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| Mollie Fancher, the "Brooklyn Enigma" |
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| Sarah Jacob |
Dear Bookclub,
Simmering September with a sprinkle of atmospheric particulate was the terrible stew steering us once more to the Zoom soup. Flirting with fasting, this distasteful metaphor did not stifle our discussion of Emma Donoghue's "The Wonder". Realizing that there was truly a phenomenon of fasting girls(see images above), some believe early examples of anorexia, please read more through the links below... ye olde wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting_girl
and the cool little discovery of this blog:
https://www.messynessychic.com/2020/02/05/who-were-the-fasting-girls/
The Breatharian Movement is a group that believes you can be sustained by breathing light and air - no food or water. This is current:
https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/breatharian.htm
If you are 'hungry' for more on the fasting girls, from Mental Floss:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/51477/true-stories-4-victorian-fasting-girls
Development of "The Wonder" demanded the slower pace, at times hard to read. Julie noted that she'd found a 'disgust' theme in her researching of the book. We eagerly chimed in with all the disgusting parts. Lori recalled the daguerreotype of Anna and Pat. Death photography was a strange Victorian tradition.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-36389581
While Sister Michael and Lib observed Anna, scenarios of explanation swirled in our minds as Donoghue intended. Sister Michael's representation of the Catholic oversight drew us into the strength of rationalization, held by the community and Anna specifically as she believed her pathway to heaven would be assured. Kate concurred on the power of these beliefs. Lib's referencing her tutelage with Florence Nightingale intrigued me and led to this discovery:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Nightingale_effect
Anna's influence of Nightingale's philosophy surely saved Anna. We all agreed that the end was a bit hard to believe. Personally, I loved the cheesy ending, transporting me to the beloved cinematic 19th century fairy tale genre, complete with the 'wink-wink' by the nun.
On another note, Sue honored her brother-in-law's recent passing by reading his works. Please check out James Dohren's books, as both look fascinating:
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https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Shoebox-Correspondence-Huffman-William/dp/1620062941
My suggestions for our December upcoming read:
1) "Star over Bethlehem: Poems and Holiday Stories" Agatha Christie
2) "Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas (Being a Jane Austen Mystery)" Stephanie Barron *chosen
3) "The Snow Child" Eowyn Ivey
4) "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (Arthur Conan Doyle Collection)
Up next:
Happy reading,
LK
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| I have no idea what was going on here. |
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