Phyllis
There are some incredible passages in “The Waste Land” that make it a poem everyone should read. The first few lines beginning with “April is the cruelest month...” (which is one reason the book club chose it for April's book) and on to the excellently rendered Game of Chess (section 2) throw off fantastic images juxtaposed with dead-on conversation snippits that pop up in your mind after you've put the text down.
Our group had an interesting discussion about references to other works we've read (“Paradise Lost,” “The Odyssey,” etc.). There was some controversy about whether Eliot truly believed in hope through resurrection (I came out on the “no” side due to the first few lines and the following:
He who was living is now dead
We who were living are now dying
With a little patience
Daffodils! Tulips! Fluffy little chicks! That's more Wordsworth's speed, no? “The Waste Land” presents a bleak, post World-War-1, post Spanish Influenza melange. Of course, T.S. was in the middle of a nervous breakdown and trouble with wifey (the latter an inspiration for section 3) on top of external factors. It's hard to believe the author also the author of “Old Possums Book of Practical Cats,” the inspiration for the long-running musical, “Cats.”
I do think that the deluge of literary references only a handful of people in the world could understand detract from what is certainly a work of art. The Norton critical edition is recommended for those who want to delve further behind the curtain: it is chock-full of both source material and criticism (positive and negative) that fleshes out the poem for the great unwashed.
Perhaps I missed something, but I can only give Louise Penny's “Still Life” 2.5 stars. The dialog and characterization were confusing and rather messy, but not in a true-to-life way. Perhaps a better editor could have smoothed out the odd, jarring edges, but a good writer shouldn't need that much editing. And the story was okay. I've heard from a librarian that recommended this book that the sequels are even better, so I'll give the next book in the series a go.
In two words: badly written. Here's a few more: stock, cardboard characters and poorly developed plot plague an interesting idea for a story. There are many other time travel or mysteries that are good reads, but this is not one of them.
I can't explain why I didn't pick up this book sooner. Perhaps, I just read the part of the summary focusing on marriage, which I didn't particularly want to read about when a relationship I had was failing.
However, the title came up in available audiobooks on Libby and I thought, why not? Not only was I not disappointed, I was drawn in. All of the characters in Tayari Jones' novel are real; these are real people with complex characters going through both every day life and major life events. Jones captures dialogue in a way few authors can. I found myself on both sides with each character, ultimately appreciating them for being human.
She has also written a story that a lot of Americans may not know firsthand; that of a man wrongfully convicted to a long sentence and what that does to his family. She uses letters to take the reader through exactly what each character experiences and how they change over time.
The ending was tough. At first, it seemed like Roy was going to be a victorious Odysseus, returning from a horrendous journey to his wife, but that was not to be.
The audiobook version is extremely well done with both voice performers capturing each character's nuances.
The library chose this graphic novel for the January 2025 middle grade book club. Because I was waiting to pick up one of the kids, and with no other reading material to hand, I started reading in on “All's Faire.”
This is a really cute book, especially if you're looking for semi-medieval insults to hurl at family, friends, and perhaps strangers. I laugh out loud at several of the insults and very much enjoyed the side characters in this book. Many of my friends from middle school ended up being involved at our local Renaissance fair and I've had the great honor to attend a few Ren Faire holiday parties (in which much velvet and corsetry are displayed), so it was nice to find a book that goes behind the scenes, so to speak.
The theme of struggling to fit in at a new school (whether you came from a homeschooled background, public school, private school, or whatever) hit home for pretty much any kid. Imogene also finds herself in hot water at home with both her parents and brother for things that many folks who have been her age can relate to. I really liked how the other dealt with the importance of being kind to others over, wanting to fit in with the popular kids, as well as being proud of who you are and where you come from.
I was also charmed by two of the characters sharing first names with my fiancée's kids.
To those who are offended by profanity, I suggest you ignore the next sentence and proceed to the rest of the review. Honestly, for most of this book, all I could think was “come the fuck on?!” Not, mind you, because I was really impressed with the brilliant writing and marvelous lot, but because of precisely the opposite!!!
Let me provide a bit of explanation by providing a partial plot summary.
Let's go on a mission to an unknown planet! Coincidentally, our group is a handful of people, which includes a love triangle (!), and we are all qualified to take an asteroid to an unexplored planet financed by the Jesuits! Let's not test the air before we touch foot to the planet! Let's not try to contact the aliens before barging on to their planet! No need to test any blessed (hahaha!) thing because God has willed this mission! Let's roast some “green guys” and feed them to one of our PILOTS to see if it's poisonous and promptly gave the entire crew eat all kinds of stuff instead of waiting for a period of time! If someone dies, let's do an autopsy and get SUPER angry because the rest of the very tiny crew asks about the results of the autopsy! Let's just lay around on the ground, asleep without any protection at all! Let's not bother exploring or documenting anything, so we are super surprised there are two species on the planet! I'm best buds with these here aliens who happen to have one young translator who knows English! These aliens need to learn how to garden! Oopsie, that caused my alien buds to reproduce and get slaughtered and know I'm a concubine!
There is no question that some suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy science fiction (or even some general fiction). However, Ms. Russell is asking way too much out of this reader.
Every person on the mission frames everything with what we believe to be known on Earth without trying to be the eensiest but interested in being objective and observing. Here's an irritating sentence:
“The principle were the same: firm follows function, reach high for sunlight, strut your stuff to attract a mate, scatter lots of offspring or take good care of a previous few, warn predators that you're poisonous with bright colors or blend into the background to escape detection.”
Fucking seriously?!
Sandoz is well-painted and the best thing about this claptrap, while other characters are one-dimensional. Anne and George are always HILARIOUS and she always cooks intricate meals based on a guests' ETHNICITY. Voelker is just plain sinister. Ed is super supportive and helpful in an aw-shucks way.
The author took over 400 pages to slap together a real mess. I should have believed my initial reaction to the first few pages where the author tried to wow the reader with the written equivalent of multi-camera shots, not really describing what's going on. The narrative gets a little more interesting for about 70 pages, but devolves into Dan Brown style schlock and never resurfaces.
Last year, I read “The Book of Strange New Things,” by Michael Farber also about a man of God visiting a planet inhabited by aliens. It is so, so, so much better than “The Sparrow,” so I recommend that to those who did and did not enjoy this book.
Because I'm offended at how bad this book was, yet how many glowing reviews it gets, I shall be extra blunt.
You know it's not ding well when at about 8% in, this became a hate listen/read.
The plot for this book would have been better suited to a short story, but in a different author's much more capable hands. Instead, we have a bloated mess, and it's not that long of a book.
This is yet another book that insists on switching the point of view of each chapter from one character to another. I'm chalking it up to creative writing exercises that belong in class, not jammed into a published work. Switching from Mateo to Rufus and back again-sure. Endless side characters who do absolutely nothing to propel the story? Nooooo. Annoying.
The characters are really blah. Mateo is suuuccchhh a jerk. Is the reader supposed to like him? What kind of person finds out it is their last day to live and decides to sit in the house for hours playing video games and spending a whole bunch of time chatting with random people on a “Last Friend” site? Instead of spending time with their one friend or talking to their comatose Dad? Sure, those last two things happen eventually, but are short and stupid moments in the book, as opposed to memorable.
The world building was atrocious.
The karaoke scene and quotes from other songs were supposed to connect us to this DeathCast world, but it just seemed forced and lead to eye-rolling.
The fricking ending. I was HOWLING with laughter at how ridiculous the book wrapped up. Mateo stops Rufus from shooting that dude who took his girlfriend. Mateo and Rufus (who have no chemistry the entire course of the book) run off and decide to BONE at Mateo's because suddenly they're in love. Then Matteo dies in a fire because Matteo got up to make them tea. HAHAHA. Then Rufus finds himself in intensive care from smoke inhalation damage and calls Matteo a hero. WHAT?!
The audiobook was also annoying. Taking a long pause every time the word “and” is uttered does not improve the experience.
Elizabeth Acevedo knocked my socks off with her poem-novel, “The Poet X.”
Acevedo's language is compact and powerful with words chosen carefully. This coming-of-age story goes inside the heart and mind if a shy sophomore raised in a conservative Catholic home in Harlem. We watch her struggle with the woman she's becoming, her family's expectations, growing apart from her twin brother, and finding, developing, and accepting her own voice. Even though this book is classified as young adult, I recommend it to anyone over 11 because it is beautiful.
This book was the PBS News Hour's Now Read This selection for November 2020. Here are the questions that group published to support the online group discussion.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/discussion-questions-for-the-poet-x
In what is most definitely an unpopular opinion, I found “Sing, Unburied, Sing” just not very good. Usually, I really enjoy National Book Award recipients more.
For some time, I have noticed this book in the book club section at my library, where I often go if no other inspiration strikes. Yet (and this is a horrible confession to make), the title kept turning me off because it seemed overly pretentious. A few months ago, one of the members of my Great Books Book Club recommended the Now Read This Book Club, a partnership between NPR and the New York Times. I had already read one of the books and several others looked really interesting, so I thought I'd give the book a chance.
The content (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/features/now-read-this/#sing-unburied-sing) includes a long-form interview, where we travel around the small town in Mississippi where Jesmyn grew up and also discuss her inspirations (from Faulkner to her brother, killed at age 19). In particular, Ms. Ward talks about wanting to write because there were never girls of color among the plucky heroines like Anne of Green Gables or Pippi Longstocking or Harriet the Spy (all major influences on me, as well).
What shined through in this book is Ms. Ward's ability to describe her local world and the people. The first chapter was really well-written; in it, 12-year old Jojo and his grandfather, Pop, kill a goat in preparation for Jojo's birthday meal. I felt like I was right there with these two generations, one stepping into manhood and one teaching the other what it means to be a man. We are also introduced to toddler Kayla (who seemed more like a 2-year-old than a 3-year-old) and Mam, Jojo's dying grandmother. We also first hear about 12-year-old Richie, who was imprisoned at Parchman with Pop about 40 years before the main action of the book. The continuing sections about the prison were particularly affecting and accurate if you've ever known anyone who has been in prison. When Jojo is handcuffed and pushed to the ground during an aggressive traffic stop, the reader feels how horrific it is to be a person of color in today's America, unable to speak up and ask for justice when no wrong has been committed.
What also stuck out to me almost within the second page is the lack of a consistent voice for any character. Jojo occasionally speaks using local dialect, but at other times speaks with perfect grammar. This is true of both Richie and Leonie, the other two narrators. I wish that Ms. Ward had made the focus Jojo and Richie and targeted the book at younger audiences to add a young, strong person of color to the reading palette.
There have been comparisons to Faulkner's “As I Lay Dying,” which is the ultimate dysfunctional family road trip. While we are in Mississippi, I don't really see the parallels. Faulkner captured the voices of local people in a way that Ms. Ward has not yet developed.
It is in the sections narrated by Leonie that I think the book is most unsuccessful; while the sections in which her spiritual and earthy mother speak through Leonie's memories are beautiful, I didn't feel like we got deep enough into Leonie herself. Are we supposed to believe that she's super cool with having a relationship (and, eventually, kids) with the child of the man who deemed her brother's murder a hunting accident? Or, is this choice, like the choice to sink into drugs, the way to escape her inability to be like either of her parents or to get over Given's death? Are we really to believe that Leonie is so overcome by grief and drugs that she has no interest in her vomiting child, but is consumed by attention to Michael? Even before he returned, she was barely around for the kids and it is clear at the end of the book that she is completely gone.
Some of the magical realism totally made sense to me and the ghosts didn't bother me like some other readers. But some of it, like Mam's death scene, was overly dramatic and stupid. As much as I liked the flashbacks of Mam, I found that scene to be forced.
After finishing the book, I'm afraid that my initial turn-off about the title was right; there was a lot of pretension and I found the writing less poetic and more stilted (despite some sections that were very good). I do want to check out her other books because it's clearly Jesmyn Ward is filling a gap in literature and telling the stories of those who we don't hear enough from - I just hope she lets her characters sing.
Journey to the Center of the Earth is a fun, early science fiction romp. I agree with another reviewer that this short, fast-paced story is akin to a Disney ride. However, I did find that the ending was a bit rushed and wished for another installment of the single-minded Liedebrock's, lovesick Axel's, and stoic Hans' adventures below us.
I won't rehash the novel's plot in this review, but would like to recommend that readers check out a related book I just finished. “Banvard's Folly” by Paul Collins includes a vignette about John Cleves Symmes, whose hollow-earth theories inspired Jules Verne's story. Symmes proposed that the earth's center could be reached via openings at the North and South Poles. According to Symmes, these openings lead to descending concentric spheres eventually bringing one to areas inhabited by pale beings. Verne departed from Symmes' theory by suggesting that volcanic openings were access points, as opposed to the Poles As a side note, the rest of Collin's snapshots of 12 failures are quite enjoyable.
This book started out well, but quickly devolved into a thin romance, excessively detailed world building, and a book that would been better with 200 pages cut out. With that said, the author is a tale talented writer, so perhaps the next book in the series will be better.
The only redeeming quality about the Gray Whale Inn series is that it is set in Maine.
Or, at least, that was the appeal. I picked up the third installment in preparation for a marvelous week-long vacation in southeastern Maine. My conclusion is that the author only captures Maine by mentioning lobsters, lobster men, and lighthouses despite having lived there. The author is not able to capture dialects or even differentiate between different character's speech patterns. Every conversation is inane and reminds me of writing I did in high school.
Even worse than that is the atrocious writing. I see that this author had several active series, so it's hard to say what this book might have been like if she focused on just one series at a time. An editor should have caught some of the typos and grammatical errors.
The problems with the writing go much deeper than spelling and grammar. For example, both in this and the other books I've read, Natalie seems to take little interest in the mental state of her guests when murders are committed. Instead, she immediately leaves the Inn for various nonsense reasons. Wouldn't an innkeeper stick around to both watch out for her property (especially this as Natalie's entire life's savings are tied up in the Inn)and maybe make some tea or coffee for the guests?
Another example occurs when a second member of a weight-loss retreat turns up dead at the Inn and both the keeper and police see no issue in immediate room and common area cleanings. No need to worry about obliterating evidence because we're in Maine!!!
Even worse is Natalie's constant snooping in guest's rooms. She goes beyond opening side table drawers to actually opening envelopes and costing up at desks to fully read every document. While I'm sure some level of curiosity goes on at B&Bs, this level of intrusion is hard to believe. Furthermore, Natalie tampers with evidence over and over in a way I suspect would not fly even on this fictional island. Her fingerprints showing up on documents of dead guests (this was in a prior book) would put her into hot water. But, no, we're going to go bake something super sweet (and put the recipe at the end of the book) and no one will notice!!!!!
The romance between Natalie Barnes and her supposedly hunky neighbor, John, is utterly ridiculous. It has been a little forced and more situational than anything, but that often happens in real life if there are few eligible single folk together for a whole summer on a small island. From the moment the group leader steps off the boat, John can't take his eyes off of her and spends a lot of time canoodling with her without saying a word to Natalie that's it's supposedly because she's having a rough time even before her business partner's death. Natalie spends the entire book obsessing about John and looking moonily at his cabin. Then, at the end, he suddenly proposes and claims it's Natalie he wants. I'm sorry, but where is the emotional connection other than Natalie's appreciation of his green eyes?
Ugh. I looked ahead to synopsis and reviews of the next 5 books in the series. Guess what? At least three or four books are about a developer trying to ruin the island and ending up dead. Another is about another retreat (this time yoga). Smuggler's Cove plays a part in another. Talk about repetitive plot lines!!! Only plucky, but irrepressibly stupid Natalie can crack the case!!! So, I'm done with this series. No more time shall be wasted upon it!
Frankly, I cannot understand the slew of 3-, 4-, and 5- star reviews for Matthew Sullivan's “Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore.” What I can understand is how many people might be drawn to read this book about a woman who must solve a suicide in the upper floor of her bookstore. I am one of those fools who likes to read books about books, bookstores, libraries, authors, etc. Luckily, I picked this title up from the library and did not waste a dime on purchasing it.
Book nerds, do not be tricked!! Stay away!
The pace of the action drags and drags, which is an achievement for such a short title. Should a second star be awarded for making such a mess in a minimum of pages? I am a fan of efficiency, but not in this case! The mystery isn't all that interesting and, by the time we learn of the horrible event from Lydia's childhood, I wished the Hammerman had gotten her! The two, intertwined mysteries are forced.
Generally, the characterization is incredibly poor; I found myself not caring what happened to any of them almost immediately. The romantic relationship between Lydia and David? Bleh. Her “blossoming” relationship with Raj? Meeehhh. DON'T CARE. Dullsville.
One of the most irritating tics of Matthew Sullivan's writing is the constant use of a character's name when another character is addressing him or her. “Lydia, would you like to go to the store? I know you are hungry, Lydia. Lydia always liked lunchmeat!” The first word of the book is...you guessed it...Lydia! I cannot even provide an annoying enough quote of how Lydia's name is used OVER and OVER throughout every piece of dialogue. Even more annoying is the author's propensity for inner monologue's to use the “she, Lydia” construction. WE KNOW WHO IS SPEAKING, MATTHEW! Good gravy.
Also, if you're still thinking, “Hey, let me listen instead of reading this boring-ass book that supposed to be interesting so I can hit my annual Goodreads ,” definitely avoid the audiobook. The narrator should consider another profession and, in a very odd interpretation, voices every man at an extremely slow speed.
Really enjoyed this sequel to “Three Men in a Boat,” although nothing can really hold a candle to that!
Just awful.
Thankfully, I listened to “The Fact of a Body” as opposed to reading do I could make it through the entire thing. However, the narrator had a whiny delivery that didn't help things.
Why do I think this critically-acclaimed book is so awful? For one, the book claims to be about a murder and a memoir. What we actually get is a disjointed mash-up that tries very hard to force two stories together and fails at both.
Do I feel sorry that the author was abused by her Grandfather as a child and that she witnessed her sister be abused? Of course! That is truly awful. But, the entire book is about the author expecting others, including Ricky Langley, to pay for how she was abused. And about not really presenting any information, even when the author meets Ricky at the end of the book. She spends a bunch of time overdramatizing his approach, but then says nothing about their conversation. Much of the murder story is based on her imagination of what someone was thinking.
So, don't get sucked in by the hype. There are better ways to spend one's time.
“Magpie Murders” is a really fun mystery (within a mystery) with great characterization and lots of surprises. It only took me a few days to read and I'm into the next book in the series already!
Why, oh why, must I keep learning the same lesson? Because I'm insane? No, because I keep picking up Mann Booker Prize nominations or winners and reading them. DUMB. I am pressed to think of any books in said prize-nominated/winning category that weren't awful or pretentious or impenetrable.
A librarian friend said that she never reads books about libraries or book stores any longer because they inevitably disappoint. I, too, have found this to be the case with few exceptions. Which, if we review the first paragraph is yet another instance of persisting in actions and expecting a different result than what happens 90% of the time.
Queue the Einstein quote.
“The Bookshop” was nominated for the Mann Booker Prize and is set in a bookshop..ding ding ding!
Why did I find this book so awful despite glowing reviews from so many? First, the writing style is very odd. Oddity isn't a black mark, but it is when it's unnecessarily disjointed. Not having read any of Penelope Fitzgerald's other books, I'm not sure whether this style is intended to represent the dysfunctional town or whether this is her style. To be fair, I have another one of her books on hand to see if I can get behind all of the hoopla.
The characterization is also lacking. What better base can a writer have than a small town to fill with interesting personalities? Instead, we have Florence Green, an older woman who decides to take on the wealthy town socialite by opening a bookshop in a long-empty house. We never learn why exactly she wants a bookshop other than wanting a new endeavor, and we certainly don't learn why she puts up such a fight (the wrangle with the lawyers is pretty amusing and shows what Ms. Fitzgerald could do). We have a rambunctious 11-year old shop assistant from a family of known hard workers who goes off the rails. We have a poltergeist-infested bookstore, which could also have been taken somewhere, but where does it go? Ugh.
The ending was dismal, which fits in with the dying mill town and the likelihood that an average woman could win against the filthy rich with a money-losing enterprise. It isn't that I minded an unhappy ending, but it's that there seemed to be no point to anything (other than the aforementioned glimmer) and it seemed to me that nihilism wasn't what the author was going for. Oh, well. At least, I got a bit closer to my 2017 Goodreads Reading Challenge!
Awful, but mercifully short.
Why all the hype about Penelope Fitzgerald? of her books when they're just not good. I hate to speak poorly of the dead, but simply cannot unearth why there are so many glowing reviews of her work.
There was a glimmer here and there of talent, but then there'd be a whomp, whomp, whomp ending.
“Less” is far more (har har) than a middle-aged, semi-obscure writer running away from the rather sudden marriage of an ex-lover. It is looking back at your shining, golden youth and missing looking at a head full of hair and a face lacking wrinkles. It is realizing that you are no longer one of the youngest people at work, but heading into the older vanguard. It is thinking that your last, best chance at love is over and it's time to get fat.
But, it's also about taking risks when your life, to that point, has been a series of passive acts. Arthur Less does not hide in his San Francisco home in response to heartbreak. It is with hope that Arthur Less books an around-the-world trip; hoping to avoid his ex-lover's wedding (to which he was invited!!), hoping to start off he trip with his latest book picked up by his long-time publisher, hoping to find solace in a series of new places. Yet, this introspective, gentle man, unable to break a paper wall when trapped in a Japanese restaurant, spends the trip doing the opposite; running into friends who bring up Freddy and ask him about his novel, or, even worse, retch or fall into strange illnesses in country after country.
At first, I found myself enjoying Mr. Greer's writing and the nonsensical situations Arthur Less was in. At times, the book played in my head like a 1930's screwball comedy. As I followed Arthur Less around the world, more of his introverted sweetness cane out, with more confusion arising about who the narrator was. It is not until Arthur loses his old standbys (the too-young blue suit, the well-intentioned fitness bands, amongst other things) and truly acknowledges what he has lost that he can arrive at home to his Penelope, who has ditched his husband to return to Less.
This book is also about fathers and father figures, or the lack thereof. Arthur remembers many of the father-son activities his Dad set up, which were barely besmirched when Arthur learned the activities were suggested by a book intended to desissify sons. Arthur also remembers how few of the Baby Boomer gay men of his acquaintance survived the AIDS epidemic. Effectively, Robert Brownburn becomes Arthur's first real relationship, later devolving into friendship then infidelity. And Arthur muses on becoming that same, looked-up-to elder as the Millennials come of age. At the same time, he asked the middle-age-old question of what have I done with half a century and what's even left for my aging self?
The answer for Arthur Less: A lot.
The PBS News Hour's Now Read This Book Club posted discussion questions for this delightful novel here: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/discussion-questions-for-less
The debut collection of short stories from Lesley Nneka Arimah sparkles with a chorus of women, each of whom is given their own special voice. These women are in Nigeria, where the author was born, as well as in the United States, where the author now lives.
Good short stories are not easy to write, but Ms. Arimah certainly has honed her craft. Even more surprising is the mix of magical realism, folktales, fiction, and science fiction, which I wasn't expecting. Ms. Arimah excelled at each genre and wove a full story in just a few pages. In fact, there were at least 4 stories that knocked my socks off to the point that I had to put the book down for a few minutes to let the conclusion wash over me.
I was particularly interested to read a book about Nigerians here and in Nigeria because one nonprofit I work for has been sending a number of grants to that country.
Thanks the the PBS News Hour Book Club for Choosing this book as the August selection. Their site contains a Q&A with the author, an annotated page, discussion questions, and a live interview:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/features/now-read-this/
Bathsheba Everdene is a nitwit. Truly. Or is “was” the proper tense? Am I supposed to like her or find her a strong woman because she decides to run her inherited farm? Well, I DON'T, THOMAS HARDY!
Frankly, the plot is silly and the majority of characters aren't all that fun. Except for a few country life scenes, mind you. However, Hardy can depict a pastoral scene like nobody's business.
I watched the recent movie version and it didn't improve my view of the storyline or characters, unfortunately. I tried!!
My book club read this book as our August 2022 pick and I looked forward to reading the book.
But, honestly, the first sentence made it hard to get much further. Maybe I'm just not in the right headspace to read a story about a kid whose father neglected or didn't love him and couldn't find compelling rest the meaning of Shakespeare's “Measure for Measure” to the book. I kept picking up the softcover and couldn't get past the first few pages. So, I soldiered on through maybe 1/3 of the audiobook and felt unusually burdened by the story. So, I went to the discussion and resolved to trouble myself no more with the book.
This is a real hum dinger of a book and one of the most compelling non-fiction books I've read in some time. I gobbled down this book in less than three days and hated putting it down.
Not only have I been to Ottawa, IL, previous home of Radium Dial Corporation and later Luminous Processes, but my fiancée's grandmother and/or great-grandmother was a Radium Girl at one of those very plants. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any surviving written records about their stories. Also, one of the surviving relatives of an Ottawan Radium Girl featured in the book is related to my fiancée.
The tale of each Radium Girl is both beautiful and heartbreaking. At first, their jobs as radium dial painters is lit by glamour; Radium Girls' clothes and bodies glowed when they went out on the town at night. The author does a fantastic job of humanizing each of the girls so that you can better understand the tragedy and a personal way, although the handful of photos and descriptions of what happened to these young women's bodies is heartbreaking enough.
The following article does a nice job summarizing some of the the Ottawan Radium Girls' stories and their ultimate impact on state workers compensation coverage, as well as eventually establishing OSHA:
https://www.nprillinois.org/equity-justice/2018-01-25/the-radium-girls-an-illinois-tragedy
So, so poorly written. For a book about a couple falling in love in some nameless, war-torn city who are then whisked to Greece by magic doors, this sure is a snore. No one should have to struggle with sentences containing 9 “ands.”
Discussion questions pulled together by another book club member:
1. Aurelius mentions several times in the text that he is grateful for his upbringing, family, the gods and friends. Why does he believe that gratitude is important in life? Do you agree with him; why or why not?
2. Aurelius writes in Book One: “I received the idea of a polity in which there is the same law for all, a polity administered with regard to equal rights and equal freedom of speech, and the idea of a kingly government which respects most of all the freedom of the governed. . . .” Does this remark remind you of the “Bill of Rights” in the Constitution? If so, how? How does this quotation relate to the current political environment?
3. In Book Two, Marcus writes: “Since it is possible that thou mayest depart from life this very moment, regulate every act and thought accordingly.” Do you believe this is good advice? Why or why not? Hoe can we reconcile this advice with the fact that Aurelius wrote much of the Meditations during a war that he fought (and led) against Rome's enemies?
4. Aurelius posed several questions about the nature of time in the Meditations. In Book Two he writes: “For the present is the same to all, though that which perishes is not the same; and so that which is lost appears to be a mere moment. For a man cannot lose either the past or the future: for what a man has not, how can anyone take this from him”? Does this seem to be good advice? Why or why not? How is this similar to the teachings of other philosophers or religious leaders?
5. In Book Three, Aurelius writes: “Never value anything as profitable to thyself which shall compel thee to break thy promise, to lose thy self-respect, to hate any man, to suspect, to curse, to act the hypocrite, to desire anything which needs walls and curtains; for he who has preferred to everything his own intelligence and daemon and the worship of its excellence, acts no tragic part, does not groan, will not need either solitude or much company; and what is chief of all, he will live without either pursuing or flying from death; but whether for a longer or a shorter time he shall have the soul inclosed in the body, he cares not at all: for even if he must depart immediately, he will go as readily as if he were going to do anything else which can be done with decency and order; taking care of this only all through life, that his thoughts turn not away from anything which belongs to an intelligent animal and a member of a civil community.” These are noble sentiments; do you believe it is possible to live them? Why or why not? Does it seem possible that the leader of an Empire can live according to these dictates? Why or why not?
6. Aurelius writes about the desire for praise and glory in Book Four: “But perhaps the desire of the thing called fame will torment thee.—See how soon everything is forgotten, and look at the chaos of infinite time on each side of the present, and the emptiness of applause, and the changeableness and want of judgment in those who pretend to give praise, and the narrowness of the space within which it is circumscribed, and be quiet at last.” How is this sentiment reconciled with the seeming need today for people to seek “fifteen minutes of fame”? What does this say for a person who is constantly in need of attention and praise?
7. In Book Four, Aurelius writes: “He is an abscess on the universe who withdraws and separates himself from the reason of our common nature through being displeased with the things which happen, for the same nature produces this, and has produced thee too: he is a piece rent asunder from the state, who tears his own soul from that of reasonable animals, which is one.” What doe he mean by this quote? Is this quotation applicable to the present time? What does this say about the need for men to live together socially?
8. In Book Five, Marcus writes: “As a horse when he has run, a dog when he has tracked the game, a bee when it has made the honey, so a man when he has done a good act, does not call out for others to come and see, but he goes on to another act, as a vine goes on to produce again the grapes in season.” What does this quotation say about braggarts? How should a person act after doing a good deed? Do you agree with this sentiment; why or why not?
9. Also, in Book Five, he writes: “It is a shame then that ignorance and conceit should be stronger than wisdom.” How does this apply in the current day? Do you agree with this sentiment; why or why not?
10. In Book Six, he writes: “The best way of avenging thyself is to not become like the wrong doer.” Is this good advice? If so, why is it so hard to undertake in practice?
11. In Book Six he writes: “But he is injured who abides in his error and ignorance.” What does he men by this? How is someone injured who “abides in error and ignorance”?
12. In Book Seven, Aurelius writes: “When thou hast done a good act and another has received it, why dost thou look for a third thing besides these, as fools do, either to have the reputation of having done a good act or to obtain a return?” Does this seem to be good advice? Why do people look to be rewarded for a good deed? Isn't the deed good enough in itself? Do you think people practice this advice; why or why not?