Kate created a relaxed haven for our group to discuss the harsh realities of the French Resistance during WWII via Kristin Hannah's "The Nightingale". Attempting to draw us into the wartime deprivations with bread and jam, she failed miserably as Kate's delectable provisions still make this mouth water with the reminisce:
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| Amazing bread and jam |
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| a ration |
Well-received, "The Nightingale" prompted us to recall other WWII books we have read, comparing and contrasting, amazed at the endless views and variety of literature that's been created. Discussion included observations about the believability of surviving some of the brutality described; (yes, that is the remarkable resilience that makes the story, but how many times can one's head crack), repetitive phrases and descriptions, the vehicle of having an unnamed sister traveling from Oregon to Paris to tell the story, the observation that a HUGE explanatory chunk of such sister's life in US was missing and an overall satisfaction in having read the book. Personally, the mysteries were apparent but I enjoyed the history of the resistance and I did weep at the end.
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| Andrée de Jongh |
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1566506/Andree-de-Jongh.html
Hannah was inspired by the 19-year-old Belgian woman, whose story she came upon while researching for another of her novels. Interview with Kristin Hannah here:
http://www.bookweb.org/news/qa-kristin-hannah-author-february%E2%80%99s-1-indie-next-list-pick
Kate's suggestions for our October read were so interesting; please check them out:
"Brain on Fire" Susannah Cahalan
"This Must Be the Place" Maggie O'Farrell
"The Heavenly Table" Donald Ray Pollack
"The Dream Life of Astronauts" Patrick Ryan *chosen
Next up: Anna Quindlen's "Miller Valley" at Lynne H.'s
Happy Reading!
LK
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