I really liked this one (thanks, Christina!). One thing that I found interesting was the idea that forgiveness is not something you do once, and it's over, but you might have to keep on doing it, again and again.
"I guess I have forgiven us both, although sometimes in the night my dreams will take me back to sadness, and I have to wake up and forgive us again."
Wynne, I can't tell you how happy I am that you chose to read this book first! It lends itself to book clubbing so well! I'm excited to discuss it with others! Wahoo!
Okay, enough! What did I think of this book? I think it is beautiful. I think one of the most beautiful parts of the message is that each woman essentially holds the power within to heal herself. Wynne, you brought up forgiveness as a key element and I think it is that combined with love - for others and for oneself. All easier said than done, basically. I don't know, I guess I just feel that life is a struggle no matter what, but it is unique and personal to each of us, just like our salvation. I'll most likely have more comments too, but let's let others talk first...
The imagery in this book was lovely. I think that's what kept my attention -- dragonflies stitching up the air, and all that. Good stuff. I also enjoy books with strong women characters, and this one had them in abundance. I was afraid partway through the book that it was going to plunge off the cliff of political correctness and girl power into a lake of Karo syrup (i.e., that all the women characters were going to be strong/wise/victimized saints/bee goddesses until the very end and most of the men were going to be racists/childabusers/morons until the very end). But I was very pleased with the direction the book took. She learned that her mother was seriously flawed and that her father was not pure evil. It was a brave direction to go, and it gave a sense of reality to what could have turned out to be a Frances Hodgson Burnett ending. I was stunned when she learned that she did, in fact, kill her mother. I was sure she was going to learn that her father had done it after all. I loved the exploration of the idea of finding serious flaws in people who you worship, especially parents. Your parent should be good and noble -- it's what a parent is by definition. And if they're not naturally good and noble, becoming a parent should at least give them sufficent motivation to put on a good show of being good and noble. I've struggled with that a lot in my relationship with one of my parents, so I know how hard it is to forgive lackings there. Well meaning adults tell you all through childhood that no parent will let you down or abandon you (physically or emotionally), and so when you find out that's not the case, you feel robbed or at least abnormal. I liked the way Lily dealt with that anger and resentment. It was realistic -- like Wynne said, it wasn't easy or quick for her, and she had to do it over and over. And yet she grew enough to realize that great goodness and great weakness can exist in the same person. That's hard for us mere mortals who are constantly searching for something infallible to lash ourselves to. One of the scariest parts of growing up, I think. Good book!
Another great thing -- this book club gave me a "good reason" to be reading for fun and in the process has liberated me from my longstanding leisure reading guilt (that voice that nags "there are better things you could be doing with this time!"). Most nights since finishing the book club book I've allowed myself to read for at least an hour. It's been lovely. So thanks for that, too.
Hooray! Well said! And what "better things" does that nasty voice in your head expect you to be doing, anyway? All nasty voices in heads should just take a HIKE. (Mine just argue with me, about everything I do. What a waste of energy.)
Oh, they tell me I should be out defending the world against the intergalactic forces of evil. You know. That sort of stuff. Losing weight, finding a man, getting a clue, climbing the ladder. But the best days of my life were those scorching summer afternoons when I'd come home from the local library with a stack of 14 new Nancy Drew mysteries and hunker down in the airconditioned living room to devour them. So down with the nagging, illiterate Voices! My world is in Bookland, and if any so-called "real" people want my company they can come find me there! Huzzah!
Seconded! Boo! Hiss! (Those were directed at the intergalactic powers that are trying to get you to control the universe...or whatever)
I don't know if this is the appropriate place to post this, but I'm going to do it anyway. So, Wynne has informed me that I get to choose the book for January...so I have. Here it is. "The Eyre Affair" by Jasper Fforde. Have any, some, all of you heard of/read this? I would try and explain what kind of book it is, but I'm afraid that I won't really do a very good job. It is the first in a series of 4 books and all I can say is that it has been called "Harry Potter for adults". Anyway, go ahead and get yourselves a copy and read away! Write back if you have complaints, comments, whatever.
Wynne, you might want to start a new thread of comments with the new book. I tried and I don't think I have the ability. Either I'm too stupid, or the computer won't let me (both very good liklihoods!). Thanks!
I can't believe it! I actually read the book (just finished 1/24)! I just don't read much of anything, so thanks for the motivation and thanks for recommending a good book. I'm sure I won't keep up with y'all, but we'll see.
Like the rest of you, I liked the strong women. I was also glad Zach and Lily didn't actually get together. That would have been too picture perfect. I honestly didn't think we'd ever find out whether Lily had actually pulled the trigger, and I incorrectly predicted we'd have a book club discussion about it. But the issue is settled (assuming T. Ray didn't lie!).
What did you think of the Daughters of Mary meetings? It's cool how rich religious stories and rituals are fashioned, passed down orally, and reshaped over the years. And it was usually okay to find humor in the spiritual experiences and the people participating. Like Lily, "All I could really figure was my mother had been mixed up with the Catholics somehow, and--I have to say--this secretly thrilled me." (Though the Pope would have keeled over, she says later.)
I can't believe it! I actually read the book (just finished 1/24)! I just don't read much of anything, so thanks for the motivation and thanks for recommending a good book. I'm sure I won't keep up with y'all, but we'll see.
Like the rest of you, I liked the strong women. I was also glad Zach and Lily didn't actually get together. That would have been too picture perfect. I honestly didn't think we'd ever find out whether Lily had actually pulled the trigger, and I incorrectly predicted we'd have a book club discussion about it. But the issue is settled (assuming T. Ray didn't lie!).
What did you think of the Daughters of Mary meetings? It's cool how rich religious stories and rituals are fashioned, passed down orally, and reshaped over the years. And it was usually okay to find humor in the spiritual experiences and the people participating. Like Lily, "All I could really figure was my mother had been mixed up with the Catholics somehow, and--I have to say--this secretly thrilled me." (Though the Pope would have keeled over, she says later.)
Y'know, I was disappointed that T.Ray wasn't the one to pull the trigger. It seemed like the book was set up to hide something--and I thought that it was the fact that T.Ray had killed his wife, not that Lily had had a painful memory lapse. I guess it is more true to lie that way--messy--but sometimes I like things tied in neat packages in books. It's the only place I ever get neat packages. But I don't think T. Ray is lying; I just wish he were.
And I loved the Daughters of Mary meetings! I like to see how people other than myself see religion and how, sometimes, a whole religion gets fashioned out of nothing but desperate hope. It's beautiful that we NEED something to believe in, and it gets fun when need turns a person to dripping honey on a figurehead of a ship when the ship is long gone. And how people, no matter what religion, are driven to find truth and meaning in life. Not that I'm about to go find a statue to pray to, or rub honey all over it or anything, but I liked why the Daughters were doing what they were doing. Hooray for people who want something to believe in!
10 comments:
I really liked this one (thanks, Christina!). One thing that I found interesting was the idea that forgiveness is not something you do once, and it's over, but you might have to keep on doing it, again and again.
"I guess I have forgiven us both, although sometimes in the night my dreams will take me back to sadness, and I have to wake up and forgive us again."
Good thing for me to think about, anyway...
Wynne, I can't tell you how happy I am that you chose to read this book first! It lends itself to book clubbing so well! I'm excited to discuss it with others! Wahoo!
Okay, enough! What did I think of this book? I think it is beautiful. I think one of the most beautiful parts of the message is that each woman essentially holds the power within to heal herself. Wynne, you brought up forgiveness as a key element and I think it is that combined with love - for others and for oneself. All easier said than done, basically. I don't know, I guess I just feel that life is a struggle no matter what, but it is unique and personal to each of us, just like our salvation. I'll most likely have more comments too, but let's let others talk first...
Yeah, all that deep stuff AND who knew you could make so much stuff from beeswax and honey?
The imagery in this book was lovely. I think that's what kept my attention -- dragonflies stitching up the air, and all that. Good stuff. I also enjoy books with strong women characters, and this one had them in abundance. I was afraid partway through the book that it was going to plunge off the cliff of political correctness and girl power into a lake of Karo syrup (i.e., that all the women characters were going to be strong/wise/victimized saints/bee goddesses until the very end and most of the men were going to be racists/childabusers/morons until the very end). But I was very pleased with the direction the book took. She learned that her mother was seriously flawed and that her father was not pure evil. It was a brave direction to go, and it gave a sense of reality to what could have turned out to be a Frances Hodgson Burnett ending. I was stunned when she learned that she did, in fact, kill her mother. I was sure she was going to learn that her father had done it after all. I loved the exploration of the idea of finding serious flaws in people who you worship, especially parents. Your parent should be good and noble -- it's what a parent is by definition. And if they're not naturally good and noble, becoming a parent should at least give them sufficent motivation to put on a good show of being good and noble. I've struggled with that a lot in my relationship with one of my parents, so I know how hard it is to forgive lackings there. Well meaning adults tell you all through childhood that no parent will let you down or abandon you (physically or emotionally), and so when you find out that's not the case, you feel robbed or at least abnormal. I liked the way Lily dealt with that anger and resentment. It was realistic -- like Wynne said, it wasn't easy or quick for her, and she had to do it over and over. And yet she grew enough to realize that great goodness and great weakness can exist in the same person. That's hard for us mere mortals who are constantly searching for something infallible to lash ourselves to. One of the scariest parts of growing up, I think. Good book!
Another great thing -- this book club gave me a "good reason" to be reading for fun and in the process has liberated me from my longstanding leisure reading guilt (that voice that nags "there are better things you could be doing with this time!"). Most nights since finishing the book club book I've allowed myself to read for at least an hour. It's been lovely. So thanks for that, too.
Hooray! Well said! And what "better things" does that nasty voice in your head expect you to be doing, anyway? All nasty voices in heads should just take a HIKE. (Mine just argue with me, about everything I do. What a waste of energy.)
Oh, they tell me I should be out defending the world against the intergalactic forces of evil. You know. That sort of stuff. Losing weight, finding a man, getting a clue, climbing the ladder. But the best days of my life were those scorching summer afternoons when I'd come home from the local library with a stack of 14 new Nancy Drew mysteries and hunker down in the airconditioned living room to devour them. So down with the nagging, illiterate Voices! My world is in Bookland, and if any so-called "real" people want my company they can come find me there! Huzzah!
Seconded! Boo! Hiss! (Those were directed at the intergalactic powers that are trying to get you to control the universe...or whatever)
I don't know if this is the appropriate place to post this, but I'm going to do it anyway. So, Wynne has informed me that I get to choose the book for January...so I have. Here it is. "The Eyre Affair" by Jasper Fforde. Have any, some, all of you heard of/read this? I would try and explain what kind of book it is, but I'm afraid that I won't really do a very good job. It is the first in a series of 4 books and all I can say is that it has been called "Harry Potter for adults". Anyway, go ahead and get yourselves a copy and read away! Write back if you have complaints, comments, whatever.
Wynne, you might want to start a new thread of comments with the new book. I tried and I don't think I have the ability. Either I'm too stupid, or the computer won't let me (both very good liklihoods!). Thanks!
I can't believe it! I actually read the book (just finished 1/24)! I just don't read much of anything, so thanks for the motivation and thanks for recommending a good book. I'm sure I won't keep up with y'all, but we'll see.
Like the rest of you, I liked the strong women. I was also glad Zach and Lily didn't actually get together. That would have been too picture perfect. I honestly didn't think we'd ever find out whether Lily had actually pulled the trigger, and I incorrectly predicted we'd have a book club discussion about it. But the issue is settled (assuming T. Ray didn't lie!).
What did you think of the Daughters of Mary meetings? It's cool how rich religious stories and rituals are fashioned, passed down orally, and reshaped over the years. And it was usually okay to find humor in the spiritual experiences and the people participating. Like Lily, "All I could really figure was my mother had been mixed up with the Catholics somehow, and--I have to say--this secretly thrilled me." (Though the Pope would have keeled over, she says later.)
I can't believe it! I actually read the book (just finished 1/24)! I just don't read much of anything, so thanks for the motivation and thanks for recommending a good book. I'm sure I won't keep up with y'all, but we'll see.
Like the rest of you, I liked the strong women. I was also glad Zach and Lily didn't actually get together. That would have been too picture perfect. I honestly didn't think we'd ever find out whether Lily had actually pulled the trigger, and I incorrectly predicted we'd have a book club discussion about it. But the issue is settled (assuming T. Ray didn't lie!).
What did you think of the Daughters of Mary meetings? It's cool how rich religious stories and rituals are fashioned, passed down orally, and reshaped over the years. And it was usually okay to find humor in the spiritual experiences and the people participating. Like Lily, "All I could really figure was my mother had been mixed up with the Catholics somehow, and--I have to say--this secretly thrilled me." (Though the Pope would have keeled over, she says later.)
Y'know, I was disappointed that T.Ray wasn't the one to pull the trigger. It seemed like the book was set up to hide something--and I thought that it was the fact that T.Ray had killed his wife, not that Lily had had a painful memory lapse. I guess it is more true to lie that way--messy--but sometimes I like things tied in neat packages in books. It's the only place I ever get neat packages. But I don't think T. Ray is lying; I just wish he were.
And I loved the Daughters of Mary meetings! I like to see how people other than myself see religion and how, sometimes, a whole religion gets fashioned out of nothing but desperate hope. It's beautiful that we NEED something to believe in, and it gets fun when need turns a person to dripping honey on a figurehead of a ship when the ship is long gone. And how people, no matter what religion, are driven to find truth and meaning in life. Not that I'm about to go find a statue to pray to, or rub honey all over it or anything, but I liked why the Daughters were doing what they were doing. Hooray for people who want something to believe in!
Hooray Joanne! I'm glad you're with us.
Post a Comment