especially when Ruthie was driving around Atlanta, on a street that included a traffic lane, called the "Suicide" lane (?) - So, when Julia's flight landed on the Potomak River -- I guess I wouldn't call that landing an "accident", per se' -- I don't know. Maybe it gave me a false sense of dred??? Anyway,
ReplyDeleteI understand that the EVENT of Julia's miraculous landing on the Potomak solidified their relationship in all that they'd been through -- (and Julia DID, INDEED, cross the line in mentioning her sister's abortion).
Barb Hubert Diffendal
I also enjoyed "A Soft Place To Land" and appreciated the blog discussion as the feelings were much the same as mine. Julia was thoughtless in making her sister's abortion public. It concerned me that Ruthie seemed to become selfish in her behavior in her marriage.
ReplyDeleteI have read Ava's Man and found it interesting and felt that we now take our soft life for granted. Trying to be more grateful.