John of John

 

John of John by Douglas Stuart was our novel for September.  We met just last night and I am having trouble remembering whether we all loved it.  Most of us did.  We found that Stuart developed the characters in a way that we experienced their many different attributes- their best sides, their worst sides and their loveable sides.  Stuart is able to describe sexual repression and the displacement of that energy.  Relationships between characters are complicated and intense with triangulation and its instability permeating throughout.  Stuart also draws us into the isolated and particular culture of a small island where stepping outside of the norm is very difficult with repercussions of isolation and loneliness.  

We all agreed that this novel is a masterpiece.  Next month we are reading Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout.  We are meeting October 27th at 5:30 at Chrysanne's.  

Zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81347913261?pwd=v1fB4Ah3gy2xycXfjrdu0KYA00gnbb.1

Text Cindy for password.

And Remember- next time everyone brings 2 suggestions for books!

The Trees

 

Naomi, Mindy's sister recommended The Awakening Land series by Conrad Richter.  We started with The Trees, written in 1940 about a family who move to Ohio Valley after the Revolutionary War (1795) from Pennsylvania. The family settles amongst the trees, building a rudimentary cabin and establishing a new life in land previously settled by Native Americans.  The Trees is a beautifully written historical and fictional account of beginning anew for a family.  Sayward, the eldest daughter becomes the leader guiding the family and managing their survival.  Richter researched the language and idioms used at that time and the book is a unique record of historical conversational sayings.  

Our historical buffs loved this novel.  Sayward was admired by all our readers as a strong, resilient female in the midst of a male dominated world.  Those of us who read all the books were enamored, while for others, one novel was enough!

Next month we are reading John of John by Douglas Stuart.  We are meeting at Terry and Debbie's on September 28th at 5:30.

The Island of the Missing Trees

 

Don Hillman is back!  

June brought us to Cyprus and London for Elif Shafak's The Island of the Missing Trees.  This novel is notable for its exploration of intergenerational trauma experienced by people, the trees and animals.  Love and loss are consistent themes that are explored by their effects on each character and on a fig tree that survives and is reborn.  This novel reflects the deep reaching disruption of conflict and war in relationships between people and their land.  

We had mixed reviews by Greater Westford Literary Society members.  Some of the magical realism felt out of place to some of our readers.  Others loved having a Fig tree as a main character and found some of the sentences just beautifully written.

Next we are reading The Awakening Land series- specifically The Trees by Conrad Richter. Optional is the read the other two: The Fields and The Town.