August Book Club Title: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Novel Tea 'n Pages Book Club members are currently reading, 'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan' by Lisa See.

The story is set in China during the 19th Century and encapsulates life in Chinese society for women, including the tradition of foot binding and the life expected of those put through this painful ordeal. The novel addresses the formalities and rankings within traditional families and allows insight into the way women cope and live.

In one remote county, Ms See writes of women who have developed their own secret code, nu shu – "women's writing" – the only gender-based written language to have been found in the world. She speaks of some girls who were paired as "old-sames" in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. These women painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their windows to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Her story embraces the special relationships formed between these women that last a life time.


Below are some discussion questions to ponder as you read this month's selected novel.

Book Club Discussion Questions

1. Lily endures excruciating pain in order to have her feet bound. What reasons are given for this dangerous practice?

2. Did See's descriptions of footbinding remind you of any Western traditions?

3. If some men in 19th-century China knew about nu shu and “old same” friendships, why do you think they allowed these traditions to persist?

4. Reflecting on her first few decades, Lily seems to think her friendship with Snow Flower brought her more good than harm. Do you agree?

5. Lily's adherence to social customs can seem controversial to us today. Pick a scene where you would have acted differently. Why?

6. Lily defies the wishes of her son in order to pair her grandson with Peony. Does she fully justify her behavior?

7. Lily sometimes pulls us out of the present moment to reflect--as an old woman--on her youthful decisions. What does this device add to the story?

8. How would you film these moments of reflection?

9. If Lily is writing her story to Snow Flower in the afterworld, what do you think Snow Flower's response would or should be?

10. Did you recognize any aspects of your own friendships in the bond between Lily and Snow Flower?

(Credits for Book Club Discussion Questions:  http://www.lisasee.com/sfbookclub.htm )


For more titles by Ms Lisa See, please visit her website:  http://www.lisasee.com/snowflower.htm

So until next time,
happy reading...

July Book Club: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell

It is such a joy to sit with a novel and discover upon completion, the author has truly mastered their technique and made the experience worthwhile. That is how our book clubbers felt after reading this month's nominated book, 'The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox'. Ms O'Farrell has trimmed the fat and chosen her words and phrases with much thought, consideration and clarity.

She has tackled topics that are as current today as they were back when the story was set in the early 1930s in Edinburgh. Sibling rivalry, mental illness, family relationships, pregnancies out of wedlock, and family secrets, are just a few of the complicated topics Ms O'Farrell tackles in her succinct novel. Her work is a page turner and very easily read. It is a book that can be read in one sitting or savoured over a number of sittings.

Ms O'Farrell's writing technique with this work is intriguing and captivating. She uses more than one voice to tell this tale and leads the reader through a unique reading pattern to shift perspective.

This work was a hit with our book clubbers and a highly recommended read if you haven't read it already. Below are some reading guide questions for those who like to mull things over.

The Reading Guide:

1. When Iris gets the call from the psychiatric hospital, she is put in a very difficult position. What does she stand to gain and lose from the decision she eventually makes? What would you do in her shoes? 

2. How have years of incarceration affected Esme? Has she retained any of the qualities we see in young Esme, before she is committed? Does she seem sane to you?

3. The story contains several twists – what are they, and which did you find the most shocking?

4. Considering all that Kitty has done, all that has happened to her, and the dementia she has suffered in old age, are you able to feel sympathetic towards her?

5. The relationship between Iris and Alex is a complex one. How does it seem to have influenced their relationships with others?  By the end of the novel, do you think they had reached any kind of resolution?

6. How did you find the end of the book? Can you think of any alternative endings that might have worked?

7. What similarities, and what differences do you see between the younger Esme, and the younger Iris?

8. This is a novel with a very complex time scheme. What techniques does the author use to handle this?

9. This has been described as Maggie O’Farrell’s best novel so far. Do you agree?

10. The relationship between the sisters is very complicated. In what ways does it change as they enter adulthood?

11. How do you think people’s attitudes towards unmarried mothers have changed since Esme was a young girl? How different would her life have been had she been able to keep her baby?

12. What do you feel the book tells us about mental institutions? Do you think people’s attitudes have changed since the first half of the 20th Century?

Suggested further reading:

The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
The Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Hallucinating Foucault - Patricia Duncker
Flesh and Blood - Michèle Roberts
The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
The House of Mirth - Edith Wharton
Good Behaviour – Molly Keane
Vanity Fair – William Thackeray

(Credits for Reading Guide: www.maggieofarrell.com/readingguides.html)

So until next time,

happy reading...

June Book Club - 'The House on the Hill' by Estelle Pinney - Wednesday, 6 June 2012

photo by: bibbity bob

Winter Warmers

There's a coolness in the air lately and soon winter will wrap its cold tendrils around our bodies and force us to rug up and take refuge somewhere warm and cosy. Winter is the perfect opportunity to snuggle up with a great book, rug and hot cuppa by the fireside, if you're so lucky to have a fireplace. I'm really hoping winter slows down life's pace and provides a special time to indulge in what I love to do most, write and read.

This month's book club nomination is: 'The House on the Hill' by Estelle Pinney and it took me a little while to acquire my copy, unfortunately. I managed to find a copy using Fishpond.com and now I am attempting to have the book read by our next meeting, which happens to be Wednesday 6 June at 7:30pm. Hopefully our dedicated book clubbers will leave the warm embers of their fireplaces and brave the chill of the night to attend this meeting.

Estelle Pinney is a local Brisbane writer and I always enjoy reading local authors' work. This is the case so far. I am already enjoying Ms Pinney's tale of Belle Dalton. The blurb goes like this:

Author: Estelle Pinney 

"Belle Dalton has stardust in her eyes. It's early 1920s in Far North Queensland, and the three Dalton sisters board with Mrs Sanders in the house on the Hill.

Lovely Belle, the youngest, and talented singer and dancer, tours with a vaudeville troupe as they follow the rodeos and shows of western Queensland. On the romance front, she's being pursued by handsome local Greek, Nicos Alexandros, owner of the swankiest cafe in town. But will she choose marriage with Nicos or a life on the stage?

Penguin Books ~ 2005

Molly reigns as head cook at King's Hotel, and can whip up any stylish gown down to the last bugle bead. However, happiness with her sweetheart Fred is threatened by a terrible twist of fate . . . Josie, the eldest, has bookish ambitions and a strong spirit, which will be tested to the full when her life takes an unexpected turn.

This heart-warming and colourful novel about the power of dreams brings to life Australia's exotic far north of days gone by, with its vibrant mix of cultures and personalities. House on the Hill follows three sisters' joys and heartbreaks - and the difficult choices they have to make that change their lives forever."

~

'Author Estelle Pinney grew up in Cairns and the tobacco growing town of Mareeba, North Queensland. She left school at the age of thirteen to work as a colourist in her grandfather's photographic studio. Estelle's eventful adult life saw her working as an ambulance driver for the US army during World War II; as a beauty consultant; and as a registered deckhand on her husband's crayfishing boat in the Torres Strait. She is the author of Time Out for Living (1995), A Net Full of Honey (1996) and co-author of Too Many Spears (1978) with late husband Peter Pinney. Estelle lives in Brisbane with her daughter Stella.'

Click on the following link for some insight from author Estelle Pinney and the development of her novel, 'The House on the Hill'.

http://www.readersvoice.com/interviews/2004/04/estelle-pinney-describes-the-evolution-of-house-on-the-hill/

Important Update - April Book Club Cancelled due to Easter Holidays

 Hello fellow Book Clubbers,

At our last meeting, (March, 2012), it was decided to cancel our next book club as it falls in the first week of school holidays and many members will be away.

Please continue to read our next title, which is called, Book of Lost Threads by Tess Evans as we will discuss both it, and May's book, Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson at our May's meeting.

A link to a reading guide for Book of Lost Threads is included in this post. Using a reading guide can sometimes be useful to help answer questions and empower the process of reading.

http://www.allenandunwin.com/_uploads/BookPdf/ReadingGroupGuide/9781742372334.pdf

We hope you are enjoying your current title and we look forward to meeting up with you all in May. Keep an eye out for new updates on this blog.

So, until next time,
happy reading...

March Book Club: The Secret River by Kate Grenville

Have you ever given a lot of thought to what it might have been like to commit a crime, be given a sentence of death, only to have the sentence commuted to seeing out the rest of your days in a harsh and foreign land, separated by ten thousand miles of water?

No?

Well, that's exactly what the main character, William Thornhill had to endure when Kate Grenville decided to put pen to paper after extensive research for her own family's history.

The Secret River is a solid tale with true Australian grit. It is a novel of substance and Kate Grenville executes a fine account of the harshness of early England and the settlement of Australia. Grenville takes us back to England in tough times of poverty. Readers may notice there are both distinct similarities and differences between Grenville's tale and Charles Dickens' depiction of poverty and moral tone in nineteenth century London in his well known works. Grenville is very proficient at evoking a sense of authenticity to this period. Dickens writes of the industrial age and the hardships of his characters. His portrayal is very bleak. Similarly, Grenville's characters face many hardships that change the course of their lives.

Grenville's style of writing is one that is easy to read. The book is separated into three parts and could almost be read as three separate novels. Throughout the tale we learn that William Thornhill is married to a woman of steely reserve. Her strength enables her to hold the family together during the toughest of times.

Life is both harsh in London, but even harsher in colonial Australia. But, for the effort of endurance, there is reward. Many original Australian families' heritage stem from their convict roots. Many who served their time, received a parcel of land to help them make a genuine start with their new life. This created a problem of mammoth proportions for the indigenous people of Australia - the true First Australians. And so the conflict began.

One of our book club members, who is from another country, enjoyed the story because she felt she learned something historical about life in early colonial Australia. The most significant point for some of our members was the difference between the colonists and the indigenous views on the ownership of land.

Kate Grenville's story was received well by all club members and recommended as a great read.

Thank you to those members who were able to attend tonight's meeting.

Our next month's title is: 'The Book of Lost Threads' by Tess Evans.

So, until next time,
happy reading...

March Book Club: The Secret River by Kate Grenville

The Secret River by Kate Grenville is the current title Novel Tea 'n Pages book clubbers are reading.

This book is the winner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 2006, the winner of the NSW Premier's Literary Award and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2006.

'In the early nineteenth century William Thornhill is transported from the slums of London to New South Wales for the term of his natural life. He arrives with his wife Sal and their children in a harsh land he does not understand.


Eight years later, Thornhill sails up the Hawkesbury as a free man to claim a hundred acres. Aboriginal people already live on that river and Thornhill will soon have to make the most difficult decision of his life.


Inspired by research into her own family history, Kate Grenville's, The Secret River is a tour de force, a powerful and groundbreaking story about life on the frontier.' Kate Grenville

Date Claimer: Novel Tea 'n Pages ~ March Book Club
                     Wednesday, 7 March, 2012
                     7:30 - 9:30 pm.

Looking forward to seeing you all there...

So, until then,
happy reading...

February Book Club - The Umbrella Club by David Brooks

And so begins another new year of fabulous reading with our February's first title, The Umbrella Club by David Brooks. We enjoyed a good roll up to our meeting, even though the regular night was moved from the Wednesday to Thursday night on this one off occasion.

The first meeting of the year is always one of excitement because this is the time when club members put forward their nominations of titles for the rest of the year. For book lovers, it is always interesting to discover what will be on the menu for the rest of the year. Take a look at this year's tantalising selection on the blog site which has just recently been updated. Having the list posted on the blog allows for all book club members to plan ahead for the year's reading so you have plenty of time to secure the books ready for the month they will be discussed.

Unfortunately, not all members were able to read The Umbrella Club before our first meeting which meant that a generalised discussion was limited to a much smaller number of members. However, the general consensus was taken from the old saying, 'you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover' because the actual story had lots of elements of surprise. Overall, everyone enjoyed the story, although it did not make the list as one of our most favourites.

The story itself was very earthy and would be a great read for anyone who has read Joseph Conrad's classic, Heart of Darkness. There are references throughout the narrative that directly relate to Conrad's work and if you enjoy his style of writing, then you should enjoy Brooks' efforts.

The Umbrella Club begins around the time of World War I when two young fellows, Axel and Edward, meet for the first time and over the course of the events, end up on many occasions together, fulfilling their wartime duties. Their friendship grows on the battlefields of France where they are both inspired by barrage balloons and develop a mutual fascination that embarks a lifetime love of ballooning and changes the course of their lives.

At the end of the war, Axel and Edward endeavour to return to a normal life, however, it soon becomes obvious that life will never return to what they know. Axel, always a free spirit, is consumed by his passion for flight and freedom and pursues this by learning the art of ballooning and forming the Umbrella Club, a group of passionate balloonists. Edward returns to the conventionality of earning a living and commitments to family. Axel's freedom and unconventional lifestyle fascinates him, and at times, Edward feels the pangs of envy. Though their paths are different, they always remain in contact through letters and the occasional Umbrella Club excursions.

After many smaller flights, Axel's passion grows and he decides to try for a much longer flight where others have not dared to go before. After much preparation and letters home to Edward, who has been caring for his dying sister, Axel sets off to balloon across the highlands of New Albion, a largely unexplored island north of Australia. When he fails to return, Edward travels to the island, after the death of his sister, to solve the mystery of his friend's disappearance and retrace his final journey. What he finds there will haunt him for the rest of his life.

'The Umbrella Club is a darkly compelling adventure into the depths of the human soul and to the frontiers of colonial exploration. In the aftermath of war, when there is nothing left to fear, sometimes the only possibility for recovery is flight.' David Brooks

We recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good tale of the wildness of the jungle and the people who exist there.

Most of our members would be powering on, if not finished, reading our next selection for the month of March, The Secret River by Kate Grenville. See the dates on the blog for our March meeting.

So, until next time,
happy reading...