The Natural

Bernard Malamud said, 
"I write a book or a short story three times. Once to understand her, the second time to improve her prose, and a third to compel her to say what it still must say."  

This October, we read The Natural (1952) by Bernard Malamud.  This novel is his best remembered, most likely because it was made into a film in early 2000 starring Robert Redford and Glenn Close.  Although this is a shorter novel than the group is accustomed to reading, it turned out that just about everyone had difficulty finishing the novel.  And then everyone did finish the book in time for Book Club.  Although everyone appreciated the mythological connections to the search for the Holy Grail and the connection with the story of the Fisher King,  the members just couldn't connect with or really care about any of the characters.  Thus we were less motivated by art and more by affiliation.  
We missed Terry who thought bookclub was the following month and we hope he will make a connection or two with his baseball career when next we meet.  

We are meeting November 30th at Ed's.   We are reading a book Mindy has hoped we would all read together because she loved it: The Rector of Justin by Louis Auchincloss.  It is a Monday and so we are meeting at 7.  See you then!

Washington Post Review 2008