April 2022 Bookclub News

 

 Dear Bookclub,

An absolute springtime refresh, luncheon at Terrie's was the backdrop for our discussion of Nguyen Phan Qué Mai's poetic "The Mountains Sing".

 

Enjoyed by all, it was hard not to contrast it with another recent memoir read, Qian Julie Wang's "Beautiful Country", which was clunkier, more difficult. "The Mountains Sing", a novel, was deftly crafted to encompass the last century of Vietnamese history, illuminating events that seemed both familiar and newly understood. The chapter titles alone formed a lyrical line from "The Tallest Mountains", "Red on the White Grains", "The Fortune Teller", to "The Great Hunger", "My Father's Gift", and "My Grandmother's Songs". Here are a few of the proverbs tucked into the narrative, which I loved:

* "Good luck hides inside bad luck"

* "Soft and persistent rain penetrates the earth better then a storm"

* "Difficulty gives light to wisdom"

'The Mountains Sing'

Make a cup of tea and please, please listen to this interesting event with Ngyuen Phan Que Mai reading her poetry (and more):

 https://podcast.lannan.org/2015/03/05/nguyen-phan-que-mai-with-bruce-weigl-1-march-2015-video/

 

Terrie's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"The Happiest Girl in the World" Alena Dillon *chosen

"Very Cold People" Sarah Manguso

"The Sentence" Louise Erdrich

Up next:

Happy reading,

LK

March 2022 Bookclub News

 

A lithograph by artist G.W. Fasel depicts the scene when pioneer Daniel Boone rescued his daughter, Jemima, and Betsey and Frances Callaway from the Shawnee Indians after they had been abducted. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

Dear Bookclub,

The taking of Jemima Boone - er - kidnapping - blazed as a sensational, stunning act in our nation's history of pioneers and westward expansion into Native American land. As depicted in these various works of art, the lore surrounding the event was deeply familiar in the 19th century. Our understanding of the history was weak, we learned as Matthew Pearl's reconstruction of the times wowed us beyond our initial attraction to the drama. I would welcome a Netflix/Amazon/HBO series.

Not able to join in the outdoor luncheon meeting to discuss Matthew Pearl's "The Taking of Jemima Boone", impressions of the book's reception were recounted and hopefully, faithfully reported here:

*Book was well-liked although there was difficulty keeping track of all the characters.

*Surprising that Daniel Boone did not mind that Jemima was probably not his biological daughter.

*Agreed that Pearl gave a fair presentation of the Indians and showed how important family was to the tribes.

*Boone seemed like a good man in all his dealings. 

*Notable that this was going on during the Revolutionary War (the abduction taking place 10 days after the Declaration of Independence was signed).

 

 

 

The kidnapping of Jemima Boone, depicted by the Swiss painter Karl Bodmer, circa 1852

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/books/review/the-taking-of-jemima-boone-matthew-pearl.html

 

Engraving (1852) depicting Daniel Boone’s rescue of his kidnapped daughter and two of her friends in 1776.

Photo: Bridgeman Images

Our cast of characters

 

 

 

 

 Val's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"Already Enough; A Path to Self-Acceptance" Lisa Olivera

"French Braid" Anne Tyler

"On a Night of a Thousand Stars" Andrea Yaryura Clark *chosen

 

Up next:

Happy reading,

LK