Ellen offered to host our October meeting after a couple of glitches meant we needed a pinch hitter for our discussion of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. The last minute food was excellent, and Kathy also chipped in delicious soup and bread. Annie, Ellen, Jo, Judy, Kathy, Linda, Liz, and Nanc were in attendance.
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| Beautiful sunset and water view from Ellen's |
As always, the camaraderie was great as we caught up with one another. Liz talked about the Kathleen Vinehout column which gave an accounting of tax payer money going to public vs private schools. Click here for Vinehout column We talked about the increasing offensiveness of the Trump campaign and the juxtaposition of the eloquence of Michelle Obama. Annie talked about loving and caring about kids as being the overriding factor in kids' successes. We all bemoaned the shorter days as fall has begun to take hold.
It seemed that we all enjoyed The Nightingale. Or as Julie said in an e-mail, we "now have a better understanding of how people suffer from war."
It seemed that we all enjoyed The Nightingale. Or as Julie said in an e-mail, we "now have a better understanding of how people suffer from war."
"If I have learned anything in this life of mine, it is this: In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are. Today's young people want to know everything about everyone. They think talking about a problem will solve it. I come from a quieter generation. We understand the value of forgetting, the lure of reinvention.” ~ Kristin Hannah
We are not sure through most of the story which of the two sisters is expressing this until closer to the conclusion. That awareness is somewhat of a surprise for most of us. It does seem to bring a lot of people together though, in the book's conclusion.
Another quote in the last few pages comes from Vianne trying to explain to her son, Julien, why he never knew about his parents’ and his sister’s past:
“Men tell stories," I say. It is the truest, simplest answer to his question. “Women get on with it. For us it was a shadow war. There were no parades for us when it was over, no medals or mentions in history books. We did what we had to do during the war, and when it was over, we picked up the pieces and started over. Your sister was as desperate to forget as I was. Maybe that was another mistake I made-letting her forget. Maybe we should have talked about it.” ~ Kristin Hannah
Upon Antoine’s return after being held as a prisoner of war he expressed to Vianne that;
“It’s not forgetting we need Vianne," he said leaning down to kiss her. "It’s remembering.” ~ Kristin Hannah
Remembering the love and life they shared together before the war and letting go of the devastating war experiences that their family endured.
I have often wondered how people cope with so much; with silence and “forgetting" or with sharing and “remembering" after these horrific experiences affect their lives so. Kristin Hannah gives us a view of what one family did to move on and find a life after WWll. Having never experienced war in my lifetime or in the country I live, all I can hold is respect for what it took for people to survive and bring back their lives in anyway they could. I feel part of Hannah’s mission was to remind us of what humans are capable of in war; good or bad, and to work toward peace in our futures. And how sometimes, through these devastating experiences and dysfunctional separations in a family, they can find the love and peace they were intended to have.
~ Linda Jenkins
I had forgotten how gently time passes in Paris. As lively as the city is, there’s a stillness to it, a peace that lures you in. In Paris, with a glass of wine in your hand, you can just be.
All along the Seine, streetlamps come on, apartment windows turn golden.
"It’s seven,” Julien says, and I realize that he has been keeping time all along, waiting. He is so American. No sitting idle, forgetting oneself, not for this young man of mine. ~ Kristin Hannah
Maybe we Americans could learn a lesson from the Parisians!
“Men tell stories. Women get on with it. For us it was a shadow war. There were no parades for us when it was over, no medals or mentions in history books. We did what we had to during the war, and when it was over, we picked up the pieces and started our lives over.” ~ Kristin HannahThis quote was discussed. Some of the book club members felt that the men who had been in war did not talk about it. However, they did get the medals and parades and their names in the history books.
~ Judy Lee
Next Meeting: Watch The Boys of '36
Location: Nanc's
Date: Thursday, November 10, 2016
Time: 6:30pm
Upcoming meetings:
December Holiday gathering at Julie's (date TBA)
December Holiday gathering at Julie's (date TBA)
January 12, 2017 About Grace by Anthony Doerr at TBA
February 9, 2017 Between the World and Me by Ta-nehisi Coates at TBA
Books we've read so far:
February 9, 2017 Between the World and Me by Ta-nehisi Coates at TBA
Books we've read so far:
January 2014 - Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
February 2014 - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
March 2014 - Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
April 2014 - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
May 2014 - The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
June 2014 - Breaking Free by Marilyn Sewell
July 2014 - The Orphan Train by Kristina Baker Kline
August 2014 - The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
September 2014 - Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
October 2014 - The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
November 2014 - The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
December 2014 - No book. Holiday gathering.
January 2015 - No book. Watched The Book Thief
February 2015 - The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
March 2015 - Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne
April 2015 - The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
May 2015 - The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
June 2015 - The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
July 2015 - Still Alice by Lisa Genova
August 2015 - The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
September 2015 - Ruby by Cynthia Bond
October 2015 - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
November 2015 - No book. Watched To Kill a Mockingbird
December 2015 - No book. Holiday gathering.
January 2016 - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
February 2016 - Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
March 2016 - Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
April 2016 - Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie
May 2016 - Jewelweed by David Rhodes
June 2016 - One Woman's River by Ellen Kolbo McDonah
July 2016 - Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
August 2016 - Deep Water Passage by Ann Linnea
September 2016 - This Road I Ride by Juliana Buhring
October 2016 - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
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