Kathy's report - 10 July 2019

Present:  Barb, Cherilyn, Cherrie, Julie, Kathy and Marg

Apologies:  Megan (contributed her report), Mog and Sue (contributed to the blog)

  

White Houses by Amy Bloom – Megan’s selection

This ‘fictional’ story was based on real-life characters in real relationships gleaned from several hundred ‘love’ letters to which the author had access. These letters were written by the two main characters in the book, Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok (Hick).

The book outlined Hick’s horrendous early life of abuse and poverty and the courageous way she journeyed out of that to gain an education and become a well-regarded newspaper journalist.  She was given the heady assignment of covering FDR’s first Presidential campaign and it was during this time, Hick established a very close relationship with the soon-to-be First Lady.

For the four-month period between FDR’s election and inauguration, Eleanor and Hick spent a great deal of time together.  Eleanor asked Hick to accompany her to the funeral of the mother of Franklin’s secretary, Missy LeHand.  They spent the long train ride talking and beginning a long friendship. By the time of the inauguration, Hick had become Eleanor’s closest friend.  They made frequent trips together and spent nearly every day in each other’s company.  Hick joined the Roosevelts every Sunday night for dinner, while on other nights, Eleanor joined Hick at the theatre or opera or at dinners alone in Hick’s apartment.

This love story painted Franklin Roosevelt as a fairly selfish, cold-hearted philanderer, used to having his own way.  At the same time, he seemed open to his wife’s predilections and gave her the freedom to do what she liked, and he was always welcoming when it came to Hick.

Our group discussions demonstrated that there tended to be confusion around the way in which the chapters of the book were dated (more like frequent writing in a journal than telling a story as it progressed through time).  A few also discussed the difficulty they had in reading the story as a book of fiction BECAUSE it was based on certain fact and the lives of real people.  Overall, most enjoyed the read and it was given an overall score of 6½.

Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido – Kathy’s selection

In Brother of the More Famous Jack, the story is narrated by the main character, Katherine. She is a young and impressionable university student who is taken under the wing of her philosophy lecturer, Jacob Goldman.  She is invited to Professor Goldman’s home by way of a prospective lover and there begins her love affair with the Goldman family.  Jane, Jacob’s wife, is sharp-witted, wise and beautiful, calls a spade a spade, and loves her family dearly, whilst recognising the strengths and weaknesses in them all. Her two sons, Roger (beautiful, moody, intelligent) and the younger Jonathan (also smart, but volatile) are strong and precocious, yet strangely likeable in different ways.  Katherine becomes involved with the darker Roger, which leads to heartbreak and a trip to Rome to deal with her heartache.

She manages to move on with her life facing considerable obstacles including language barriers, a fraught relationship, and the birth and loss of a baby daughter.  After 10 years, she returns to London and resumes her connection with the Goldman family – including falling in love with Jonathon. The family bond was incredibly strong despite the members of the family being so different from one another, and they swept Katherine up in that inclusion and acceptance as one of their own.

Group discussions on this book were very mixed.  Those who enjoyed the story and its characters found it an easy ‘fireside’ read, but at least half the group really struggled with the Katherine’s incredible naivety and found the whole Goldman family atmosphere to be overwhelmingly clichéd.

There were some 4’s and some 7’s so an overall score of about 6.

NEXT BOOK CLUB MEETING:

Wee McLassie's place; 11 September 2019.  Selections are:

The Electric Hotel: Dominic Smith

Alice to Prague: Tanya Heaslip