Babes with Brains Book Club

0 Loved It
2 Liked It
3 Neutral
1 Disliked It
0 Hated It

Comments:
• Before this book, I had only read A Farewell to Arms by Hemingway. That book, I loved, this one, not so much. The incredible detail he writes with feels important when describing war, when describing the antics of a bunch of privileged Americans running amok through Europe, it was so rough for me. – Danica
• This story was very stacato and it was nor as good as I thought it would be. I guess I just had high expectations. – Sarah
• This was my 1st Hemingway novel. Not sure what all the hype is. Quick, easy read. I did like it as it related to The Paris Wife. – Carrie
• I liked the style but it was a little too slow and leisurely to finish by book club. – Steph
• I have decided that I’m not a huge fan of Hemingway. – Melissa
• I enjoyed my first Hemingway. I think I particularly enjoyed it after reading The Paris Wife. – Kerry

Conclusion: A mixed bag, but we did have fun discussing this book and comparing it to The Paris Wife which we read a few months ago.

Reading Group Guide

0 Loved It
4 Liked It
1 Neutral
0 Disliked It
0 Hated It

Comments:
• This was a necessary perspective on women’s roles in society today – whether in business or in the home. – Melissa
• I liked this book. She was likable and interesting and the topic is very close to my heart. It was a good read. – Steph
• Good food for thought. I think she covered it all. – Kerry
• I really liked the descriptions of gender issues in the working world. However, I don’t necessarily  agree with her proposed solutions but at least she is proposing something. – Sarah
• I could relate to many of her examples and anecdotes, it all rang very true to a lot of my working experiences. The only thing that I felt was missing was the topic of dress and visual presentation in a male dominant working environment. But overall I think it was a very important book for our generation. – Danica

Conclusion: We had a great discussion with a wide range of experiences and opinions. Everyone who read it had something to relate to.

Reading Group Guide

1 Loved It
4 Liked It
2 Neutral
0 Disliked It
0 Hated It

Comments:
• This was definitely an enjoyable read. Although there were points that seemed either slow or tedious traits to the characters, I enjoyed the glimpse into 1920’s Avant Garde Paris. Specifically, it was inspiring to read about how Hemmingway wanted so hard to become the writer he was. – Marlo
• I enjoyed the glimpse into the lives of the clearly influential members of artistic and literary history. – Melissa
• I really liked it at the beginning and liked the insight into Earnest and his personality, but he really was a horrible person. – Sarah
• I really enjoyed this book – good, interesting story and very well written. Yay! – Steph
• This was not one of my favorites. I did not get drawn in until the end and then I was angry, nauseous and crying. – Carrie
• I loved the setting and descriptions of their friends and travels however, the main character’s passivity really bothered me, especially towards the end. – Danica

Conclusion: We naturally started discussing the book even before formally doing so and also decided to put The Sun Also Rises on our schedule because of this book. I’d say it was a good choice.

Reading Group Guide

0 Loved It
3 Liked It
3 Neutral
2 Disliked It
0 Hated It

Conclusion: We had a fun phone conversation with John, so all in all, it was a great book club.

0 Loved It
0 Liked It
2 Neutral
2 Disliked It
0 Hated It

Comments:
• The author was just trying too hard to be taken seriously as an adult author and it just did not work. – Sarah
• I thought it was an easy read. Difficult to relate to any the characters who were mostly, unlikable. – Carrie
• I am 87% in. It has kept my interest so far. Not sure what to think of it overall. – Kerry
• I made it about a 1/3 of the way in and just didn’t connect with it. I was having trouble with motivating to pick it up and read so I decided to abandon it instead. – Danica

Conclusion: Didn’t go very well, not much to talk about except for comparing her previous work to it.

Reading Group Guide

1 Loved It
3 Liked It
1 Neutral
2 Disliked It
1 Hated It

Comments:
• Hated the first half and the end. The second half was not bad but the characters never grew or changed. – Sarah
• I hated the characters, I felt they were vapid and toxic, no redeeming qualities. Because of that, I hated every word, action and story development. – Danica
• I liked the first part, but strongly disliked the second part. I felt the story lacked. – Steph
• Very warped story but a quick read. I enjoyed it. – Vicki
• Have not finished it, but am liking it a lot. I do plan on finishing it! – Tami
• What a fun book! For all those who have witnessed/been a part of adultery and desired revenge, this book was a treat! Loved the characters… enjoyed it all! – Rachelle
• I’m not done yet, but I’m really liking it. – Melissa

Conclusion: We we very divided on this one but it did lead to a fruitful discussion. There was a lot to talk about.

Reading Group Guide

0 Loved It
1 Liked It
2 Neutral
0 Disliked It
0 Hated It

Comments:
• I loved the setting but really disliked the story line. It definitely gave me some things to think about. – Danica
• Glad to have finally read this book! I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would… but interesting. – Steph
• Some parts were interesting but the story didn’t come together as much as I hoped it would and I didn’t love the ending. – Shannon
• It was better than 1984. I thought it closer to what the future may be. – Sarah

Conclusion: We had a very lively discussion that connected current trends and event to the setting of the book. Even those who didn’t end up reading it were able to participate. I call it a success!

Reading Group Guide

0 Loved It
5 Liked It
2 Neutral
0 Disliked It
0 Hated It

Comments:
• At first, I really like the book but then it became obvious and repetitive in the emotional responses. – Sarah
• I really enjoyed it. It was a fast, easy read. I didn’t love all the characters, but did like the relationship between them and the development through the past to present. – Carrie
• I enjoyed the book. I thought the relationships between all the characters were interesting. – Kerry
• I didn’t love the story but I did like how some of the small everyday expressions were not translated so you really got a feel for the setting outside of the physicality of it. – Danica
• It took a while to decipher the characters. But I enjoyed the strengths that the female characters were able to portray.
• The characters in this book were intriguing and they made me ask questions about Indian culture. I’m still shocked at the brutality at the hand of men in the book! However, the women were resilient and vibrant. Good read. – Rachelle
• I enjoyed the book. Got into it quickly. Did not enjoy the end but I finished it! – Tami
• I liked the writing style, but found the story very/too depressing. – Steph

Conclusion: I think we all read and finished it, that says a lot. We also had a very lively discussion about caste systems and women’s roles in society.

Reading Group Guide