Xmas Party! and The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Our end-of-the-year party was held at Jane's.  Thank you Jane for a lovely evening sitting out on your patio sipping bubbly and munching nibbles!  We would also like to welcome new friends Rosemaree and Megan to join our group next year.

First things first.  Let's get to a brief discussion of the Elegance of the Hedgehog.

A few of us found it a bit difficult to get going because of the many diversions into branches of philosophy, Tolstoy and other references.  But on the second reading, or once you get into the story line, this novel is captivating.  The story of Renée, the lowly concierge, is delicate and touching.  Her double life demonstrates that the humblest person can have the most beautiful life.  It is a timely reminder not to judge someone by their appearance.

Her friendship with Paloma develops over the story as does her friendship with the new Japanese tenant, Mr Ozu.  We do wonder whether there isn't a bit of inverse snobbery going on.  There is something devious about hiding her true self--like having two televisions, one as a front and one for real.  This novel has been made into a film and very cleverly, Paloma is seen using a camera instead of writing in a diary.  

We rate the book 8 ½ to 9/10 and for those who saw the movie, 7/10.

Some suggested holiday reading from the group are :

Ice by Louis Nowra

The Confession by John Grisham

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

Wait for Me: Memoirs of the Youngest Mitford Sister by Deborah Devonshire

No Sugar by Jack Davis

Must You Go by Antonia Fraser

Sotah by Naomi Ragen

My Life So Far by Jane Fonda

Our next meeting is at Patricia's on Wednesday February 9th.  The book we will discuss is "Island Beneath The Sea" by Isabelle Allende.  Please also bring along your book selection for 2011.

Have a safe and restful holiday everyone!  See you in the New Year and happy reading!!

Loving Frank

This is Nancy Horan's first novel and it is an amazing story based on historical figures and events about the romance of the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney at the turn of the century.

At the beginning of the 1900s, the affair between Frank Lloyd Wright, a married man of 20 years with 6 children, and Mamah Cheney who is herself a married woman with 2 young children created quite a scandal. Mamah was a highly educated woman and an advocate for women's rights.  She found an intellectual "equal" in Frank and together they pursued their love for each other despite social conventions.

Our discussion centred around whether we should condemn Mamah for her choice.  Would we have abandoned two young children and left them to be raised by someone else?  If it were not for Mamah's sister Lizzie who put her own life on hold to look after Mamah's children, could Mamah have left her husband?  How selfish was her choice when it is the expense of someone who had sacrificed so much for her already?

Also, would we have been more forgiving of Mamah if she had done something more with herself?  That is, beyond "attaching herself to two colossal personalities", Frank Lloyd Wright and Ellen Key, the Swedish feminist writer.

Nancy Horan grew up in the same street as Mamah Borthwick Cheney in Oak Park, a suburb near Chicago.  Although much is known about Wright, little is known of his mistress. Horan said she was very excited when she discovered some of Mamah's correspondence and decided to base her story from Mamah's point of view. Without giving away the ending, we found the passage with Frank and Edward Cheney on the train to Taliesin very moving.  And the editorial letter that Wright wrote in 1914, which happened to be real, we found very touching and gives us a glimpse of Mamah's courage at a time when "a wife still is 'property'"and how she follows her belief that "only true love is free love".

We rate Loving Frank 8 ½ to 9 out of 10.

Our next book is The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (changed from Ice, Louis Nowra) and is taking place on Wednesday November 3rd.

The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman

This is a good choice for our book group as not many of us were familiar with Alice Hoffman and she has been such a prolific writer with one of her novels, Practical Magic, made into a movie.

She is a good storyteller although this book is a bit of a departure from her normally "magical" stories.  The book tells the story of 3 women backwards in time.  Using this method is clever as we are first presented with characters who we may not like initially but about whom we discover endearing aspects to their characters later on in the novel.  In a way, this shows us that in life, we are often quick to judge and once you see a person in a different light, you may well change your first opinion of them.

The big question of course is "Who is the Third Angel"?
After much discussion, we agree that maybe the Third Angel is any act of kindness amongst humanity.  The story has important instances where an act of kindness changes another person's course in life.  For example, the gift of the dog for Lucy.

We agree that the middle story about Frieda was the most enjoyable, especially the picture that Hoffman paints of the relationship between Frieda and her father, the doctor.  Other characters are not as developed and we feel perhaps Hoffman was rushed into finishing the book.  We thought the story of the Blue Heron was a bit overused although the choice of the blue heron may have something to do with the fact that Hoffman herself is a breast cancer survivor. In Native American tradition, the blue heron brings a message of self-determination and represents a pillar of strength.

If you'd like to read more of Alice Hoffman's books, Patty's suggestions are "Seventh Heaven", "Here on Earth" and "Blackbird House".

We rate the Third Angel 7 out of 10 because it was an enjoyable read and it makes you reflect on everyday life.

Our next book is Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

This is a good choice for the group but since the blogger was not at the meeting, this is a short summary which hopefully captures the night's discussion.

We felt that this story is a multi-layered and well constructed one. It gives the reader a sense of the complexity of the Indian culture. Apart from being an interesting social commentary on India's society and the difficulties of the caste system, this novel gives a fast paced vivid description of its characters using animal imagery.

What is the dichotomy of "Darkness" and "Light"? Is it just the difference between rich and poor? Is committing a crime the only way out of the "chicken coop"? Is corruption a way of life in India? Do you sympathise with Balram's fate and is the "White Tiger" an appropriate nickname for him?

The author also shows how globalization by major international companies has affected India. Despite the fact that India is a democracy, corruption appears entrenched in all levels of the society and there is real difficulty for the impoverished to break out of their condition.

Our next book is The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman

We have given The White Tiger 8 to 9 out of 10

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Open by Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi retired after the US Open in 2006 after a career that spanned some 20 years. He is only one of 3 players with a Career Grand Slam in the Open era and is best known for his return of serve. This is Agassi's story of his childhood under a domineering father, his trials and tribulations in his tennis career as well as his relationships with the people he loves and the charitable foundation he started.

Our group felt that this is a compelling story which gives an insight into the world of professional tennis in an era where the large amounts of prize money have encouraged players to start training at an ever younger age. Many of us who had watched some of the tight matches he described appreciated his description of the mental side of competition. We felt particularly disturbed by the behaviour of his father with regards to giving his own children speed in his ambitions for winning and the fact that Agassi was sent away to Nick Bollettieri's Tennis Academy for much longer than he wanted to when he was 13 and how that affected his attitude to education. It is admirable that his philanthropy focuses on education for disadvantaged youths. Some of us felt he had not been completely honest and open about his later drug use nor some of his relationships. The recurring claim that he hates tennis throughout the book is also borderline annoying. We found the scene describing the meeting of his father and Steffi Graf's father both amusing and telling of just how domineering these two parents were.

We suggest that it might be interesting to read Pete Sampras's book "A Champion's Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis" as a comparison because Agassi and Sampras were rivals with such different personalities. Coincidentally, Yannick Noah's autobiography "Secrets etc" also revealed his use of marijuana and demonstrated how completely divorced from reality some of these tennis players can be during the tour.

Photos by Prue Platt-Hepworth

Our next book is The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

We have given Open 6.5/7 out of 10

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A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Our second book of 2010

A Thousand Splendid Suns

by Khaled Hosseini (2007)

Brief synopsis

This is a story of the lives of 2 women, born some 20 years apart, who live through the tumultuous times of the last 30 years in Afghanistan. It portrays their strength in the face of adversity and the development of a friendship which grew out of animosity.

Our discussion

We began with discussing the main characters in the book and the scenes in the story which most moved/impressed us. It then led to a discussion of the the value of education and condition of women in general in the Arab world.

• Is Rasheed a truly evil man or is he a victim of circumstances as well?
• The quest for happiness for both women in an environment of abuse, betrayal and hardship
• The beautiful relationships between the two women at the end, between Laila and Tariq, Mariam and Mullah Faizullah, Laila and her father, Mariam and Aziza
• This book shows that even in a cultured society, women are taken advantage of in times of war and religious extremism
• Although the story is about the oppression of women, it is also one of hope. You also see the beauty of the Afghan society and culture through the eyes of Laila's educated father, the celebration of the Muslim faith through the Mullahs and Mariam's teaching of the Koran to Aziza

For those of us who have read the previous book The Kite Runner, this second novel is just as satisfying. We like Hosseini's writing style and to learn more about his background, his character choices and conditions in Afghanistan, there are interesting discussion videos on his website : http://www.khaledhosseini.com/index.htm

Our next book is The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer & Annie Burrow

We have given A Thousand Splendid Suns 9 out of 10

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