Matched by Ally Condie

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher, Year: Dutton Juvenile, 2010
Other Works: Crossed (out in 2011)
Flags: Teen angst
Rating: A, or Great Read
Premise: A teenage girl begins to question the things she's always accepted as fact when her Society's proven method of "matching" up marriages seems to go awry.

I went into this book sort of tentatively because there was someone I talked to who had read it, I can't remember who now, but they said that it was a creative story, but the writing wasn't that great. I couldn't disagree more. I thought the writing was excellent! A breath of fresh air, honestly. Condie's writing is smooth as silk. It has a musical quality to my ear.

Imagine a place where the Society (central government) directs every aspect of its citizens lives: what to eat, what to wear, where to go, and especially those important decisions like who to marry and what career path to follow. We first meet Cassia, a teenage girl getting ready for her all-important Matching Ceremony, where she will find out who she will marry one day. She is thrilled and surprised to discover that she’s been matched with her best friend, Xander. Such a match doesn’t happen often as most couples are formed from different areas of the country where you’d have no opportunity to know anything about your match before the fated day. However, when Cassia enters the chip into her computer to learn what it says about Xander, a new face flashes across the screen. Another boy she knows, Ky, and now her curiosity about him cannot be suppressed. As her mind is filled with questions, she begins to realize that perhaps things she has accepted since childhood about her surroundings are not all that they seemed to be. +/-

Although I liked Cassia overall, I liked Ky as a character much better. He is a person true to himself. While Cassia is still trying to figure out who she is, Ky has never been more certain of the metal he’s made of. As Ky’s past unravels, I find myself, along with Cassia, greedy for more. He was just the right mixture of vulnerability, strength, and mystery. I loved how Cassia had to figure out in stages what his game was. How he wasn't always what he appeared to be.

I am always amazed how these writers can come up with such an interesting alternate reality. At first, it takes a little time to buy into it. To accept the terminology, the system, and the pills without raising an eyebrow. However, once I was on board, the story and all its little intricacies started to come together, and I realized how creative it was. I have always had this experience with these type of books, and I really am happily surprised that there are writers out there who can keep reinventing the dystopic wheel.

Although I enjoyed the novel, I wish there had been stronger motivation for Cassia to start thinking outside of the box when it came to the Society. I think in several cases, her loyalty to what she’d been taught since birth about her country/government would have been more difficult to break. I had a hard time believing that Cassia would flip on the society so quickly when she'd been brought up with its ideals for so long.

Secondly, I tire of these love triangles sometimes, especially when both parties don’t get a fair shake. Honestly, I can't say whether I like Xander because I simply don't know enough about him. Cassia and he obviously have a long history together, which she knows, but we aren't privy to. I don’t feel like, for me, the inner tension between the two characters is strong enough. I need to really waffle between the two, and, at least from my perspective, there is a clear choice. If there's going to be a love triangle, then I'd at least like the opportunity to weigh both on their merits equally and see which is really the one found wanting. Perhaps this one-sided-ness is by design, and we will get to hear more about Xander as the story continues; I hope so.

Overall, Matched is a fantastic story, a quick and easy read, but one you can really sink your teeth into. A real winner in by book. And the sequel is out this fall!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Genre: Young adult, fantasy
Publisher, Year: Scholastic, 2008
Other Works: Catching Fire
Flags: Teen angst, adult themes
Rating: A+, or Must Read Now!
Challenge: Library, Countdown
Premise: A new government controls what used to be North America and holds the Hunger Games, a gladiator-style, to the death fight between competitors, as punishments for the districts' rebellion. Each year, families are forced to send one teenage boy and girl to the games and watch them die on television.

In my opinion, this book is worth all the hype and attention its received and then some. It’s an easy and fast read, but the topics and issues it discusses are deeply relevant and probing.

Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12, a part of the new government of a war-torn North America Panem. Because of the districts’ failed rebellion, as a constant reminder of their weakness and total lack of control, the government invented the Hunger Games. A Roman gladiator–style, pseudo reality TV program, where “tributes” (two teenagers from each district selected at random) are forced into an “arena” (some destitute place, rigged with manipulatable traps and cameras) where they fight to the death until one person is left standing. When Katniss’s sister, Prim, is called to step forward and join the games, her protective nature forces Katniss to volunteer to take Prim’s place. She, along with Peeta, her companion male tribute, makes her way to the Capitol to fight for her life. +/-

Like everyone else on the planet, I instantly fell in love with this book. It’s a heart-pounding tale from beginning to end. Katniss is a strong and powerful heroine, flanked by a stellar cast of supporting characters, from her loyal co-tribute Peeta to her hunting companion Gale to her unlikely friend Rue. She is a woman who knows how to take care of herself, having grown into the leadership role of her family after her father’s sudden death, her mother completely incapacitated with grief and her little sister too young and frail to fight. She enters the arena with important skills: knowledge of edible plants, successful hunting techniques, and living on very little. These things make her strong, but the limits of that strength will be tested to a breaking point.

Throughout the story I just kept turning over in my head why the tributes couldn’t just refuse to participate. How come they couldn’t just ban together and find a way to keep alive until the audience would tire of the game? This book answers that question in lots of ways; it’s almost like an experiment of force and control. The whole point of the games is the psychologically manipulate an entire population of people by demonstrating their ability not only to kill them, but also to convince them to kill each other.

And the reality TV aspect cannot be overlooked. After putting this book down, it really made me rethink the reasons why I like the shows I do. I’ll never look at The Biggest Loser the same. In so many ways these shows are rigged for drama, because that’s what we love to see. We want to witness shouting and fighting and people losing control. Perhaps we haven’t gone so far as fighting to the death—but could we really rule that out as a possibility?

I quickly set out for the second book in the series, and it will be a trilogy when all is said and done. I also think this book has great potential for a prequel at some time. We know there’s been a war and that this civilization is the result of it, but we really are given very few details, especially about a mysterious District 13, which was completely eradicated during the rebellion by the Capitol. I would love to get more back history on this place. Hopefully, the author might consider it. =)

I think this book has been placed in the correct categorization, being young adult, but it’s a really great story for any age, and adults can learn just as much from it as teenagers. If you haven’t read it yet, amend your ways! A really great read.

BC Consensus: Silent in the Grave

Would you like to crème de la crème from our book club dicussions this month? You are in luck! In March, we discussed Deanna Raybourn's Silent in the Grave. Here are some of the comments our members made about the book:

“I looooved the descriptions of Julia's beautiful clothes! I found myself lingering over the words, re-reading them even. Such sumptuous descriptions. The story itself was very easy to read and somewhat engaging.”

“About 1/3 of the way through, I realized how much progress I'd made and was like, 'This is suh-LOW! for a mystery.' Halfway through, stuff started getting predictable and a little trite. The Brisbane/Julia foil was awkward. I did enjoy the book and Ms. Raybourn's writing, and will actually probably pick up her next two books to see if she's gotten less trite and more gripping. I have high hopes for her!” +/-

“So much thanks to whoever recommended this book for many hours of enjoyment! Whether the story was believable or well-written or not, I liked watching it unfold. Give me a mystery, and I'm going to want to know the end of it, I guess. More than liking Julia, I think I was spurred on to see what would become of Brisbane. The first book leaves open the mystery of Mariah Young and the second books leaves open questions that don't get answered until the third book.”

“Like you guys, I really liked Julia's crazy and eccentric family. I loved seeing how Julia changed inwardly and outwardly after her husband died. I thought the descriptions of her clothing and appearance were really fun to read. I believe in the concept that the right clothing can help a person feel more confident. I loved the Victorian time period the book was set in.”

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

Genre: Mystery, historical bent
Publisher, Year: Mira, 2007
Other Works: Silent in the Sanctuary
Flags: Adult themes, tenuous references
Rating: B, or Decent
Challenges: Countdown, Library
Premise: Lady Julia Grey employs the mysterious Brisbane to find her husband's murderer.

It wasn’t love at first sight with this book, for me. I was very intrigued by the opening chapters, and I was looking forward to a delicious mystery. Although I think Raybourn is a skilled writer, I’m not totally sure mystery is the right genre for her.

The novel opens with the death, in wonderful mystery fashion, of Lady Julia Grey’s husband Edward. A man of sickly constitution, no one is surprised that he’s met an early end—except for one man, Nicholas Brisbane, who claims to have been hired by Edward to investigate chilling death threats. Lady Grey finally comes to put stock in Brisbane’s story when she finds her own piece of evidence to confirm suspicions. And then, the race is on to find the killer! +/-

First of all, I loved her descriptions! Raybourn knows how to paint a picture with words. I could literally see the dresses and hats as she described them in my mind’s eye, which I think she quite a feat--taking into account that it’s hard to do anyway, but the complicated fashion of the period only made it that much more of a challenge. Julia has a wonderfully strange family who surround her. The bickering, the snobbery, the bizarre characters--I really thought it was a nice backdrop. I liked Brisbane, or maybe I wanted to like him--there was something wonderfully Healthcliff-esque about him. But at the same time, he was so brusque that those few tender moments didn’t seem to fit his character.

There was no lack of twists in this story, but I’m sorry to say that in this case I didn’t find it to be a good thing. I felt like these “shocking” moments started to become contrived and predictable . . . to the rolling of the eyes. But, there were redeeming qualities of that as well. Raybourn calls into question our assumptions about certain characters with these revelations. There’s nothing quite so unsettling as finding out that someone you thought you knew well is actually someone else altogether. I haven’t had this experience much, but enough to understand those feelings of betrayal and disloyalty, not to mention that it makes you question a lot of things about yourself and your life as well. We, as the readers, are forced to reconcile what we know of conflicting reports, and then try to figure out true identities. It gave a nice dimension to the story.

This book was slow moving for me. It was not hard at all for me to put this book down, not even when on the verge of another of Julia’s scandalous discoveries. This book did not have the heart-pounding twists that I’m used to and that I also adore. There were things I didn’t like about the book, but it wasn’t all bad. Anyone who enjoys Victorian-period lit I think would quite enjoy this book. For me, it just wasn’t a homerun.

BC About the Author: Deanna Raybourn

A sixth-generation native Texan, Deanna Raybourn graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a double major in English and history and an emphasis on Shakespearean studies. She taught high school English for three years in San Antonio before leaving education to pursue a career as a novelist.

During summer vacation at the age of twenty-three, she wrote her first novel. Fourteen years and many, many rejections after her first novel, she signed two three-book deals with MIRA Books.

Her first book appeared in January 2007, Silent in the Grave. The series continues with the second book, Silent in the Sanctuary (January 2008), a classic English country house murder mystery with a few twists and turns for Brisbane and Lady Julia along the way, and continues with Silent on the Moor (March 2009), set in a grim manor house on the Yorkshire moors. +/-

Raybourn will have two more releases this year. The first in March with The Dead Travel Fast, a mid-Victorian Gothic thriller that chronicles the adventures of novelist Theodora Lestrange as she leaves the safety and security of her Edinburgh home for the dark woods and haunted castles of Transylvania. Deanna returns to Lady Julia and her companions with Dark Road to Darjeeling (release planned for October).

Deanna plots her books from her home in Virginia. After one too many hot Texas summers, Deanna and her husband packed up their daughter and moved to the mid-Atlantic state, where they enjoy the fall leaves but deeply miss good Tex-Mex cooking.

You can read more about her and her books on her website: deannaraybourn.com

BC About the Author: O. Henry

O. Henry was born William Sydney Porter in Greenboro, North Carolina. His father, Algernon Sidney Porter, was a physician. When William was three, his mother died, and he was raised by his parental grandmother and paternal aunt. William was an avid reader, but at the age of fifteen he left school, and then worked in a drug store and on a Texas ranch. He continued to Houston, where he had a number of jobs, including that of bank clerk. After moving in 1882 to Texas, he worked on a ranch in LaSalle County for two years. In 1887, he married Athol Estes Roach; they had one daughter and one son (who died shortly after birth).

In 1894, Porter started a humorous weekly The Rolling Stone. When the weekly failed, he joined the Houston Post as a reporter and columnist. In 1894, cash was found to have gone missing from the First National Bank in Austin, where Porter had worked as a bank teller. When he was called back to Austin to stand trial, Porter fled to Honduras. While holed up in a Tegucigalpa hotel for several months, he wrote Cabbages and Kings, in which he coined the term "banana republic" to describe the country, subsequently used to describe almost any small, unstable tropical nation in Latin America. +/-

Little is known about Porter's stay in Central America. After hearing news that his wife was dying, he returned to Austin in 1897. After the death of his wife, he was convicted of embezzling money, although there has been much debate over his actual guilt. Porter entered a penitentiary at Columbus, Ohio.

While in prison, Porter, as a licensed pharmacist, worked in the prison hospital as the night druggist. Porter was given his own room in the hospital wing, and there is no record that he actually spent time in the cell block of the prison. Porter started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret. A friend of his in New Orleans would forward his stories to publishers, so they had no idea the writer was imprisoned. He had fourteen stories published under various pseudonyms while he was in prison, but was becoming best known as "O. Henry." According to some sources, he acquired the pseudonym from a warder called Orrin Henry. It also could be an abbreviation of the name of a French pharmacist, Eteinne-Ossian Henry, found in the U.S. Dispensatory, a reference work Porter used when he was in the prison pharmacy.

Porter was released on July 24, 1901, for good behavior after serving three years. He moved to New York City, and from December 1903 to January 1906, he wrote a story a week for the New York World, also publishing in other magazines. Porter’s first collection, Cabbages and Kings, appeared in 1904. The second, The Four Million, was published two years later and included his well-known stories “The Gift of the Magi,” about a poor couple and their Christmas gifts, and “The Furnished Room.” Porter’s best known work is perhaps the much anthologized “The Ransom of Red Chief,” published in the collection Whirligigs in 1910. His humorous, energetic style shows the influence of Mark Twain and Ambrose Bierce. O. Henry's short stories are well known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization and clever twist endings. Although some critics were not so enthusiastic about his work, the public loved it.

Porter published 10 collections and over 600 short stories. His last years were shadowed by alcoholism, ill health, and financial problems. He was a fast writer, but drinking on average two quarts of whiskey daily did not improve the quality of his work. In 1907, Porter a woman from his home town. The marriage was not happy, and they separated a year later. Porter died of cirrhosis of the liver on June 5, 1910, in New York. Three more collections appeared posthumously. In 1918, the O. Henry Memorial Awards were established to be given annually to the best magazine stories, the winners and leading contenders to be published in an annual volume.

BC About the Author: Truman Capote

Truman Capote was born Truman Steckfus Persons in New Orleans on September 30, 1924, to 17-year-old Lillie Mae Faulk and Archulus ("Arch") Persons, a dissolute salesman. Capote's early life was marked by instability and poverty. When Faulk and Persons separated in 1928, he was left to be raised by relatives in Monroeville, Alabama, where he began what would become a lifelong friendship with Harper Lee, later the author of the renowned novel To Kill A Mockingbird (The character Dill was said to be based on Capote). An unusual and observant child, Truman was determined to become a writer. He taught himself to read at age four and by age eight was "practicing" at writing in daily sessions. The details of the rural South, its oppressive poverty and wise, headstrong characters, impressed on the young Capote's imagination. He later drew on his memories of Alabama for some of his most famous writing. +/-

In 1933, Lillie Mae, who then called herself Nina, remarried to a successful Cuban businessman, Joe Capote. Truman soon joined the couple in New York City, where he adopted his stepfather's surname and began an uneven career as a student in both private and public high schools in New York and Connecticut. While Capote was intelligent and highly focused on writing, he was uninterested in academics, and dropped out of his fourth year of high school when offered a 2-year contract position as a copy boy at the New Yorker. There, he attracted the attention of many of the city's literary and social elite, as much for his flamboyant wardrobe as for his mature, evocative prose. In 1942, Capote published his first short story, "Miriam", in the magazine Mademoiselle, which won him the 1946 prestigious O. Henry award for Best First-Published Story. He soon gained a contract with Random House, who advanced him $1500 for his first novel.

Other Voices, Other Rooms, published in 1948, was widely publicized and remained on the New York Times best-seller list for nine weeks. With his first novel, Capote became famous as a novelist and as a controversial figure who had captured the public's imagination. Other works include The Grass Harp (a novella), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (which was quickly adapted into a movie), and In Cold Blood. With the last in the list Capote secured his reputation as one of the most important American writers of the century. A novel-length exploration of the aftermath of the real-life murder of a family in remote Holcomb, Kansas, In Cold Blood required extensive on-site research, and he took over five years to complete the manuscript. It was an international best-seller and pioneered a new genre of literature: the non-fiction novel.

In his time in the public spotlight, Capote was renowned for his social stature and for his contributions to literature. His friends included actors, authors, critics, royalty, and aristocrats, whom he entertained in famous style. In 1966, in honor of Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, Capote hosted the "Black & White Ball", a themed costume party widely regarded as the most important social event of the decade. Capote's natural talent for weaving truth with fiction and his unflinching descriptions of his friends soon led to his rapid descent in popularity in the social circles he had worked so hard to adopt. The rejection of his friends let to his increased drinking and drug use. His lack of continued sobriety in later years was matched only by his lack of work. Capote became more of a recluse and his last work, Answered Prayers (where he offended many of his friends) was published after his death. Truman Capote died on August 25, 1984, of liver failure. Today, Capote's life and works continue to capture public interest, with film versions of Other Voices, Other Rooms, In Cold Blood, and The Grass Harp released after his death. The 2005 biographical film Capote dramatized the author's often difficult process of researching In Cold Blood and was nominated for numerous awards. His presence remains alive in the 21st century, even among today's celebrated caricatures.

You can read more about Truman Capote and his body of works at this website.

BC Discussion ?s: Christmas Stories

For the month of December, we read two short stories: O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi and Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory. The following are the discussion questions we used:

The Gift of the Magi

1. Jim and Della are not people of means. Is it the time of the year that motivates people to spend beyond their means? Are the expectations of gifts as powerful as they appear to be here?

2. The old adage "it's the thought that counts" is often quoted when something is given that may not quite measure up to the expectation. Does this apply to Jim and Della?

3. Jim and Della each made a selfless-sacrifice of something of great personal value to buy a nice gift for the other. What impact do you think this sort of selfless-sacrifice might have on a relationship?

4. Given the reaction of both Jim and Della concerning the entire situation, do you think that these gifts were appreciated? +/-

5. What can we learn from Jim and Della about receiving gifts? About giving gifts?

A Christmas Memory

1. Which character did you identify more with, Buddy or his friend? Why?

2. What do you think the author would like the reader to come away with after reading his story?

3. Do you think Buddy changes in the end of the story? If so, how?

4. How has this story impacted the way you view or feel about the holiday season?

BC Consensus: Pope Joan

Would you like to crème de la crème from our book club dicussions this month? You are in luck! In November, we read Donna Cross's Pope Joan. Here are some of the comments our members made about the book:

“I don't think I've ever read a book set so early in history, or even imagined what it was like back in the 800s. It was difficult to read about Joan's early life, her father and his unbending ideas, how he treated his wife and his family while undoubtedly thinking he was in the right. Then I watched Joan struggle to be an educated woman and how few people stood behind her. I couldn't even imagine it and it made me think how blessed we are to be women now. I cheered for Joan when she made the transition to John and thought about how brave she must have been all those years to constantly be on guard of who she really was. Donna Cross is an excellent storyteller and her timing was perfect.”

“I appreciated how Donna included the Latin phrases in the book without it seeming to be "dumbed down" for the reader. The explanations, when there were any, were woven well into the story and the ones I don't remember understanding didn't detract me from the story. I am really glad someone suggested this book and that we all got to know Joan a little better. I'll definitely be recommending this book.” +/-

“I would have never read this book (or heard of it) without this book club. So thanks to you all. The beginning of it was so dark and miserable that I really had to make myself keep reading. Thankfully, Joan's life gets easier--not easier, just a lot less miserable--as the book progresses. Then it got fascinating.”

We were able to have an online chat with the author, Donna Cross. She offers this to any group that would like to participate (usually by conference call). Please visit her website for details.

Pope Joan by Donna W. Cross

Genre: Historical fiction
Publisher, Year: Ballantine Books, 1997
Flags: Adult themes, Tenuous references
Rating: A or Great Read
Premise: A woman, incognito, ascends to the highest office in Christendom.

I picked up this book when my husband and I wanted to some of quality time with the bookstore. It was on the bestseller’s rack, so I gave it a shot. After the first chapter, I was hooked and had to have it. There is a small paragraph not too far in where Joan describes her mother’s beautiful Saxon blond hair. She said it spilled over the blanket like rich cream. (Not word-for-word, but close.) I don’t know why, but that phrase stuck with me, along with many other superbly written descriptions.

Joan is born to a German canon father and a Saxon mother, whose incompatibilities blare from the page within the first scene, along with her father’s intense sexism, something we learn is not uncommon for the time. And that time is, none other than the Dark Ages. And if “dark” stands for evil cynicism, than that would be an apt description as portrayed by this novel. We follow Joan in her growth from a little girl to an impressionable teenager to an “older” woman (by the Dark’s standards). She shows a keen interest and talent for learning early in her life, but unfortunately, learning is not a woman’s activity at that time. As fate would have it, Joan unexpectedly gets her chance to break free of societal constraints—by taking on the identity of a man. Because of her complex intelligence and progressive thought, Joan soon finds herself in the highest position she could aspire to, and she finds that taking on that responsibility will be her greatest joy as well as her most grievous pain. +/-

I enjoyed almost every moment in this novel. It was cruel and unfair, and in some parts gruesome (all characteristics of the lovely Dark Ages), but I still found so many redeeming qualities of this unbelievable story. Although based on a legend, I find the thought that such a woman could have lived to be an inviting concept. One that I want to believe in.

The author did a beautiful job of weaving together the elements of Joan’s life in a way that was both entertaining and meaningful. There was so much research that went into this novel, and that fact shines through so convincingly. At moments where with some other historical fiction authors I would have been rolling my eyes and wondering which was fact and which fiction, I was instead completely drawn in and not even having to try to suspend my disbelief.

As Joan grows in wisdom and begins to see her destiny shaping in front of her, she meets with some tough choices, and quite honestly, some of those choices are not far from many that women make today. Joan was wedged between two very different worlds, each pulling her in a different direction. She had to make sacrifices that were heavy to carry: she was stuck between her sense of duty and her heart’s secret longings. And for some reason, these two had to sit as separate weights in the balance. It’s a tough thing, I think, to prioritize sometimes. One of those sides had to consume the other; there was no other alternative for her. Most often, I think that’s a tragedy. A woman should not have to choose between passions—a person should not have to choose between them.

This book brings up a lot of interesting issues, the most prominent of course is that endlessly battled question: What is the right place for a woman in society? The thing I liked about Cross’s book is that she doesn’t try to answer this question, really. At least, I didn’t think so. Instead, she puts it out there, and uses Joan as an example. And then she asks, “So what about that?” And I don’t think she expects our reaction to be black or white, but instead some version of grey. Perhaps a different shade for every woman who has lived. =) At least, I think that’s a very comforting thought.

Overall, I really liked this book. I'm not sure it's one I would recommend for everyone, but I think it's a significant piece of historical fiction, in its own right.

*As a side note: Donna Cross has offered to do phone conferences with any book groups who’d like to. All you have to do is go to her website and fill out a form to get a time set up! And then she will contact you. Our book group is online, so we worked out a way for our members to chat with her online! It was a wonderful experience, and if your book group reads this book, I highly recommend doing it! It was a big hit.

BC About the Author: Donna W. Cross

Donna Woolfolk Cross graduated cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1969 with a B.A. in English. She moved to London, England, after graduation, and worked as an editorial assistant for a small publishing house on Fleet Street, W.H. Allen and Company.

Upon her return to the United States, Cross worked at Young and Rubicam, a Madison Avenue advertising firm, before going on to graduate school at UCLA where she earned a master's degree in Literature and Writing in 1972. In 1973, Cross moved with her husband to upstate New York where she began teaching writing in a college English Department. Now writing is her fulltime career. +/-

She is the author of two books on language, Word Abuse: How the Words We Use Use Us and Mediaspeak: How Television Makes Up Your Mind. She is the coauthor of Speaking of Words and Daddy's Little Girl. The product of seven years of research and writing, Pope Joan is her first novel. She is now at work on a new novel set in 17th century France.

Visit her website here.

BC Discussion ?s: Pope Joan

For the month of November, we read Donna W. Cross's Pope Joan. The following are the discussion questions we used:

1. How important is it to this story to believe in its historicity? Are there lessons to be learned from Joan’s story whether it’s legend or fact?

2. Are reason and faith incompatible? What do you make of Aesculapius’s argument that lack of faith leads people to fear reason?

3. What causes Joan’s inner conflict between faith and doubt? How do these conflicts affect the decisions she makes? Does she ever resolve these conflicts?

4. Joan sacrificed much because she loved Gerold. Do you know women who have sacrificed opportunities for love (spouse, child, etc.)? Are such sacrifices justified? +/-

5. If Joan had agreed to leave with Gerold when he first came to Rome, what would her life have been like? What do you think of her choice?

6. What causes any society to oppress womankind? What are the root causes of misogyny? Are they based in religion or in society? Both? Neither?

7. Why might medieval society have believed so strongly that education hampered a woman’s ability to bear children? What purpose might such a belief serve?

8. What similarities or differences do you see between Pope Joan and Saint Joan of Arc? Why was one Joan expunged from history books and the other made a saint?

BC Consensus: Thirteenth Tale

Would you like to crème de la crème from our book club dicussions this month? You are in luck! In October, we read Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale. Here are some of the comments our members made about the book:

“Wow, this story reached out and grabbed me and wouldn't let go, like something that would jump out at me at a haunted house. I liked the mysterious tone of the novel and discovering the story through Vida Winters' narration. I suppose many families have some secrets and a skeleton or two in the closet, but this family had a baker's dozen! I also enjoyed reading this book and plan to reread it in the future. I'm sure it will leave a haunting impression every time.”

“The cover of the book describes this story as "eerie and fascinating". Perfect description. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I enjoyed her [Margaret’s] relationship with her father. They shared a love for books. I tried to picture their little bookshop. How fabulous to grow up among all those stories.” +/-

“I've heard so many good things about this book, and I wasn't disappointed! While I was reading I could tell that there were some things happening behind the scenes that I hadn't quite figured out yet. The suspense and mystery were fun to revel in. I felt like I was trying to solve a mystery. Miss Winter wants Margaret to tell her story and asks her several times what her story is. Margaret always answers that she doesn't have a story. All of our stories (and theirs) are all intertwined with the people around us.”

"I love the character of Vida Winter--someone I could imagine being intimidated by, like our sweet, young Margaret. She jumped off the page, for me. It was as if I could tangibly feel those inescapable, steely green eyes boring into mine as I read. One thing I like about this book is how the title ties in. There’s this expectation build up around the thirteenth tale, and even I found myself wishing I could get my hands on it throughout the story. And then it finally comes out, just when we expect never to be able to know its identity."

The Thirteeth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Genre: Fiction - Mystery
Publisher: Atria, 2006
Other Works: Debut novel
Rating: A+, or Must Read Now!
Premise: Margaret Lea is a self proclaimed bibliophile and a great writer as well. She gets on offer to write the biography of a lifetime--that of Vida Winter, a wildly imaginative and eccentric author whose past is shrouded in mystery.

I read this book for a book group and really didn't have any expections going in. I was pleasantly "wow-ed" by this author!

The book carries a feeling of mystery and ominousness, ghost-story-around-the-campfire style, that I found quite thrilling. Because of this, the dialogue could seem stilted, but instead the author has used the language to create a foreboading tone. This is something I enjoyed all the way through the book to the very last sentence.

A young, nose-in-the-books daughter of a bookshop owner, Margaret Lea, receives a request to become the biographer of a prominent author, Vida Winter, whose life story has been sought after by many. She's a stubborn and harsh woman, whose piercing green eyes Margaret cannot seem to escape. As much as Vida's life story is shrouded in mystery, even more so is one of her books, which was reprinted as having 12 tales, after being published a few times claiming to have 13. And so, the 13th tale was never uncovered. +/-

As Margaret struggles through the research for the biography, she not only discovers the truth about Vida Winter and her tales, but also more about her own history. She gains insight into her own painful and complicated life as she pieces together the twisted past of a pathological liar, otherwise known as a storyteller.

Thrilling until the last moment with no lack of twists, I would recommend this book to just about anyone.

BC About the Author: Diane Setterfield

Diane Setterfield grew up in England, and attended Bristol University where she studied French Literature. She started her career in academia and taught in various universities in England and France, where she lived for several years. Prior to her first novel, The Thirteenth Tale, Setterfield published several academic works about 19th and 20th century French literature, in particular the works of André Gide (a French writer, humanist, and moralist who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1947).

She left academia in the late '90s. She enjoyed teaching but hated university politics, and after five years was still working to pay off the loan she had taken out to fund her Ph.D. "I gave up my job to write before I knew what I wanted to write about," she says. "It might seem bold or brave, but really it comes down to how much you want to do something. If you want to do something so badly, then you have to make a bold decision." +/-

Setterfield was so tired of academic work after leaving her job as a professor that she decided to pursue other, more physical ventures. So, she began teaching private French lessons on the side and spending most of her time renovating her home. Then one day, the voice of Miss Winter came to her and she set about a first draft, which was completed 18 months later. She had read French literature exclusively for so long, that she found herself wanting to go back to English classics, which she’s loved so much as a teenager. And so, Setterfield decided to write her book, The Thirteenth Tale after the English Gothic tradition, with echoes of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.

Her debut novel has been an immense success both in the UK and the United States. She is currently working on a second novel. Setterfield’s all-time favorite book is The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, which she called “the most perfect book I can remember reading.” Other favorites include A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry and Stuart: A Life Backwards by Alexander Masters.

She now lives in Yorkeshire, England, with her husband and four cats.

BC Discussion ?s: The Thirteenth Tale

For the month of October, we read Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale. The following are some of the discussion questions we used:

1. Books play a major role in this novel. There are stories within stories, all inextricably intertwined. Discuss the various roles of books, stories, and writing in this novel.

2. Compare and contrast Margaret, Miss Winter, and Aurelius--the three "ghosts" of the novel who are also each haunted by their pasts.

3. What is the significance of Jane Eyre to the story?

4. Do you think it is harder to keep a secret or confess the complete truth? +/-

5. Why do you think Margaret's sister's death affected her so profoundly? If her parents had told her the truth about her twin, would Margaret still be haunted?

6. Much of the novel takes place in two grand estates--Angelfield and then Miss Winter's. How are the houses reflections of their inhabitants?

7. How is the last minute leaving out of “the thirteenth tale” symbolic of the novel? What is the thirteenth tale?

BC Consensus: Water for Elephants

Would you like to crème de la crème from our book club dicussions this month? You are in luck! In October, we discussed Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants. Here are some of the comments our members made about the book:

“The juxtaposition of the nursing home story with the circus story seemed to point out that even when life isn't at its best or always going our way, it is still more fulfilling to be living some kind of life rather than just letting it pass us by.”

“I had no idea such unscrupulous things happened in the circus. But, I guess I never really gave it much thought before. I always just naively assumed that everyone must be happy doing what they did because if they weren't happy, why would they be doing such grueling work and risky acts? Sometimes I'm a little black and white and this book was totally, unequivocally, the grey in-between. The story was so full and lush, I felt satisfaction after closing it, as well as just a little compulsion to go back and read some chapters over.” +/-

“I surprised myself with this book. I actually ended up quite liking it, although I enjoyed the second half much more than the first. Gruen is an amazing and talented writer—I thoroughly enjoyed her style. She has a great vocabulary. I just got the feeling that every word I read was distinctly and perfectly correct, like each word had been pored over and debated, until just right: baby bear’s chair to Goldilocks. It was really something.”

“Despite the fact that I really liked this book, I have a healthy number of dislikes. I found it improbable that a horse would die so quickly after a worker killed it by slitting its throat. I was angry when our supposedly good animal-lover Jacob left Rosie, for whom he professed such affection, in the hands of a crazed sociopath. I understand the need to show flaws in a person, but that flaw didn't match up to the rest of him. I found the sex scenes to be rather unnecessarily graphic; although, I do think they added a believable element of sleaze to the novel's atmosphere, which is hopefully what Sara was going for. I think it would be hard to duplicate that atmosphere without something like this, but I think they were too absurdly detailed.”

BC About the Author: Sara Gruen

Sara Gruen is a Canadian-born duel citizen author. She was born in Vancouver, raised in London, Ontario, and studied English literature at Carleton University in Ottawa. In 1999, she moved to the United States to continue her career as a technical writer. When she was laid off two years later, instead of looking for another job, she decided to take a gamble on writing fiction full-time.

Gruen's first two novels, Riding Lessons and Flying Changes, both enjoyed moderate critical success. Her third release, Water for Elephants, was initially turned down by her publisher at the time, Avon Books, forcing Gruen to find another publisher. Water for Elephants spent 12 weeks on the New York Times hardcover fiction best-seller list and sold 248,000 copies, and movie rights to the book have been optioned. Many of the characters and incidents in the novel are based on real people and true stories gleaned from her extensive research into the world of traveling circuses of the 1930s. +/-

Her fourth novel, Ape House, is a story about Bonobo apes, which are more closely related to humans than chimpanzees, and will be released in August of next year. Some of her favorite books include Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, and The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.

Gruen’s books deal greatly with animals and she is a supporter of numerous charitable organizations that support animals and wildlife. You can find out more information about these organizations on her website. Until 2007, Gruen lived in an environmentalist community in northern Illinois. She now lives with her husband, three children, two dogs, four cats, two horses, and a goat in Asheville, North Carolina.

Click here to visit her website.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Genre: Fiction, slightly historical
Publisher, Year: Algonquin, 2006
Other Works: Riding Lessons
Flags: Moderate Language, Adult Themes, VERY Explicit References
Rating: B- or Not Sorry I Read It
Premise: An old man looks back at his summer with a traveling circus: tyrannical ringmaster, beautiful horse dancer, Rosie the elephant, cantankerous little person, and a thatch of bright red hair. Finally, one fateful night brings Jacob’s adventurous three months to an end.

I surprised myself with this book. I actually ended up quite liking it, although I enjoyed the second half much more than the first. Gruen is an amazing and talented writer—I thoroughly enjoyed her style. She has a great vocabulary. I just got the feeling that every word I read was distinctly and perfectly correct, like each word had been pored over and debated, until just right: baby bear’s chair to Goldilocks. It was really something.

That being said, she lost me in the beginning. She’s lucky I made it past the 4th chapter, which contains an all-too-well-documented strip tease. And there were several more speed bumps to hit before I felt I was home free. I don’t think authors realize the power of the imagination. I don’t get why everything’s got to be so spelled out all time. +/-

A perfectly beautiful story, ruined by gratuitous sex (yet again). I can get the picture without every gritty detail. And I suppose that was the point—to paint a picture of just how gritty “circus” culture was, but I get it already. Leave something to the imagination. I just don’t think it adds to the story. But, I have to admit that I’m glad I made it past. I really loved these characters. They were engaging and interesting, and terrifying. And I can’t say I’m sorry I read it.

I loved the frame story, I thought it added so much to Jacob’s character. To go back and forth also gave me some sort of relief, as young Jacob’s life became more and more turbulent, I knew old Jacob would be around the corner, tucked in his wheelchair with a little cup of Jello. It led me to believe that everything would be alright in the end, and I think that made it possible for me to become more invested in the story and allow myself to connect with the characters.

That being said, elderly Jacob is not at all content, and I think Gruen did an amazing job of describing that period of life when the body begins to fail while the mind is still sharp. It’s hard for me to imagine such a time, and I think it’s hard for any young person to really grasp what that must feel like. Gruen captured it perfectly, and the tragedy of old age became so tactile for me.

I really enjoy a book that explores the differences between illusion and reality, and how they can get tied up together and mistaken for each other. There was so much deceit and trickery surrounding these characters, sometimes it was hard to know which way to turn. I want to say that we’ve changed since then, that things are better now: that humans act more human. But, then, there is just as much greed and selfishness in the world today as there ever was. It just manifests itself in different ways. I guess the comforting thing about that is, that if there is just as much evil, there must also be just as much benevolence. There must be as many caring, generous people, too.

I think Water for Elephants, although brutal and cruel, also carries that message of hope. A hope for mankind, but also on an individual level, a Ulysses if you will. There is always an adventure waiting to be discovered, no matter how what the circumstances. Because of the explicit content, unfortunately I would not recommend this book.

BC Discussion ?s: Water for Elephants

1. In what ways do the chapters about the young Jacob contribute to a deeper understanding of the elderly Jacob's life, and vise versa?

2. What are the roles do faithfulness and loyalty play? In what ways does Gruen contrast the antagonisms and cruelties of circus life with the equally impressive loyalties and instances of caring?

3. Who did you, upon reading the prologue, think murdered August? What effect did that opening scene of chaos and murder have on your reception of the story that follows?

4. How would you expand upon Jacob's observation of August described as “gracious, charming, and mischievous”? Which situations in the novel reveal his true character?

5. How does Gruen contrast the worlds of reality and illusion in the novel? Is there anything wrong with pandering to people's need for illusion? Why do we crave the illusions that the circus represents? +/-

6. Jacob doesn’t like to look in the mirror because he doesn’t like to recognize himself as an old man. He says “When did I stop being me?" How would you answer that question for Jacob or any individual, or for yourself?

7. In what ways and to what degree do Uncle Al's maneuvers and practices regarding the defunct Fox Brothers circus reflect traditional American business practices?

8. How might we see Uncle Al's cutthroat behavior in the novel as "an indictment of a lifetime spent feigning emotions to make a buck"?

9. In the words of one reviewer, the novel "explores the pathetic grandeur of the Depression-era circus." In what ways and to what extent is this true?