{reading if you don't get to the book}

{This book is wonderful} per Kristin! But if you dont have time to get to starting or finishing this fabulous book! Please go to one of these three sites to get a little knowledge on what the book is about so we can all talk about it! 


http://www.litlovers.com/guide_sarahs_key.html

http://lisamm.wordpress.com/2009/03/21/book-review-sarahs-key-by-tatiana-de-rosnay/

http://lisamm.wordpress.com/2009/03/21/book-club-q-a-with-tatiana-de-rosnay-author-of-sarahs-key/

Jill's Pick {Sarah's Key}

Month six brings us to Jill's Pick! We have made it through one round of wonderful book selections...And this book looks like it is going to be another fabulous read! Can't wait to get started! 


In the summer of 1942, the French police arrested thousands of Jewish families and held them outside of Paris before shipping them off to Auschwitz. On the 60th anniversary of the roundups, an expatriate American journalist covering the atrocities discovers a personal connection—her apartment was formerly occupied by one such family. She resolves to find out what happened to Sarah, the 10-year-old daughter, who was the only family member to survive. The story is heart-wrenching, and Polly Stone gives an excellent performance, keeping a low-key tone through descriptions of horror that would elicit excessive dramatics from a less talented performer. Her characters are easy to differentiate, and her French accent is convincing. 


De Rosnay's novel is captivating, and the powerful narration gives it even greater impact. A St. Martin's hardcover. (June)






{when & where} Cinetopia~Saturday, August 14th, Time TBD....

Madalyn's Pick {A Separate Peace}

We are on Month 5! Can you believe it! I swear I use to roll my eyes when adults proclaimed that time flies by...when I was little time seemed to drag on and on...Now I guess I am a real life adult b/c life just zooms by without me even aware of it! 


Maddy has picked a classic for us this month and I can't wait to jump right in! I love reading books that people have been loving for decades...It brings me right back to high school AP Lit.! A whole year of nothing but reading and sitting in a circle talking about it...It was the perfect class...It was a book club I got a grade in! An A might I add! 


Gr 9 Up-The volatile world of male adolescence provides the backdrop for John Knowles' engrossing tale of love, hate, war, and peace. Sharing a room at Devon, an exclusive New England prep school, in the summer prior to World War II, Gene and Phineas form a complex bond of friendship that draws out both the best and worst characteristics of each boy and leads ultimately to violence, a confession, and the betrayal of trust. Narrator Scott Snively's ability to switch seamlessly from the perspective of a teenager tormented by feelings he doesn't want to understand to the reflective musing of a man looking back at the formative experience of his youth provide both the story and the setting with an immediacy that quickly engages listeners. Not only does Snively give a distinctive voice to each of the main characters, he also delineates the mannerisms and personalities of the other boys and the teachers surrounding them. Intense, mesmerizing, and compelling, this rendition of a classic coming-of-age tale belongs in all public library collections, and will be especially helpful to high school students as an accompaniment to the written text.-Cindy Lombardo, Orrville Public Library, OH Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.


{when & where} Madalyn's Living Room~Saturday, July 10th~2:00pm

{discussion questions}

1. Rhoda’s parents are deeply religious. What are some of the more notable ways their faith manifests itself? What qualities do they possess that you admire? Were you surprised by anything you learned about the Mennonite community?


2. The lover named Bob pops up with an almost incantatory persistence, like a refrain. Do you think it would be harder to be left for a man or a woman? Given that Rhoda returns to the lover’s gender again and again, what do you think Rhoda would say?


3. Consider the marriages portrayed in this book. Rhoda and Nick remain together fifteen years; Mary and Si, more than forty-four years; Hannah and Phil, eleven years. Does the book make any tacit suggestions about what makes a good marriage? Do you know of any marriages that make you say, “I want what they have”?


4. Consider Rhoda’s family gatherings on Christmas Eve and Christmas. Would you describe this as a functional or a dysfunctional family dynamic? Rhoda and her siblings are very different from one another – do they get along better than you would expect, or not?


5. Rhoda does not explicitly state that her parents opposed her marriage to an intellectual atheist, but we may infer that with their deeply held religious convictions, they grieved for Rhoda’s future. Do you think that Rhoda’s parents would have opened their home to Nick, if he had wished to become a part of the family? What should loving parents do when their child chooses unwisely?


6. Rhoda announces early on in the memoir that her husband left her for a man he met on Gay.com; however, as the book progresses, she slowly reveals that her marriage had been troubled for some time, and that she knew Nick was bisexual before they were married. Does this revelation change your perspective? Can we sympathize with a woman who knowingly entered into a marriage with a bisexual man? Do you think Rhoda’s piecemeal revelations mimic the way in which Rhoda comes to terms with the end of her marriage? Why do you think the book is structured this way?


7. To what extent is this a memoir about growing up? Rhoda humorously relates her embarrassment at having to eat “shame-based foods” at school as a child – but admits that as an adult, she enjoys them. Similarly, she looks back fondly on other experiences that were likely not very pleasant at the time – setting off a yard bomb inside the van she was sleeping in on a camping trip, for one. Are there other examples you can think of? Do you think this kind of nostalgia – a willingness to appreciate and poke fun at bad memories – is something that’s indicative of maturity, of adulthood?
Or is it a dodge, a way to avoid facing unpleasant truths?


8. The Mennonites disapprove of dancing and drinking alcohol. Rhoda says that while growing up, radios, eight-track tapes, unsupervised television, Lite-Brites, and Barbies – among other things – were all forbidden. Does her family gain anything positive by limiting “wordly” influences? Did Rhoda and her siblings lose anything in being so sheltered? What “wordly” influences would you try to protect your children from today?


9. Some Mennonites disapprove of higher education. Do you think that a career in academia necessarily precludes one from faith? How does Rhoda reconcile the two?


10. Rhoda’s mother is, as Rhoda puts it, “as buoyant as a lark on a summer’s morn.” Rhoda claims to be not as upbeat as her mother, but do you think that in some ways, she is? Given the seriousness of some of the issues explored in the memoir, did the humorous voice surprise you?


11. Rhoda freely discusses the problems in her marriage, and how poorly her husband sometimes treated her. Looking back on it, however, she thinks that she probably still would have married him regardless. She asks, “Is it ever really a waste of time to love someone, truly and deeply, with everything you have?” What do you think?


12. Does the memoir signal Rhoda’s forgiveness of Nick? Or does the writing of it suggest that in some ways she is still hanging on to her hurt? Forgiveness isn’t often explicitly taught. Some religious institutions fall short in this area, stressing that we should forgive rather than telling us how to forgive. How did you learn to forgive? How can we teach forgiveness to our children?


13. Rhoda and Hannah make a list of men they would refuse to date – it includes, but is not limited to: men named Dwayne or Bruce; men who have the high strange laugh of a distant loon; men who bring index cards with prewritten conversation starters on a first date. What qualities might you assiduously avoid in a romantic partner?


14. Rhoda’s mother tells her, “When you’re young, faith is often a matter of rules…but as you get older, you realize that faith is really a matter of relationship – with God, with the people around you, with members of your community.” Is Rhoda’s own relationship with faith an example of this, in a way?


15. Toward the end of the book, Rhoda remarks that she “suddenly felt destiny as a mighty and perplexing force, an inexorable current that sweeps us off into new channels.” Do you believe in destiny? Can you really ever escape your roots or change your beliefs?

Holly's Pick {Mennonite in a Little Black Dress}

Month four brings us Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, in which I went out last Saturday and promptly started! So far...Wonderful! Here is a brief description:


At first, the worst week of Janzen's life—she gets into a debilitating car wreck right after her husband leaves her for a guy he met on the Internet and saddles her with a mortgage she can't afford—seems to come out of nowhere, but the disaster's long buildup becomes clearer as she opens herself up. Her 15-year relationship with Nick had always been punctuated by manic outbursts and verbally abusive behavior, so recognizing her co-dependent role in their marriage becomes an important part of Janzen's recovery (even as she tweaks the 12 steps just a bit). The healing is further assisted by her decision to move back in with her Mennonite parents, prompting her to look at her childhood religion with fresh, twinkling eyes. (She provides an appendix for those unfamiliar with Mennonite culture, as well as a list of “shame-based foods” from hot potato salad to borscht.) Janzen is always ready to gently turn the humor back on herself, though, and women will immediately warm to the self-deprecating honesty with which she describes the efforts of friends and family to help her re-establish her emotional well-being. 


This month Kristin came up with a Brilliant idea. We will get together by the fire at cinetopia...or outside...depending on the weather for some wine and book/girl talk and then head into the theater to see the Beloved Sex and the City 2...Yeah! So.....


{when & where} Cinetopia ~ Saturday, May 29th ~ Lunch and Drinks@11:30am... Movie@1:00pm

{discussion questions}

1. The novel's setting and strong sense of place seem to echo its mood and themes. What role does the wintry Wisconsin landscape play? And the very different, opulent setting of St. Louis?

2. Ralph and Catherine's story frequently pauses to give brief, often horrific glimpses into the lives of others. Ralph remarks on the violence that surrounds them in Wisconsin, saying, "They hate their lives. They start to hate each other. They lose their minds, wanting things they can't have" (page 205). How do these vignettes of madness and violence contribute to the novel's themes?

3. Catherine imagines herself as an actress playing a series of roles, the one of Ralph's wife being the starring role of a lifetime. Where in the novel might you see a glimpse of the real Catherine Land? Do you feel that you ever get to know this woman, or is she always hidden behind a facade?

4. The encounter between Catherine and her sister, Alice, is one of the pivotal moments of the novel. How do you view these two women after reading the story of their origins? Why do the two sisters wind up on such different paths? Why does Catherine ultimately lose hope in Alice's redemption?

5. The idea of escape runs throughout the novel. Ralph thinks, "Some things you escape...You don't escape the things, mostly bad, that just happen to you" (pages 5-6). What circumstances trap characters permanently? How do  characters attempt to escape their circumstances? When, if ever, do they succeed? How does the bird imagery that runs through the book relate to the idea of imprisonment and escape?

6. "You can live with hopelessness for only so long before you are, in fact, hopeless," reflects Ralph (page 8). Which characters here are truly hopeless? Alice? Antonio? Ralph himself? Do you see any glimmers of hope in the story?

7. Why, in your opinion, does Ralph allow himself to be gradually poisoned, even after he's aware of what's happening to him? What does this decision say about his character?

8. Why does Catherine become obsessed with nurturing and reviving the "secret garden" of Ralph's mansion? What insights does this preoccupation reveal about Catherine's character?

9. Does Catherine live up in any way to the advertisement Ralph places in the newspaper (page 20)? Why or why not?

10. Did you have sympathy for any of the characters? Did this change as time went on?

11. At the onset of A Reliable Wife the characters are not good people. They have done bad things and have lived thoughtlessly. In the end how do they find hope?

12. The author directly or indirectly references several classic novels--by the Bronte sisters, Daphne du Maurier, and Frances Hodgson Burnett, among others. How does A Reliable Wife play with the conventions of these classic Gothic novels? Does the book seem more shocking or provocative as a result? 

Hayley's Pick {A Reliable Wife}

Month Three! Our second get to together was wonderful! The cake was fabulous Kristin! And such a good idea to print out the discussion questions! This book was a very interesting one to correlate to our own lives! Now, we are on month three and its Hayley's Pick:


He placed a notice in a Chicago paper, an advertisement for "a reliable wife." She responded, saying that she was "a simple, honest woman." She was, of course, anything but honest, and the only simple thing about her was her single-minded determination to marry this man and then kill him, slowly and carefully, leaving her a wealthy widow, able to take care of the one she truly loved.

What Catherine Land did not realize was that the enigmatic and lonely Ralph Truitt had a plan of his own. And what neither anticipated was that they would fall so completely in love.

Filled with unforgettable characters, and shimmering with color and atmosphere, A Reliable Wife is an enthralling tale of love and madness, of longing and murder. 




{when & where}Hayley's living room~Saturday, April 24th~2:00pm