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Featured Review

February 27, 2016


Another wonderful night of companionship, conversation, and indulgence in wonderful food and wine! After catching up over Julie's delicious prosciutto and melon we moved to dinner which kept pace with our expectations of well presented and delicious fare. We decided we like the Italian offerings and may just have to do if again next time! Chicken cacciatore, portobello ravioli, Italian cauliflower, salad and garlic bread were all mui Bueno! And Carol's chocolate tiramisu to wrap up the dinner was pure perfection! Elena Ferrante's "My Brilliant Friend" garnered a score of 4. While some questioned that number in terms of literary achievement, no one could argue the score in terms of compelling story telling. Everyone enjoyed the push and pull of the relationship of Elena and Lila. Navigating the competition of these friends as they experience their young lives in a mid50s Italian neighborhood was interesting to try to understand. Could we relate in any way our own experiences? Education, social status, economics, sex, gender relations, family dynamics, and visions of future prospects all entered into the mix in this story. We are all looking forward to reading the next book in this series for our next meeting! Dead Wake by Erik Larson was rated 3. We all learned a lot about the ill fated Lusitania and the German U20 submarine that sunk it. However, the book plodded along during long stretches. Larson did capture the German submariners and Captain with very interesting detail, which made that part of the story quite compelling. Reporting on a variety of "lists" of those on the ship did not quite generate a strong connection to either those lost or to the survivors. No one thought that this was Larson's best book. But we were glad to have read it.

Following our book discussion we dove into a very stimulating conversation on diversity. What does that mean to us individually? Food for thought...

On April 9th we will meet at Hilarie's house. Books are: Brooklyn by Colm Toibin and the second book in the Neopolitan series, The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante. Julie is the next book picker!

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