Cathedrals, the architectural jewels of
our collective memories, “speak a gentle peace binding us to the past even as
it gives us images, a vocabulary, and a narrative that enables us to richly
inhabit the present.”
We welcomed 19 Bookers back from our summer break at
the home of Katherine McDonald hoping everyone is refreshed and ready to
embrace some literature. As we begin our 16th year, it’s important
to remember how it all began. In a text from Alabama this morning, MN reiterated
one of our original thoughts when forming the book club was how it would
encourage all to walk in the shoes of others, to broaden our horizons and leave
our safe shell, opening our hearts, minds, and souls to new ideas. We’ve
laughed with joy and cried too many times in heartache but throughout it all,
our special group of friends…our special community of caring individuals…and
our mutual respect and love of books has endured. Friendships are like a long
steady soft rain…it’s not so harsh that it will destroy…yet not so soft that it
goes unnoticed. Our friends nourish our hearts.
Several “regulars” were missing today – Melanie at
UTSW after Roger’s extensive surgery to remove more of his malignant brain
tumor – Patty Evans at hubby Barry’s side as he recovers from surgery – Pat
Faherty with a doctor’s appointment in Dallas in hopes of receiving her “get
out of jail card” to allow her to drive and begin PT.
Sheri Green is still undergoing chemotherapy but has
gained some weight, is managing her pain better, and has been out and about a
little more. And our “honorary Bookers’ prop handler,” Elaine Bownes, after a reoccurrence
of some malignant cells, is back with monthly chemotherapy but is handling this
little hiccup in her usual fighting spirit.
Our summer read, the dainty little tome of 400,000
words with twelve major characters and fourteen minor ones, 973 pages published
in 1989, was reviewed by Melba Holt in September 2008 in our fifth year of
Bookers (we welcomed new member Bonnie Magee at this meeting.)We voted to reread this wonderful work of
historical fiction set in the 12th century when education was the
responsibility of the church or only available to the very wealthy. Few could read
or write, people were dependent on the church for their livelihood, and freedom
was almost non-existent. The novel chronicles the lives of those building
magnificent cathedrals that are standing to this day without power tools or
understanding of structural engineering. If you are hooked on Mr. Follett’s
fictional village of Kingsbridge, the second in the series, World Without
End picks up two centuries later with another 1,000-page story starring
the descendants of the original “Pillars” characters, followed by the final
installment, A Column of Fire, a mere 923 pages published in
2017. You would certainly be ensconced in the historical timeframes and
characters if you decide to read the trilogy. He has written a short history of
the meaning of cathedrals entitled, Notre-Dame, 80 pages
available on October 29, 2019…in his words,
“The wonderful cathedral of
Notre-Dame de Paris, one of the greatest achievements of European civilization,
was on fire. The sight dazed and disturbed us profoundly. I was on the edge of
tears. Something priceless was dying in front of our eyes. The feeling was
bewildering, as if the earth was shaking.”
The author, a
very successful thriller writer and a self-professed non-believer in God,
seemed the most unlikely candidate to write a novel about building a shrine to
what he didn’t believe in. However, in search of ways to describe buildings and
after reading a couple of architectural books, he developed a keen interest in cathedrals.
The burning question for him was, why were these cathedrals built – beyond the
obvious reason of the glory of God and the vanity of bishops. He knew he had to
channel his enthusiasm into a novel – or three as it turned out. It took at
least thirty years to build a cathedral, so this would be the spine of the
novel recreating the entire life of the village and the people who lived there.
It was voted the third greatest book ever written behind The Lord of the
Rings and the Bible and was placed behind To Kill a
Mockingbird as one of the sixty greatest novels of the last sixty
years. The definition of success instantly assumed another level for Mr.
Follett.
Jean McSpadden, who admittedly read the novel three
times, led the discussion of “Pillars” offering her insights into this first
book in Follett’s historical fiction series and arguably the best of the three.
A show of hands revealed most had read and finished the novel…at least the
first time. Jean offered a visual of two cathedrals, Lincoln and Cambridge and
a photo of the Pope’s visit to the Pinnacle Club. She shared a view into
the author’s reasoning and progression leading to the writing of the novel. He did paint the church in a less than golden
light…monks were sworn to chastity, but that did not apply to priests…bishops
had mistresses, and parish priests had housekeepers. “Clerical celibacy was a
law too hard to be obeyed.” A complete summary of “Pillars” might take days,
but Jean succinctly took us from the sinking of the White Ship leaving King
Henry of England without a legitimate heir and the succession of the throne disputed,
to the “hanging” prologue where a innocent man dies for stealing a chalice from
the monastery, to the revelation of who conspired with barons to sink the White
Ship.
We discussed the character of some of the characters –
particularly the evil William and Bishop Waleran Bigod; how poor Tom Builder
seemed to just climb one hill and then get thrown off the top, a favorite
character in Prior Philip, and the discovery of that Jonathan, Tom’s son, was
alive. We talked about how inanimate objects like stained glass windows and
tiles recording the entire Bible served as historical storytellers. We marveled
at how long it took to build these magnificent structures, noting that it took
over one-hundred years to build the Washington National Cathedral with George
Herbert Walker Bush laying the last brick. We wondered if after writing this
book, Mr. Follett had a change of perspective on his views of religion.
From
the critics: 85% or 4,764 people posted positive reviews on Amazon with 15% or
826 posting critical comments…from the negative side readers (who are entitled
to their opinions) they complained about the rape scenes and how Follett
painted William with loving adoration, adding if you want to be horrified to
the point of nausea, this book is for you. Another one described it as long, (which
it is) boring, and trashy…pure filth, graphic sex – as if the reader needs an
instruction manual and the overuse of the “f” word (which none of us recalled)
is according to this reader – generally how the trashier people express
themselves. Also, at issue was the use of the contemporary words “soul mate”
used to describe an English peasant in the 12th century, and
passages like, “she would be lively, he felt sure; she would wriggle and
scratch” registered on the reader’s “crap-o-meter.” The cream of the crop,
unfair to any author, are one-star reviews because of the quality of the print
or the print was too small.
On
the business side:
Many thanks to everyone who stepped up to the plate as
usual to show our support for fellow Bookers’ Melanie and Pat. Also, MN sends
her love and appreciation for the get-well cards after her second knee
replacement on August 1. If you have not
responded to the luncheon for MN (11:00 @ the club, Friday, September 27th)
and want to be included, please let me know no later than September 20th.
We have 21 signed up. I will pass along your names to Jennifer and because of
the numbers, we might have a limited or set menu. I’ll share more information
as soon as possible.
As always, our committee has been diligently searching
for our next great reads and appreciated those who input their suggestions as
well. The committee, with the exception of Katherine, has endured a couple of
setbacks, so our list is incomplete at this time. Here’s what we’re recommending
so far. Please note below we need host home for May. Please let me know
if you can help. And as I said in the meeting, I’ll be sitting by the phone
when you call generously offering to be the discussion leader for any of these
wonderful books!!
COLOR
CODING SYSTEM
WHITE: LIGHT READ
PINK: MODERATELY
CHALLENGING
RED: CHALLENGING
October 15: The
Silent Patient by Alex Michaeldes
Debut novel. A
psychological thriller featuring a famous painter married to an in-demand
photographer whose life seems perfect…until one fateful night. Please use
discretion in sharing the ending as it would be a big spoiler alert for those
who have not read the novel.
DEEP PINK
Home
of Rokhshie Malone
Discussion
Leader: Rebecca Brisendine
November 12: The
Chaperone, Liane Moriarty
A novel about the woman
who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks (a famous silent-film star) to New
York City in 1922 and the summer that would change them both.
PINKISH
WHITE
Home
of Beverly Dossett
Discussion
Leader: TBD
December 10: TBD
Home
of Jane Shaw
January 14, 2020: The
Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni
Sam always saw the world
through different eyes, born with red pupils he was called “Devil Boy” by his
classmates: “God’s will” is what his mother called his ocular albinism. His
unique condition, his mother’s devout faith, coupled with his father’s
practical wisdom and his two other misfit friends makes for an entertaining
read.
PINK
Home
of Bonnie Magee
Discussion
Leader: TBD
February 11: Sold
on a Monday by Kristina McMorris
A scrawled sign peddling
young siblings on a farmhouse porch captures the desperation sweeping the
country in 1931. A struggling reporter snaps a photograph which changes his
life with consequences he never expected.
PINKISH RED
Home
of Daryl Daniels
Discussion
Leader: TBD
March 10: TBD
Home of Patty Evans
Discussion Leader: TBD
April 14: TBD
Home
of Jean Alexander
Discussion
Leader: TBD
May 12: TBD
Home
of TBD
Discussion
Leader: TBD
Summer read: TBD
Books
under consideration to fill these spots are as follows:
At Home at Mitford
and/or The Mitford Series (A summer study in Grace), or Shepherds
Abiding, Jan Karon
Hiddensee,
Gregory Maguire
Christmas Quilt (#
8 in the series), Jennifer Chiaverini
Beloved,
Toni Morrison (classic)
Everything You Are,
Kerry Anne King
The Only Woman in the Room,
Maria Benedict
The Last House Guest,
Megan Miranda
The Roots of the Olive Tree,
Courtney Miller Santo
Portrait of a Marriage,
Pearl S. Buck (classic)
One Hundred Years of Solitude,
Gabriel Garcia Marquez (classic)
Arrowsmith
or Main Street, Sinclair Lewis (classics)
“One
of the greatest gifts you can give is your time.”
Happy
Reading,
JoDee
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