my take: we had a lively and long discussion at book chicks … and enjoyed a particularly wonderful lemon cake. much of the discussion was on the subject of parental favorites. a current topic, as it was recently on the cover of Time, and something we could all relate to as children & parents.
with such a title, you can imagine some found the book particularly sad. i thought the narrator had a darkly humorous and slightly hopeful tone … but maybe i read that into it. to me, it has a tone similar to jeannette walls in the glass castle… a weird childhood told in an optimistic manner.
some at book chicks thought the author strayed too far from reality. i say, it’s fiction – we suspend beliefs when we open a book. but that makes for a read that isn’t necessarily “get lost into” fiction … we are aware that it’s not real when characters have special powers.
one aspect i particularly enjoyed was the commentary on modern food production … through the narrator’s taste buds the coldness of factory made food or the plight of fruit pickers is brought to the table.
my source: book chicks
my verdict: good read, great discussion. something out of the ordinary.
I think this is a book that probably benefits quite a bit from discussion – there's a lot going on with the family dynamics, emotions, food production issues, magical kind of elements, etc. I read it on my own and enjoyed, but your discussion topics make it seem more interesting than I had originally thought…
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yes – that is the benefit of sharing a book … especially over good food (thanks, patty!), good cake (thanks, hubby!) and a few glasses of wine.
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I just finished this idiosyncratic story. I agree with Anne, it's a novel for discussion (and wine and food of course). Glad I read it but I'll be careful about recommending it, it won't be everyone's cup to tea.
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