Tinman by Sarah Winman

Tinman by Sarah Winman
Book chosen by Sarah

Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance

Hillbilly Elegy by J D Vance
Book chosen by Meredith

Sharon's comments :

I read this book quite fast as I was conscious of the book group meeting coming up.  It is an easy read and the memoir does paint a picture of what growing up in a poor white lower working class in America is like.

I think he was incredibly lucky in making a different future for himself.  Being a Marine was the first step in instilling discipline and self confidence in him.  This actually says a lot about the opportunities the army can offer.  He probably wouldn’t have gotten into Yale Law without that experience. He was also very lucky to have his Yale professor as his mentor.  That kind of guidance often makes all the difference.

I think his story reaffirms my belief that education is the greatest equalizer.  There are some comments on Goodreads that perhaps JD is looking down on blue collar workers.  I didn’t get that feeling.  I just think he appreciates his lucky break to get into one of the top law schools.

Interesting comments he had on President Obama and his wife Michelle.

Rating 6/10

Our group's general comments :

Well worth a read , Glass Castle was more wow , 7.5 - educational about over generalisation of white stereotypes, interesting 6/10, 7.5/10, Obama statement sums up the book , enjoyed it till Mamaw died , she provided what he needed to live his life even though her own life is flawed. Didn’t like it - didn’t like any of the characters. Reminded me of The Power of One. Didn’t particularly like it.

To the Lighthouse

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Blog by Lee

I thought that by choosing To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf for my book club evening it would present a challenge to the group but I didn’t realise how much of a challenge it it would turn out to be.  Disappointingly only two of us had read it and Megan was halfway through.  Marty listened to an audio book version which we agreed in no way did justice to the writing, and as for those few others who attended, no one else had read it but most enjoyed the discussion with Melissa beamed in from Watson’s Bay by FaceTime.  A techno first for our book club and done very successfully.

Others enjoyed the discussion and Marty commented that she thought that the best part was the title.  I myself thoroughly enjoyed the book as a brilliant piece of stream of consciousness writing and found myself going back to reread passages and then having finished the book starting all over again and continuing to delight in Woolf’s writing and the thoughts and observations of her characters.  It is a book which reflects the influences and personages of Woolf’s life and family and deserves to be read with a reference to her biography to fully appreciate her characters.  It could almost be seen as a book without a narrative, it is the characters themselves that form the story not what happens, although some characters do eventually realise their trip to the lighthouse many years later.

To The Lighthouse has been listed as one of the one hundred greatest books of 20th century English literature and I would tend to agree.  An early feminist work without the social criticism of later feminist works, but a gradual recognition of the poverty and appalling misogyny of male attitudes to women in society and academia which is still so relevant today.

From Litcharts.com:

Stream of consciousness is a style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character's extended thought process, often by incorporating sensory impressions, incomplete ideas, unusual syntax, and rough grammar.
Some additional key details about stream of consciousness:
Stream of consciousness writing is associated with the early 20th-century Modernist movement.
The term “stream of consciousness” originated in psychology before literary critics began using it to describe a narrative style that depicts how people think.
Stream of consciousness is used primarily in fiction and poetry, but the term has also been used to describe plays and films that attempt to visually represent a character's thoughts.
Understanding Stream of Consciousness
Stream of consciousness writing allows readers to “listen in” on a character's thoughts. The technique often involves the use of language in unconventional ways in an attempt to replicate the complicated pathways that thoughts take as they unfold and move through the mind. In short, it's the use of language to mimic the "streaming" nature of "conscious" thought (thus "stream of consciousness"). Stream of consciousness can be written in first person as well as the third person.

What Makes Stream of Consciousness Different?
Traditional prose writing is highly linear—one thing or idea follows after another in a more or less logical sequence, as in a line. Stream of consciousness is often non-linear in a few key ways that define the style: it makes use of unusual syntax and grammar, associative leaps, repetition, and plot structure.

Stream of consciousness also makes use of associative thought. In this style of writing, writers transition between ideas using loose connections that are often based on a character's personal experiences and memories. The idea is that this technique helps writers convey the experience of human thought more accurately than they could by using  a series of ideas connected with clear, logical transitions. Associative thought can seem "random" as it leaps from one thing to the next, with the help of only ambiguous or seemingly nonexistent connections, even as it can also feel similar to the actual random leaps that are a part of people's everyday thoughts.
As an example, characters' thoughts are often presented to the reader in response to sensory impressions—fragmented observations describing what the character sees, hears, smells, feels, tastes, and so on.

From Melissa:

I have had a copy of this book on my shelf for many, many years, with a view to reading it. Of course I was attracted to the title, let alone the famed history of Woolf’s work, which I had never read. And I think I may have tried to dip in a couple of times in the past but it hadn’t held my attention or wasn’t right for the time. So when you set it for bookclub I was thrilled as I knew I would finally embrace the challenge.

When I commenced the book I was initially disappointed. I wondered how I could possibly wade through what felt like a thick swamp of density to be able to see anything beneath the murky waters. I pushed on, with the same resistance that water provides. It was the extraordinary the dinner party scene, Chapter 17, that suddenly provided an incredible vision of clarity for me. It was not unlike the experience of staring at a 3d picture which, after being bewildered for some time at the scrambled puzzle of it all, it suddenly becomes brilliantly comprehensible. Somehow then, I entered Woolfe’s world - and mind - and from thereon, thoroughly enjoyed and fully appreciated the rest of the journey.

I would personally describe the work as ‘tediously brilliant’. And Woolf as a tortured genius - and true feminist long before her time. Impossible to move through life with such an astute hyper-awareness of what everyone is thinking and feeling - simultaneously - (perfectly depicted the dinner party scene - which is like a camera moving, in slow motion, around the table with insight into everyone's secret perspective - especially the women's) and to live peacefully with that degree of sensitivity. It’s no wonder she put rocks in her pockets. Poor thing. So glad she was at least able to express it - express the way people experience simultaneous thought and feeling - and so cleverly - like no-one else I’ve ever read.

Ever so thankful to her (and you Lee) for the opportunity to read this work. Quite extraordinary. The middle part which depicts the house from the wind’s perspective (no less) is so cleverly experimental - and would be extremely difficult to make work - yet she did.

Some lines and passages are so extraordinary I had to reread them to believe them - like this poetic and metaphorical passage which seems to underline the whole essence of the book - from Ch 9 The Lighthouse - pg 204
[The sea without a stain on it, thought Lily Briscoe, still standing and looking out over the bay. The sea is stretched like silk across the bay. Distance had an extraordinary power; they had been swallowed up in it, she felt, they were gone for ever, they had become part of the nature of things. It was so calm; it was so quiet. The steamer itself had vanished but the great scroll of smoke still hung in the air and drooped like a flag mournfully in valediction.]

Overall, the book seems filled with the weight of melancholy, no heavier than that - of grief - yes - the drowning depths of grief. A ghost story - in the true and aching sense of the word ghost. There is such an emptiness in the sense of the missing person/s, the lost opportunities (to go to the lighthouse when they should’ve, could’ve…) and the sorrow of all things lonesome, unrealised, unrealisable, concluded or unfulfilled.

Thank you Lee, reading this bought a richness to my literary knowledge and experience and I’m so pleased it was you who inspired me to embrace this book.
I wish I could be there to celebrate this with you tonight.

Melissa
xo


Ps. The Penguin version has exceptionally helpful introductory notes and footnotes which I highly recommend. They were almost as interesting as the book, helping to explain the brackets and the simultaneous nature of the work and the process and purpose of its creation.

Our next meeting is on May 2 at Meredith's and our book choice is Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance.

God Help the Child

God Help The Child by Toni Morrison

Blog by Sharon

I've been meaning to choose one of Toni Morrison's work for a while now for the book club and am glad I finally decided on this one.  With the current news of the many child abuse cases coming to court and the perpetrators finally answerable, this is a timely choice.

Some of Toni Morrison quotes from the book :
"What you do to children matters. And they might never forget".
"You are about to find out what it takes, how the world is, how it works and how it changes when you are a parent.  Good luck and God help the child".

In an interview with Stephen Colbert, Morrison said : " There is no such thing as race...Racism is a construct, a social construct. And it has its benefits.  Money can be made off of it. "  The darkness of Bride's skin has certainly changed from being the cause of Sweetness repugnant attitude to her child to something that Bride used to her advantage later in life.

Our ratings for the book were 9,8,7,9,7,9,9 and we described it as disturbing, enlightening and hopeful ending, may the cycle not continue !

Our next meeting is on April 11 at Lee's and our choice is To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.

An Ordinary Day

Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales

Blog collated by Sharon

This is our first book choice for 2019 and the meeting was hosted by Jane.

Jane's comments :
The school's reaction to the death in the family is  insightful.  People generally avoid the person with the tragedy.  Acknowledging someone's difficult and tragic event is not that common but it should be done.  The most touching story was the child who was a schizophrenic who killed the dad.

Sally :
Really valuable from the priest and detective about how to speak to people.  Just say simple things and not worry about the right things to say.  Nice story of resilience.

Lee :
Leigh's voice is just how she speaks on 7:30 Report.  A book I felt I could trust.  The people who tell the stories are trusting Leigh to tell them truthfully.  They are so brave to talk about their stories.  Beautiful book.

Melissa :
Religious theme was interesting because you feel Leigh is wrestling with that herself. In the end, kindness.  Moved by the surfing incident.  No quota to traumas.  For those who can change they actually manage to go onto a better life.  Why me ? - well why not me ? The new normal as opposed to moving on or closure.

Marty :
The media is very intrusive when they approach trauma victims' families.  Helps personal recovery if they get a chance to tell what really happened.  It's free as opposed to talking to a therapist.  There are incidents where I felt she was pushy and insensitive.  Maybe that's what drove the writing of the book.

Meredith :
The appalling state of journalism.  Leigh Sales' interview tactic is actually annoying. The book is quite good but it's not been an entirely honest book because she wasn't happy to reveal too much about herself.  It's like a very long essay.  Kind of repetitive story after story.  It's highlighting the randomness of life. The book is too long.

We described the book as : a worthwhile read, unexpectedly more than interesting, thought provoking and reassuring, insightful.  A couple of 9.5 ratings.

Our next book is God Help the Child by Toni Morrison and the meeting will be at Sharon's on March 7th.

The Wife

The Wife by Meg Wolitzer
Book chosen by Marty

Our comments describing the novel :
Beautifully written
Intriguing 
Delicately woven

Predictable

Our average rating :
7.7/10


Our first book selection for 2019 is Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales.  The meeting will be at Jane's on Wednesday Feb 6th, 2019.

Home Fire

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

Blog written by Sally

Kamila Shamsie’s Home Fire is an extraordinary contemporary novel about English Muslim PhD student Isma and her younger siblings, 19 year old twins Aneeka and Parvaiz. The family’s history, community and their experience as Muslims living in London is fascinating. Religion, politics, family, love, and violence are central to the story that follows. It is harrowing to read the grooming of Parvaiz to join ISIS. Anneke’s passionate affair with Eamonn and his fractured relationship with his father are engagingly told and unsettling. Based on Sophocles’ Antigone, the ending is truly tragic.

We all liked this book. We admired Shamsie’s exquisite story telling, and appreciated reading a Muslim-told story.

The words we chose to describe the book were: thought provoking, topical, intelligent, insightful and sad. Brave, ambitious and cleverly structured.
We gave it an average rating of 8.5

BBC podcast with Kamila Shamsie talking about Home fire and Greek tragedies

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/books-and-authors/id331296649?mt=2&i=1000391510769

Our next meeting will be at Robyn's on Oct 24 Wednesday and we will be discussing Unbreakable by Jelena Dokic.

The Museum of Modern Love

The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose

Blog written by Meredith

The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose, winner of the 2017 Stellar Prize, proved a very popular choice.
Woven around the true story of Marina Abromovic and ‘The Artist is Present’ in 2010 at MoMA, this novel is based around the characters who were drawn to Marina during this time, their personal lives and loves.
Over the course of three months, for eight hours a day Marina sat silently across from an empty chair and waited as people took turns to sit and lock eyes with her.
This performance was the inspiration for Rose’s 7th novel and led to her Stellar Prize.
It was muted that perhaps Marina was the main interest in the story, however, it was argued well that we probably wouldn’t have read it if it hadn’t been a novel.
A beautifully written novel about life and art, courage and fear, and the fulfilment of love and marriage.
Our bookclub awarded this novel no less than an 8 out of 10 and even received one 10 out of 10.

Highly recommended.

Our next meeting is on Sept 19 at Sally's and our selection is Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie