Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Book Club Today


We had our book club meeting for the first time at Barnes and Noble.
It was convenient and everyone seemed to like it there.
All of us agreed to meet here again on October 22nd at 1P.M.
We had some business, and then some more business and then it was back to
The BOOK CLUB
We decided on a few things, do you remember, how crazy last year was with us. Participating in gift wrapping?? If you do, then you would agree that it is best to skip December's meeting. We decided to read something totally different, we will be reading Exile by James North Patterson. Since the book is 600+, We will wait to discuss it in January. In February, we will be discussing, People of the Book by Geraldine March. It is similar to" Davinci Code/Jewish Slant". We are hoping that Rabbi Debbie will be available to host the book club in February. That should be very interesting.
Our next book in October is Keeping The House by Ellen Baker. The author will be joining us, with her treats that she will be sending us.
I love the book cover it drew my interest. I hope the book is as good as the cover, or I am in great trouble. Anyway, here is what everyone thought of the book, AWAY by Amy Bloom.
We felt it was very unrealistic.
The book Away, was a short book less than 300 pages. It was about a young Jewish immigrant.
She looses her husband and daughter in Europe during the pogroms in the early 1920's. She decides to leave Europe to the better life in the United States. But she finds, life is not any better here than in Europe. She is struggling to survive poverty, and the desperation she must endure. She learns that her daughter is alive from a friend. He helps her financially to help her on her way.
She leaves NYC to search for her daughter in Alaska. We learn about her hardships to get there and all the strange people she meets along the way. It would have done better with short stories. She did not know how to make the story flow. She did not know how to change the scenes subtlety. The novel would have done better with short stories.

4 comments:

Lorri said...

I thought the book was realistic in depicting the profound turmoil going on inside her mind, when she realized her daughter was alive.

Most mothers would not have done less, and would have gone to the ends of the earth, no matter how ridiculous it seemed, to try to find their child.

But, we all have different perspectives on books, and that is what makes us unique, as readers.

Unknown said...

Lorri, if you read this. You are right about a mother going to the end of the earth for your child. But the story was very disjointed, and the story did not flow. I don't know what bothered me about the book,but going to Alaska it just reminded me of a Abott and Costello movie when the go to the Yukon. I don't want to insult the author, but the story was far fetched. I do thank you for leaving a comment. I hope you will stop by again. I will be having a book contest soon.

LorMil said...

The book reflected her mind and thoughts, all the discord going on inside her head. I thought it was a reflection of her emotions, like an elevator ride, one minute up, one minute down, for that very reason.

We can't all feel the same way about a book, and that is what makes our reading experience unique.

The story was unreal in various aspects, true, but I still felt it gave insight into the mind of a person in turmoil, and a person filled with desperation.

I thought her resilience to push forward and adjust was amazing.

Take care...have a nice rest of the week.

Sandra said...

People of the Book is quite a different,and a more well-written story than Da Vinci Code. It's about integrity and I'm sure you'll enjoy it very much.

 
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