"The Colour" by Rose Tremain

Our next book group meeting will be Wednesday, April 14th at 1pm. Please pick up a copy of April's selection "The Colour" and join us in the discussion. We will also be reading and discussing poems in celebration of Poetry Month!

Discussion questions from the publisher:

1. Consider the concept of Englishness in the novel, and how you feel Tremain deals with the idea of 'reassembling' little pieces of England in New Zealand.
   
   
2. How does Tremain handle the presence of the Maoris in the novel, in relation to the English people who have descended upon them?
   
   
3. Many of the characters are driven by the force of escapism, an over-powering urge to leave all that is behind them and find a brave new utopia in New Zealand. Who do you think is most driven by this romantic notion, and is Tremain critical of this in any way?
   
   
4. Compare Tremain's treatment and characterisation of the indigenous Maoris, and their desire for greenstone, with that of Joseph's, and the other gold-diggers, whom she describes as 'Men like moths, going towards a golden light' (p148).
   
   
5. How does the 19th century notion of Goldrush relate to our modern day? Consider whether you can think of any contemporary examples where the Goldrush mentality - and all its social and cultural effects - is still manifest in our society.
   
   
6. 'Without desire, nothing is made.' (p138). How important is this line to the overall story? Consider the concept of desire and the different forms it takes on in the novel.

March 10th Book Group Meeting-"House of the Spirits"

We meet again on Wednesday, March 10th @ 1pm in the library's Russell Room. Please feel free to join us. If you need to obtain a copy of our selected title, please contact the library @ 781-2351 and have your Falmouth Memorial Library card number ready!

SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION(provided by http://www.booksattransworld.co.uk

1. The way in which Allende writes about the women gives this novel an extraordinary power. In what ways does Allende explore the evolution of the feminine consciousness over the generations (beginning with Clara, and ending with Alba) throughout the novel and how does she express her concern for the position of women in Latin American society?

2. 'I wanted to show that life goes in a circle, events are intertwined, and that history repeats itself there is no beginning and no end'. How do Allende's comments shed light on this novel?

3. Are you able to feel any sympathy for Esteban Trueba despite his boorish tyrannical ways? Do you see him as a despicable monster or as a product of his time and social class?

4. Although The House of the Spirits is a profoundly political novel, Allende's narrative voice and characterisation is so rich that it never read likes a political tract. Would you agree with this and, if so, how do you think Allende achieves this?

5. What other books have you read that explore political events and social injustice, using metaphor and allegory in such a way?

6. The novelist Barbara Trapido wrote 'Alongside the grim ''outer'' narrative of power struggle, corruption and brutality, it presents an alternative ''inner'' version of history: a feminine sub-culture of extrasensory understanding. If this sounds a shade polemical it is wholly redeemed by a fine humour in the telling'. Does this strike you as an accurate assessment of this novel?

7. What other elements of this novel struck you as particularly effective and moving?

Book Group This Wednesday

The FML Book Group meets this Wednesday, February 10th at 1pm. We have read "The Flame Trees of Thika" by Elspeth Huxley.

Book group members, remember April is Poetry Month so bring in your selection no later than our March 10th meeting!

January 13, 2010 Book Group Meeting

Since our December meeting was canceled due to bad weather, we will discuss both "The Zookeeper's Wife" and our December selection, "The Piano Teacher"

See you on Wednesday, January 13th @ 1pm!

"The Zookeeper's Wife" by Diane Ackerman

There is no available reader's guide for our January selection, "The Zookeeper's Wife". However, you might want to check out the following link to a video of the author, Diane Ackerman, discussing her book.

Diane Ackerman on "The Zookeeper's Wife

Also, come to the book discussion on Wednesday, January 13th @1pm with some questions of your own.

Here's one to start you off:

1. How did the way Ackerman structured her book affect your overall feeling of the Zabinski's story?

Winter Cancellations

Please note, if we have winter weather that results in the closing of the library, the Falmouth Memorial Library Book Group will be canceled. There will be no rescheduling of the canceled meeting, the group will meet the following month as scheduled. Any questions? Please call Andi @ 781-2351 or post a comment on our blog!

"The Piano Teacher"

Join us for our next FML Book Group Meeting on Wednesday, December 9th @ 1pm!

The following questions are provided by the publisher:

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Why does Claire steal from the Chens? Why does she stop doing it?

2. Part of Claire’s attraction to Will is that he allows her to be someone different than she had always been. Have you ever been drawn to a person or a situation because it offered you the opportunity to reinvent yourself?

3. The amahs are a steady but silent presence throughout the book. Imagine Trudy and Will’s relationship and then Claire and Will’s affair from their point of view and discuss.

4. Trudy was initially drawn to Will because of his quiet equanimity and Will to Claire because of her innocence. Yet those are precisely the qualities each loses in the course of their love affairs. What does this say about the nature of these relationships? Would Will have been attracted to a woman like Claire before Trudy?

5. What is the irony behind Claire’s adoration of the young Princess Elizabeth?

6. Were Dominick and Trudy guilty of collaboration, or were they simply trying to survive? Do their circumstances absolve them of their actions?

7. Mary, Tobias’s mother, and one of Will’s fellow prisoners in Stanley, does not take advantage of her job in the kitchen to steal more food for her son. Yet she prostitutes herself to preserve him. Is Tobias’s physical survival worth the psychological damage she’s inflicting?

8. Did Trudy give her emerald ring and Locket to Melody? How much did Melody really know?

9. How do Ned Young’s experiences parallel Trudy’s?

10. Did Will fail Trudy? Was his decision to remain in Stanley rather than be with her on the outside—as he believes—an act of cowardice?

11. Would Locket be better off knowing the truth about her parentage?

12. What would happen if Trudy somehow survived and came back to Will? Could they find happiness together?