Mettng at Claire's Condo at Breton Woods, June 29, 2018

Riverrun Book Club May 2018 Meeting

Book Discussed:  The Last Days of Dogtown

What a wonderful day to have our meeting at Claire’s condo in Bretton Woods.  Along with great appetizers, salads and desserts, Claire served up hot dogs, hamburgers and all the fixings for one of the first cookouts of the season. 

This is another book by Anita Diamant.  General consensus was that while we liked this book about strong women, The Red Tent ranked higher on our list of good reads.  Judy did an excellent review of the book and the characters--among which were widows, whores, witches and dogs.  As all our members were there (except for Marlena – we missed you), I’ve not included notes on the opinions/comments expressed during the meeting.  And, after some research, I must concur with the general opinion that the book is based on a real place and authentic people. 

The book chosen for the July meeting is Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Diane volunteered to notify Nina.

Next Meeting:            June 24, 2018

Place:                          Judy will be our hostess

Time:                         

Book for discussion: LaRose by Louise Erdrich (Joy’s suggestion)

 Celia will submit her book suggestions at the June meeting (book for August discussion). The August 26 meeting will be held at Celia’s. 

The July 29 meeting will be at the Pond on Millbrook road.  Marilyn and Diane have both offered their home in case of rain.  Ann Fitzherbert will submit list for voting. 

Celia's Suggestions for our August Book

Sorry about the way this post is displayed.  Have no idea why it is all in orange.  Was not able to correct

My Beloved World

by Sonia Sotomayor (Author) 

 

"My Beloved World"  by Sonia Sotomayor

4.6 out of 5 stars 2,295 customer reviews

The first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor has become an instant American icon. Now, with a candor and intimacy never undertaken by a sitting Justice, she recounts her life from a Bronx housing project to the federal bench, a journey that offers an inspiring testament to her own extraordinary determination and the power of believing in oneself.

Here is the story of a precarious childhood, with an alcoholic father (who would die when she was nine) and a devoted but overburdened mother, and of the refuge a little girl took from the turmoil at home with her passionately spirited paternal grandmother. But it was when she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes that the precocious Sonia recognized she must ultimately depend on herself.  She would learn to give herself the insulin shots she needed to survive and soon imagined a path to a different life. With only television characters for her professional role models, and little understanding of what was involved, she determined to become a lawyer, a dream that would sustain her on an unlikely course, from valedictorian of her high school class to the highest honors at Princeton, Yale Law School, the New York County District Attorney’s office, private practice, and appointment to the Federal District Court before the age of forty. Along the way we see how she was shaped by her invaluable mentors, a failed marriage, and the modern version of extended family she has created from cherished friends and their children. Through her still-astonished eyes, America’s infinite possibilities are envisioned anew in this warm and honest book, destined to become a classic of self-invention and self-discovery.

The Wright Brothers  

by David McCullough (Author)

4.6 out of 5 stars 5,389 customer reviews
The #1 New York Times bestseller from David McCullough, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize—the dramatic story-behind-the-story about the courageous brothers who taught the world how to fly—Wilbur and Orville Wright.

On a winter day in 1903, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, two brothers—bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio—changed history. But it would take the world some time to believe that the age of flight had begun, with the first powered machine carrying a pilot.

Orville and Wilbur Wright were men of exceptional courage and determination, and of far-ranging intellectual interests and ceaseless curiosity. When they worked together, no problem seemed to be insurmountable. Wilbur was unquestionably a genius. Orville had such mechanical ingenuity as few had ever seen. That they had no more than a public high school education and little money never stopped them in their mission to take to the air. Nothing did, not even the self-evident reality that every time they took off, they risked being killed.
In this “enjoyable, fast-paced tale” (The Economist), master historian David McCullough “shows as never before how two Ohio boys from a remarkable family taught the world to fly” (The Washington Post) and “captures the marvel of what the Wrights accomplished” (The Wall Street Journal). He draws on the extensive Wright family papers to profile not only the brothers but their sister, Katharine, without whom things might well have gone differently for them. Essential reading, this is “a story of timeless importance, told with uncommon empathy and fluency…about what might be the most astonishing feat mankind has ever accomplished…The Wright Brothers soars” (The New York Times Book Review).

Kids These Days: Human Capital and the Making of Millennials

by Malcolm Harris (Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars 30 customer reviews

Review

"A landmark...Harris is a peerless observer of the harrowing economic costs of 'meritocracy'."―n+1

"Malcolm Harris offers up an exciting, persuasive argument that young people are not, in fact, monsters. An excellent gift for NPR-listening elders who appreciate a good debate and could use a little sympathy for the millennial."―New York Magazine

The New Yorker

"When will someone stick up for millennials? We have been sheltered by our parents, swindled by our universities, deadened by our therapists, and for all this our reward has been glib condescension from the boomer press. Rising to our defense is Harris, a familiar provocateur from the internet's left flank. Harris contends that America has stiffed our generation...He brings a fresh, contrarian eye to some of the usual data points...As generational advocates go, we could do worse than Harris."―New York Times Book Review.

Below Stairs: The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey 

by Margaret Powell (Author)

3.9 out of 5 stars 376 customer reviews
Brilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants portrayed in Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs, Margaret Powell's classic memoir of her time in service, Below Stairs, is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman who, though she served in the great houses of England, never stopped aiming high. Powell first arrived at the servants' entrance of one of those great houses in the 1920s. As a kitchen maid – the lowest of the low – she entered an entirely new world; one of stoves to be blacked, vegetables to be scrubbed, mistresses to be appeased, and bootlaces to be ironed. Work started at 5.30am and went on until after dark. It was a far cry from her childhood on the beaches of Hove, where money and food were scarce, but warmth and laughter never were. Yet from the gentleman with a penchant for stroking the housemaids' curlers, to raucous tea-dances with errand boys, to the heartbreaking story of Agnes the pregnant under-parlormaid, fired for being seduced by her mistress's nephew, Margaret's tales of her time in service are told with wit, warmth, and a sharp eye for the prejudices of her situation. Margaret Powell's true story of a life spent in service is a fascinating "downstairs" portrait of the glittering, long-gone worlds behind the closed doors of Downton Abbey and 165 Eaton Place.

A Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Amor Towles (Author)

4.7 out of 5 stars 8,211 customer reviews

“The book is like a salve. I think the world feels disordered right now. The count’s refinement and genteel nature are exactly what we’re longing for.” —Ann Patchett

“How delightful that in an era as crude as ours this finely composed novel stretches out with old-World elegance.” —The Washington Post

He can’t leave his hotel. You won’t want to.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility—a transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel.

In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.

Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.

Soon to be a major television series starring five-time Academy Award® nominee Kenneth Branagh.

“And the intrigue! . . . [A Gentleman in Moscow] is laced with sparkling threads (they will tie up) and tokens (they will matter): special keys, secret compartments, gold coins, vials of coveted liquid, old-fashioned pistols, duels and scars, hidden assignations (discreet and smoky), stolen passports, a ruby necklace, mysterious letters on elegant hotel stationery . . . a luscious stage set, backdrop for a downright Casablanca-like drama.” —The San Francisco Chronicle

Mary Jo's Suggestions for our July book

1)  Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly: 

New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939—and then sets its sights on France.
An ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she is drawn deeper into her role as courier for the underground resistance movement. In a tense atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbors, one false move can have dire consequences.
For the ambitious young German doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position seems her ticket out of a desolate life. Once hired, though, she finds herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power.
The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. Their stories cross continents—from New York to Paris, Germany, and Poland—as Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten.

2) Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate: 

Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge--until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents--but they quickly realize the dark truth. At the mercy of the facility's cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty.
Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption.
Based on one of America's most notorious real-life scandals--in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country--Lisa Wingate's riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.

3) Blue Diary by Alice Hoffman: When Ethan Ford fails to show up for work on a brilliant summer morning, none of his neighbors would guess that for more than thirteen years, he has been running from his past. His true nature has been locked away, as hidden as his real identity. But sometimes locks spring open, and the devastating truths of Ethan Ford's history shatter the small-town peace of Monroe, affecting family and friends alike.

Now, the police are at the door. Ethan Ford's life as an irreproachable family man and heroic volunteer fireman has come to an end—and Jorie Ford's life is coming apart. Some of the residents of Monroe are rallying behind Ethan. But others, including his wife and son, and wondering what remains true when so much is shown to be false—and how capable we really are of change.

4) The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd:

 From the celebrated author of The Secret Life of Bees, a #1 New York Times bestselling novel about two unforgettable American women.

Writing at the height of her narrative and imaginative gifts, Sue Monk Kidd presents a masterpiece of hope, daring, the quest for freedom, and the desire to have a voice in the world. Hetty “Handful” Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimke’s daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women. Kidd’s sweeping novel is set in motion on Sarah’s eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid. We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other’s destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love. As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism before leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and women’s rights movements. Inspired by the historical figure of Sarah Grimke, Kidd goes beyond the record to flesh out the rich interior lives of all of her characters, both real and invented, including Handful’s cunning mother, Charlotte, who courts danger in her search for something better. This exquisitely written novel is a triumph of storytelling that looks with unswerving eyes at a devastating wound in American history, through women whose struggles for liberation, empowerment, and expression will leave no reader unmoved.

April 2018 - Meeting at Ann S. House

Book Discussed:  The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

On a rainy Sunday morning Stephanie, Judy, MaryJo, and Ann made the annual trip south to Trader Joe’s and then to join Lori and I for the meeting.  We also invited Bev, one of the original members, to discuss The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane.  

Lori led the discussion.  While the story provided insight into the world of tea growing and the lives of the Akha people in rural China, the main issues are mother/daughter relationships and the difficulty of breaking with customs.  Li-Yan cannot kill her child so leaves her at an orphanage with an ancient tea cake.  Although the girl (Haley) is adopted into a privileged California family, she feels a need to find her birth family.  Li-Yan continually longs for the lost child.  We discussed female relationships, adoption, and family traditions.  We think everyone thoroughly enjoyed this book but Marilyn’s opinion is required before it can be listed as one of those enjoyed by 100% of the club (Ann F did wish for that more perfect happy ending).

On the author’s web site Lori found a company offering Pu-erh tea tasting kits including a tea cake as left with Haley and we purchased it for the meeting.  And Judy found Pu-erh tea on line (KissMe organics in tea bags!) and we enjoyed that too.  There were tea leaves and tea cups and tea pots and good food, wine, good friends and good discussion. 

The book chosen for June’s meeting from Joy’s suggestions is LaRose by Louise Erdrich.

Next Meeting:            May 27, 2018

Place:                          Claire’s Condo – Bretton Woods

Time:                          Claire?

Book for discussion: The Last Days of Dog Town by Anita Diamant (Judy’s suggestion)

There are two bottles of Red Wine left to bring for May Meeting.

Judy will host the June 24 Meeting.

Dates for members to make a book suggestion are made according to alphabetical listing by first name.  Attached is the current list showing the date book suggestions to be submitted and also date that book will be discussed.   Let me know if I didn’t get it right.

CELIA – You graciously offered your home for our meeting in July or August.  MaryJo will be happy to swap dates with you if you would like to submit your suggestions at our next meeting (May 27) for discussion July 29.