Saturday, November 19, 2022

The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck

 

Characters

Wang Lung

Father

O-lan – wife, former slave

Nung Em – older son

Nung Wem – second son

Daughter – does not speak, born during famine

Twins – third son and daughter

 

House of Hwang

Old Lord

Wife – opium

O-lan – slave there

Cuckoo – slave

 

Uncle – younger brother of Wang Lung’s father

Aunt

Nephew

 

Ching – neighbor

 

Lotus – Wang Lung’s concubine

Cuckoo – became her servant

Pearl Blossom – Lotus’ maid, Wang Lung’s “love of old age”

 

For discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2005 Pocket Books edition.

1.       Without O-lan, the family would hardly have been able to survive.   Were there any other positive female characters in the novel? 

2.       While O-lan was extremely competent, she was unappreciated by Wang Lung.  For example, when the family left their home and went south, she constructed the hut and took charge of the begging to buy food.  She also worked alongside him in the field and did everything else in the house.  Why didn’t he appreciate her?

3.       O-lan was pregnant in the midst of the famine and the baby girl died upon birth.  Wang Lung saw “two dark, bruised spots” on the baby’s neck (page 87).   Do you think O-lan killed the baby?  Would she have done so if it was a boy?

4.       When Wang Lung wanted to return to their home in the north, O-lan kept telling him to wait because of what she had heard.   How did she know what was going to happen and Wang Lung did not?

 

5.       When the rich family on the other side of the wall from their hut fled and everyone was going into the house and stealing, Wang Lung did not because, “he had never in all his life taken what belonged to another” (page 145).  Why then was he willing to take the gold from the fat man he found lying in his bed in the house? 

6.       When the family returned to their home, they were able to farm their land and became rich.  How did this change Wang Lung? 

7.       When he was rich, he looked at O-lan he thought that “she was a woman whom no man could call other then she was, a dull and common creature, who plodded in silence without thought of how she appeared to others” (page 179).  Why was he unable to appreciate all she had done for him?

8.       What did you think about Wang Lung’s uncle and aunt?  His uncle seemed evil and content to live off of Wang Lung (page 203), but later Wang Lung discovered that the uncle had kept robbers away (page 246-7).  His aunt was the one who told O-lan about Lotus (page 204) and then offered to Wang Lung to negotiate her purchase. 

9.       What did you think of the various family members?  None of the sons seemed particularly ambitious or close to each other, the first two daughters-in-law hated each other, no one was willing to look after or care for the handicapped daughter. 

10.   What do you think happened to the family after the story ended?  Wang Lung told his sons, “It is the end of a family – when they begin to sell the land” (page 385).  The sons promised him they would keep the land, but “over the old man’s head they looked at each other and smiled” (page 385).

11.   At the time this novel was published, the Chinese had not been allowed to immigrate to the United States for 40 years.  How do you think this novel was received by Americans?  Do you think it helped people understand the Chinese culture?

12.   What relevance does this novel have today?

The Starless Sea, Erin Morgenstern

 

Characters

Sweet Sorrows – book 1

Zackary Ezra Rawlins – Emerging Media studies

Madame Love Rawlins – mother, fortune teller

 

Katrina “Kat” Hawkins – invited Zachary to speak to student group

 

Female English major- knitter – attended Emerging Media discussion

 

Elena – library

 

J. S.  Keating – estate donated book to library

 

Dorian – met at library

Collector’s Club

 

Mirabel “Max” – Simon’s daughter, granddaughter of J. S. Keating, paints doors

 

Allegra Cavallo – polar bear lady at party

 

Rhyme – acolyte, the only one who stayed (page 247)

 

The Kitchen

 

The Keeper

 

Innkeeper and wife

Pirate

Acolyte

Son of fortune teller

Dollhouse

Guardians

Girl – opened door in ground, falls into starless sea

Doors

Keepers

Man wondering

Fortunes and Fables – book 2

The Star Merchant

The Keeper

The Key Collector

Girl – daughter of princess and blacksmith

The Owl King

Innkeeper – two guests, the moon and sun

Sword Smith

Story Sculptor

The Ballad of Simon and Eleanor – book 3

Eleanor – small girl with door knocker

Simon Jonathan Keating

Jocelyn Simone Keating – mother, deceased, unmarried

Uncle and Aunt – raised Simon

Baby - Mirabel

Written in the Stars – book 4

The Owl King – book 5

The Secret Diary of Katrina Hawkins – book 6

 

For discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the hardback edition.

1.       What parts did Mirabel and the Keeper play in the novel?  In the end, did they control everything?

2.       What parts do the bees and the cat play in the story?

3.       The first three sections or books were actual books people read and shared.  Section 6 was Katrina’s handwritten diary.  Book 4 has excerpts of text written on paper stars.  Book 5 is all narrative.  Did you find the story hard to follow at times?

4.       Two “real” books mentioned in the novel are by Donna Tartt.  When asked, Dorian told the waitress The Secret History was good, she replied “I started the bird one but I couldn’t get into it” (page 267).  Why do you think the author mentioned those books?

5.       At the Emerging Media discussion, Zachary compares books and video games and states that “Proper text stories are preexisting narratives to fall into, games unfold as you go” (page 35).  Do you see a comparison between the two?

6.       Further into the discussion the topic turns to what makes a story compelling.  Some of the ideas mentioned were change, mystery, character growth, obstacles, romance, etc.   What makes a story compelling to you?  What topics generally draw you into a story?

7.       Furthering the discussion on stories, the group talked about the meaning of what you are reading and thought that it is “what you bring to it, even if you don’t make the choices along the way, you decide what it means to you” (pages 35 & 36).   Have you ever disagreed with a friend about what a book is about?  Or have you read a book at different times in your life and found different meanings?

8.       What did you think the themes were in this novel?

9.       What were some of your favorite parts of the book?  I particularly liked The Kitchen and wish I could have one!

10.   Reflect back on your reading experience with this novel.  If you read it over a longer period of time, were you able to follow the story line?  Did you continue to think about the book after you finished it?

11.   Would you open a door drawn on a wall?

Thursday, November 3, 2022

The Bookwoman's Daughter, by Kim Michele Richardson

 

Characters

Honey Mary-Angeline Lovett

Willie – dad

Angeline – mother, bluet

Cussy Carter Lovett – birth mother, bluet, pack horse librarian

 

Junia - mule

 

Loretta “Retta” Adams – legal guardian when parents arrested

Alonza - nephew

 

Devil John – moonshine

Martha Hannah – wife

Carson – son

 

Bob Morgan – lawyer

 

Pearl Grant – fire-tower watcher

 

R. C.  – first fire-tower watcher, promoted

Ruth – wife

 

Robbie Hardin – wanted watchtower job, vandalism

 

Perry Gillis – abusive, killed by rooster

Guyla Belle – wife

Johnie – son, fell down well

 

Sherriff Buckner – Perry Gillis’ relative

 

Bonnie Powell – female miner

 

Francis Moore – works in company store

 

Wrenna Abbott - age 10

Rooster

Emma McCain – great-grandmother

 

Amara Ballard – frontier nurse

 

Doctor

Millie - wife

 

Library and Patrons

Eula Foster – library director

Harriett Hardin – librarian

Oren Taft – librarian

 

Honey’s book route:

 

Monday

School – Principal Walker

Emma McCain and Wrenna

Mrs. Moore – Francis’ mother

 

Wednesday

Mr. Cecil and Charlotte

Martha Hannah

Pearl Grant – watchtower

 

Thursday

Tobacco Top community

Bonnie Powell

Doctor and Millie

 

Friday

Bonnie Powell

Pete and Franklin Duncan

Amara Ballard

Guyla Gillis – leave secret signal when safe to leave books

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the paperback edition.

1.       Did the author describe the emotions of the characters so that you were able to understand them?  Was fear the main emotion – Honey, Pearl, Guyla Belle?   Any other important feelings in the novel?

2.       What characters were your favorites?

3.       Discuss being different from the norm in society.  Is it possible that we are all different in one way or another?

4.       The doctor invited Honey to eat dinner and told her, “A man can’t be both smart and hungry at the same time.  Now is the time to be smart” (page 193).  How does this relate to the food crisis in many families?

5.       If you were Honey, would you take the medicine to make the blue disappear?  Her mother told her, “our color – any color – is not a poison and doesn’t need fixing” (page 193).

6.       The story was set in the 1950s.  Could you relate to the following:

a.       Avon make-up available then and now

b.       Piercing ears with a needle and potato

7.       Are there lessons to be learned from this book for today’s world?

8.       Did you enjoy reading the book?

9.       What were your favorite parts of the story?

10.   There were many quotes in the novel about books and reading.   Which ones were meaningful to you?  Some of them are:

a.       “You grow readers, expand minds, if you let them chooses, but you go banning a read, you stunt the whole community.” Mother to Honey, page 52.

b.       “books can soothe all matters of the heart” Oren Taft to Honey, page 133.

c.       “Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world.” Napoleon Bonaparte, front piece.

d.       Cussy to judge as a young boy: “Books are the cornerstone to greater minds” – page 307.

The Reading List, by Sara Nisha Adams

 

Characters

Aleisha – working at library

Aiden – dropped out of school to care for mother

Leilah – mother, ill

Dean – father, new life and family

 

Zac Lowe – law student, guy on train

 

Mia – Aleisha’s friend

 

Mukesh

Naina – wife, deceased

Rohini, Deepali, Vritti – daughters

Priya, Jaya and Jayesh – grandchildren

 

Nilakshi – Naina’s best friend, lost both husband and son in accident

 

Harish – Mukesh’s friend

Meena – wife

 

Nasseem – neighbor

Noor - daughter

 

Harrow Road Library

Aleisha

Dev “Thermos Flask Dev” – manager

Kyle

Benny

Chris “Crime Thriller Guy”

Lucy - volunteer

Found or given reading list

Aleisha – found list in copy of To Kill a Mockingbird returned by “Crime Thriller Guy,” shared titles with Mukesh

 

Chris – found list on library table under a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird with a note

Melanie – girlfriend, relationship ended

 

Indira Patel – found list in shoe space at the mandir

 

Lenora – found list on board at yoga studio

Helena – sister

 

Izzy – found list on street, collects lists

 

Joseph – given list by library patron, bullied

 

Gigi – found list in supermarket

 

 

 

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from hardback edition.

1.       As you were reading, who do you think wrote the list?

2.       When Mukesh went to the charity walk, he carried a copy of Rebecca with him. He thought about how Naina “used to carry a book with her wherever she was, in case she got stuck in a lift on her own…” (page 126).  Did you relate to this idea?

3.       Izzy collected lists and made-up stories about the people who wrote them.  Do you make lists?  If someone found one of your lists, what would it tell them about you?

 

4.       Discuss Mukesh’s friendship and relationship with Nilakshi, Naina’s best friend.   Were you surprised at his daughters’ reactions?

5.       The novel dealt with many serious issues (grief, loneliness, caring for a sick parent, suicide, bullying) in addition to the positive power of reading.  Did you find the book sad or uplifting, or both?

6.       Could anything have been done to help Aidan?  Would adding him to the book list recipients have helped?

7.       How did the books on the list help the different people who found it?

8.       At least both Mukesh and Aleisha saw or imagined the characters from the various books during their regular days.   Has this ever happened to you?

9.       Is there a book that you have read several times during your life?  Did it mean different things to you at different ages?

10.   Which books have you read from the list?  Did you think they were powerful enough to be included on the list?  Are there any others you would recommend?

The Turn of the Key, by Ruth Ware

 

Characters

Rowan Caine/Rachel Gerhardt

 

Bill Elincourt – Rowan’s real father, affairs with previous nannies

Sandra Elincourt

Rhianna – 14, at boarding school

Maddie – 8

Ellie – 5

Petra – 18 months

 

Jack Grant – driver

 

Jean McKenzie - housekeeper

Previous Nannies:

#1 – Holly 3 years

#2 – Lauren 8 months

#3 – 1 week

#4 – Maja – 1 night

#5 – Katya – left note for next nanny, unfinished

 

Mr. Gates – court-appointed lawyer

 

Mr. Wrexham – barrister, letters addressed to him

 

Dr. Kenwick Grant – previous owner of house

Elspeth – daughter, died in poison garden

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: The page numbers are from the 2019 paperback edition.

1.       As you were reading, what clues did you pick up that something wasn’t right? 

2.       Did the author leave any red herrings (false clues)?

3.       Was it realistic that the parents would leave the children with a new nanny the first day she started?  Did this bother you? 

4.       Were there other things in the novel that did not seem right or that you wished had been addressed?  For example, why would the parents leave the poison garden in tact?

5.       In an early letter to Mr. Wrexham, Rowan said that her “instinct is always to aim low, save myself some pain” (page 18).  How was this important to the story, if at all?

6.       Did you have any idea about the ending as you were reading?

7.       Were you surprised that Rowan/Rachel apparently did not give Ellie’s letter to the police in order to prove her innocence?

8.       Why did Maddie keep terrorizing the nannies so they would leave?  Why did she warn Rowan?

9.       What did you think of the ending?  Was the book a satisfying reading experience?

10.   Would you want to live in a house totally wired with cameras and electronics like the Elincourt house?  Were the cameras in the bedrooms a matter of safety or an invasion of privacy?

11.   What other scary or spooky books have you read?  Did you like this genre?

The Lost Apothecary, by Sarah Penner

 

Characters

1791

Present Day

Nella Clavinger

Frederick – husband, deceased

 

Mr. and Mrs. Amwell

Eliza Fanning – taught to read and write

Sally – cook

Johana – servant, she and baby died

 

Father, mother and child (Beatrice) - Nella met on boat

 

Lady Clarence of Carter Lane

Husband – poisoned

Miss Berkwell – husband’s mistress, intended victim

 

Tom Pepper - Magic Bookshop

Caroline Parcewell

James – husband

 

Rose Ainsley – Caroline’s friend

 

Alfred – Bachelor Alf – mudlarking

 

Gaynor – British Library Map Room

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2022 paperback edition.

1.       How difficult is it to keep a secret?   James kept his affair a secret for months but Caroline found it difficult to keep her secret about finding the hidden room to herself for even a few hours. 

2.       Caroline thought that her and James’ problem was that they “were happy, yet unfulfilled” (page 270).  What is the difference between being happy and being fulfilled? 

3.       What did you think about James ingesting the eucalyptus oil when he knew it was poison?  Do you think he knew it was as dangerous as it was?

4.       Caroline came to the conclusion that James drinking the oil was another way to shift all of the blame on to her, “your unhappiness, your mistress, now this illness” (page 287).  Do you think he will find happiness when he returns to America on his own?

5.       On page 295, as Nella thought about preparing her final poison, she thought that the last one “would finally grant me the peace I’d sought since my baby fell from my belly at the hand of Frederick.”  Did you understand prior to that page that Frederick had caused her to lose the baby?

6.       Should Eliza have felt guilty about giving Lady Clarence the bottle with the address on it?

 

7.       The original purpose of the apothecary shop started by Nella’s mother was to “heal and nurture women” (page 112).  Nella continued this tradition but took it to another level, helping women escape from their husbands by poisoning them.  Do you think her mother would have approved?

8.       Nella thought Eliza jumped from the bridge in her place, to “implicate herself as poisoner” (page 293).   Were you surprised Eliza took this risk?

9.       The potion that Eliza drank before jumping was a Tincture to Reverse Bad Fortune.   Was it the potion or something else that saved her?   Why didn’t she contact Nella after she survived?  On page 306 Nella thought she saw her in the window of the Clarence house.

10.   Did you like the organization of the book, with the two stories flipping back and forth?

11.   Are you tempted to go mudlarking on your next vacation?