Eighth Meeting: The Paris Wife

This Month's Book:

The Paris Wife 

by 

Paula McLain

 -314 pages-

A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife, Hadley.

Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight year old who has all but given up on love and happiness--until she meets Ernest Hemingway and her life changes forever. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group --the fabled "Lost Generation"--that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.

A heartbreaking portrayal of love and torn loyalty, The Paris Wife is all the more poignant because we know that, in the end, Hemingway wrote that he would rather have died than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley.

Discussion Highlights:
Everyone enjoyed this book very much! We all loved seeing Ernest Hemingway through the eyes of someone else. McLain does a wonderful job at bringing to life a true story through fiction. We could all relate to Hadley in someway and we all agreed that while Ernest Hemingway was a brilliant writer, he was a sad and horrible person.


Next Month's Book:

The Sugar Queen

by

Sarah Addison Allen

-294 pages-

Our 9th monthly meeting will be November 18, 2013! See you there!

Seventh Meeting: All the Lonely People

This Month's Book:

All the Lonely People

by

Jess Riley

-274 pages-

This wry, touching novel from the author of Driving Sideways follows a cast of five endearing misfits who form a family of choice to try and make sense of their families of origin.

WANTED: A whole new family to share holidays with. Please have a good heart and be a thoughtful, polite person. No sociopaths, no pedophiles, no fans of the Kardashians. We're not weirdos, I promise. I love old Steve Martin movies, new Steve Martin banjo tunes, Indian food, and reruns of Bob Ross painting happy little trees. So if you're looking for something other than the typical family dysfunction this Christmas, drop us a line.

After losing her beloved mother to cancer, 37-year-old Jaime Collins must confront the ugly fact that she and her siblings don't actually like one another. At all. Fueled by grief and an epic argument at Thanksgiving dinner, Jaime decides to divorce her brother and sister and posts an ad on Craigslist for a new family with whom to share Christmas dinner.

What happens next is a heartwarming, funny, and surprising journey to forgiveness and healing. Is blood really thicker than water? What makes a family? And how far do we have to go to find our way back home again?

Dedicated to anyone who has ever wanted to unfriend a relative on Facebook, All the Lonely People is about family: those you make...and those you make peace with.

Discussion Highlights:

The concept of the book was humorous and somewhat relatable, because honestly, who hasn't imagined finding a new family? Also, the fact that most of our members found the book club through a Craiglist ad was a funny happenstance. But the author's lack of deeper characters and more researched back stories left a bitter taste in our mouths.  It was hard to accept some of what she tried to pass off as truth. 

Next Month's Book:

The Paris Wife

by

Paula McLain

-314 pages-

Our 8th monthly meeting will be on October 21st, 2013! See you there!