April Book Club Selections

On Wednesday afternoon, April 11th, the Seniors Book Club will be discussing Snow Flower & the Secret Fan by Lisa See.

A language kept a secret for a thousand years forms the backdrop for an unforgettable novel of two Chinese women whose friendship and love sustains them through their lives.

This absorbing novel – with a storyline unlike anything Lisa See has written before – takes place in 19th century China when girls had their feet bound, then spent the rest of their lives in seclusion with only a single window from which to see. Illiterate and isolated, they were not expected to think, be creative, or have emotions. But in one remote county, women developed their own secret code, nu shu – "women's writing" – the only gender-based written language to have been found in the world. Some girls were paired as "old-sames" in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their windows to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

An old woman tells of her relationship with her "old-same," their arranged marriages, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood—until a terrible misunderstanding written on their secret fan threatens to tear them apart. With the detail and emotional resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha , Snow Flower and the Secret Fan delves into one of the most mysterious and treasured relationships of all time—female friendship.

For more see Lisa See`s Website.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield will be the topic of conversation when the Evening Book Club meets on Monday, April 16th. (Postponed one week because of the Easter holiday.)

Margaret Lea works in her father’s antiquarian bookshop where her fascination for the biographies of the long-dead has led her to write them herself. She gets a letter from one of the most famous authors of the day, the mysterious Vida Winter, whose popularity as a writer has been in no way diminished by her reclusiveness. Until now, Vida has toyed with journalists who interview her, creating outlandish life histories for herself --- ;all of them invention. Now she is old and ailing, and at last she wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. Her letter to Margaret is a summons.

Somewhat anxiously, the equally reclusive Margaret travels to Yorkshire to meet her subject. Vida’s strange, gothic tale features the Angelfield family; dark-hearted Charlie and his unbrotherly obsession with his sister, the fascinating, devious, and willful Isabelle, and Isabelle’s daughters, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline. Margaret is captivated by the power of Vida’s storytelling, but she doesn’t entirely trust Vida’s account. She goes to check up on the family, visiting their old home and piecing together their story in her own way. What she discovers on her journey to the truth is for Margaret a chilling and transforming experience.

See The Thirteenth Tale`s COOL website for more!

Suite Francaise

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky is the book under discussion on the evening of March 12. This s an extraordinary novel of life under Nazi occupation - recently discovered and published 64 years after the author's death in Auschwitz. In the early 1940s, Irène Némirovsky was a successful writer living in Paris. But she was also Jewish, and in 1942 she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz. Her two small daughters, aged 5 and 13, escaped, carrying with them, in a small suitcase, the manuscript - one of the great first-hand novelistic accounts of a way of life unravelling.

For more see BookClubs.ca

The Birth House

The SAPL Seniors Book Group will be discussing The Birth House by Canadian author Ami McKay on March 14. The book is about Dora Rare, a midwife's apprentice. Working closely under the tutelage of the Cajun-born Marie Babineau, Dora learns both how to deliver babies and how to concoct the herbal remedies for various womanly afflictions. Miss Babineau's expertise is unquestioned, and her place in the community seems assured. But when a medical doctor arrives from a nearby town, decrying midwifery and urging women to give birth in his newly constructed maternity ward -- complete with chloroform and sterilized forceps -- Miss Babineau's future and reputation are challenged. And when Dora is forced to flee to Boston, she's exposed to a whole new range of choices for women, but must count on the loyalty of her friends back home to pave the way for her return.

See also The Birth House website.

The Girls

The Evening book group will be discussing The Girls by Canadian author Lori Lansens on Monday, February 12th. The book tells the story of conjoined twin girls growing up in Ontario in the 1970s and '80s. Conjoined twins were in the news again this week with the airing of a documentary about Abigail and Brittany Hensel of Minnesota on the Learning Channel on January 17th. The documentary, entitled Joined for Life: Abby and Brittany Turn 16 describes the co-ordination and co-operation involved in playing softball, volleyball and piano, typing e-mails, and learning how to drive a car when two brains are directing one body.