The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore

 

Characters
Camp Emerson	Self-Reliance - Preserve’s main house
TJ Hewitt -camp director in summer, groundskeeper rest of year Vic – father, first camp director, buried Bear   Louise Donnadieu – Camp counselor in Barbara’s cabin Jesse – younger brother at home   Annabel Southworth – Counselor-in-training (family is friends with Van Laar’s)   Tracy – tentmate with Barbara, forced to go to camp Molly Jewell – mother Donna Romano – father’s girlfriend   Lee Townson – prep chef and dishwasher, once arrested for rape, went missing	Peter Van Laar III Alice – wife “Bear” – Peter IV, deceased or missing Barbara – sent to camp, going somewhere at night, missing   Delphine – Alice’s sister George - husband   Peter Van Laar II -Bear’s grandfather, Bear told Carl he did not like him   John Paul McLellan Jr. – family is friends and business associates with Van Laar’s, Louise’s boyfriend, abusive   Vic Hewitt – originally family butler or helper Tessie Jo – daughter   Carl Stoddard – gardener at Preserve, falsely blamed for Bear’s death Maryann – wife, “Scary Mary” Scotty – son deceased Three daughters Jeannie Clute – daughter, temporary cook, looking for information to clear father
Others
Jacob Sluiter “Slitter” – escaped from jail, family originally owned the land   Judyta Luptack “Judy” – State Police, Criminal Investigator Denny Hayes – Senior Investigator   Captain Rochelle -brought in to take charge of search, made his career on Bear’s case Detective Lowry   Bob Alcott – history teacher, owns The Alcott Family Inn

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the hardback edition.

1.      There were multiple side stories to the main story of the disappearances of Bear and Barbara, (Delphine’s affair with Peter III, Alice’s mental illness, Louise and her family, Jacob Sluiter, Judyta’s family, Lee Townsend, etc.).  How did they add to the main story?

2.      Which characters did you find the most interesting or memorable?  Were there any revelations that surprised you about someone?

3.      What part did Tracy play in the story?  How was she important?

4.      Mrs. Clute (Carl Stoddard’s daughter) told Judy “They let the wrong man take the blame…Let his name be ruined” (page 288) and “…the family bungled the whole search from start to finish.” (page 289).  When you read this, what did you think about the Van Laar family and the current search?

5.      When Judy was staying at the Alcott Inn, on Day 3 Bob Alcott came to her room and said he had information to tell her about Bear (pages 333-334) which was not revealed.   Why did the author leave the reader hanging for almost 100 pages?

6.      Then on Day 5 (pages 428 – 432), he told her about the history of the Van Laar Preserve, how the camp was conceived by Vic Hewitt, and how he or TJ will inherit it when Peter II dies.  How did this information add to your solving the mystery?

7.      Were you surprised when you read what had happened to Bear?  How did that fit into the larger story?

8.      As you were reading, what did you think had happened to Barbara? 

9.      What did you think about the very ending?  Was it satisfying?  Were you surprised at Judy’s decision? 

10.  Were you able to keep the timeline straight? Did the headings at the beginning of each chapter help?

11.  What did you think about the Survival Trips?  Some campers received no food in their backpacks.  Do you think the families were aware of this activity?  Would you have enjoyed this?

The Queens of Crime, by Marie Benedict

 

Female authors in the book:

·       Dorothy Sayers 1893 – 1957 – founding member of The Detection Club

·       Agatha Christie 1890 – 1976

·       Baroness Emma Orczy 1865 – 1947, known for Scarlet Pimpernel novels

·       Ngaio Marsh 1895 – 1982, main detective Inspector Alleyn

·       Margery Allingham 1904 – 1966, main detective Albert Campion

Novels mentioned in the book:

·       The Five Red Herrings, Dorothy Sayers

·       Have His Carcase, Dorothy Sayers

·       Peril at End House, Agatha Christie

·       The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Agatha Christie

·       The Secret of Chimneys, Agatha Christie

Description of the genre – from Wikipedia

Certain conventions and clichés were established that limited any surprises on the part of the reader to the details of the plot and, primarily, to the identity of the murderer. The majority of novels of that era were "whodunits", and several authors excelled, after misleading their readers successfully, in revealing the least likely suspect convincingly as the villain. There was also a predilection for certain casts of characters and certain settings in a secluded English country house and its upper-class inhabitants (although they were generally landed gentry; not aristocracy with their country house as a second house). The rules of the game – and Golden Age mysteries were considered games – were codified in 1929 by Ronald Knox.^[5]

According to Knox, a detective story "must have as its main interest the unravelling of a mystery; a mystery whose elements are clearly presented to the reader at an early stage in the proceedings, and whose nature is such as to arouse curiosity, a curiosity which is gratified at the end." Knox's "Ten Commandments", also known as "Knox Decalogue", are as follows:

1.     The criminal must be mentioned in the early part of the story, but must not be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to know.

2.     All supernatural or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course.

3.     Not more than one secret room or passage is allowable.

4.     No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end.

5.     No Chinaman must figure in the story. (NOTE: This is a reaction to anti-Chinese stereotypes in 1920s)

6.     No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right.

7.     The detective himself must not commit the crime.

8.     The detective is bound to declare any clues which he may discover.

9.     The "sidekick" of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal from the reader any thoughts which pass through his mind: his intelligence must be slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader.

10.  Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them.

The Queens of Crime, by Marie Benedict

 

People and Characters
Real	Fictional
Detection Club The Floating Admiral – 12 chapters each written by a different club member   Dorothy Sayers - narrator Mac Fleming – husband, reporter and author, How to See the Battlefields John Anthony – Dorothy’s son Ivy – cousin, raising John Anthony   Agatha Christie Mysteriously disappeared in 1926 for 11 days Max – second husband   Baroness Emma Orczy   Ngaio Marsh   Margery Allingham   May Daniels – murder victim (case not solved in real life)	Leonora Denning – first missing girl, musician and college student, worked on “Cavalcade”     Mather’s Insurance Jeremy – father, started business, born poor Louis – son, bought May dresses to go to theater Millicent Bennett – receptionist and working for Chapman   Sir Alfred Chapman – theater director and producer “Cavalcade” - current production   Celia McCarthy – May’s friend, waited outside restroom for her

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2025 hardback edition.

1.     The goal of the Detection Club in 1931 was to “elevate our genre so reviewers see that our detective novels are every bit as good as so-called literary fiction” (page 25).  Do you think mysteries today get the same respect as literary fiction?  What about “cozy mysteries?”

 

2.     There are several references to the books the female authors have written, especially the Harriet Vane and Lord Peter Winsey characters from Dorothy Sayer’s novels.  If you have read any of the books or not, how do you think this influenced your reading and enjoyment of this book?

 

3.     Both Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers had secrets they did not want made public.  How did this affect their undertaking of solving the disappearance of the young women?

 

4.     How important was Dorothy Sayers unplanned pregnancy to the story of Leonora and May and the focus of this novel?

 

5.     There was a lot of emphasis on the view of women in the 1930s.  For example, after the war May and Celia were called “surplus women” (page 58) because so many men were killed in the war that there were not enough husbands.  Also, the five women thought that many men treated women “as though they were disposable” (page 297).  How was the view of women at that time important to the novel?

 

6.     Also, in an article about May Daniels, she was referred to as “was bobbed Miss Daniels leading a loose life?” (page 84).  Dorothy, reflecting on the different hairstyles of the 5 women writers, thought that “Eschewing a complicated, conventional coiffure for that more modern style is an effort to send a message: the wearer leads a busy life and hasn’t the time for fussy updos.  But the message received by a traditional few – especially men – is that the woman is fast and loose” (page 84).  Likewise, the five women each dressed differently.  “Each woman selects particular apparel and adopts a certain demeanor to assume a chosen role, one our group then reinforces with our interactions” (page 139).  Do we still make judgements on people today regarding their style and then treat them differently than someone dressed differently?

 

7.     Did you find the ending satisfying?  Did Chapman get off too easily?  Jimmy said he would say that he confessed to May’s murder before falling down the steps and dying.  

 

8.     Did you agree that Millicent should not be at all connected with Chapman’s death?

 

9.     How well did the novel follow the description of the genre from Wikipedia?  There was a red herring (the syringe found by May’s body) and there were clues from the analysis of the threatening note sent to Dorothy (pages 245 and 246).

 

10.  Would you recommend this book to a friend?  Why or why not?

 

11.  What other mysteries have you read that you enjoyed?   Have you ever solved the mystery before it was revealed in the book?

The Water Dancer, by Ta-Nehisi Coates

 

Characters
Tasked	Quality	Low Whites
Hiram – Walker’s son with Rose Rose – mother – sold   Roscoe -butler Ella – head cook Pete   Sophia – knitter, belonged to Nathaniel Caroline “Carrie” – daughter with Nathaniel Mercury – husband, sold   Santi Bess – Hiram’s grandmother, escaped with 48 slaves   Thena – raised Hiram   Hawkins – saved Hiram from drowning Amy – sister   Parnel Jones – stealing from master, entire Tasked population on plantation punished, wanted to run away – met Underground in woods Lucy – came along unannounced	Howell Walker – owns Hiram Maynard – son, drowned   Mr. Fields – tutor   Corinne Quinn – Maynard’s intended   Nathaniel – Howell’s brother   Lockless – plantation   Daniel McKiernan – owns Otha’s family	Desi and Boss Harlan Desi – in charge of big house Boss Harlan – enforcer   Ryland’s Hounds – hunted for runaways
	Free Blacks	Underground
	Georgie Parks Amber - wife	Hawkins Corinne Mr. Fields – Micajah Bland Amy   House agents Field agents   Raymond White – free, met Hiram in PA Otha White – born a slave Lydia – wife, still in slavery   Harriet Tubman “Moses” - Conduction

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2020 paperback edition.

1.      There were a lot of characters in the novel. I had a hard time deciding who to put in the chart and who not to include.  Which ones were the most memorable to you and why?

2.      What did you think of the Conduction, Hiram’s experience with the blue light and water?  As you were reading earlier in the novel, what did you think was happening?

3.      Hiram was very well educated thanks to Mr. Fields and with Howell Walker’s permission.  He also was quite talented as a furniture restorer.  Did the Underground make the best use of his skills when he trained to be a field agent instead of a house agent who read, studied, and forged papers?

4.      There was a hint that Hiram was the author of the story.  When he was studying with Mr. Fields, he was given one hour after his sessions with free use of the office and library.  He wrote “I think now that my own volume, the one that you now hold here, began in those moments” (page 164).  Was that important to your reading?

5.      Were you surprised that Hiram went back to Lockless to serve again as a slave and try to help Thena escape?

6.      One part that stayed with me was when Hiram was running for the first time with Sophia and had a difficult conversation with Thena.   She said to him, “Boy like you should be more careful with his words.  Never know when they the last ones he might put upon that person” (page 115).  That haunted Hiram until he was able to make amends with Thena.  What parts of the book were more memorable to you?

7.      Did you understand the strong and mixed emotions the Tasked had?  For example, when Hiram wanted to help Thena escape to be with her daughter, Thena yelled at him and said, “Why you bring this back to me?,,,Do you know what it took for me to make peace with this?” (page 383)

8.      There seemed to be several unfinished stories – what happened to Parnell Jones (the book said he was to be taken back to master for stealing [page 179]) and on page 184 it said “with my actions against Georgie Parks.”   When was Jones given back to his master and what actions did Hiram take against Parks?

9.      Were you surprised at the end when Sophia decided to stay at Lockless with Hiram and work in the Underground instead of escaping with Carrie?  Did you find the ending satisfying?

10.  Why did the author choose to use the terms “tasked” and “quality” instead of slave and owner?

11.  Why do you think the author included Harriet Tubman, the only real person, in the novel? 

Did the book live up to the statements on the back cover?  The book was described as a “propulsive, transcendent work that restores the humanity of those from whom everything was stolen.”   It also was on numerous Best Books of the Year lists including NPR, The New York Public Library, and The Washington Post.

Table for Two, by Amor Towles

 

Short Stories

The Line – set in the1900s before WWI

Pushkin and Irina Petya – became Pushkin’s partner and expended line-waiting business   1.      What did you think of Pushkin taking pleasure in everything around him?  Was he like Smitty in Hasta Luego? 2.      Why did the author choose “Pushkin” for the character’s name after the poet, Alexander Pushkin, 1799-1837?

The Ballad of Timothy Touchett

Timothy Touchett – aspiring novelist Peter Pennybrook – bookstore owner Paul Aster – living author Lieutenant McCuster – bunco squad Detective Dawson   1.      How did the word “honorarium” change how Timothy thought about what he did?   Should he have known better? 2.      Did you understand how Timothy justified his actions in his mind?  3.      What did you think of the last two lines?

Hasta Luego

Jerry – narrator Smitty -alcoholic, wife Jennifer, made everyone around him feel good   1.      Did you like the ending when Jerry hoped his wife would fight for him as hard as Jennifer fought for Smitty?

I Will Survive

Nell – attorney Jeremy – husband Peggy – Nell’s mother John Wells – Peggy’s second husband   2.      Did you understand how Peggy felt betrayed because John’s extreme joy had nothing to do with her? 3.      Was the breakup of the marriage Nell’s fault? 4.      What would you have done in Nell’s place?

The Bootlegger

Tommy Wife – narrator Arthur Fein – old man in raincoat sitting beside Tommy Barbara – wife, deceased Meredith – daughter   1.      Could you relate to the way Tommy’s ticket subscription kept getting more and more expensive? 2.      Was Meredith too harsh with Tommy at the end of the story?

The Didomenico Fragment

Percival Skinner Peter (Skinner) Mendelson – uncle Sharon – wife Lucas and Emma – children Sarkis – looking for antiquities, interested in painting fragments Michael Reese - Giuseppe DiDomenico - painter “Annunciation” – painting cut into pieces for family inheritance   1.      Did you like the character Madeline Davis and the meatballs in baggies in her purse?  Have you ever been tempted to do something like that? 2.      What did you think of Lucas and his stipulation about the painting and the reproduction being put on display?  Was he a little too sophisticated to be believable? 3.      Did you like the author’s description of the typical Thanksgiving dinner with everyone bringing a side dish with the “secret ingredient” of mayonnaise?

 

1.      Did all or some of the stories seem to have a message?

2.      How did you like reading short stories as compared to full-length novels?

 

Eve in Hollywood – a novella
Seven points of view	Others
#1 Charlie Granger – retired homicide detective Betty – wife, deceased Tom – son Caroline – daughter-in-law Met Eve on train to Los Angeles   #2 Prentice Symmons – older actor Birdie – chambermaid Met Eve in lobby of hotel – sitting in “his” chair Able to tell photos taken through two-way mirror   #3 Olivia – Olivia de Havilland “Dehavvy” “Livvy” Met Eve in restroom – “Evvie” Being blackmailed with photos   #4 Jeremiah Litsky – photographer and reporter Eve got his camera with comprising photo of Olivia           #5 Marcus Benton David O. Selznick’s attorney Hired Eve to protect Olivia   #6 Wendell – still photographer Fired for complimenting Jean Harlow Took pictures for Fairview through mirror   #7 Sean Finnegan - Head of hotel security Former policeman Killed Lipsky and took pictures and money	Eve – “Evvie”  **main character** On train heading home and at the last minute decided to continue on to Los Angeles Motivated Charlie to not move in with son   Freddie Fairview Owned pool house and two-way mirror Photos of many women hidden in book by Shakespeare   Billy Limo driver Aspiring stuntman   Jerry Wendell’s friend in bar Convinced him to blackmail actresses

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from hardback edition.

1.      One of my favorite words in “schadenfreude” on page 285.  Litsky took unflattering photos of Olivia and wanted money for them.  He thought it was human nature that people like to see famous people fall.  Do you agree?

2.      Did you gain any understanding of the early years of film and women’s roles?  For example, on page 359 Olivia felt she was type-cast as “some version of Maid Marian over and over again.”

3.      What did you think of the scene with the fortune teller on the Santa Monica pier?  The message was for Eve to “Resist the Temptation” (page 340), but Olivia felt “the temptation she must resist was to continue being the person whom others expected her to be.”  Why did she take Eve’s fortune to heart?

4.      What did you think about Eve often being called the “damaged blonde?”   Was this another indication of how women were viewed at that time?

5.      What did you think about the organization of the book – seven points of view (according to the hardback cover flap) plus Eve (last chapter of each section)?

6.      Did you like the ending?  What did you understand from the last paragraph?  Eve was on the movie set of Tara when the props people were repainting it to look aged and damaged.  She thought “For the world to have any sense of justice, a team of artisans had to come forward with their hammers and paintbrushes and pumice stones in order to patiently unmake the palaces of the proud” (page 451).