The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

Our hostess for the month of July was Brenda and once again she outdid herself.  The chairs around the dining table were cleverly adorned with vintage aprons of varying designs and styles.  Our meal looked like it had jumped directly off the pages of a Southern Living magazine!  We indulged in homemade rolls, a sweet fruit salad, potato salad, ham, and carrot medallions.  As if that wasn't enough, we managed to make room for the decadent banana pudding straight from Paula Deen.  Typing up this meal has made me crave another helping of everything!  I'm sorry I failed to take a picture of this feast.

Synopsis:
In 1791, seven year old Lavinia is orphaned during her journey from Ireland to the United States.  The captain of the ship takes her as an indentured servant to his home where she is raised among his house slaves.  Lavinia comes to accept and love the slaves as her own family.  As she grows into a young woman, Lavinia journeys to Williamsburg for her education.  There she becomes reacquainted with the captain's son, Marshall, and marries him.  Lavinia dreams of returning to the plantation, Tall Oaks, and reuniting with her family in the hopes of improving their lives.  Lavinia does return to Tall Oaks, but finds that her attempts at fulfilling those dreams only bring about nightmarish results for her loved ones. 

Comments:
It is obvious that the author took great pains to create a realistic portrait of life during a time when America was still in its infancy and slavery was a commonly accepted practice.  The story has so much heartache and tragedy including sexual and physical abuse, murder, deceit, and the tearing apart of slave families.

Although the story is told through the eyes of two narrators, Lavinia and Belle, it is Lavinia who dominates the storyline.  Lavinia is young, vulnerable, and naive when she is first placed in the care of Belle in the kitchen house at the tender age of seven.  The story takes the reader up to the year 1810 when Lavinia is 26 years old.  However, we felt frustrated that Lavinia appeared to still be vulnerable and naive as a grown woman.  Her character did not grow and develop into the strong, decisive, and self-assured mistress of the home.  The reality of the lives of her 'adopted' slave family seemed to continually escape her.  As Belle states on page 256, "Mama says in some ways, Lavinia thinks like a child.  She don't always get what's going on.  She comes back here, wanting everything to be the same.  It's like she don't know that when she marries Marshall, she's gonna take on his world.  Mama's trying to help her see it right, but like Mama say, sometimes we got to live it out before we learn."  It would have been much more satisfying to see Lavinia act like she was capable of tackling the issues surrounding her family and for her to seek out the truth. 

We marveled at how Jamie, the mulatto son of Belle, acts with more courage and self-assurance than Lavinia.  Our musings brought us to the conclusion that perhaps because Lavinia lived and socialized with the slaves and Jamie lived and socialized with the whites, they each took on the respective roles of their mentors.  Lavinia was not raised with a sense of entitlement, despite being white, while Jamie was raised in the big house being pampered by Marshall's mother. 

Our favorite character is Mama Mae.  She is strong, loving, wise, self-sacrificing, and indispensable.  We thought she could have easily been the main character of this book and narrated the story from her viewpoint.  She knew secrets from both the main house and within the slave quarters.  She had a foot in both worlds and knew how to safely navigate both.  As she told her daughters on page 28, "I act like I don't have no mind of my own, except how to make everybody in the big house happy.  That because I mean to stay up there, and I tryin' hard to keep you girls with me."  She was a mother to all and her maternal instincts didn't falter when she helped care for an orphaned Irish waif. 

Most Memorable Quote:
"Abinia," she [Mama Mae] said, "this I know. What the color is, who the daddy be, who the mama is don't mean nothin'.  We a family, carin' for each other.  Family make us strong in times of trouble.  We all stick together, help each other out.  That the real meanin' of family.  When you grow up, you take that family feelin' with you."

FAB Rating:
***1/2 (3-1/2 out of 5 Stars)
We found it disappointing that Lavinia did not mature in a fashion which would have allowed her to truly become the mistress of her household.  We realize there are limitations to what a woman in her position could actually accomplish without injury to herself or her family, but we still hoped to see her break free of her weak mindset.  She sums it up herself quite well, "Fortunately, making myself amenable was not foreign to me, as I had lived this way for much of my life." (p. 217)
We admire that the author feels she stayed true to the characters' story.  When she tried to alter a storyline because it was leading to disturbing results, the story would die and she had to forge ahead with the more disturbing storyline.  The result is a book which is not an easy or 'feel-good' read, but it is a wonderful reminder that the bonds of family transcend color, race, and social class.

Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

Mao's Last Dancer was the initiation for the FAB ladies into Bastrop Library's "Book Club in a Bag" program.  We are thankful to Brenda for reserving the books and making sure they were all distributed to us in a timely manner.  It was so successful and easy, we chose a couple more books from their program's book list!  So here's a shout-out to Bastrop Library for being willing to try new programs and offering us book club junkies another way to get so many books at once and for free!

Michele was our hostess for June's FAB meeting.  With her new business, Franken Dog, going so well, she opted to serve us a couple of their best sellers from the menu and one new creation which may be added to the menu.  We ate hotdogs called Godzilla, the Dragon, and King Kong.  The Godzilla is mentioned first because it was my favorite!  It had avacado, tomato, sour cream, cheddar cheese, garlic salt and hot sauce on it.  The Dragon, created to honor our author's native land of China, had a spicy pineapple chili sauce, mozzarella cheese and crunchy oriental noodles.  The King Kong was a mixture of pineapple, banana, honey mustard, honey, and mozzarella cheese.  We all enjoyed sampling the various hot dogs and discovering new flavor combinations on top of a good old American hotdog!

Synopsis:
Li Cunxin is a peasant in China who at the age of eleven years is chosen to attend Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy.  He must leave his mom, dad, six brothers, and close-knit extended family to live in a dormitory with other boys chosen from all over China to train as a ballet dancer.  Li struggles in the beginning to adapt, but when he begins to put his full efforts into the dance program, his skills push him to the top of his class.  When he is chosen to attend a ballet program in Houston, Texas, Li experiences a lifestyle and freedom which he did not believe could peacefully exist.  This discovery pushes him to defect from communist China and join the Houston Ballet.  Li's success as a ballet dancer takes him around the world and eventually reunites him with his dear family.

Comments:
This true story is full of humor, frank honesty, heartbreaking poverty, loneliness, and unfailing devotion and love.  Ultimately, it is a tribute to the extraordinary parents who despite their hardships were able to raise their sons in a home filled with compassion and sacrificial love.  That foundation is what gave Li the strength and determination to become China's best ballet dancer.  "I am afraid of what is waiting for me, yet I know I have to take that first step forward.  I can't let my parents down.  I can't let my brothers down.  I am carrying their dreams as well as my own." (p. 120)

We had a lively discussion concerning what part determination and talent played in Li's success as a ballet dancer.  Although we agree that determination and perserverance played a huge role, there had to have been some talent in the form of body build and ability.  Li's brutal self-imposed practice sessions amazed us.  He was determined to make his family and China proud...and he succeeded.

The extreme poverty in which Li's family managed to live and survive truly amazed us.  They slept 4 in a bed, with someone else's feet in their face, used an outdoor hole in the ground as a toilet, ate only dried yams for weeks on end, and yet despite their lack, they willingly gave to one another.  Whether it was food, money, or a jacket, they gave up their own portion to give to whom they thought had the greater need.  This type of sacrificial love is beautiful and rare.  Their genuine poverty made us question, "What do we need to survive, really?!"

Mao's communist regime was extremely infuriating to us, especially when Li went to school for the first time.  The repetitive phrase, "I love Chairman Mao!  Long, long live Chairman Mao!" being verbally repeated and written was mind-numbing.  We talked about how Chairman Mao had replaced religion for them as the teacher told her students, "We should wish him a long long life, because we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him.  He is our savior, our sun, our moon.  Without him we'd still be in a dark world of suffering." (p. 84)  This brain-washing was compared to how Hitler had the youth trained in Germany during his reign.  He had believed in the Communist Party enough to participate in Mao's Red Guard as a young boy and later be elected as one of the three committee members of the Communist Youth Party.  It's no wonder that when Li visited America for the first time he was confused and shocked when confronted with the lies he had been taught about Westerners and about communism.

The cultural practice in China of men not hugging was a little puzzling to us when we considered how many times tears were freely shared between them and how Li freely hugged his blood brother, The Bandit, and Teacher Xiao, but only shook his father's hand.  Along with the idea of Chinese cultural practices, we were haunted by Li's third brother, Cunmao, who was given to his Aunt and Uncle to be raised as their son.  Cunmao's anger and hurt over that adoption continued even into adulthood.  It saddened us that he felt he could never make peace with it.

It was surprising to see how much China had changed when Li was allowed his first visit back to his country in 1988 after his defection nine years prior.  The Western culture has greatly influenced modern China.  However, we were impressed with the tight family unit and the great respect shown elder family members and parents in pre-modern China, and we hope that standard has not changed.

Most Memorable Quote:
Li's father may have been a man of few words, but when he did speak, he spoke with wisdom:
"Although we have no money, no food, and can't buy clothes, and although we live in a poor house, one thing we do have is PRIDE.  Pride is the most precious thing in our lives....I want every one of you to remember this: never lose your pride and dignity no matter how hard life is." (p. 19)

FAB Rating:
**** (4 out of 5 stars)
We appreciated the honesty of the author, even when it was self-incriminating.  Li showed great respect and protection for his first wife when telling their story.  His second wife, Mary, was a strong and amazing woman to travel to China, live in the rough conditions, become very ill while there and yet never utter a negative word.  Most memorable and worthy is Li's love and devotion to his niang and dia.  He credits all his success to their faithful love and support.  Li was an ordinary citizen of China granted an extraordinary opportunity.  His story is unbelievable in so many ways and we are glad he chose to record it.  As one of our ladies said, "It was a satisfying read!"

"The Hunger Games" trilogy by Suzanne Collins

As we four tributes gathered at the home of our host, Diana, we were prepared to attack and win in our own hunger games.  I mean, we were really hungry and thankfully our food was better than anything Greasy Sae would have served us!  Diana served us a tasty dish of couscous with beef stew which had olives in it.  A crisp green salad on the side completed our meal.  Of course, we left room in our bellies for the creatively designed mockingjay sugar cookies which would have rivaled Peeta's confectionary skills :)  The weather was just mild enough for us to enjoy sitting out on the back porch while we delved into all three books.

Synopsis:
Teenagers Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are chosen to represent District 12 in the Hunger Games, a game of survival against tributes selected from other districts.  The Hunger Games are an annual televised event established by the Capitol to remind the districts of their defeat when they attempted to overthrow the Capitol and to make sure the districts remain humiliated and at the mercy of the Capitol.  Katniss's and Peeta's victory will ultimately be the spark to get the fire of revolution burning again and bring about an all-out war in Panem against the intolerably cruel Capitol. 

Comments:
Although the main characters in these books are teenagers, we found the storyline and characters appealing to all age groups.  Suzanne Collins wrote about a very disturbing, yet thought provoking, subject matter: The idea that humanity could become so desensitized to the pain and death of others and/or so greedy for entertainment that they would find it amusing to watch children hunt and kill each other in an attempt to win the Hunger Games.  The obvious comparison we found ourselves making was with the innocuous reality television show "Survivor" with their alliances, foreign arenas, and entertainment value for fans.

However, the most obvious comparisons were in the form of Roman history.  The Roman influence throughout this story is strong.  The author herself said, "...I read the story of Theseus. The myth told how in punishment for past deeds, Athens periodically had to send seven youths and seven maidens to Crete where they were thrown in the Labyrinth and devoured by the monstrous Minotaur. Even as a third grader, I could appreciate the ruthlessness of this message. ‘Mess with us and we’ll do something worse than kill you. We’ll kill your children." Crete had defeated Athens in battle; the tributes were to be a lasting reminder of Crete's power and success.  So our first noted similarity is related to the youthful tributes being sent in to fight to their death in order to remind the citizens of their weakness and loss in battle.

Our second comparison was found in the Roman's love for gladiator fighting. The Hunger Games arena is very similar to the colosseum in Rome where gladiators would fight, sometimes to the death, for the entertainment of the citizens of the Empire's capitol.  In both arenas, citizens would place bets on their favorites and gladiators would have sponsors.

The third comparison we made was with Rome's taste for extravagant food and the over-indulgence of it.  The Roman's held all-day and all-night feasts where they served odd delicacies like hummingbird tongue.  When they became too full, the Romans would throw up the contents of their stomach to make room for more food.  In Catching Fire, while at a party Katniss and Peeta discover that the citizens of the Capitol are using the same binge and purge routine.  Octavia tells Peeta and Katniss, "Everyone does it, or how else would you have fun at a feast?" (p. 59)

The next comparison was the obvious use of Roman/Greek names such as Octavia, Cinna, Flavius, Castor, Pollux, Caesar, Portia, and Venia to name a few.  Interestingly, Cinna was a politician involved in the assassination plot against Julius Caesar.  This Cinna bears a strong resemblance to the book's Cinna who it appears was subtly, yet effectively, flaming the fire of rebellion through his artistic talents. 

Lastly, Panem is Latin meaning "bread."  Panem et circenses, meaning "bread and circuses," was a term used by the Roman Empire which referred to their method of keeping the population happy and peaceful with feasts and entertainment.  It was an effective political strategy, too.

We noted the clever mutations of words by the author.  The genetically altered animals used as weapons by the Capitol were called muttations or mutts for short.  The drug we would call morphine was called morphling.  The jabberjays who mated with the mockingbirds produced the mockingjay.

The physical alterations and surgical enhancements of the citizens of the Capitol were in some cases extreme, such as the dyeing of their skin and Tigris who made herself to look like an actual cat.  However, we also realized that there are some folks who today are already at that stage of altering their bodies. We wondered just how much more of this type of physical altering will become mainstream.  We appreciated Katniss's remark when she observed the extreme surgical altercations of the citizens of the Capitol: "In District 12, looking old is something of an achievement since so many people die early.  You see an elderly person, you want to congratulate them on their longevity, ask the secret of survival....But here it is different.  Wrinkles aren't desirable." (p.89 The Hunger Games) 

We were a bit surprised that Gale and Katniss did not end up getting married.  The relationship between Gale and Katniss underwent a major transformation from the first book to the end of the third book.  In the first book they were partners in crime as they hunted for food to keep their families fed.  They were best friends although it was apparent that Gale had stronger feelings for Katniss.  In the second book there is some friction as Peeta has come into the picture and declared his love for Katniss to all of Panem.  However, it is in the third book that we witnessed the cooling of their friendship.  Gale's passion for killing the enemy cannot be tempered even by Katniss's dislike for it now that she has experienced so much killing and death through the two Hunger Games she survived.  The one common activity which brough them together, killing, is the one element which tears them apart.  Gale helps defeat the Capitol in the final battle, during which Katniss's sister, Prim, is killed.  Gale was involved in the inner circle of rebellion planning and the suspicion that he knew what was planned would always keep Katniss from fully trusting and relying on her once best friend.  His anger and bitterness towards the Capitol was stronger than his love for Katniss.

Most Memorable Quote:
"Now we're in that sweet period where everyone agrees that our recent horrors should never be repeated," he [Plutarch] says.  "But collective thinking is usually short-lived.  We're fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self-destruction." (p. 274 Mockingjay)
This quote reminded us of the oft-repeated saying, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."  (George Santayana)

FAB Rating:

Characters ***** (5 out of 5 stars)
We connected with Katniss and admired her resiliency.  She was strong, resourceful, caring, and fair.  We want to use the word courageous with her, but she showed such an extraordinary courage of which we have no experience and no words adequate to describe.  We liked Peeta's character.  He was so honest and genuine.  It was difficult to see him transformed by the imprisonment and torture he received at the hands of Snow.  We did not think he would be able to recover, so we were pleasantly surprised when he did and was able to marry his first love.  It was fitting that he and Katniss ended up together as they had been through so much together and understood the nightmares and horrors that each of them would experience as they tried to heal and move on with their lives.
Ms. Collins did an excellent job of creating the characters of Effie, Snow, Haymitch, and so many others.  It was easy for us to envision Effie's effervescent personality and 'southern' manners while still remaining emotionally detached from her tributes.  Snow was instantly disliked and it created an olfactory reaction when reading about him! 

Storyline ***** (5 out of 5 stars)
This series provided some great discussion with regards to the desensitizing of society.  From the movies, to reality television shows, to realistically violent video games, to even watching news stations with live feeds of war and devastation, it appears as though we are entertained by human suffering.  "How far or how low will our society go in the name of entertainment," we asked ourselves.  We also remarked on the resemblance of the recent spate of tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, droughts, wildfires, and violence in other countries to the description of how North America was whittled down to those thirteen districts of Panem.  "The country that rose up out of the ashes of a place that was once called North America.  He lists the disasters, the droughts, the storms, the fires, the encroaching seas that swallowed up so much of the land, the brutal war for what little sustenance remained." (p. The Hunger Games)  Maybe this storyline is not so far fetched and maybe that is why it intrigued us enough to change our original reading plan from just the first two books to reading the entire series in one month's time!

"The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett

On Wednesday, April 13th, the FAB girls met at JoAnn's home to enjoy a meal of baked fish, rice, steamed vegetables, cheese and bread, and apple/nut bread for dessert.  It was a most delicious medieval meal!  Our hostess heated up the pool, the sun came out, and we discussed The Pillars of the Earth while floating in the pale blue water.  It was a luxury which definitely contrasted with the harshness of medieval life!

Synopsis:
Ken Follett's novel The Pillars of the Earth is set during the mid 12th century in England.  The story centers around the building of a magnificent cathedral in Kingsbridge.  Despite setbacks, opposition, and the death of the original master builder, the cathedral's construction begins in 1136 and continues until its completion and consecration in 1170.  We follow the lives of Tom, Ellen, Alfred, Jack, Alaina, Richard, Philip, Waleran, and William as they each either support or oppose the building of the Kingsbridge Cathedral based on their own personal desires.  Weaving in actual historical events and figures with this fictional tale, makes for a convincing story of religious corruption and greed in the midst of the abject poverty of medieval citizenry.

Comments:
Although we all felt that the vividly brutal descriptions of warfare, rape, and even everyday medieval life occurrences were difficult to read and sometimes more than we cared to envision, we agreed that it accurately described life in that time period.  There were times we had to stretch our minds to visualize such a drastic existence.  Jack states, "You never know, there may come a time when...the laws protect the ordinary people instead of enslaving them; when the king makes peace instead of war.  Think of that--a time when towns in England don't need walls!"  Philip's response? "What an imagination.  It won't happen before Judgement Day." (p.696)

The advances in architecture during this time period are astounding, especially when considering how rudimentary the tools and education of the workers were at that time.  It took decades for them to build these huge cathedrals with intricate carvings, steeply pitched roofs, decorative buttresses, and solid foundations.  The fact that so many of these magnificent structures stood for hundreds of years is a testament to the dedication and expertise of the tradesmen.

 In discussing the comparison of medieval warfare to modern warfare, we discovered similarities in the psychological effects of killing both during battle and afterwards, along with the brutality and loss of life.  It was interesting to note how easily and how often the characters changed sides in times of war based on what best benefited them.  Loyalty was bought and traded like a commodity.  The story definitely gave us insight into the seemingly limitless power the church wielded at that time.  It highlighted how greed and ambition motivated religious leaders to make history changing decisions.  We were appalled each time absolution was offered before the criminal act was even committed and without any expression of remorse on the part of the offender.

Overall, we were disappointed with the book.  It was difficult to stay focused during the drawn out architecture descriptions and the graphically violent scenes while jumping from character to character in the story.

Most Memorable Quote:

Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, says, "Perhaps greed will always outweigh wisdom in the councils of the mighty; perhaps fear will always overcome compassion in the mind of a man with a sword in his hand." (p.763).  So much has changed in the past 800 years, and yet as this medieval quote demonstrates, some aspects of mankind still have not changed.

FAB Rating:
Characters: **** (4 out of 5 stars)
The characters were interesting, although not captivating in the sense that we wanted to get to know them better.  The heinous acts of William Hamleigh infuriated us, and it frustrated us that he got away with so much for so long.  Brenda's research uncovered an interview where the author told how he kept William in the story  to anger the reader and keep them emotionally involved.  It worked!  We did like the two main women in the story: Ellen and Alaina.  Ellen was spirited, independent, and strong.  We found it distasteful that she seduced Tom less than 24 hours after the death of his wife and that she crudely desecrated the monastery's holy books.  However, she was a force to be reckoned with in a world where men ruled women with absolute authority.  In the same way, we admired Alaina for her ability to survive despite being raped and having to care for her younger brother.  She was resourceful, smart, and devoted.  Alaina made her way in the world of business and managed her family's estates with the savvy of an educated lord.
Storyline: *** (3 out of 5 stars)
As one of the FAB girls succinctly put it: "You keep going forward even though you don't want to read anymore!"  At 896 pages, The Pillars of the Earth was a long read.  What made the reading even more difficult for some of us was not just the vividly described rapes and killings, but also the infinitely detailed descriptions of the architecture without any sketches to assist our understanding.  The bookend hangings offered a sense of completeness in the story's beginning and ending.

"Cutting For Stone" by Abraham Verghese

On Wednesday, March 9th, six of us were able to meet up in Austin at The Clay Pit to enjoy some Indian food while discussing our latest book Cutting For Stone.  Our hostess, Beverly, arranged this wonderful outing and some of us were able to make a day of it and go shopping, too.  It was a fun change of pace from our traditional book club meetings!

Synopsis:

In Cutting For Stone the eclectic family of Missing Hospital employees find themselves raising twin boys, Marion and Shiva, born to a resident nun.  This story is set in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and begins in the late 1940's taking the reader all the way up to the year 2004.  Marion narrates this story of his life taking us from his beloved country of Ethiopia all the way to the United States.  Along the way, Marion deals with loss, betrayal, love, success, failure, his past, and his future.  It's a story of coming full circle and along the journey finding forgiveness and healing of wounds.

Comments:
We absolutely loved this book!  It hooked us early on and kept some of us reading late into nights and early mornings!  The book was long, but the author took the time to fully develop each of the characters so that we felt that we would recognize Marion or Ghosh or Genet if we were to pass them on the street.  All of the book's characters were interesting, unique individuals, but we had a favorite: Ghosh.  He was a loving husband, understanding father, compassionate friend, and talented doctor.  We admired his ability to patiently love Hema before she ever realized she loved him, his boundless love in caring for the twins as their 'adoptive' father, and his desire to heal a broken man and reunite him with his children.

The medical terminology and surgical procedures were detailed and descriptive enough that we felt we were qualified to assist in surgery now - - okay, maybe not just yet!  However, since we are blessed to have one of our club members in the medical profession, she was able to answer the questions we had over that subject matter and explain more fully to us what was meant by the phrase "the injury in which the surgeon sees God."

It was interesting to see the parallels between Thomas Stone's life and Marion Stone's life despite the fact that they did not meet one another until Marion was in his twenties.  Thomas and Marion both grew up without their biological father's presence due to the father's choice.  As young children, they suffered the loss of their mother due to death.  They both fell in love but were unable to pursue a lasting relationship with the woman they loved.  Both men became successful surgeons in large part due to the influence of a strong male father figure in their lives.

Most Memorable Quote:
Although there were many well-written, thought-provoking quotes throughout this book, the following quote is one we thought best summed up this book's theme and a true statement of everyone's life:  "But there's another kind of hole, and that is the wound that divides family.  Sometimes this wound occurs at the moment of birth, sometimes it happens later.  We are all fixing what is broken.  It is the task of a lifetime.  We'll leave much unfinished for the next generation." (p. 22)

FAB Rating:
Characters: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)
The characters were both interesting and plausible.  We better understood young Genet and her outrageous behavior when we considered what she most likely witnessed in the one room shack she inhabited with her mom and her mom's visiting lover.  We considered the possibility that in today's time Shiva might have been diagnosed with autism or Asperberger's Syndrome or something else along that line.  The characters didn't always follow what we predicted would happen and that is what made them even more plausibly human.
Writing Style: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)
Mr. Verghese has written a novel which is both poetic and educational.  His ability to richly describe the emotions and motivations of a character in one paragraph and then next describe a complex surgical procedure in detail so that the layman can understand it shows great versatility.  The beauty seen in the natural surroundings of Missing Hospital, the rich culture and history of the Ethiopian peoples, and even the potentially dark, ugly side of the human soul were vividly described and made for compelling reading.
Storyline:  ***** (5 out of 5 stars)

This story was unique, yet familiar to so many of us in its theme of healing those wounds caused by our own families.  The story timeline allowed us the time to truly connect to the characters and observe their growth and changes through the years.

"The Red Queen" by Philippa Gregory

On Wednesday, February 9th, the FAB ladies met at Jonetta's home despite the c-c-c-cold c-c-c-conditions  of 23 degrees and ice on some roads.  We are a determined lot!  We feasted on a meal incorporating English fare and the color red to go with our book of the month.  There was Shepherd's Pie, spinach salad with red peppers, rolls served in a red heart-shaped dish, strawberry pretzel salad, and hot tea.  As you can see in the photo, we look FABulous modeling our red queen mini-crowns!  Afterwards, the six of us gathered around the warm fire to discuss "The Red Queen."

Synopsis:  This sequel to "The White Queen" is a fascinating look at Margaret Beaufort's life from the time she is married to Edmund Tudor at age 12 until she realizes her life ambition of seeing her son crowned King of England.  In between those years, we witness Margaret's transformation from a powerless child to a crafty, ambitious young woman.  Margaret is twice widowed and when she marries for the third time, she takes her destiny into her own hands and creates a marriage contract to benefit herself and her only son.  Sure that she is bound for sainthood and led by God, Margaret will stop at nothing to ensure that the rightful heir to the throne, her son Henry Tudor,  becomes King of England.

Comments:  Margaret Beaufort is a character you can at once both admire and abhor.  She sees herself as a vessel to be used by God and in pious vanity shows great disdain for everyone else around her.  She is proud of her "saint's knees."  We felt sorry for her being forced into a loveless marriage at the tender age of 12 when she had not even completed puberty.  She truly believed herself to be destined to remain a virgin like Joan of Arc and enter a convent.  Throughout Margaret's life we saw how women in that time period were regarded with little more value than what they could give in the way of an heir.
"Margaret...you must know that you could never choose your own life.  You are a girl: girls have no choice." (p.26)
"Really, if it were not for Joan of Arc, I would think that girls are completely useless." (p. 41)
"You own nothing, Margaret.  You yourself are the property of your husband." (p.57)

We discussed how Margaret had learned to take control of her life by the time she had been twice widowed. She arranged her third marriage to suit her needs.  As she stated, "I will have to find myself a husband who has influence with them [court of York], who can take me to the highest place in the land, but still has the sense to think for himself and serve his own ambitions and mine." (p.172) "...I have to marry a man who is prepared to be true to my cause.  At the very best, I want a husband who is ready to turn traitor." (p.173)

We pointed out how each of her husbands were so different from one another.  Her first husband, Edmund, was so absorbed with his campaigns and Welsh lands.  He remained emotionally detached from Margaret despite his nightly attempts to impregnate her.  This loveless marriage led Margaret to remark, "Months into marriage I am as far away from desire as I was when I was a little girl; and it seems to me that there is nothing more likely to cure a woman of lust than marriage."  We liked her second husband, Sir Henry Stafford. He was gentle, humble, kind and wise.  Margaret did not find those qualities endearing, but instead viewed Henry as a cowardly weak man because he would not round up his tenants and go fight every time there was a call to arms.  Her third husband was just what she wanted: self-serving, deceitful, and ambitious.  Lord Stanley took her all the way to the inner royal court and helped her cause.  There was always the understanding that this marriage would remain unconsummated.  As Lady Margaret herself said, "A woman of sense would always marry only for the improvement of her family." (p.171)

It was interesting to us to see how Margaret's devoutness to God was innocent and endearing as a child, but became a stumbling block for her as the years passed.  It was with smug confidence that she made treasonous statements and murderous plans believing she had God's approval if it meant putting her son one step closer to the throne.

This series has taught us more about the British monarchy and the Cousins' War.  It has also made some of us desire to learn more about that history and time period.  JoAnn and Diana kept us informed and entertained with their wealth of knowledge in this area.  We find it unbelievable that though theories abound, there is even today no definite answer as to what happened to the two imprisoned, young princes. We are eager to read the next book in this series which the author has said centers around the White Queen's mother, Jacquetta.

Most Memorable Quote From Book:  This remark comes from the Princess of York, Henry Tudor's betrothed, after she has had to endure a long stay with the pious and insulting Lady Margaret and is finally leaving the estate:  "'Yes, but either way, shamed or not, I shall be Queen of England, and this is the last time you will sit in my presence,' she says shockingly." (p. 274)  We love how the princess got in the last word which left her future mother-in-law stunned into silence.

FAB Rating:
Subject Matter: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)
Such an interesting time period in England's history.  The mix of fiction and non-fiction in these novels makes it much more fun for some of us to learn history :)
Characters: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)
We liked how the author wrote this novel from Margaret's viewpoint and how it connected us with the previous novel's characters and plot.  Philippa Gregory took a one-dimensional character from The White Queen and made her 3-dimensional in this latest installment.  Margaret is someone who captured our imagination, if not our heart!

"The Horse Boy: A Father's Quest to Heal His Son"

Today we met at Marcia's house for a delicious lunch of vegetable and beef soup, cornbread, and black-eyed pea salad.  Perfect meal when it was only 37 degrees outside!  We finished it off with a maple cake which had a hint of Kahlua in it - yum :)  There were six of us in attendance and following lunch we had a lively discussion of "The Horse Boy."

Synopsis:  This book documents the journey one family takes through Mongolia in search of healing for their autistic son.  Rupert Isaacson is the author and father of 5-year old Rowan.  Rupert and his wife, Kristin, and Rowan embark on a remarkable journey through remote areas of Mongolia on horseback in search of healing waters and Shamans.

Comments:
A number of us felt that the story leaned towards the summation that Rowan's progress came about as a direct result from interaction with the Shamans.  However, Diana had seen the documentary on DVD and felt that it gave a broader view of all the influences affecting Rowan.  Viewing the documentary apparently added depth to the story, filled in some gaps present in the book, and was more impacting to visually see the progress of Rowan from beginning to end.

A great point was made when it was mentioned that Kristin's side of the story would have made the book more interesting.  We would have liked to have heard her voice in this book to provide a different perspective of their journey, especially since she was a reluctant participant.  Of course, then the book title would have needed to be adjusted :)

"This book raises more questions than answers!"
"This is not a light read."
"I think he [Rupert] could have left out 50 to 100 pages of the travel monologue and the story would have still been intact."

Most Memorable Quote From Book:  "Code Brown!"

FAB Rating:
Subject Matter  **** (4 out of 5 stars)
We felt that the subject matter (autism) is relevant and we learned more about this disorder by reading this book.
Writing Style  ** (2 out of 5 stars)
The travel was long and so was the description of the travel.  A few of us felt that the repetitive descriptions of the travel and terrain became monotonous over time.  As one of the FAB readers put it, "I was tired just from reading about the journey!"  Also, as previously mentioned, we felt it would have been interesting to hear from the wife.