Agawam Pageturners Book Club's Discussion of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

The group had an enjoyable discussion about the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Everyone liked the book, with only one person saying she liked the book but felt the ending was a little too contrived. The book is set on the Island of Guernsey right after World War II. The island, which belongs to England, was invaded and occupied by the Germans. The story told the sufferings the people endured during that time. During that time, the group formed a society for the discussion of books. It was formed in an instant by Elizabeth to cover up that the Islanders had been eating a pig! One member presented a book for an evening. The format of the book is unique. It is written completely in the form of letters. Although members of the group at first had a hard time getting used it, ultimately they enjoyed it. They found they learned more about the characters in this format, and in letters more is said than in verbal conversation. The characters came to life. The group discussed some of the difficulties the Islanders faced. One was the Tots, or the slave labor the Germans brought in. The Tots were not given anything to eat, so they had to forage at night. However, at the same time, the Islanders were starving and had to defend their food. One women commented on the difficulty of making that choice. Someone brought up the statement which one of the Islanders made: "reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones." The entire group disagreed with that statement. One woman said that "every so often you need to read fluff." The group talked about Elizabeth's heroics on the island which sent her to a concentration camp, and her continued heroics at the camp. Someone thought it was wrong for her to be heroic when she had a child on the Island. Others thought you don't know what you will do unless you are in that situation. Another person said sometimes you need the courage to know there are some things you cannot change. The group also talked about Juliet, an author from London, who became involved with the Islanders, and had her life changed by them. Overall a delightful read.

Night Bookers Book Club's Discussion of The Red Tent by Antia Diamant

The group had a lively discussion about The Red Tent. The Red Tent is set in biblical times, and it gives a fictionalized account of the life of Dinah and her relatives. Dinah is the daughter of Jacob and Leah in the Bible. Most people liked the book. One of the things they liked was the way she wrote about womanhood, and her perspectives of her four mothers (Jacob had four wives) and the other women she came into contact with. People admired Dinah's deep resiliency, for she suffered much. Some did not like the amount of sex in the book and some found the ceremony of the women opening the womb when Dinah first menstruated disturbing. People found it interesting that we here Dinah's version of events of what happened to her in the Bible. According to the Bible she was raped. Dinah in the book explains the relationship she had was consensual, and she felt her life ruined after her brothers killed her husband. People like the way author described everyday life: the making of the bread, wool, and beer. The "red tent" is where the women went went they were all menstruating, and it was great time for camaraderie, and strengthened the bonds they had with each other. One woman said women have lost that camaraderie, and another said that is what book clubs are for! The group discussed how Dinah cut herself off in Egypt. She went there with her mother-in-law after Dinah's husband was murdered. She bore his son, but this was taken by her mother-in-law. People were happy she found a second husband, Benia, and found happiness again. A great discussion about an interesting and fascinating book.

New Books Purchased in May

Here are the new books purchased in May: Adult, Children's, Teens.

Agawam Pageturners Book Club's Discussion of The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

The group had a controversial discussion about The Secret Scripture. Some liked the book, while others disliked it. Some found it too depressing. The book tells the story of Roseanne McNulty who is sent to an insane asylum in Ireland in the 1940's. She was sent there by Father Gaunt, who earlier had already accused her of being a nymphomaniac. He finally decided to send her when she had a child out of wedlock. At about the age of 100, Rosanne decides to write her life history, for her own peace of mind. This is during the same time that the asylum is going to close, and Dr. Grene, the psychiatrist, is trying to determine if she should be sent to another asylum or set free. Some people felt the story was a mystery, trying to find out what happened to Rosanne's son who was taken from her and sent to an orphanage. Some people liked the poetic style of writing. There was a debate going on whether Rosanne was really altogether there or marginalized. Someone claimed her bad choices showed there was something wrong with her mentally. Others thought she just made bad choices like all human beings do. Most people thought the priest, Father Gaunt, had it in for her and her family, and that the priest was evil. She was committed unjustly. One person brought out that this happened even in the United States, even in Belcherton, Massachusetts. Someone brought up the question if Rosanne's story is tragic or triumphant. Some people thought tragic; others thought triumphant. Everyone thought she was a survivor. Overall, a great book for lively discussion.

Night Bookers Book Club's Discussion of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

The group had a fun discussion about Bill Bryson's book A Walk in the Woods, which describes his experience in hiking different sections of the Appalachian Trail. Bill Bryson is a great humorist, and he had an amusing walking companion, Stephen Katz. Most women enjoyed the book. One woman said her husband had already read the book, and that he wants to re-read it. One woman had read it before when her stepson hiked the trail. She liked it even more the second time around. Someone commented that a lot of men they knew had already read the book. One person said she became bored when he digressed and talked about plant life, etc. She wanted to get back to the hiking. When Bryson hiked alone for a while, without Katz, people agreed the book slowed down. Katz is an out of shape recovering alcoholic, who is very funny, funnier than Bryson. One of the members of the group has hiked the Appalachian Trail in New England and parts of Georgia. She said the book was true to her experience, even down to shelters, (open on one side). The group thought that Bryson is an environmentalist. There was some criticism of him and Katz, too. They thought sometimes Bryson was too insulting and put people into boxes. They thought he was very harsh on the people who run the National Parks. They questioned if it was right for Katz to steal the Ralph Loren shoelaces from a group that treated them badly on the trail. The group overall thought what happened in the book was true, although it may have been embellished. Overall, a very enjoyable discussion.

New Books Purchased in April

Here are the new books purchased in April: Adult, Children's, Teens.

Agawam Pageturners Book Club's Discussion of To Kill a Mockingbird

The group had a controversial discussion of To Kill a Mockingbird. Some people loved the book, and thought Atticus was a hero. One person discussed it with her granddaughter, who was reading it the same time she was. One person had a hard time getting through it. She then watched the movie and understood it better. Others thought Atticus was a reluctant hero, or not a hero at all. In the book, set in the 1930's Alabama, Atticus defends an African American, Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white woman. Some thought Atticus defended him to the best of his ability. Others thought the defense he gave was not enough, and the portrayal of African Americans in the novel was poor. One person said, "what would it be like to be black and read this book?" One person thought the book was a morality play. The group also discussed Scout, the daughter of Atticus, and the narrator of the book. People did like that Atticus explained everything to his children. People thought Scout was mature for her age. (She is between the ages of 6-8 throughout the book). Jem, her brother ran free, probably because he lost his mother at a young age. Scout lost her mother, too, but she had Calpurnia, the African American housekeeper, who mothered her. Overall, a very lively discussion.