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Tuesday, March 12, 2024

MARCH 2024 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash

 

“What’s past is prologue” William Shakespeare

15 Bookers met at the home of Kittie Minick to discuss this month’s selection a richly drawn historical fiction, coming-of-age, family saga spanning from the 1940s to the 1970s in London, Boston, and a magical island off the coast of Maine. Daily life in London in 1940 during World War II consisted of air raids with residents huddling in shelters as Nazi Germany conducted massive bombing strikes throughout the city. How do you as a parent of an eleven-year-old girl keep her safe? This question was answered when Reginald and Millie Thompson put their only child on a ship, sailing alone to live with the Gregorys in the United States giving readers a story of two families separated by the sea, but united in their love for this young lady…Beatrix in London…Bea in the States.

With short chapters, each one narrated by one of the eight point-of-view characters (Beatrix, Millie, Reginald, Ethan, Nancy, William, Gerald, and Rose) a window opens into their lives detailing a child’s personal growth into a woman – adjusting from her English Thompson family background of “no money in savings” to the “house-rich and dollar poor” Gregory family of Boston. A love triangle develops as the brothers, William, and Gerald, vie for Bea’s attention, realizing later the difference between youthful love and lasting love. This tale is of heartbreaking loss and unbridled joy as the characters cope with inner conflicts of grief and regret mixed with contentment as each one eventually finds their place in the world. The ending is a feel-good-satisfactory conclusion for the characters all wrapped up in a nice little bow.

Discussion:

Most read and either loved or liked the novel with only one saying the format was hard to follow between the eight POV’s and the back-and-forth timelines. Some were bothered by the author’s different stylistic approach with parts 1 and 3 written in past tense and conversations/quotes in italics buried in paragraphs as it was hard to understand who was speaking. Part 2 was written in present tense with conversations/quotes traditionally formatted with only two point-of-view characters, Bea, and William. The author purposefully did this to make the middle section stand out and be more vivid. We discussed how difficult it would be to send your child away even if it was for his or her own safety, sharing personal stories of how these types of decisions, although in the child’s best interest, were certain to cause heartache. Reginald blamed the decision to send Bea to the United States on Millie…Why? So, he could keep her favoritism toward him and keep her safe at the same time. The title of the novel was derived from a specific moment that showcased the conflict between the two parts of Bea’s life – reconciling the parts of her identity, the sea being the symbol of that division – she just finished swimming to the mainland for the first time and looks back, facing east toward the island…and beyond that, the sea…referring to London and her parents. The sea was important to William as he associated it with the best of times and memories of his childhood. He died in a car accident near the sea…could this have been purposeful? The sea then becomes a symbol of tragedy, and end to the life he was unable to recreate. There were constant comparisons between Ethan and William and Nancy and Gerald when the boys were younger. William was untamed in the conservative opinion of his father pushing the limits in everything he tried…the polar opposite of Ethan. Gerald had “little space between his head and his heart,” a trait among others he inherited from his mother…two peas in a pod. Bea’s two sets of parents were not only an ocean apart but could not have been more different – in one it was like she was living in a fairy tale full of fancy dresses, and parties while in the other, she lived a “small life” in a working-class family. The patriarchs of the Thompson and Gregory families formed an unlikely bond beyond Bea – they found similar interests talking about Churchill, Roosevelt, the German push, and Japan and playing postal chess – both men keeping their connection private from their wives. Nancy and Millie both faced the loss of their husbands, Nancy became solitary in her mourning, Millie tried multiple marriages – highlighting one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to grief – begging the question what role society should play in determining what is proper and acceptable.

The day after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, they captured Singapore, the center of natural rubber products, cutting off 90% of rubber to the allied forces forcing the US to increase synthetic rubber production. We talked about the national rubber drives (this is why Gerald was collecting rubber band balls) and tin can, metal, and paper drives. We had a chuckle about how women coped with the hosiery rationing by applying nude colored makeup on their legs, drawing black seam lines with eyebrow pencil down the back of their legs to simulate the look. Fashion is fashion, war, or no war! We discussed the emotion Bea and the Gregorys felt when she was summoned home, her U.S. family upset and frantic and Bea, once she was on the ship wanted nothing more than to stay in America, bake pies with Mrs. G., play chess with Mr. G, explore with Gerald, to kiss William…to marry him and be in his family forever. Before she leaves, she tells William to move on as she knows about living across an ocean from the people you love. When the author reverted to Part 2, August 1951, Bea, and William are front and center. They are older and wiser but still in love, he vowing to keep their time together in London only in his memories. She had no regrets, although he had a baby on the way and was getting married…it felt like the right way to close things out – they had come together in order to move apart. In Part 3 – back in the 1960s William and wife, Rose, agreed every other Saturday night they would enjoy date nights, but not together. She knew he had stopped loving her a long time ago, but he was a wonderful father and divorce was not in the cards. We talked about Shakespeare’s quote from The Tempest and the meaning of “What’s past is prologue,” which is a reminder of how our history influences our present choices and future outcomes. William feels close to Rose’s family as it was like the one he had always wanted, no one was ever disappointed in him or expected him to be more than he is.

The island off Maine was more than a vacation house. The characters enjoyed a less structured life, routines were abandoned, bedtimes abolished, and mealtimes were more of a free-for-all and less than a continuation of a lesson plan. They were family there, not just members of the family. When William died Rose said she should have known it was an omen when Patrick Kennedy only lived for a short time; Gerald took the lead in notifying everyone; Bea was shocked but not surprised…sensing he was not living the life he wanted, something was off. Why was it impossible for him to be happy? Rose arranged William’s Catholic service much to the chagrin of Nancy but at the gravesite, a tribute to his love of the Maine island home included guests tossing a handful of sand instead of dirt into the grave and a basket of seashells were passed around. We talked about Bea’s decision to marry Gerald and whether she was settling for second best. She finally let go of her fantasy of William and never denied loving him but realized that Gerald was better suited to marriage than William would have ever been. She still kept what happened between the two of them in London from Gerald but all she would admit was that she did love him, but they were no longer teenagers, he was getting married, and Rose was pregnant. This was the only way to hold on and protect what they had and insisted it had nothing to do with her feelings for Gerald. The author masterfully developed the character arcs for each one transitioning their traits from the beginning into a new picture of them at the end of the novel. So well done! And the finale, the epilogue, August 1977, was certain to put a smile on our faces and a warm glow inside as the Gregorys in their Maine island home represented a blend of the old with the new. Home indeed.

On the business side:

A funny and odd thing was brought to my attention by Bonnie asking me in a text how she missed my new book, A Sort of Quiet, being published. I honestly thought she’s got too much going on in her life. But as it turns out there was a 5-star review of my latest novel, posted on OnlineBookClub. It is an “enrapturing novel that dives into the intricacies of human connections, insider facts, and the force of pardoning. Set in a humble community in Texas, the story follows the existences of three ladies – Elizabeth Amelia, and Laura – whose lives converge unexpectedly…. with its lavishly drawn characters, convincing storyline, and strong subjects, the book isn’t to be missed.” I searched for the title on Amazon, Google, etc…to no avail. I didn’t want to miss out on all the royalties generated by my latest and greatest novel. LOL. I even asked AI to generate a review and “it” also provided a detailed accounting.

The donation for the PWC Women of Influence gala has been assembled and delivered. The total value came to $362.00 which included the $100.00 Bookers’ Bookish gift card. I included signed copies of my books, a signed copy of Marcus Zusak’s (author of The Book Thief) latest, Bridge of Clay, and a few other “Book” related items. Also, many thanks to MN Stanky for her donation and to author, Jim Willi, for donating a signed copy of his four novels! Their support is much appreciated.

Bonnie Magee suggested as extra reading (not for Bookers though) The Only One Left, a 2023 murder mystery/horror novel by American author Todd Ritter, writing under the pen name, Riley Sager. The plot concerns a woman who takes a job caring for an elderly invalid who was accused decades ago of murdering her parents and younger sister, slowly unraveling the truth behind the murders and a missing nurse. And several Bookers suggested reading Kristin Hannah’s latest bestseller, The Women, detailing an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time in an epic tale of a nation divided as the world is changing in 1965 when women can be heroes.  

Our next meeting will be April 9th, 10:00 a.m. at the home of Jane Shaw, 116 White Cap. We’ll be discussing A Likely Story by Leigh McMullan Abramson.

Happy Reading,

JoDee

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

FEBRUARY 2024 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, There Are No Rules For This, JJ Elliott

 

A tutorial for the transcendental power of female friendships.

20 Bookers descended on the beautiful home of Kellie Brisse located just outside of Pinnacle’s back gate for this month’s meeting. We were delighted to welcome new members, Kat Mackey and Bettie Abio and hope they will join us again. As always, Jean Alexander’s presentation made the book jump off the pages and into our laps and undoubtedly the press will be clamoring for photos from the event, so I have passed along Barbara Creach’s contact information to them. Most loved the novel with a couple straddling the I’m-not-so-sure-fence, but everyone applauded the bond of female friendships, as Oprah Winfrey once said, “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.”

Jean began with an overview of this novel filled with strong emotions including love, grief, anger, heartbreak, and incredible female friendships. It evoked laughter, tears, and highlighted the power of friends who accepted and embraced each other despite all their quirks. The trifecta of Ali, Liddy, and Max – all high school friends – felt like they were all wrong before the arrival of Josephine Blythe Fox Simms (Feeney) – like a car limping along with three wheels. How could a bigger-than-life personality like Feeney take her own life? But she did. The trio decide that the only way they can cope with their loss is to clearly affirm how much they mean to one another while they are still alive by planning their own funerals. The foursome lived in Sonoma County – Ali Stirling, the first-person narrator, a former pharmaceutical sales rep, and mother of two, was enjoying the good life with husband, Drew, (a saint). Max Greene, married to Spence with no children, was a former prosecutor with anger management issues now working at a driving range collecting golf balls. Artist Liddy Nash left painting behind when she married Jack, a serial cheater, is mother to one healthy child, who endured three brutal miscarriages, and finally the one she carried to term, was born with Down Syndrome.

About the author:

JJ Elliott grew up in Los Altos, California before it was Silicon Valley and remembers fantasizing about how great it would be if everyone had a personal phone to carry around in their pockets. Little did she know it was going to be invented in her own backyard. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in English and has been an advertising copywriter for 20 years. She now lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband, two teenage kids, and two poorly trained bulldogs. She loves to read, drink wine, play tennis, and eat cheese. This novel was personal as she lost her mother to suicide at seventeen, spending two years volunteering on the suicide hotlines in L.A. Her life changed when she discovered a book titled Motherless Daughters which gave her permission to grieve, experience loss without the stigma and embrace Hope as her “wise guide.” One reason she wrote this book was her frustration with how suicide is treated in print and on-screen, as a mystery to be solved rather than a multi-layered, complex mental health situation. Her novel doesn’t offer pat answers, it doesn’t explain suicide, instead it depicts the reality of what happens to the people left behind. Books can change lives if they touch a piece of the human condition and in doing so, touch another human heart.

We were asked to put ourselves in the company of Ali, Liddy, and Max on their weekly two-hour island away from life called Wine Wednesdays when this happened. 

                                                          

The girls had always wanted to see the video of Feeney’s wedding, but instead they got a reenactment, and in true form, enter Jean aka Feeney in a white wedding gown, cathedral length veil and a six-foot train escorted by her very conservative, hoity-toity, pageant waving daddy played by Jane Shaw. Feeney was on a mission to get even with the man who said 100 words to her in her entire life and 50 of them were negative. She described her wedding day so hot that she worried she would sweat to death – the best part being what was underneath her dress – pads in her armpits which she removed and recycled on the shoulders of two in the audience (note to self – don’t sit close when Jean is performing, or you might end up wearing a prop!) Right before she arrived at the altar to take the hand of her soon-to-be husband she stopped and whispered into daddy’s ear – most thinking she was saying something endearing and sweet – but she told him she wasn’t wearing any underwear confirming that with the audience with some well-placed half-mooning. The third secret Feeney shared was that daddy died four months after the wedding and her last words to him was about her “going commando.” After the hysteria died down the clan toasted Maxi-pads and their friendships.

Discussion:

Laughter burns calories and after Bookers today with Jean in the driver’s seat, we all should be able to indulge in a slice of German chocolate cake with ice cream. For a novel that deals with suicide and funerals, the skill of the author lifted it into a celebration of life with an important message…if you or someone you know always says, “I’m fine,” sometimes they are really bleeding inside. We talked about the fun stories with Feeney and friends – the library luncheon, the big squash, the Pepto-Bismol sexy maid service van that Feeney spray painted black resulting in her arrest, and one I forgot to mention – the time they showed up at the airport in furs dressed as the 1980s vixens from the television show, Dynasty. They laughed and cried together…they were each other’s pit crew. To deal with the loss and pain they decided the only way to heal was to hold their own funerals so the friends would know how they felt about each other while they were still alive, offering a new profound perspective of those they loved. Our responses to the question, “What would you want others to say at your funeral” followed a similar line of thinking – fun under most circumstances, enjoyed life, lived a long life, was a very supportive person, made a difference in the lives of others, loved well, was kind, a role model for children and hope that would pass down to the grands, had an extensive costume closet. We discussed Drew and Ali’s relationship and how he knew he couldn’t help her, so he stepped back, took care of the daily routines, and waited for her to find comfort in his arms. The words he spoke at Ali’s “mock funeral” were telling, “I saw her – both struggling and soaring, and I loved everything I saw.” We explored the differences in women’s and men’s friendships and asked if anyone recognized any red flags about Feeney’s impending suicide – she saved the Percocet, she clammed up about a reference to an incident about her grandfather, mourned not getting to say goodbye to her thirteen-year-old boyfriend, and the much covered up suicide attempt in high school which was only discovered after she died. We talked about suicide as a cry for help and viewed by many as a selfish act; the anger expressed by those left behind, how a person’s seemingly perfect life is not always as it seems; the depth of darkness and the pain so powerful it overtakes the person – a feeling like someone is holding you under water and you are gasping for air; how victims see themselves as a burden and taking their own life will be easier for the family if they are gone. We discussed how leaving a note as to why might give families some sense of closure; how devastating survivor guilt can be; the assisted suicide platform in Oregon and end-of-life hospice care options.

On a lighter note – and there were many in the novel – the escapades of the foursome from stakeouts to starfishing – wonder if we could make starfishing a Pinnacle activity – Amy?? And we talked about journaling and keepsakes that our families might not cherish as much as we have. We applauded Liddy at the end at her decision to kick Jack to the curb and reunite with her high school boyfriend. I envision the foursome minus one bonding even closer together and more cognizant of the fragility of life – cherishing the small moments alongside the big ones.

Here's a few snippets from the mock-funerals – tributes to the power of female friendships:

Of Max: “The friends were different because of her – weirder, better, and more alive.

Of Ali: “She was the greatest gift of our lives, a sister they never had.”

Of Liddy, Feeney wrote, “Nobody ever loved me the way Liddy loves her kids. Love to my parents was a word, not an action. I died inside with every criticism.”

On the business side:

Many thanks to Bonnie, Kim, and Patsy for organizing the children’s library at the Forever Families home. Appreciate you representing Bookers and helping this worthwhile charity.

Bonnie Magee will be ordering the 2025 Monthly Planners – less than $5 each – and if you are interested, please email her with your order (bonniemagee@embarqmail.com) I’ve been a customer for years and they really do come in handy.

We voted to donate a $100.00 gift card from Bookish from our slush fund money to be part of a “reading basket” to be auctioned off at the PWC Women of Influence Gala. Jim Willi, author of four novels set in the Cedar Creek Lake area has donated autograph copies and I’ll be adding my novels to the basket as well. I also have a signed hardback copy of Marcus Zusak’s novel, Bridge of Clay to add as well. (Author of The Book Thief.) If you have anything that might be appropriate, let me know.

“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.” Anne Frank

Happy Reading,

JoDee