No train stopping here...
It seems that we are not having the best run in the way of reading material these days.
When we talked about Negroland, I recall that someone said that the writing was good but there was a lack of clarity about what the author was attempting to convey, why had she written this book? Others thought that the book gave an extensive account of mostly negative social and cultural mores and racial biases, but no real story or plot structure inviting the reader to continue to read or to come back to the book. Also, our readers had an expectation that the angst and issues described in this book would be particular to African Americans, however, it seemed that what it contained was litany of complaints that were not really that unique to race and, in fact, are very similar to those of any girl or woman growing up and living in American society, especially in terms of hierarchy and clique. Enough about that book, it received a 2.
Out of the gate was our general displeasure with the author presenting the Underground Railroad in the book as if it were a real operating railroad. I think we all agreed that plot line was truly a distraction. Pushing past the subject matter and the descriptions of violent and horrific treatment of many of the characters, our views diverged in several areas. Some thought many of the characters had interesting story lines, while others thought that the characters could have been much better developed. For some, the story, as told, was jerky and confusing, while others thought it was compelling. It was also mentioned by some that the writing was flat while others found good portions of it to be well done. This book received a 3.
Despite any divergence in ratings or disgust with book subject matter, we managed to have another good book club meeting. It was so nice to get together and especially to catch up with Lu and hear all about her new and improved knee. It didn’t hurt that we started the evening with a cocktail. Given our Southern theme, we sipped a Grand Derby (Makers Mark, orange liqueur, and citrus juice) as we caught up and munched on not so southern jarlsberg, brie, apples and crackers.
It’s a good thing that Lu got a release to drive as she must have had to go all over town just to find the right ham, which was delicious, with pineapple. The cornbread, collard greens and grilled peach salad were to die for. And the peach pie ala mode (with more bourbon), that was a dream . Our moveable restaurant is really something.
Please feel free to add anything about the books that I omitted or may have gotten wrong.
Lonnie
