This year we decided to forgo discussing a book during our Annual December/Birthday/Holiday Book Club. As usual we exchanged gifts (paperback books, Secret Santa style) and picked our next round of classics (viewable here at the bottom of the page). We also took our annual birthday photo, 9 years and counting!!!
On the occasion of our 8th birthday as a book club, we took our annual picture!
2 Loved It
1 Liked It
Neutral
Disliked It
Hated It
Comments:
• The book is fast and so whimsical. – Sarah
• I thought it was funny and sweet and a pleasure to read. – Steph
• I really loved the Toad character and his craziness. The writing style was fun and lyrical, a pleasure to read. – Danica
Conclusion: While most didn’t read the book, those of us who did, loved it.
Because we are taking an extra month to accommodate the length of Roots, we are going out to dinner just to enjoy each other’s company!
1 Loved It
4 Liked It
Neutral
1 Disliked It
Hated It
Comments:
• Way too much history – I just did not care. – Sarah
• Although I love her style and enjoyed the story, it was too heavy handed on the history. – Melissa
• This book ranks among my top favorites. I love the writing style, and just felt completely immersed in the adventure. Inez was such a strong, spunky lady and her storytelling had me completely captivated. This second read was as enjoyable as the first. – Marlo
• I really enjoyed the story, but I got lost with some of the history. At times it felt like a history book, with a story entwined. – Carrie
• I enjoyed the book although not as much as some of her other books. I know she did extensive historical research but she did not strike a good balance between the fiction and the history. – Danica
• This was not the usual type of book I read, but I really enjoyed it. The writing was great and the story fascinating. I found the history very disturbing. – Hillary
• I’m a fan of Allende and went to the book reading when this book came out. I enjoyed her and the book very much. – Kerry
Conclusion: As mentioned by Kerry a small group of us went to a signing and author talk when this came out. Allende is a great speaker and anytime there is a chance to see her speak, we highly recommend the trip. As for the book club, we mostly enjoyed this one although the consensus with those who are her fans was that this was good but not her best work. We had a great discussion about the history, and the viewpoint of both the Conquistadors and the Native Americans.
8 Loved It
1 Liked It
Neutral
Disliked It
Hated It
Comments:
• Though I haven’t finished it, I love it! – Stacey
• I have not finished it! I loved it though. It will be finished. Looking forward to the wedding. – Tami
• I liked it, a fun read. It made me remember a lot of my religious learning from when I was a child through the talmud learning in the book. It also made me realize why I approached my studies and thesis the way I did in grad school. It seemed natural to me at the time whereas now I see that it was the way I was taught to approach learning in general. – Danica
• Again, historical fiction is always a favorite of mine. I really connected with the characters. – Melissa
• This was a new subject matter for me, and I found it so interesting. I learned a lot. – Kerry
• I really enjoyed this book. Looking at the female side of this time period was enlightening. I have already finished book 2 and anxiously await book 3. – Carrie
• Since I am newly married to a Jewish man, I find that I’m fascinated by the Jewish religion and I keep wanting to learn more. This book helped me explore my thirst for knowledge. Plus, it was great historical fiction – well developed characters within an interesting setting. – Rachelle
• I’m loving it so far! Can’t wait to finish it! – Brandi
• Very much a woman’s book. I enjoyed the intimate relationships I was able to have with the family in the books. The characters are relatable and enjoyable to spend time with. – Marlo
Conclusion: We really enjoyed reading this especially because we got to meet with the author! We had a wonderful meeting and a great time speaking with Maggie.
In anticipation of our author visit with Maggie Anton, we have emailed a list of questions to her. Since the list is so long, she has emailed some of her responses already. Here are the questions with the answers that we have received. Ms. Anton’s answers are noted with an “MA:”
1. Where did you find your inspiration for the character traits of each daughter?
MA: Each of the daughters is based on my own different traits.
2. Was Rashi known to have a temper? How much is known about him and his family?
3. Judaism praises and mandates modesty in all aspects of life, from business to love. What really happens especially when it comes to wealth and modesty is another discussion altogether… How do you reconcile including such explicit sex scenes into a relationship that more than likely was healthy however would have been much more modest living in such proximity to the rest of the family?
4. Which character is your favorite? Does one resonate more closely to you than another?
MA: As I write each book, that character becomes my favorite.
5. When you finish a book, do you “miss” your characters?
MA: Haven’t finished the series yet.
6. What is your best writing tool? ie: quiet room? lucky typewriter? cat in your lap?
MA: Quiet room with no interruptions. Instrumental music is OK, but no singing or talking.
7. How did you decide which talmudic passages to include?
8. Have you been to that region of France?
MA: Yes, for 3 weeks in March 1998.
9. You wrote the characters to be very similar in ritual and practice to today’s Orthodox Judaism however the everyday interactions and relationships seemed much more liberal in comparison. Do you feel that the Jews of that period were not as separationist, strict and regimented in all aspects of life as today’s ultra Orthodox community has become in the last 20 years?
10. What do you feel you gained/learned the most in writing this story?
11. Do you have any advice for an aspiring novel writer?
12. Can you compare/contrast the roles of women in Judaism then and today?
13. The inclusion of the demonology surprised me because it seems to have fallen away as such a strong element of Judaism and life today. Do you feel that it was a reflection and influence of the time? or a part of the religion that has fallen away to make room for more modern thought?
14. Did differing views/interpretations of the Talmud cause disharmony within communities?
MA: Sometimes.
Were accepted interpretations consistent in schools, communities, geographical areas? MA: No.
15. Can you clarify the issue of Kashrut that Rashi disputed? Specifically, if there were, why were there different slaughtering laws or customs for different communities?
16. Why was the term “Christian” not used?
MA:”Christ” means Messiah; so Jews, for whom the Messiah hasn’t come yet, never use it to refer to Jesus.
17. You noted on your website that you were surprised to learn that few Jews made a living as moneylenders. Why do you think that is a common perception?
MA: Maybe Shakespeare and his character Shylock? But there are many misperceptions about how Jews lived in 11th-12th century Europe.
As an interim to our long break between clubs, we are having an ice cream & milkshake night at Sarah’s. We will also be doing all of the book club business for the month so we don’t have to do it at the author visit.
It has been yet another year and on our 6th birthday, we once again decorated a member’s Xmas tree. This year Stacey let us muck about with her tree!
Because it was our 5th birthday, we decided to have gift exchange again and decorate Steph’s tree. It has been a great year with some new members, fun adventures, great books and wonderful conversation.
1 Loved It
3 Liked It
2 Neutral
3 Disliked It
Hated It
Comments:
• I thought the book was easy reading. I enjoyed it. It was fun and very predictable. – Tami
• I thought this book was great. It was fun and written differently. Quick easy book. – Sarah
• Quick was about the only thing good about it. Very generic. The “hate-him, hate-him, love-him” bit is tired. I thought the email thing would be more interesting than it was. – Brandi
• This was such fluff! Girl meets boy, girl hates boy, girl hates boy, girl hates boy and then all of a sudden they are in bed, the end. I am not unhappy that I read this one but it definitely did not enrich my life. What is a greater time suck, this or a video game? It would have been either one so I guess it really doesn’t matter in the end. – danica
• I almost hated it. I finished it but it never got better. I didn’t like the characters, the style, the story… it wasn’t fun or light – just ANNOYING. – Steph
• I haven’t finished it yet, but I’ve been entertained so far. Not a book I’d typically read, but a nice change. – Kerry
• A bit too fluffy from a girl who really likes marshmallows! There was some cuteness, but overall I was glad to have finished. The format had potential, but the story lacked depth. – Marlo
• Obviously too unrealistic. Quick read. Couldn’t relate to or enjoy the characters. Outcome is predictable by back cover. Just didn’t really enjoy it. – Carrie
• I liked the writing style. A fun, easy read. – Melissa
Conclusion: If you like the beach read genre, this book was cute although really formulaic.
3 Loved It
6 Liked It
Neutral
Disliked It
Hated It
Comments:
• Enjoyable read. – Brandi
• Very impressed by the history. The strength of the female characters – not only in the time period, but having been written by a man was also impressive. – Melissa
• I absolutely LOVED this book! I could not comprehend how a man could write a princess so well. This is probably my favorite in a long time. I can’t wait for his next novel. – Carrie
• This book was amazing. I really enjoyed hearing about the love story of the princess. I didn’t want to put it down. – Tami
• I really liked this book! Couldn’t put it down – the characters, setting and story were wonderful – great writing style. I particularly liked the ending. Can’t believe it was written by a man. – Steph
• What a beautiful novel. The relationships between the characters are so touching and relatable. I knew nothing abut the Taj Mahal and it was a great way to learn about it. These are characters that will resonate with me for a long time, and a book I will likely need to read again. – Marlo
• Phenomenal read. Enjoyed the love story. Great character development. Would recommend it to all. – Rachelle
• Was a very good read. Interesting and never a dull moment. Not any better or worse than other books in this genre. – Sarah
• I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t love, love, love it, but I really, really liked it. The characters were very engaging and believable. At points, I felt a lot of relevancy in today’s world situation concerning religion taken to a militant extreme. The story of being torn between loyalty and love kept me reading to find out what finally happens in the end and I was not disappointed. – danica
Conclusion: We all really liked this book a lot. What made it even better was that John Shors, the author had a conference call with us to discuss it. On top of all of that CBS was doing a story on his involvement with book clubs and they decided to send a camera man out to film us talking with John on speakerphone about the book! So we may be on The Early Show or on the CBS Evening News! If this does happen, I will post some stills from that as well. Again, we would all like to thank John for taking the time to indulge our questions and comments, it was a wonderful treat to be able to discuss this book with its creator. We highly recommend Beneath a Marble Sky for book clubs!
Well, the story aired on November 1st on the CBS evening News with Katie Couric and November 2nd on The Early Show. It is up at CBS.com as streaming video.
And the stills….
Loved It
9 Liked It
Neutral
Disliked It
Hated It
Comments:
• This was such an interesting read. I didn’t realize the horror of the Bolshevik Revolution and really felt for the people who had to build a new life in a foreign place. – Marlo
• I really liked this book. I liked the voice – a very unique perspective and the theme I came away with was one of hope and friendship. No matter where they were, people/strangers risked their lives to help them. – Steph
• This book is so interesting. I know so very little about this and it was so unique to hear about it from a child’s point of view. – Kerry
• It was really different than any other book I have read. Very refreshing. – Sarah
• I liked the book and the bit of history it touches on. It’s prompted me to do research on the web. – Stacey
• I liked the book. It was very interesting to hear about the voyage one needed to take to come to America. – Tami
• This was a really quick read. It is amazing how many people of that generation had similar circumstances just different settings. I grew up hearing these stories and completely related. I found it interesting that it was written from the perspective of a child although it sometimes felt a bit bratty but I understand what the author was trying to accomplish. I also found it really interesting that in all the chaos, the main character, a child, was not really told what was happening and that she was never prompted to talk about what she was experiencing. – danica
• The book was very interesting… especially seeing events surrounding the Bolshevik Revolution from a child’s eyes. – Rachelle
• This book was very engaging. Very interesting point of view. Enjoyed the history. – Brandi
Conclusion: We had a really wonderful time meeting with the author, Rose Saposnek. Everyone read and came very well prepared and I think she enjoyed us as much as we enjoyed meeting with her and her daughter. That is Rose, seated in the middle of the bottom row in the pink shirt.
Because it was our 4th birthday, we decided to have gift exchange and decorate Kerry’s tree. It must be mentioned, Brandi left early and Lilac couldn’t move, therefore both are not in this picture.
1 Loved It
2 Liked It
1 Neutral
1 Disliked It
1 Hated It
Comments:
• Was interested in this cult before, good insight into what it was like living it. – Lilac
• A complete waste of tim. Reading the mundane details of someone’s childhood who you couldn’t care less about. – Stephanie
• The subject matter held my interest, but the writing style was rather dry. I would have liked to see some sort of evolution of character or mindset. – Marlo
• Was an interesting look at this boy’s life. – Sarah
• More a glimpse into the author’s life than an in-depth loook at the cult, but it was still an enjoyable read. – Brandi
• I wanted something more, but not sure what that “more” would be. I was left unsatisfied. – danica
Conclusion: Wow, we could not agree on this one at all. We also didn’t have much to say about it and didn’t even want to do the reading group questions.
