It’s time to talk books with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
When? Thursday, November 12th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea
Our December 10th book selection is The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
INTO THE BEAUTIFUL NORTH by Luis Alberto Urrea
1. Into the Beautiful North tells the exceptional story of a small group’s successful mission to save their village in its bleakest hour. What are some of the other themes that Luis Alberto Urrea unpacks along the way?
2. Language and dialect play an integral role in the novel’s style. Spanish words and phonetic spellings are laced throughout, and Spanglish and slang are used on both sides of the border. What does Urrea achieve by mixing language in this way? What does it say about the ability of language to bridge --- or not to bridge --- cultural gaps?
3. Into the Beautiful North is divided into two parts—Sur and Norte. References to American pop culture abound in the first half as Nayeli and her friends speak of life across the border with unwavering certainty. Where do their ideas of America come from? How does the reality of their time in the U.S. compare to their initial ideas of it? Are they surprised or disappointed?
4. Nayeli tells García-García, “Perhaps it is time for a new kind of femininity?” What does she mean? Given the homage to The Magnificent Seven and Seven Samurai in the novel, how has Urrea played with gender stereotypes?
5. Into the Beautiful North examines physical and psychological borders. Urrea repeatedly shows that while the physical borders can be crossed, some that are culturally defined appear unbridgeable. What are those culturally defined differences, and do you think it’s possible to eradicate such invisible borders?
6. After traveling thousands of miles in search of her father, Nayeli is unable to confront him. In your opinion, does she make the right decision to heed his words at this time—“all things must pass”—or should she have approached him?
7. What do you make of the overwhelming turnout produced by Aunt Irma’s interviews? Why do so many men want to return to Mexico, and does this strike you as ironic?
8. Nayeli and her friends are inspired by the movie The Magnificent Seven, a remake of the Japanese film Seven Samurai. Both films climax with the showdown between good guys and bad guys, but Urrea ends his novel before such a clash. Why do you think he did so?
9. Were you surprised to find the Mexican characters so knowledgeable about American pop culture? If you were surprised, did it change how you think about Mexico?
10. The road travelled by immigrants intent on sneaking across the border is perilous. Were you surprised by how dangerous it was for immigrants in Mexico before they crossed the border?
11. Where did your family emigrate from? Did you recognize any parallels between your family stories and this one?
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
October 8th Meeting
It’s time to talk books with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
When? Thursday, October 8th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? The Song Is You by Arthur Phillips
check out these links for more background info
Do you have a soundtrack of your life? These folks do…
A playlist by Arthur Phillips
The soundtrack of my life
Favorite songs/personal soundtrack
make your own soundtrack
Do you have an iPod or mp3 player? I love my Zune and listen to it daily – podcasts more than music, though. Read how the iPod changed these lives:
How the ipod changed my life
iPod, Therefore I Am
iPod and the knowledge gap
Get even more info with BookMovement.com: Sign up with BookMovement.com for the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group and get book reviews and reminders.
Our November 12th book selection is Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea.
Our December 10th book selection is The History of Love by Nicole Krauss.
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
The Song is You by Arthur Phillips
1. Julian is suffering something of a mid-life crisis. He looks back at the life he intended to live and sees the life he has created – even though he is seemingly successful in his field. Is such an experience inevitably disappointing? Have you experienced disappointment in your adult life?
2. Julian’s life is framed by the music he listens to on his iPod. What is the role of music in modern life? In your life?
3. Do you have a soundtrack of your life?
4. Is Julian an unlikeable protagonist? Is it possible to sympathize with an unlikeable protagonist? Can you give an example?
5. Is Julian’s behavior towards Cait explainable? Does he have Cait’s best interests at heart or is he not much more than a stalker?
6. Did you think the characters and their problems/decisions/relationships were believable or realistic? Was the author trying to make them realistic, and why did he fail or succeed? Were the characters drawn realistically? Which character could you relate to best and why? Talk about the secondary characters. Were they important to the story? Did any stand out for you?
7. A reviewer on SecondSupper.com described the book as a romantic anti-romance. Would you agree?
8. What is the central conflict of the plot? Is the conflict internal to the character (a psychological conflict)? Or is it external, having to do with character vs. character? Character vs. society? Character vs. nature?
9. What central ideas might the author be exploring in the novel's themes? Consider ideas about the nature of love, the requirements of goodness, the meaning of justice, the burden of the past...basic human issues that are at stake in the book.
10. Consider the ending. Did you expect it or were you surprised? Was it forced? Was it neatly wrapped up? Or was it unresolved, ending on an ambiguous note?
11. 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?
When? Thursday, October 8th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? The Song Is You by Arthur Phillips
check out these links for more background info
Do you have a soundtrack of your life? These folks do…
A playlist by Arthur Phillips
The soundtrack of my life
Favorite songs/personal soundtrack
make your own soundtrack
Do you have an iPod or mp3 player? I love my Zune and listen to it daily – podcasts more than music, though. Read how the iPod changed these lives:
How the ipod changed my life
iPod, Therefore I Am
iPod and the knowledge gap
Get even more info with BookMovement.com: Sign up with BookMovement.com for the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group and get book reviews and reminders.
Our November 12th book selection is Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea.
Our December 10th book selection is The History of Love by Nicole Krauss.
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
The Song is You by Arthur Phillips
1. Julian is suffering something of a mid-life crisis. He looks back at the life he intended to live and sees the life he has created – even though he is seemingly successful in his field. Is such an experience inevitably disappointing? Have you experienced disappointment in your adult life?
2. Julian’s life is framed by the music he listens to on his iPod. What is the role of music in modern life? In your life?
3. Do you have a soundtrack of your life?
4. Is Julian an unlikeable protagonist? Is it possible to sympathize with an unlikeable protagonist? Can you give an example?
5. Is Julian’s behavior towards Cait explainable? Does he have Cait’s best interests at heart or is he not much more than a stalker?
6. Did you think the characters and their problems/decisions/relationships were believable or realistic? Was the author trying to make them realistic, and why did he fail or succeed? Were the characters drawn realistically? Which character could you relate to best and why? Talk about the secondary characters. Were they important to the story? Did any stand out for you?
7. A reviewer on SecondSupper.com described the book as a romantic anti-romance. Would you agree?
8. What is the central conflict of the plot? Is the conflict internal to the character (a psychological conflict)? Or is it external, having to do with character vs. character? Character vs. society? Character vs. nature?
9. What central ideas might the author be exploring in the novel's themes? Consider ideas about the nature of love, the requirements of goodness, the meaning of justice, the burden of the past...basic human issues that are at stake in the book.
10. Consider the ending. Did you expect it or were you surprised? Was it forced? Was it neatly wrapped up? Or was it unresolved, ending on an ambiguous note?
11. 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?
Monday, September 7, 2009
The Lace Reader
It’s time to talk books with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
When? Thursday, September 10th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
Going Green: Instead of printing copies of background material for the meeting, it’s attached to this e-mail for you to read before or after our discussion or check out these links for more background info:
Border’s on-line book club discusses The Lace Reader with author
Original Essay by Brunonia Barry – The Hero’s Journey for Women
Summary of the steps of the Hero’s Journey
Youtube trailer for the book (very dramatic – is this the future of book marketing?)
Lengthy interview with Brunonia Barry
Audio Interview with Barry
Our October 8th book selection is The Song is You by Arthur Phillips.
Our November 12th book selection is Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (from the publisher)
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
1. For centuries, women have used lace as an adornment for their clothes and as a decoration for their homes. Just a small piece of lace on a sleeve could evoke a sense of luxury, beauty, and elegance. How does your family use lace today? Is it used every day or only on special occasions?
2. Have any pieces of lace been passed down to you or someone else in your family? If so, what feelings do you associate with these heirloom pieces of lace?
3. The author states that The Lace Reader is, at its core, about perception vs. reality. How does Rafferty's perception of Towner color his judgment of what she says and does? What about Rafferty's perception of Cal and his actions?
4. At the very start of The Lace Reader, Towner Whitney, the protagonist, tells the reader that she's a liar and that she's crazy. By the end of the book do you agree with her?
5. Eva reveals that she speaks in clichés so that her words do not influence the choices made by the recipients of her lace reading sessions. Do you think that's possible? Can a cliché be so over used that it loses its original meaning?
6. When May comments on the relationship between Rafferty and Towner, she states that they are too alike and predicts that "You won't just break apart. You'll send each other flying." Did you agree with that when you read it? And if so, in what ways are Towner and Rafferty alike?
7. The handmade lace industry of Ipswich quickly vanished when lace-making machines were introduced. At that same moment, the economic freedom of the women making the handmade lace also evaporated. Why do you think that these women didn't update their business, buy the machines, and own a significant portion of the new lace-making industry?
8. Do you think that May's revival of the craft of handmade lace with the abused women on Yellow Dog Island is purely symbolic or could it be, in some way, very practical?
9. What role does religion play in the novel? Is there a difference between spirituality and religion? Between faith and blind faith?
10. Towner has a special bond with the dogs of Yellow Dog Island—do you agree that people and animals can relate to each other in extraordinary ways?
11. How do the excerpts from The Lace Reader's Guide and Towner's journal function in the novel? Does the written word carry more truth than the spoken? Did you use the clues in the Guide to help you understand the rest of the book?
12. How much does family history influence who a person becomes? Do you believe that certain traits or talents are genetic and can be inherited?
13. Is it possible that twins share a unique bond? How does being a twin affect Towner?
14. Can geography influence personality? For instance, May lives on an island, does this say something about her? What does living in Marin say about you?
15. If you could learn to read lace and see things about your future, would you?
When? Thursday, September 10th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
Going Green: Instead of printing copies of background material for the meeting, it’s attached to this e-mail for you to read before or after our discussion or check out these links for more background info:
Border’s on-line book club discusses The Lace Reader with author
Original Essay by Brunonia Barry – The Hero’s Journey for Women
Summary of the steps of the Hero’s Journey
Youtube trailer for the book (very dramatic – is this the future of book marketing?)
Lengthy interview with Brunonia Barry
Audio Interview with Barry
Our October 8th book selection is The Song is You by Arthur Phillips.
Our November 12th book selection is Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (from the publisher)
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
1. For centuries, women have used lace as an adornment for their clothes and as a decoration for their homes. Just a small piece of lace on a sleeve could evoke a sense of luxury, beauty, and elegance. How does your family use lace today? Is it used every day or only on special occasions?
2. Have any pieces of lace been passed down to you or someone else in your family? If so, what feelings do you associate with these heirloom pieces of lace?
3. The author states that The Lace Reader is, at its core, about perception vs. reality. How does Rafferty's perception of Towner color his judgment of what she says and does? What about Rafferty's perception of Cal and his actions?
4. At the very start of The Lace Reader, Towner Whitney, the protagonist, tells the reader that she's a liar and that she's crazy. By the end of the book do you agree with her?
5. Eva reveals that she speaks in clichés so that her words do not influence the choices made by the recipients of her lace reading sessions. Do you think that's possible? Can a cliché be so over used that it loses its original meaning?
6. When May comments on the relationship between Rafferty and Towner, she states that they are too alike and predicts that "You won't just break apart. You'll send each other flying." Did you agree with that when you read it? And if so, in what ways are Towner and Rafferty alike?
7. The handmade lace industry of Ipswich quickly vanished when lace-making machines were introduced. At that same moment, the economic freedom of the women making the handmade lace also evaporated. Why do you think that these women didn't update their business, buy the machines, and own a significant portion of the new lace-making industry?
8. Do you think that May's revival of the craft of handmade lace with the abused women on Yellow Dog Island is purely symbolic or could it be, in some way, very practical?
9. What role does religion play in the novel? Is there a difference between spirituality and religion? Between faith and blind faith?
10. Towner has a special bond with the dogs of Yellow Dog Island—do you agree that people and animals can relate to each other in extraordinary ways?
11. How do the excerpts from The Lace Reader's Guide and Towner's journal function in the novel? Does the written word carry more truth than the spoken? Did you use the clues in the Guide to help you understand the rest of the book?
12. How much does family history influence who a person becomes? Do you believe that certain traits or talents are genetic and can be inherited?
13. Is it possible that twins share a unique bond? How does being a twin affect Towner?
14. Can geography influence personality? For instance, May lives on an island, does this say something about her? What does living in Marin say about you?
15. If you could learn to read lace and see things about your future, would you?
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
The Lost City of Z discussion
It’s time to talk books with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
When? Thursday, August 13th at 7 p.m.
What Book? The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
(Please let me know if you can join us.)
Going Green: Instead of printing copies of background material for the meeting, it’s attached for you to read before or after our discussion or check out these links for more background info:
The Hunt for Colonel Fawcett
Bio of Percy Fawcett and his expeditions
Book Review from The Nation
Video of The Lost Cities of the Amazon on National Geographic
Scientific American slideshow with pics of Heckenberg’s archeology findings -
Dissent in the Royal Geographic Society?
Was Percy Fawcett the last of his kind? Read this 2007 Obit of Gene Savoy
Coming Up Next:
Our next book for Thursday, September 10th is The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
Our following book for Thursday, October 8th is The Song is You by Arthur Phillips.
Free books! Our group won 10 copies of The Song is You and I’ll be handing them out to anyone who is interested at our meeting this week.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
When? Thursday, August 13th at 7 p.m.
What Book? The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
(Please let me know if you can join us.)
Going Green: Instead of printing copies of background material for the meeting, it’s attached for you to read before or after our discussion or check out these links for more background info:
The Hunt for Colonel Fawcett
Bio of Percy Fawcett and his expeditions
Book Review from The Nation
Video of The Lost Cities of the Amazon on National Geographic
Scientific American slideshow with pics of Heckenberg’s archeology findings -
Dissent in the Royal Geographic Society?
Was Percy Fawcett the last of his kind? Read this 2007 Obit of Gene Savoy
Coming Up Next:
Our next book for Thursday, September 10th is The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
Our following book for Thursday, October 8th is The Song is You by Arthur Phillips.
Free books! Our group won 10 copies of The Song is You and I’ll be handing them out to anyone who is interested at our meeting this week.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
Monday, July 13, 2009
August and September books
Read with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
Thursday, August 13th : The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
Our next book selection is The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann which we’ll discuss on Thursday, August 13th. There are holds on the book at the library so be sure to reserve your copy soon!
Read more about The Lost City of Z (with maps and photos) at the author’s website.
Thursday, September 10th : The Lace Reader
On Thursday, September 10th, we’ll discuss The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry. This is a great summer read - I think you’ll enjoy it.
Brunonia Barry also has an author website with lots of good, fun information.
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
Thursday, August 13th : The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
Our next book selection is The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann which we’ll discuss on Thursday, August 13th. There are holds on the book at the library so be sure to reserve your copy soon!
Read more about The Lost City of Z (with maps and photos) at the author’s website.
Thursday, September 10th : The Lace Reader
On Thursday, September 10th, we’ll discuss The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry. This is a great summer read - I think you’ll enjoy it.
Brunonia Barry also has an author website with lots of good, fun information.
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
July 9 Book Discussion
It’s time to talk books with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
When? Thursday, July 9th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
Going Green: Instead of printing copies of background material for the meeting, it’s attached to this e-mail for you to read before or after our discussion or check out these links for more background info
Rothko Prints
Natasha and Pierre in War and Peace
Our next book selection is The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann which we’ll discuss on Thursday, August 13th. There are holds on the book at the library so be sure to reserve your copy soon!
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
1. At the novel’s onset, most of the characters are outside New York. Why might Messud have chosen to begin in this manner? At what other points in the book do the characters leave the city, and with what results?
2. Which of the novel’s characters strikes you as its moral center? Is it Bootie, who comes to New York with such high ideals and easily rankled feelings? Is it Danielle, who has lived there long enough to feel at home but who still sees its pretensions and absurdities? With which of these characters is the reader meant to identify? Whose judgments seem the most reliable? And what flaws or blind spots afflict them?
3. Julius is obsessed with the characters of Pierre and Natasha from War and Peace, longing to be the sparkling Natasha but fearing he’s really more like the brooding, self-conscious Pierre. Bootie is constantly quoting Emerson. Which of the other characters has an emblematic book, and what role do those books play in their lives, in the way they see the world, and, of course, the way they see themselves? Is Julius anything like Pierre or Natasha? Does Bootie really live up to Emerson’s criterion of genius? At what points do they similarly misread other characters?
4. Almost everybody in The Emperor’s Children envies, and is intimidated by, somebody else. Julius, for instance, is in awe of Marina’s self-confidence and envious of her sense of entitlement. Marina is cowed by her father. Poor Bootie is a virtual pressure cooker of indiscriminate awe and resentment. What do Messud’s characters feel insecure about? Is there anyone in the book who seems truly comfortable with him or herself or any relationship that seems to be conducted by equals? Would you say that awe and envy are this novel’s dominant emotions?
5. Marina, we learn, frequently accompanies Murray to public functions, and is sometimes mistaken for his “trophy wife” [p. 40]. Does their relationship strike you as incestuous [p. 121]? Compare Marina’s unfolding relationship with Ludovic to her bond with her father. Do you think that Ludovic—incidentally, the only major character who is seen entirely from the outside—really loves Marina or is merely using her, and if so for what purpose?
6. Just as Marina has symbolically taken over her mother’s role, “Danielle had the peculiar sensation of having usurped her friend’s role in the Thwaite family, and more than that, of having usurped it at some moment in the distant past, a decade or more ago: she felt like a teenager . . and she was suddenly, powerfully aware of the profound oddity of Marina’s present life, a life arrested at, or at least returned to, childhood” [p. 46]. How many of the other characters seem similarly suspended? Which of them seems like a full-grown adult, and what does it mean to be an adult in the scheme of this novel? If Danielle has indeed usurped Marina’s place, what is the significance of her affair with Marina’s father? Which of the other characters takes on another character’s role, and for what reasons?
7. When pressed to take a job, Marina confesses, “I worry that that will make me ordinary, like everybody else” [p. 74]. To what extent are other characters possessed by the same fear, and how do they defend themselves against it? Do they have a common idea of what constitutes ordinariness? Can ordinariness even exist in a social world in which everyone is constantly, feverishly striving to be unique? Is it possible that Marina is just lazy and prevaricating in her charming way?
8. With his high-flown ambitions, his indolence, and his appalling sense of hygiene, Bootie initially seems like a comic character. But in the course of the novel Messud’s portrait of him darkens until he comes to seem either sinister or tragic—perhaps both. How does she accomplish this? Which other characters does she gradually reveal in a different light? Compare Messud’s shifting portrayal of Bootie to her handling of Julius and Danielle. In what ways do they too evade or defy the reader’s initial expectations about them?
9. On similar lines, both Ludovic and Bootie denounce Murray as a fraud while Bootie in particular prides himself on his sincerity. But is such sincerity a good thing? What other characters embrace that virtue, and with what results? Compare Bootie’s frank literary assessment of his uncle with Murray’s frank critique of his daughter’s manuscript, or his even franker response to Bootie’s essay. When in this novel does honesty turn out to be a pretext for something else? And when do subterfuge and deception turn out to be acts of kindness?
10. Murray feels that his mother’s efforts at improving him succeeded only in “turning her boy into someone, something, she couldn’t understand”. By contrast, he thinks, Marina has been paralyzed by the very expansiveness of her upbringing. What does this novel have to say about parents and children? Which of the Emperor’s children has proved a disappointment? Does any parent in this novel (Murray, Annabel, Judy, Randy) truly understand his or her offspring? And is it good for said offspring to be understood?
11. Some of Messud’s characters begin the novel in a state of happiness and others attain it, but nearly all of them see their happiness threatened or even shattered. How does this come about? Which of them is the victim of outside forces and which is responsible for his or her fall? How would you describe this novel’s vision of happiness? Considering that the typical comedy has a happy (or happy-ish) ending, what do you make of the fact that so many of Messud’s characters end up bereft or disappointed?
12. Among this novel’s many characters, one has to include the character of New York City. How does Messud bring the city to life? Compare Murray’s New York with that of Marina, Danielle, Bootie, and Julius. What is it that draws the characters to prove themselves in New York?
13. What role do the events of September 11, 2001, play in The Emperor’s Children? Are there other points when history—or reality—impinges on the safe and mostly privileged world its characters inhabit? What is the significance of Annabel Thwaite’s client DeVaughn or results of Julius and David’s affair? Does the ending make sense when compared with the rest of the novel?
14. Ludovic repeatedly declares that he wants to make a revolution with his magazine The Monitor, but what is the magazine supposed to be about? Lest we think that The Emperor’s Children is merely a satire of the New York media, what other highly touted ideas in this novel turn out to be light on substance, and what does this suggest about the value of ideas at this historical moment?
15. In addition to reading, many of Messud’s people are also engaged in writing: Marina has her book-in-progress and Murray has his (which he’s thinking of calling How to Live), and Bootie has his essay on Murray (and Murray’s book). What is their relationship to their writing? What do they hope to achieve through it? How do other characters respond to it? Does Messud give us any indication as to which of these characters’ work is good (or genuine) and which is failed or fraudulent?
16. Messud introduces her characters through their environments: the womblike bathroom where Bootie soaks in hot water and serious literature; the Thwaites’ resplendent Central Park West apartment; and Danielle’s pristine, aesthetically climate-controlled studio. What do these spaces tell us about their occupants? Why might the author have used this rather old-fashioned way of ushering us into a novel set in 2001? Where else does she employ the techniques of an earlier age of literature?
When? Thursday, July 9th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
Going Green: Instead of printing copies of background material for the meeting, it’s attached to this e-mail for you to read before or after our discussion or check out these links for more background info
Rothko Prints
Natasha and Pierre in War and Peace
Our next book selection is The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann which we’ll discuss on Thursday, August 13th. There are holds on the book at the library so be sure to reserve your copy soon!
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
1. At the novel’s onset, most of the characters are outside New York. Why might Messud have chosen to begin in this manner? At what other points in the book do the characters leave the city, and with what results?
2. Which of the novel’s characters strikes you as its moral center? Is it Bootie, who comes to New York with such high ideals and easily rankled feelings? Is it Danielle, who has lived there long enough to feel at home but who still sees its pretensions and absurdities? With which of these characters is the reader meant to identify? Whose judgments seem the most reliable? And what flaws or blind spots afflict them?
3. Julius is obsessed with the characters of Pierre and Natasha from War and Peace, longing to be the sparkling Natasha but fearing he’s really more like the brooding, self-conscious Pierre. Bootie is constantly quoting Emerson. Which of the other characters has an emblematic book, and what role do those books play in their lives, in the way they see the world, and, of course, the way they see themselves? Is Julius anything like Pierre or Natasha? Does Bootie really live up to Emerson’s criterion of genius? At what points do they similarly misread other characters?
4. Almost everybody in The Emperor’s Children envies, and is intimidated by, somebody else. Julius, for instance, is in awe of Marina’s self-confidence and envious of her sense of entitlement. Marina is cowed by her father. Poor Bootie is a virtual pressure cooker of indiscriminate awe and resentment. What do Messud’s characters feel insecure about? Is there anyone in the book who seems truly comfortable with him or herself or any relationship that seems to be conducted by equals? Would you say that awe and envy are this novel’s dominant emotions?
5. Marina, we learn, frequently accompanies Murray to public functions, and is sometimes mistaken for his “trophy wife” [p. 40]. Does their relationship strike you as incestuous [p. 121]? Compare Marina’s unfolding relationship with Ludovic to her bond with her father. Do you think that Ludovic—incidentally, the only major character who is seen entirely from the outside—really loves Marina or is merely using her, and if so for what purpose?
6. Just as Marina has symbolically taken over her mother’s role, “Danielle had the peculiar sensation of having usurped her friend’s role in the Thwaite family, and more than that, of having usurped it at some moment in the distant past, a decade or more ago: she felt like a teenager . . and she was suddenly, powerfully aware of the profound oddity of Marina’s present life, a life arrested at, or at least returned to, childhood” [p. 46]. How many of the other characters seem similarly suspended? Which of them seems like a full-grown adult, and what does it mean to be an adult in the scheme of this novel? If Danielle has indeed usurped Marina’s place, what is the significance of her affair with Marina’s father? Which of the other characters takes on another character’s role, and for what reasons?
7. When pressed to take a job, Marina confesses, “I worry that that will make me ordinary, like everybody else” [p. 74]. To what extent are other characters possessed by the same fear, and how do they defend themselves against it? Do they have a common idea of what constitutes ordinariness? Can ordinariness even exist in a social world in which everyone is constantly, feverishly striving to be unique? Is it possible that Marina is just lazy and prevaricating in her charming way?
8. With his high-flown ambitions, his indolence, and his appalling sense of hygiene, Bootie initially seems like a comic character. But in the course of the novel Messud’s portrait of him darkens until he comes to seem either sinister or tragic—perhaps both. How does she accomplish this? Which other characters does she gradually reveal in a different light? Compare Messud’s shifting portrayal of Bootie to her handling of Julius and Danielle. In what ways do they too evade or defy the reader’s initial expectations about them?
9. On similar lines, both Ludovic and Bootie denounce Murray as a fraud while Bootie in particular prides himself on his sincerity. But is such sincerity a good thing? What other characters embrace that virtue, and with what results? Compare Bootie’s frank literary assessment of his uncle with Murray’s frank critique of his daughter’s manuscript, or his even franker response to Bootie’s essay. When in this novel does honesty turn out to be a pretext for something else? And when do subterfuge and deception turn out to be acts of kindness?
10. Murray feels that his mother’s efforts at improving him succeeded only in “turning her boy into someone, something, she couldn’t understand”. By contrast, he thinks, Marina has been paralyzed by the very expansiveness of her upbringing. What does this novel have to say about parents and children? Which of the Emperor’s children has proved a disappointment? Does any parent in this novel (Murray, Annabel, Judy, Randy) truly understand his or her offspring? And is it good for said offspring to be understood?
11. Some of Messud’s characters begin the novel in a state of happiness and others attain it, but nearly all of them see their happiness threatened or even shattered. How does this come about? Which of them is the victim of outside forces and which is responsible for his or her fall? How would you describe this novel’s vision of happiness? Considering that the typical comedy has a happy (or happy-ish) ending, what do you make of the fact that so many of Messud’s characters end up bereft or disappointed?
12. Among this novel’s many characters, one has to include the character of New York City. How does Messud bring the city to life? Compare Murray’s New York with that of Marina, Danielle, Bootie, and Julius. What is it that draws the characters to prove themselves in New York?
13. What role do the events of September 11, 2001, play in The Emperor’s Children? Are there other points when history—or reality—impinges on the safe and mostly privileged world its characters inhabit? What is the significance of Annabel Thwaite’s client DeVaughn or results of Julius and David’s affair? Does the ending make sense when compared with the rest of the novel?
14. Ludovic repeatedly declares that he wants to make a revolution with his magazine The Monitor, but what is the magazine supposed to be about? Lest we think that The Emperor’s Children is merely a satire of the New York media, what other highly touted ideas in this novel turn out to be light on substance, and what does this suggest about the value of ideas at this historical moment?
15. In addition to reading, many of Messud’s people are also engaged in writing: Marina has her book-in-progress and Murray has his (which he’s thinking of calling How to Live), and Bootie has his essay on Murray (and Murray’s book). What is their relationship to their writing? What do they hope to achieve through it? How do other characters respond to it? Does Messud give us any indication as to which of these characters’ work is good (or genuine) and which is failed or fraudulent?
16. Messud introduces her characters through their environments: the womblike bathroom where Bootie soaks in hot water and serious literature; the Thwaites’ resplendent Central Park West apartment; and Danielle’s pristine, aesthetically climate-controlled studio. What do these spaces tell us about their occupants? Why might the author have used this rather old-fashioned way of ushering us into a novel set in 2001? Where else does she employ the techniques of an earlier age of literature?
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
To Kill A Mockingbird
It’s time to talk books with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
When? Thursday, June 4th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Going Green: Instead of printing copies of background material for the meeting, it’s attached to this e-mail for you to read before or after our discussion or check out these links for more background info:
Historical background
Reconstructing Atticus Finch
Prejudice and Tolerance in To Kill A Mockingbird:
Growing up white in the 1930’s South
Growing up black in 1930’s Alabama
Photos of 1930’s racial discrimination signs
On Thursday, July 9th, we’ll discuss The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
"Beautiful, Ivy League–educated, and the daughter of a renowned journalist, Marina Thwaite lives in New York City along with two close friends from Brown. All three are just barely 30 and making their way into adulthood. The group orbits around the post September 11 city with disconcerting entitlement. Messud’s comedy of manners is extremely well written and features characters that come alive. This wonderful read is an insightful look at our time and the decisions people make."
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
Discussion Questions
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
1. How do Scout, Jem, and Dill characterize Boo Radley at the beginning of the book? In what way did Boo's past history of violence foreshadow his method of protecting Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell? Does this repetition of aggression make him more or less of a sympathetic character?
2. In Scout's account of her childhood, her father Atticus reigns supreme. How would you characterize his abilities as a single parent? How would you describe his treatment of Calpurnia and Tom Robinson vis a vis his treatment of his white neighbors and colleagues? How would you typify his views on race and class in the larger context of his community and his peers?
3. The title of Lee's book is alluded to when Atticus gives his children air rifles and tells them that they can shoot all the bluejays they want, but "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." At the end of the novel, Scout likens the "sin" of naming Boo as Bob Ewell's killer to "shootin' a mockingbird." Do you think that Boo is the only innocent, or mockingbird, in this novel?
4. Scout ages two years-from six to eight-over the course of Lee's novel, which is narrated from her perspective as an adult. Did you find the account her narrator provides believable? Were there incidents or observations in the book that seemed unusually "knowing" for such a young child? What event or episode in Scout's story do you feel truly captures her personality?
5. To Kill a Mockingbird has been challenged repeatedly by the political left and right, who have sought to remove it from libraries for its portrayal of conflict between children and adults; ungrammatical speech; references to sex, the supernatural, and witchcraft; and unfavorable presentation of blacks. Which elements of the book-if any-do you think touch on controversial issues in our contemporary culture? Did you find any of those elements especially troubling, persuasive, or insightful?
6. Jem describes to Scout the four "folks" or classes of people in Maycomb County: "…our kind of folks don't like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don't like the Ewells, and the Ewells hate and despise the colored folks." What do you think of the ways in which Lee explores race and class in 1930s Alabama? What significance, if any, do you think these characterizations have for people living in other parts of the world?
7. One of the chief criticisms of To Kill a Mockingbird is that the two central storylines -- Scout, Jem, and Dill's fascination with Boo Radley and the trial between Mayella Ewell and Tom Robinson -- are not sufficiently connected in the novel. Do you think that Lee is successful in incorporating these different stories? Were you surprised at the way in which these story lines were resolved? Why or why not?
8. By the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, the book's first sentence: "When he was thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow," has been explained and resolved. What did you think of the events that followed the Halloween pageant? Did you think that Bob Ewell was capable of injuring Scout or Jem? How did you feel about Boo Radley's last-minute intervention?
9. What elements of this book did you find especially memorable, humorous, or inspiring? Are there individual characters whose beliefs, acts, or motives especially impressed or surprised you? Did any events in this book cause you to reconsider your childhood memories or experiences in a new light?
When? Thursday, June 4th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Going Green: Instead of printing copies of background material for the meeting, it’s attached to this e-mail for you to read before or after our discussion or check out these links for more background info:
Historical background
Reconstructing Atticus Finch
Prejudice and Tolerance in To Kill A Mockingbird:
Growing up white in the 1930’s South
Growing up black in 1930’s Alabama
Photos of 1930’s racial discrimination signs
On Thursday, July 9th, we’ll discuss The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
"Beautiful, Ivy League–educated, and the daughter of a renowned journalist, Marina Thwaite lives in New York City along with two close friends from Brown. All three are just barely 30 and making their way into adulthood. The group orbits around the post September 11 city with disconcerting entitlement. Messud’s comedy of manners is extremely well written and features characters that come alive. This wonderful read is an insightful look at our time and the decisions people make."
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
Discussion Questions
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
1. How do Scout, Jem, and Dill characterize Boo Radley at the beginning of the book? In what way did Boo's past history of violence foreshadow his method of protecting Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell? Does this repetition of aggression make him more or less of a sympathetic character?
2. In Scout's account of her childhood, her father Atticus reigns supreme. How would you characterize his abilities as a single parent? How would you describe his treatment of Calpurnia and Tom Robinson vis a vis his treatment of his white neighbors and colleagues? How would you typify his views on race and class in the larger context of his community and his peers?
3. The title of Lee's book is alluded to when Atticus gives his children air rifles and tells them that they can shoot all the bluejays they want, but "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." At the end of the novel, Scout likens the "sin" of naming Boo as Bob Ewell's killer to "shootin' a mockingbird." Do you think that Boo is the only innocent, or mockingbird, in this novel?
4. Scout ages two years-from six to eight-over the course of Lee's novel, which is narrated from her perspective as an adult. Did you find the account her narrator provides believable? Were there incidents or observations in the book that seemed unusually "knowing" for such a young child? What event or episode in Scout's story do you feel truly captures her personality?
5. To Kill a Mockingbird has been challenged repeatedly by the political left and right, who have sought to remove it from libraries for its portrayal of conflict between children and adults; ungrammatical speech; references to sex, the supernatural, and witchcraft; and unfavorable presentation of blacks. Which elements of the book-if any-do you think touch on controversial issues in our contemporary culture? Did you find any of those elements especially troubling, persuasive, or insightful?
6. Jem describes to Scout the four "folks" or classes of people in Maycomb County: "…our kind of folks don't like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don't like the Ewells, and the Ewells hate and despise the colored folks." What do you think of the ways in which Lee explores race and class in 1930s Alabama? What significance, if any, do you think these characterizations have for people living in other parts of the world?
7. One of the chief criticisms of To Kill a Mockingbird is that the two central storylines -- Scout, Jem, and Dill's fascination with Boo Radley and the trial between Mayella Ewell and Tom Robinson -- are not sufficiently connected in the novel. Do you think that Lee is successful in incorporating these different stories? Were you surprised at the way in which these story lines were resolved? Why or why not?
8. By the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, the book's first sentence: "When he was thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow," has been explained and resolved. What did you think of the events that followed the Halloween pageant? Did you think that Bob Ewell was capable of injuring Scout or Jem? How did you feel about Boo Radley's last-minute intervention?
9. What elements of this book did you find especially memorable, humorous, or inspiring? Are there individual characters whose beliefs, acts, or motives especially impressed or surprised you? Did any events in this book cause you to reconsider your childhood memories or experiences in a new light?
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