Here are the discussion topics for the Plain Truth.
http://www.jodipicoult.com/plain-truth.html
I went into it quite unsure of what to expect but it managed to hold my attention despite a few unbelievable settings! Tonight will be the last book club meeting for this year.
See you all soon and have a Happy Summer!
Rupa
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Friday, June 8, 2007
Plum Wine Book Discussion Questions
Hi all:
Here is the link to the Book Discussion for Plum Wine. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope you did too. It certainly helped that it was a fast read (at this time of the year that's all I can manage!)
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/plum_wine1.asp
PLEASE NOTE THE TIME CHANGE: We meet at 7:00 PM for the social hour at Tokeneke Club. See you all on tuesday!
Rupa
Here is the link to the Book Discussion for Plum Wine. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope you did too. It certainly helped that it was a fast read (at this time of the year that's all I can manage!)
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/plum_wine1.asp
PLEASE NOTE THE TIME CHANGE: We meet at 7:00 PM for the social hour at Tokeneke Club. See you all on tuesday!
Rupa
Monday, May 14, 2007
Final Book for the year!
I can't believe that I am writing about the FINAL book selection already!! For those book enthusiasts that just can't get enough, here is the final book for this year:
The Plain Truth - Jodi Piccoult. We will meet on July 10th at 7:45PM. Location will be announced soon.
From Publishers Weekly:
Though it begins as the quietly electrifying story of an unmarried Amish teenager who gives birth to a baby she is accused of then smothering, Picoult's latest (after Keeping Faith) settles into an ordinary trial epic, albeit one centered intriguingly on an Amish dairy farm near Lancaster, Pa. Katie Fisher, 18, denies not only having committed the murder but even having borne the baby, whose body is found in the Fishers' calving pen, and she sticks to her story, even when she is quizzed by Ellie Hathaway, the high-powered Philadelphia attorney who undertakes Katie's defense as a favor to Leda, an aunt she and the young woman share. Ellie, who has retreated to Leda's farm in Paradise to reconsider her life--she successfully defends guilty clients--embarks on the case reluctantly: at 39, she wants nothing more than to have a child. However, to meet bail stipulations, she volunteers as Katie's guardian (since Kate's strict parents reject her) and moves in with the Fishers. Living with the Amish necessitates some adjustments for both parties, but Katie and Ellie become fast friends in spite of their differences. Very little action occurs beyond the initial setup, though the questions remain: Who was the father of Katie's child? And did she smother the newborn? Told from both third-person omniscient and first-person (Ellie's) vantages, the story rolls leisurely through the trial preparations, the results of which are repeated, tediously, in the courtroom. Perhaps the story's quietude is appropriate, given its magnificently painted backdrop and distinctive characters, but one can't help wishing that the spark igniting the book's opening pages had built into a full-fledged blaze.
Enjoy!
Rupa
The Plain Truth - Jodi Piccoult. We will meet on July 10th at 7:45PM. Location will be announced soon.
From Publishers Weekly:
Though it begins as the quietly electrifying story of an unmarried Amish teenager who gives birth to a baby she is accused of then smothering, Picoult's latest (after Keeping Faith) settles into an ordinary trial epic, albeit one centered intriguingly on an Amish dairy farm near Lancaster, Pa. Katie Fisher, 18, denies not only having committed the murder but even having borne the baby, whose body is found in the Fishers' calving pen, and she sticks to her story, even when she is quizzed by Ellie Hathaway, the high-powered Philadelphia attorney who undertakes Katie's defense as a favor to Leda, an aunt she and the young woman share. Ellie, who has retreated to Leda's farm in Paradise to reconsider her life--she successfully defends guilty clients--embarks on the case reluctantly: at 39, she wants nothing more than to have a child. However, to meet bail stipulations, she volunteers as Katie's guardian (since Kate's strict parents reject her) and moves in with the Fishers. Living with the Amish necessitates some adjustments for both parties, but Katie and Ellie become fast friends in spite of their differences. Very little action occurs beyond the initial setup, though the questions remain: Who was the father of Katie's child? And did she smother the newborn? Told from both third-person omniscient and first-person (Ellie's) vantages, the story rolls leisurely through the trial preparations, the results of which are repeated, tediously, in the courtroom. Perhaps the story's quietude is appropriate, given its magnificently painted backdrop and distinctive characters, but one can't help wishing that the spark igniting the book's opening pages had built into a full-fledged blaze.
Enjoy!
Rupa
Saturday, May 12, 2007
June Book
PLEASE NOTE THE TIME CHANGE: Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, June 12, at 7:00 p.m. At the meeting we will discuss “Plum Wine” by Angela Davis-Gardner.
From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. As this enthralling novel opens, Barbara Jefferson, teaching English in Japan in 1966, receives a bequest from her Japanese fellow teacher and mentor, Michiko Nakamoto, a Hiroshima survivor who has just died of cancer. Barbara's superiors arrive at her apartment bearing Michi-San's gorgeous tansu chest, filled with bottles of homemade plum wine dated by year. After a short, perfectly rendered struggle with the elder Japanese teachers over the possession of the wine, Barbara discovers that the rice paper wrappings of each bottle contain a portion of the story of Michiko's life. Barbara's path through the texts, which she cannot translate herself, forms the rest of the novel. As Barbara delves into Michi-San's life and loves, an odd triangle forms between Barbara, Michiko and Michiko's childhood friend Seiji, a man who is between the two women in age, and who translates some texts. Author of Felice and Forms of Shelter, Davis-Gardner handles the Japanese mores of the time expertly, and the dialogue spoken by non-native English speakers is pitch perfect. She quietly wows with this third novel, which features a wonderfully inventive plot and a protagonist as self-possessed as she is sensitive.
We hope you’ll join us!
From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. As this enthralling novel opens, Barbara Jefferson, teaching English in Japan in 1966, receives a bequest from her Japanese fellow teacher and mentor, Michiko Nakamoto, a Hiroshima survivor who has just died of cancer. Barbara's superiors arrive at her apartment bearing Michi-San's gorgeous tansu chest, filled with bottles of homemade plum wine dated by year. After a short, perfectly rendered struggle with the elder Japanese teachers over the possession of the wine, Barbara discovers that the rice paper wrappings of each bottle contain a portion of the story of Michiko's life. Barbara's path through the texts, which she cannot translate herself, forms the rest of the novel. As Barbara delves into Michi-San's life and loves, an odd triangle forms between Barbara, Michiko and Michiko's childhood friend Seiji, a man who is between the two women in age, and who translates some texts. Author of Felice and Forms of Shelter, Davis-Gardner handles the Japanese mores of the time expertly, and the dialogue spoken by non-native English speakers is pitch perfect. She quietly wows with this third novel, which features a wonderfully inventive plot and a protagonist as self-possessed as she is sensitive.
We hope you’ll join us!
Monday, May 7, 2007
History of Love - Nicole Krauss
Hi all:
Hope most of you have managed to get your hands on the book for tomorrow and at least get into it a little bit - it is a fast read. I thought it was an interesting book - especially the chapters involving Leo. The author painted him to be so true to form of an aging and lonely man lost in another world! I am curious to see what everyone else thought - it should be fun tomorrow night.
Here is a link to the Discussion Topics for the book:
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/history_of_love1.asp
Rupa
Hope most of you have managed to get your hands on the book for tomorrow and at least get into it a little bit - it is a fast read. I thought it was an interesting book - especially the chapters involving Leo. The author painted him to be so true to form of an aging and lonely man lost in another world! I am curious to see what everyone else thought - it should be fun tomorrow night.
Here is a link to the Discussion Topics for the book:
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/history_of_love1.asp
Rupa
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
We need volunteers!
Hi all:
Annette and I would like to hand over the reins of the book club to someone else for next year. This is your book club and a chance to shape it in the direction that you would like to see it go. I am happy to continue blogging - I am hoping that you guys take to it more and start posting your comments/ideas. With the new blog as well as Evite - the logistics is going to be a lot easier. Please consider donating a few minutes of your time to a group that I'm sure we've all come to rely on and enjoy!
Not to put pressure but we do need to let the YW know soon.....
Rupa
Annette and I would like to hand over the reins of the book club to someone else for next year. This is your book club and a chance to shape it in the direction that you would like to see it go. I am happy to continue blogging - I am hoping that you guys take to it more and start posting your comments/ideas. With the new blog as well as Evite - the logistics is going to be a lot easier. Please consider donating a few minutes of your time to a group that I'm sure we've all come to rely on and enjoy!
Not to put pressure but we do need to let the YW know soon.....
Rupa
Monday, March 26, 2007
May Book Selection
For those who want to read ahead....
Our meeting for May will be on Tuesday, May 8, at 7:45 p.m.
At the meeting we will discuss “History of Love” by Nicole Krauss. The publisher gives this description of the novel: “With consummate, spellbinding skill, Nicole Krauss gradually draws together the stories of Leo Gursky and 14 year old Alma. This extraordinary book was inspired by the author's four grandparents and by a pantheon of authors whose work is haunted by loss—Bruno Schulz, Franz Kafka, Isaac Babel, and more. It is truly a history of love: a tale brimming with laughter, irony, passion, and soaring imaginative power. “
Our meeting for May will be on Tuesday, May 8, at 7:45 p.m.
At the meeting we will discuss “History of Love” by Nicole Krauss. The publisher gives this description of the novel: “With consummate, spellbinding skill, Nicole Krauss gradually draws together the stories of Leo Gursky and 14 year old Alma. This extraordinary book was inspired by the author's four grandparents and by a pantheon of authors whose work is haunted by loss—Bruno Schulz, Franz Kafka, Isaac Babel, and more. It is truly a history of love: a tale brimming with laughter, irony, passion, and soaring imaginative power. “
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Book for April 2007
Just to let everyone know that the book for April is Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner.
From Amazon.com:
It's deceptively simple: two bright young couples meet during the Depression and form an instant and lifelong friendship. "How do you make a book that anyone will read out of lives as quiet as these?" Larry Morgan, a successful novelist and the narrator of the story, poses that question many years after he and his wife, Sally, have befriended the vibrant, wealthy, and often troubled Sid and Charity Lang. "Where is the high life, the conspicuous waste, the violence, the kinky sex, the death wish?" It's not here. What is here is just as fascinating, just as compelling, as touching, and as tragic.
I'm about 50+ pages into it and must say that the writing is insightful and beautiful - this is a very promising book so far!
Rupa
From Amazon.com:
It's deceptively simple: two bright young couples meet during the Depression and form an instant and lifelong friendship. "How do you make a book that anyone will read out of lives as quiet as these?" Larry Morgan, a successful novelist and the narrator of the story, poses that question many years after he and his wife, Sally, have befriended the vibrant, wealthy, and often troubled Sid and Charity Lang. "Where is the high life, the conspicuous waste, the violence, the kinky sex, the death wish?" It's not here. What is here is just as fascinating, just as compelling, as touching, and as tragic.
I'm about 50+ pages into it and must say that the writing is insightful and beautiful - this is a very promising book so far!
Rupa
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The Emperor's Children
Here is the link to the book discussion for The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud:
http://www.powells.com/biblio?show=HARDCOVER:NEW:9780307264190:25.00&page=readinggroupguide
Looking forward to seeing you all tonight!
http://www.powells.com/biblio?show=HARDCOVER:NEW:9780307264190:25.00&page=readinggroupguide
Looking forward to seeing you all tonight!
Our Own Blog!
I am very pleased to announce the creation of our very own book club blog. I am hoping that you will book mark this spot on the internet that is our own little corner to post/view thoughts and offer book suggestions etc. - stuff that would be of interest to this group. Never fear - this is on the internet but is not public i.e. Google does not share this site on their public lists of blogs.
You can access our blog at:
http://darienbookclub.blogspot.com/
In order to post to this blog, you will need to create an account. When you are prompted, please make sure that you are creating an account on the New Blogger.
Feel free to try it out - I want to know if this works for us. Happy Blogging!
Rupa
You can access our blog at:
http://darienbookclub.blogspot.com/
In order to post to this blog, you will need to create an account. When you are prompted, please make sure that you are creating an account on the New Blogger.
Feel free to try it out - I want to know if this works for us. Happy Blogging!
Rupa
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