“Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.” Albert Camus
11 brave Bookers sloshed through the torrential rain – as if we were in the opening scene of Macbeth – to meet at the home of Jane Shaw to discuss this month’s debut novel framed around the dysfunctional Manning family set in the ego-filled literary world in New York with retreats to Long Island’s Sag Harbor, home to musicians, songwriters, artists, and authors.
The author is a practicing lawyer who lives in New York City with her husband and two children. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic Tablet, and Real Simple.
The cover of A Likely Story, with its house of cards made from books, is a fitting metaphor for the insubstantial structure of the Manning family. The world according to bestselling author of nineteen books, Ward Manning, is one where his family, fans, and his publishers all rotate around him like planets around the sun. Isabelle Manning, as an aspiring writer growing up in the 1990s, lives in the shadow of her famous father, spending her life trying to make him proud. Wife and mother, Claire, could be a candidate for sainthood with her dedication to raising her child and her silent acquiescence deferring her own ambition to her controlling husband. Brian, Isabelle’s pseudo boyfriend, has more patience than good sense when it comes to her, and godmother, Glenda, with her flair, humor, and wisdom provides a breath of fresh air in a novel dotted with some unlikeable characters. The author weaves a narrative about the price of success and how secrets corrode the family from within.
Discussion:
Most except for one read, several loved/liked and for one, it was not her cup of tea. In the novel Isabelle considers her book necklace, a gift from her father, among her most precious possessions. In keeping with this spirit, we asked if anyone had a piece of jewelry or some other treasure that holds that type of personal meaning, to please bring it to share with the group. Patsy wore a pendant from her mom with her picture that reminds her of her graciousness and class and remains close to her heart. Bonnie wears and never takes off a Best Mom necklace given by her daughter; the miracle baby born at 39. She received it on her 51st birthday along with an apology as she wanted to give it to her on her 50th but didn’t have enough allowance at the time. Jane’s mother was the youngest of nine and when her grandmother gave birth to their first child, a boy, her grandfather placed a watch next to her plate and it still works. Mine was my Aloha necklace, a gift to me on my 30th birthday from my parents while on a trip to Hawaii. Special memories will stay with us all for a lifetime.
Literary scandals (as in this book) are not rare. In 2020 Bookers selected The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and compared it to The Giver of Stars which was released five months after Book Woman and was surrounded by allegations of perjury. We discussed eleven-year-old, Helen Keller, who published a short story like another one, deducing it must have been read to her and she unknowingly absorbed it as her own. Confusion still lingers about whether Harper Lee’s, Go Set a Watchman, was the unpublished original manuscript of To Kill a Mockingbird and Clifford Irving’s claim to have written the first authorized autobiography of Howard Hughes, even forging letters to himself from Hughes.
We talked about what makes a writer a writer and how the characters viewed that label – Isabelle and Ward – through a publication lens; Claire – the joy of storytelling; Glenda – a curse; Brian – the wedge between him and his love for Isabelle. The book within a book device was a unique way to take readers along the path to the ending – our take – confusing at first but deemed very creative by the end. Livia was Claire’s alter ego, but the book was published under Isabelle’s name, and we felt Claire would have written it differently. The author’s favorite character to write was Ward – his voice resonated with her. and his self-involvement challenged her to make him both egomaniac, but also sad and pathetic so he didn’t come across villainous making it impossible to hate him entirely. Did she succeed – most thought he was an odious jerk. We talked about the stereotypical Texas obsessed fan Ward visited and how she deflated his balloon when she ended the two-day fling, much to his surprise. Our favorite character was Brian – he was loyal to a fault but an endearing character that might have followed another path if he had “grown a set” and moved on from Isabelle. Claire was met with mixed feelings – loved her sacrifices and devotion to her daughter, but she should have been fed up with her blowhard husband. Godmother Glenda was a hoot – here I am…here’s what’s going to happen. Our least favorites were Ward and Darby, a phony who was a mini-Ward. We talked about whether Ward’s writer’s block was caused by an illness, or mental incapacity…he was looking for a reason why he couldn’t’ create and feared his daughter was going to outshine him removing her from his will so if she was successful, she had to make it on her own. Ward did get back on his feet in the end to write about himself and Isabelle’s book was a huge success. We discussed Claire’s high society WASPY upbringing and her quirky parents. The audio version was confusing due to the format switching back and forth and how this trend seemed to be becoming the norm for novelists. We chatted about Miss Muffins, the obese Abyssinian cat, who was Claire’s archenemy that Isabelle stole/captured…some Bookers not pleased with this twist. A happy ending celebrated the characters’ evolving into better versions of themselves – at least most of them.
We talked about the ever-evolving presence of AI and how Microsoft is working on a state-of-the-art software where a person can talk about anything for thirty minutes and it will have the capability to translate into a book and the importance of protecting yourself and your family by creating a “safe” code word in case you receive one of those terrifying phone calls where the caller claims to have your loved one…Oh my, indeed! Stay tuned.
On the business side:
Our farewell to Year 20 will be our May 14th meeting – our annual wine & cheese evening meeting @ Ann Ireland’s home @ 5:30 p.m. We’re taking a break from meeting, not reading.
Jane & Patty have both agreed to remain on the book selection committee unless anyone else is interested in serving?
Kim Nalls has graciously agreed to assume Bonnie’s Food & Beverage Czar role for our two meetings, Christmas and our May evening wine & cheese meeting.
BookTrib will feature Bookers in their newsletter, and we provided a group photo, and I answered a questionnaire telling a little about our special group. I’ll keep you posted.
If anyone is interested in Books in Bloom set for Friday May 17th, at the Athens Country Club, please let me know as soon as possible. It is the annual fundraiser for Henderson County. Clint W. Murchison Memorial Library. Tables for 8 are $500.00 ($62.50 each person) or individual seating at non-hosted tables are $65.00 each. Lunch is provided. Jill Beam, daughter of 92-year-old Rose-Mary Rumbley, public speaker, historian, humorist, author, and actress. Jill’s book, Growing Up Rumbley will be available. The table theme is a floral centerpiece. I’ll write one check for our group if anyone is interested, and you can reimburse me.
Happy reading,
JoDee
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