Questions for Discussion from Grace Cordial

Tombee: Portrait of a Cotton Planter

While you are reading our selection for February 19, Rosengarten’s Tombee, please consider these questions:

Would you choose Thomas B. Chaplin as a friend? Why or why not?

What is your evaluation of the extended introduction that Rosengarten provides before Chaplin’s edited diary?

What do you think of his scholarship and conclusions? How did you arrive at your decision?

See you at 5:30 on Thursday, February 19th!
4:55 PM

Suite Francaise-Questions from Book Browse

This guide is designed to enliven your group’s discussion of Suite Française, Irène Némirovsky's masterpiece—a unique work of fiction about the chaotic exodus from Paris in June, 1940, as the invading German army approaches, and the complex life of an occupied village a year later.
The novelist, who herself fled Paris on the eve of the Nazi invasion, wrote the book virtually while the occupation was happening, most likely making Suite Française the first work of fiction about World War II.

How do you think she managed to write while she herself was in jeopardy?

Do you think it was easier for her to capture the day-to-day realities of life under occupation?

In what ways might the book have been different if she had survived and been able to write Suite Française years after the war?

Suite Française is a unique pair of novels. Which of the two parts of Suite Française do you prefer?

Which structural organization did you find more effective: the short chapters and multiple focus of Storm in June, or the more restricted approach of Dolce?

What is the significance of the title Dolce?

How does Suite Française undermine the long-held view of French resistance to the German occupation?

Discuss Irène Némirovsky’s approach to class in Suite Française.

How do the rich, poor, and the middle classes view one another?

How do they help or hinder one another?

Do the characters identify themselves by class or nationality?(You might consider the aristocratic Mme de Montmort’s thought in Dolce: “What separates or unites people is not their language, their laws, their customs, but the way they hold their knife and fork.”)

In Dolce, we enter the increasingly complex life of a German-occupied provincial village. Coexisting uneasily with the soldiers billeted among them, the villagers—from aristocrats to shopkeepers to peasants—cope as best they can. Some choose resistance, others collaboration. Each relationship is distorted by the allegiances of war.

What happens when someone—who might have been your friend—is now declared your enemy during a war?

The lovers in the second novel question whether the needs of the individual or the community should take priority. Lucille imagines that “in five, or ten, or twenty years” this problem will have been replaced by others. To what extent, if at all, has this proved the case?
Has Western society conclusively decided to privilege the individual over the group?

How does Suite Française compare to other World War Two novels you have read? How would you compare it to the great personal documents of the war (for example, those written by Anne Frank and Victor Klemperer), or to fiction?

“Important events—whether serious, happy or unfortunate—do not change a man’s soul, they merely bring it into relief, just as a strong gust of wind reveals the true shape of a tree when it blows of all its leaves.” —Storm in June, p.203. Do you agree?

Consider Irène Némirovsky’s plan for the next part of Suite Française (in the appendix). What else do you think could happen to the characters?

Date Change for March

Jim Jordan, author of Savannah Grey, was to present his book for us on March 19, but he has been invited to present at the Virginia Festival of the book. He is very excited, and we are excited for him. He is, however, free to speak to us on the following Thursday, March 26, so I took the liberty of changing our meeting date to the 4th Thursday for March only. We will, again, be using the Children's Program Room on the first floor. I hope to see lots and lots of book lovers at the March meeting, and at all of our meetings!
Happy New Year.

Happy Holidays!

May all the joys of the holiday season, be it Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, come to you, and a very happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.

In the meanwhile, take time to relax and read. Don't forget to join us January 15, at 5:30, in the Children's Program Room for a discussion of Suite Francaise led by Stuart. Bring a friend along.

Favorite Book Read in 2008 by Brenda

My pick is Pat Conroy’s “Prince of Tides.” I’d seen the film many times, and it’s on my top 10 list, but just had never gotten around to the book. Fortunately, our book club read it recently. Conroy is quite a wordsmith. Some passages are so beautifully poetic they illicit tears. The book is filled with stories of hope, failure, anguish, injustice, and again hope, and tells how a family that has endured much pain and hurt (so that they inflict it upon each other) can maintain love and respect for that same family and help heal the scars of darker times. The book has so many more stories than does the film, for obvious reasons (or the film would be 8 hours long!). There is always comic relief amidst the heavy themes of life among the Wingo family. If you’ve not taken the time to read the book, it’s never too late. It reads like it was written yesterday, and will give you a feeling of pride and appreciation for life in the Lowcountry. There is a new place in my heart for Pat Conroy.
~ Brendagael
Brendagael Beasley~Forrest, MA, MSLS

Schedule Change

Please note that we are now reading Tombee for February 19 and Savannah Grey for March 19. As noted at left, Grace Cordial, our library system's Historical Resources Librarian for the Beaufort District Collection will present Tombee and give us historical (insider) information about the Chaplin family and the book.
March 19, we will have the author of Savannah Grey, Jim Jordan, as our guest speaker! He will, no doubt, answer questions for us.
If you missed the discussion of Prince of Tides, I'm sorry to tell you that you missed a number of insights into the book from those present. We had an interesting time delving into the family dynamics of the Wingos and trying to figure out if the three Wingo children could have avoided the psychological damage that became evident later in life. (Probably not.)
We read some reviews of the book written at the time of publication: one favorable and one a scathing denunciation of the plot and of Pat Conroy's writing style. We agreed with the favorable review!
The group could have spent 2 sessions on this book, but that is not to be. December 18 will be our dinner out to socialize. In January, Stuart will lead us in a discussion of Suite Francaise.
Please join us!

The Prince of Tides

While you are reading our selection for November 20, Pat Conroy's Prince of Tides, please consider this question:

What are the social issues that the author deals with in this book?

See you at 5:30 on Thursday, November 20!

Book Discussion: A Thousand Splendid Suns

During the business portion of our meeting we expanded our reading list through May. The choices appear on the left. The December 18 meeting will be dinner out. At the November meeting we will discuss whether to have a "Secret Santa" drawing for December, have a used book exchange, or discuss our favorite books from our personal reading.

We had a lively discussion of our chosen book led by Miki. We learned the history of the burka, which was originally created to protect both men and women from the heat and dust prevalent in the Middle East. Only later did it become a tool to keep women hidden in public. We were also given copies of the beautiful poem, Kabul by Saib-e-Tabrizi from which the book's title comes. Miki also brought before and after pictures of the Buddha statues in Bamyan, Afghanistan that were totally destroyed by the Taliban. The statues were formerly the tallest in the world.

Meeting This Thursday Evening

Don't forget our book discussion this Thursday at 5:30 on A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. In addition, please bring ideas on books we can read Feb. through May.
Do you want to do something special for December? We don't have a book discussion scheduled, but could go out to dinner, or bring Christmas goodies to the library. How about a used book swap? I'm about ready to "weed" my own collection and I never throw anything away!
See you Thursday.

Discussion Questions for A Thousand Splendid Suns

From readinggroupguides.com

1. The phrase “a thousand splendid suns,” from the poem by Saib-e-Tabrizi, is quoted twice in the novel – once as Laila’s family prepares to leave Kabul, and again when she decides to return there from Pakistan. It is also echoed in one of the final lines: “Miriam is in Laila’s own heart, where she shines with the bursting radiance of a thousand suns.” Discuss the thematic significance of this phrase.2. Mariam’s mother tells her: “Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have.” Discuss how this sentiment informs Mariam’s life and how it relates to the larger themes of the novel.3. By the time Laila is rescued from the rubble of her home by Rasheed and Mariam, Mariam’s marriage has become a miserable existence of neglect and abuse. Yet when she realizes that Rasheed intends to marry Laila, she reacts with outrage. Given that Laila’s presence actually tempers Rasheed’s abuse, why is Mariam so hostile toward her?4. Laila’s friendship with Mariam begins when she defends Mariam from a beating by Rasheed. Why does Laila take this action, despite the contempt Mariam has consistently shown her?5. Growing up, Laila feels that her mother’s love is reserved for her two brothers. “People,” she decides, “shouldn’t be allowed to have new children if they’d already given away all their love to their old ones.” How does this sentiment inform Laila’s reaction to becoming pregnant with Rasheed’s child? What lessons from her childhood does Laila apply in raising her own children?6. At several points in the story, Mariam and Laila pass themselves off as mother and daughter. What is the symbolic importance of this subterfuge? In what ways is Mariam’s and Laila’s relationship with each other informed by their relationships with their own mothers?7. One of the Taliban judges at Mariam’s trial tells her, “God has made us different, you women and us men. Our brains are different. You are not able to think like we can. Western doctors and their science have proven this.” What is the irony in this statement? How is irony employed throughout the novel?8. Laila’s father tells her, “You’re a very, very bright girl. Truly you are. You can be anything that you want.” Discuss Laila’s relationship with her father. What aspects of his character does she inherit? In what ways is she different?9. Mariam refuses to see visitors while she is imprisoned, and she calls no witnesses at her trial. Why does she make these decisions?10. The driver who takes Babi, Laila, and Tariq to the giant stone Buddhas above the Bamiyan Valley describes the crumbling fortress of Shahr-e-Zohak as “the story of our country, one invader after another… we’re like those walls up there. Battered, and nothing pretty to look at, but still standing.” Discuss the metaphorical import of this passage as it relates to Miriam and Laila. In what ways does their story reflect the larger story of Afghanistan’s troubled history?11. Among other things, the Taliban forbid “writing books, watching films, and painting pictures.” Yet despite this edict, the film Titanic becomes a sensation on the black market. Why would people risk the Taliban’s violent reprisals for a taste of popcorn entertainment? What do the Taliban’s restrictions on such material say about the power of artistic expression and the threat it poses to repressive political regimes?12. While the first three parts of the novel are written in the past tense, the final part is written in present tense. What do you think was the author’s intent in making this shift? How does it change the effect of this final section?