The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Nov 5, 2015

Hostess:  Susan

Attendees:  Lori, Cheryl, Mary Margaret, Michelle, Amy, Emily, Lisa, Pam T, and Pam M

Next month:  The Marrying of Chani Kaufman by Eve Harris

Dead Wake
by Erik Larson

Host: Mary Margaret
Attendees:  Amy, Janna, Cheryl, Pam, Michelle

Ratings:
3, 5, 4, 4, 4.5
Average 4.25

We thought Erik Larsen did a good job of bringing to life the detail of the people and the situation on the boat.  A few of us (ahem, Michelle) didn't like the book.

Contrary to popular belief, the sinking of the Luisitania was not the cause of the US entrance into WWI.  Interesting characters were Lauriet (the book collector) and the woman architect.  Erik described in detail the possessions brought aboard- baby clothes, pink (popular color for boys), opulence of the time. Lots of info. available about Lusitania because people's possessions survived. 

November's selection:  The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah

The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams

September 3, 2015

Hostess:  Janna

Attendees:  Susan, Pat, Cheryl, Janna, Amy, Pam, Michelle, Lisa

Our first meeting after summer break.  Happy to see each other!

We agreed this was a book that didn't require too much concentration to enjoy, as in tuck it into your beach bag.   The whole book consisted of split narration.   Violet's story in the past was much more compelling than Vivien's contemporary setting;  as if the stories were written by two different people.  Vivien's story and character was fluffy and trite while Violet's was complex and intriguing.  Some reviews classify this novel as historical fiction (which we thought much too generous);  we rated it as a historical romance novel.   However, there were a few red herrings and enough of a plot twist to keep our interest.

Overall Rating:  We gave it a 3.5

Next month's book (October 3):   Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania  by Erik Larson

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Weds August 5, 2015

Hostess:  Amy
Attendees:  Jana, Michelle, Cheryl, Mary Margaret, Pam

                                                         Welcome back to Book Club!

                                                   

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Non-Fiction

We agreed this book had good character development.  We admired Joe for his perseverance under dire circumstances, but we would have liked even more detail about Joe's home life.  It was difficult to wrap our heads around his abandonment by his father, and being out on his own at such a young age.   The author did an excellent job exhausting us in his portrayal of the boys' athletic training in the  cold and misery of the Pacific coast weather.  Some thought the book was a little slow in the beginning, but it picked up.   We learned a lot about rowing in general,  boat building, and the correct pronunciation of "coxswain."

The winning team.  Joe Rantz is second on the left.

Master boat builder George Pocock

There were lots of interesting historical facts with some overlap with our favorite Louis Zamperini (may he rest in peace).   We were  also intrigued about the sanitization of Berlin during the Olympics.

Overall we gave it a rating of 4.5

Here's a link to a video that sums up the story:

https://youtu.be/n58w0BctOvs 




We discussed our summer reading "homework" and here's what we came up with:

Cheryl would not recommend Little Mercies
Susan would not recommend Lila
Myra would not recommend The Wright Brothers

Sept:   The Secret Life of Violet Grant  - host   Janna
Oct:     Dead Wake - host Mary Margaret
Nov:    The Nightingale - host Susan
Dec:     The Marrying of Chani Kaufman - host Michelle
Jan:      The Headmaster's Wife - host Cheryl
Feb:      The Goldfinch - host Pam

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

 May 7, 2015
Hostess:  Pam
Attendees:  Cheryl, Myra, Janna, Emily, Betty Rose, Susan, Michelle
Overall Rating:  3.75

This book has been on the #1 list of the NY Times bestsellers list but our group did not unanimously agree with that ranking.  It seemed like our group had the biggest issue with the characters and their lack of development.    Every character was introduced in a very linear manner while  their story was being developed, but only up to a point, and then they seemed to disappear.    The primary characters seemed bipolar, and none of them were very likable, except for Cathy, Rachel's roommate.

(Janna's Quote of the Night:  "Cathy tripped into the wrong book" )   

Some of our criticisms:  

1.  There was no background on why Tom was a sociopath

2.  What was the significance of the clothes on the track?   

3.  What happened to the psychiatrist?

4.  What about the red-headed guy Rachel met on the train?

The imagery of Rachel viewing people on the train and out the window and imagining their lives drew us in.  Haven't we all done that before?    We did like the suspense and wanted to keep reading to see what happened next.    Rachel transformed from a spineless, weak person to a more determined, aggressive person toward the end of the book.  

We had a good discussion about a memory not always being a fact. (reference back to a previous selection, The Round House)   Tom mentally abused Rachel by planting untrue memories of her behavior when she was drunk.   Overall this book generated good discussion and we considered it a good beach read.   It could have been much better with more character development because we felt it had good bones.   We gave this book an overall  3.75     

We also inducted a new book club member, Charlotte Ottley, (Susan's downstairs neighbor who needs a lot of beauty sleep and a little piece of quiet)  Is that Charlotte's empty chair?

The next book selection is The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (and currently on sale for $2.99  Kindle edition)    Our next meeting will be in August;  so over the summer we decided to give ourselves reading assignments.  This way we vet the selections and when we meet up again, we can decide what months we want to read them.

Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf  (Cheryl)
Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt (Betty Rose)
Mr. Owita's Guide to Gardening by Carol Wall (Lori)
The Headmaster's Wife by Thomas Christoper Greene (Emily)
The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams (Amy)
The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah (Michelle)
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan (not assigned)
A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner (Pat)
Lila by Marilynne Robinson (Susan)
The Marrying of Chani Kaufman by Eve Harris (Pam)
God Help the Child by Toni Morrison (Nan)
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough (Myra)
Dead Wake by Eric Larson (Mary Margaret)
A Spool of Blue Thread (Janna)

Mrs. Kennedy and Me

April 16, 2015
Mrs. Kennedy and Me -  An Intimate Memoir
by Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin

Hostess:  Amy
Attendees:  Mary Margaret, Cheryl, Pat, Pam, Michelle,  Janna, Myra
Book Club Rating:  3 stars

Clint Hill was Mrs. Kennedy's personal Secret Service agent who at first was disapointed and dismayed at his assignment guarding the First Lady.  Boring!  Art and Culture!  He ended up developing a close relationship with her probably because of their closeness in age.  He was there for her darkest moments as well as her happiest.   It was surprising to us that this book got such good reviews and was on the best seller list for a long period of time.  It had to be the subject matter because we all agreed that it wasn't the most well-written book.  It read like a People Magazine;  not that it wasn't enjoyable...

We found it interesting that Jackie was so against being in the public eye and fiercely guarded her privacy, given the fact that JFK was already a senator when they married.  She must have known he might have entertained the idea of running for president...   After having children, she became a tigress protecting them from the paparazzi.   We agreed that when you become a celebrity it's a trade off;  you can't expect to live your life in privacy.

Oh those pearls! the gloves!

No denying Jackie brought class and glamour to the White House.

She was a hit in India and Pakistan, too.  That's Clint in the center, and her sister Lee Radziwill on the left.  

Jackie's gift horse Sardar

On this day in 1962, Pakistan’s governor, Ayub Khan, in a gesture of goodwill, gives first lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy a horse named Sardar. Governor Khan and President Kennedy cultivated a close diplomatic relationship between their two countries. When the Pakistani governor first visited the White House, he and Jackie discovered a common interest in horses. In her memoirs, the first lady referred to Sardar as her “favorite treasure.” She nicknamed the jet gelding “Black Jack.” Jackie chose “Black Jack” to serve as the ceremonial rider-less horse during JFK’s funeral. The horse’s nervous capering once caused the procession to come to a halt while everyone waited for him to settle down.

CORRECTION:   There are many newspaper reports that claim Sardar was the skittish riderless horse in JFK's funeral procession.  (it must be true, it's on the internet.....)   This turns out to be incorrect. The real Black Jack was a half-Morgan, half American Quarter ARMY  horse.  Sardar was a Thoroughbred.

Army Owns high-strung Black Jack . WASHINGTON - Black Jack, the skittish riderless horse in President Kennedy's funeral procession, is an Army horse. ... 

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/blackjack.htm

Black Jack died after a 29-year military career on February 6, 1976. He was cremated, with his remains laid to rest in a plot at Fort Myer, Virginia, on Summerall Field; his final resting place lies 200 feet (60 m) northeast of the flagpole in the southeast corner of the parade field. He is one of only two horses in United States history to be buried with Full Military Honors, the other being Comanche.^[3]

We felt there was not enough character development or lack of insight into Clint Hill and his family, and how the demands and pressure of his job affected his family life.  What family life?  He spent all his holidays with the Kennedy clan,  in Hyannis Port, Palm Beach, Middleburg, Camp David....

We also felt disappointed that the author did not include any stories about JFK's womanizing (i.e. Marilyn Monroe) while in the White House; as in who knew?...and how were the trysts orchestrated? The Secret Service had to know!  It also surprised us a little at how little time Jackie  actually spent in the White House itself.    Overall, our group felt that the book did not provide that much more detail about things that we didn't already know.   The author carried tremendous guilt after the assassination, and suffered depression.  We had some questions about what happened when Mrs. Kennedy left the White House.   One question we would have liked answered:  Why was JFK so adamant that Clint keep Jackie away from Aristotle Onassis during one of her overseas jaunts?

The main lodge at Camp David.  Doesn't this look like it could be a home in Indian Hills?

Amy questioned whether Camp David has been updated/ modernized at all in recent years.  Or perhaps stock photos are kept dated for security reasons....

How about we put this on our future field trip list :)  https://whitehouse.gov1.info/camp-david/



After all the Jackie and JFK discussion, we felt like we wanted to know more details about her life after the assassination:   what was the attraction to Aristotle Onassis?  and what about  her later companion, Maurice Tempelsman.

 Jackie wed Aristotle Onassis in 1968, five years after JFK's assassination, and which also happened to be the year one anonymous book club member was born...

Then, approximately five years after Onassis' death in 1975, Jackie and Maurice moved in together in NYC.

Overall we gave this book a 3, which may have been generous,

but great discussion was generated! 

Quote of the night:  must remain anonymous....it was a doozy!

Next Month's Book:  Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins