Thank you Esther for a lovely gathering of friends complete with Scottish-inspired selections. Book- themed soup, potatoes, malt Scotch, garden goodies. Thank goodness no haggis! Combined with contributions such as Judy's Walker's shortbread, we certainly shared a feast! It is always nice to gather together with friends for sharing our comments as well as our lives.
Our book was "At the Water's Edge" by Sara Gruen. This was a light read which was appreciated as we've had some challenging books this year. The story focused on three upper-class Americans (husband, wife and best friend) who travel to Scotland during WWII to search for the Lock Ness monster. Although a fiction story, much background research was done to get the details correct. The food rationing, necessity of carrying a gas mask with you at all times, the air raids. Without focusing on the ravages of war, you certainly learned about daily life during the war. You also learned about attitudes, based on social class and on culture. Two characters were so very shallow and rude, expecting the world to serve them. A social class which was quite reminiscent of "The Great Gatsby". Yet one character changed and grew into a respectable person, while the two friends managed to get worse. Chris P. had an epiphany about this story: she sees it as the melding of two classic fairy tales - Cinderella (the fair maiden with the cruel step-mother) and Beauty and the Beast (the cold, large male who's heart is awakened by the beautiful maiden). Chris said the story was somewhat formula but in a new setting. The writing was good and at times was a "calm and elegant whirlwind". Was Nessie ever found? Sara Gruen leaves you to decide. "But what I had learned over the past year was that monsters abound, usually in plain sight."
Our next meeting will be Wednesday November 1st, 5:30 pm, at Judy's home. We will be discussing "Small Great Things" by Jodi Picoult. See you then!
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