The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

For somebody who organises a book-group, I don't read too many novels these days; however, in the past fortnight I have managed to read the first 3 books in the Twilight Saga, The Girl with the Pearl Earring and now, The Time Traveller's Wife. I think it is escapism. Housework and children who won't get ready for school in the morning or go to sleep at night are getting me down. Did I mention in the last post that I am shallow? Because these are all love stories and now I am going to compare leading men. Well, Edward, the vampire, is creepy and doesn't do it for me at all. Jacob is lovely and light, but one summer would be enough. The painter in The Girl with the Pearl Earring is self-centred and weak. So that leaves Henry, the librarian who keeps fit and can cook...Hi, Honey, I'm home.

Once I got my head around the time-travel thing, I really enjoyed this book. I raced through it and now I need to go back and re-read the details. I found a few sets of discussion questions on the web for this book, but I think the following are most suited to our book-group (having trouble posting a link to the original source). See you Tuesday.

1. Why do you think that the book was titled "The Time Traveler's Wife" and not "The Time Traveller"?

2. The story is sometimes told by Clare, sometimes by Henry. Did you like how it was organised? How did their different persepctives help you understand their love?

3. For Clare, there is always a sense of waiting. Discuss the different ways she is waiting throughout the story. What roles do longing, anticipation and absence play?

4. Who is your favourite character and why?

5. How does their desire for a child affect their relationship? How did you feel about the chapters where they were trying desperately for a child?

6. Do you believe that Alva will have a better life than Henry? How is her perspective on time travel different than his?

7. How is their relationship changed by the fact that they experience different events at different times?

8. Is this story fatalistic?

9. Do you agree with Henry's rule of keeping the future a secret from himself so he can live as normal a life as possible? Discuss the times that he breaks this rule and whether you think those are good decisions.

10. Did you like the ending?

Running Amok by Mark Bowling

This book tells the story of Mark Bowling, an ABC foreign correspondent, during his years as Indonesian correspondent, 1998 - 2002.

Reading this book reminded me of an embarrassingly-less-than-profound moment I had a few years ago. In the year that I had my third child, quite shortly after my second and first children, I decided that life was just too full-on and something had to go. I considered the options and decided on "the news". The world would have to go on without me keeping tabs. It was a conscious and effective decision, and when we got to the end of the year and I checked back in to read the-year-in-pictures, I was surprised at how few of the photographs I recognised. Slowly life got a bit easier and one day I decided to tune back in. I would start with an episode of Foreign Correspondent. That night I sat down in front of the television and tried really hard to concentrate on the stories. Half-way through the first story I found myself thinking "Gee, that bloke looks really good in a black shirt. Perhaps I should get Peter a black shirt". Hmm, so much for tuning back into world news.

I had the same sort of experience reading this book. Part of me wanted to follow the story. I recognised the names, the places, was vaguely familiar with the events, but I just couldn't concentrate on the "news". Really, I wanted to hear more about his wife and children, and how they coped, and what support is offered to families of the foreign correspondents. I found myself skipping to the references to his family, which were rather sketchy. Mark Bowling was quite the work-a-holic, as is somebody very close to me, so it was interesting to hear a lot of my suspicions confirmed. Work really does mean more than family, for all the assurances that it doesn't.

So, I have skipped large chunks of this book. However, being the dutiful bookclub secretary that I am, I will still come up with a list of discussion questions. Forgive me if they are rather generic.

(And if anybody is wondering...I did get Peter a black shirt).

1. As a bookclub, we have read a number of books written by foreign correspondents (Our Woman in Kabul, Lost in Transmission, Holy Cow (well, Sarah was not a foreign correspndent but she was living with one)). How does this behind-the-scenes insight affect your interpretation of news stories as they are presented?

2. Were you familiar with the events and characters in the book? Did the book offer any additional insights? Give an example where this book may have changed your interpretation of events.

3. Do you remember the story of the Taman Safari animals? Mark expresses his frustration that animal stories can "capture the imagination of TV viewers more readily than poor and hungry humans" (p68). Do you agree with this statement? If so, how do you think the media can negate our apathy to poor and hungry humans?

4. Overall, how do you think Mark's wife and children would have viewed their time in Indonesia? Did you get enough of Kim's story, or would you like to know more? Foreign correspondents often put their lives at risk in search of a story. What are your thoughts on balancing work commitments (risks) with responsibilities to their families ? (The same question could be asked of adventurers...the balance between the need to fulfill personal ambitions with the responsibilities of having children).

That is all I can come up with for the moment...but I'm sure we'll find other things to talk about. See you Wednesday, at Outback Jacks.

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Hmm, I'll get back to this later

Three Dog Night

1. Is Martin's hostility to introduced plant species justified?
2. Is Martin more sinned against than sinning? Is he a likeable narrator?
3. Does Marin unconsciously collaborate with Felix's seduction of Lucy?
4. Are Felix's actions in any way defensible?
5. What motivates Lucy? Is it credible that she and Felix become lovers?
6. How far do you think the characters' actions are influenced by their bodies? How much does the body determine behaviour and personality?
7. What do you make of Goldsworthy's portrayal of the Warlpiri?
8. Is Felix's death heroic?
9. Does Martin murder Felix? If so, does he deserve imprisonment?
   

The Verge Practice

Discussion Questions

1. How would you characterise the relationship between Brock and Kolla?
2. Maitland introduces many more or less peripheral characters into the novel, but who nevertheless, play a considerable role. Analyse the contribution of one or more of the following characters: Suzanne Brock, George Todd, Madelaine Verge, Paul Oakley
3. Maitland's plotting talents have been noted. As one example, see if you can find the clues to the evential revelation of the way in which Charles Verge has changed his appearance. (A starting point might be p53)
4. Do you find the eventual revelation of Luz Diaz's true identity credible? Is there anything prior to the last chapter which offers the readers a clue? For instance, consider Kathy's thoughts of p72 about the similarity of the ways in which Charles Verge and Leon Desai have been brought up (by dominent mothers)
5. Would this novel havelost anything if al the episodes relating to the Crime Strategy Working Party had been deleted? Trawl through them and see for yourself.
6. Why does Kathy suddenly decide to go to Barcelona? 'This time, right or wrong, she would set the agenda.' (p267)
7. What is the significance of the book, The Complete Works of Luis Domench i Montaner?
8. Maitland wrote in the interview quoted earlier that he believes 'crime fiction often leads sthe way in dealing with issues of comtemporary life. The investigation allows the detectives to open door and probe any life, and for this reason I think the crime novel is a particularly good vehicle to explore current ideas and relationships.' How far do you think this is true of this novel in particular and of the genre in general?
   

The Secret Life of Bees

First things first: I found out what grits are. They are ground corn, made into porridge - similar to polenta. For more information, click here.

Now: the discussion questions

1. Were you surprised to learn that T. Ray used to be different, that once he truly loved Deborah? How do you think Deborah's leaving affected him? Did it shed any light on why T. Ray was so cruel and abusive to Lily?

2. Had you ever heard of "kneeling on grits"? What qualities did Lily have that allowed her to survive, endure, and eventually thrive, despite T. Ray?

3. Who is the queen bee in this story? What do the bees mean to the story? What is "the secret life of bees?"

4. Lily's relationship to her dead mother was complex, ranging from guilt to idealization, to hatred, to acceptance. What happens to a daughter when she discovers her mother once abandoned her? Is Lily right—would people generally rather die than forgive? Was it harder for Lily to forgive her mother or herself?

5. Lily grew up without her mother, but in the end she finds a house full of them. Have you ever had a mother figure in your life who wasn't your true mother? Have you ever had to leave home to find home?

6. What compelled Rosaleen to spit on the three men's shoes? What does it take for a person to stand up with conviction against brutalizing injustice? What did you like best about Rosaleen?

7. Had you ever heard of the Black Madonna? What do you think of the story surrounding the Black Madonna in the novel? How would the story be different if it had been a picture of a white Virgin Mary? Do you know women whose lives have been deepened or enriched by a connection to an empowering Divine Mother?

8. Why is it important that women come together? What did you think of the "Calendar Sisters" and the Daughters of Mary? How did being in the company of this circle of females transform Lily?

9. May built a wailing wall to help her come to terms with the pain she felt. Even though we don't have May's condition, do we also need "rituals," like wailing walls, to help us deal with our grief and suffering?

10. How would you describe Lily and Zach's relationship? What drew them together? Did you root for them to be together?

11. Project into the future. Does Lily ever see her father again? Does she become a beekeeper? A writer? What happens to Rosaleen? What happens to Lily and Zach? Who would Zach be today?

February Book - The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles

The blurb on the back of this book says that "Not only is it the epic love story of two people of insight and imagination seeking escape from the cant and tyranny of their age, The French Lieutenant's Woman is also a brilliantly sustained allegory of the decline of the twentieth-century passion for freedom"

Dearie me, we have had a run of them lately, haven't we? Is it just coincidence that this book is set near the Chesil Bank (see p232) or did Ian McEwan (On Chesil Beach) take his inspiration from this book? That would also account for the multiple endings and author-narration in Atonement.

Let's hope that next month is a page-turner.

(Of course, if your viewpoint differs from this, feel free to post about it!)

Here are some discussion points I have adapted from http://www.litlovers.com/guide_frenchlieut.html and some adapted from their list of generic questions http://www.litlovers.com/questions_f.htm).

1. Overall—how did you experience the book while reading it? Were you immediately drawn into the story—or did it take a while? Did the book intrigue, amuse, disturb, alienate, or irritate, you? Who skipped ahead to the ending? Who was waiting to watch the movie?
2. Charles Smithson (Fowles is playing here with James Smithson, the founder of the Smithsonian museum) is hunting fossils and meditating on Darwin's challenge to the old scientific order when he stumbles upon a new species—Sarah Woodruff. How does the idea of a new vs. old order pervade this book in terms of its characters and in terms of Fowles's reworking of fiction?
3. What is your attitude toward the book's different endings? What is Fowles trying to do? Which ending do you prefer or is there another ending you wanted to read? What endings are possible in a love story...a happy ending, a tragic ending, or boring together-forever future...or something else?
   
4. Are you willing to give up on a narrator's or writer's authority to control events of a story? Are you comfortable or uncomfortable with that idea? You might also consider Ian McEwan's Atonement—how that story also offers competing versions of "reality."
5. Freedom from societal conventions is an overriding theme in this novel. How do the each of the characters respond to the social constraints of Victorian society? How does Fowles, as an author, confront the constraints of traditional storytelling?
6. Discuss the characteristics of Charles, Tina, and Sarah. Is Charles worthy of Sarah?
7. Were there any other characters that caught your fancy?
   
8. Can you pick out a passage that strikes you as particularly profound or interesting?