We had a great discussion of The Year of Magical Thinking last night. The majority really loved the book. We talked about our own losses and how perfectly Didion captures the way that you mark the time both before and after someone dies, noting that at this time yesterday, or two days ago, a year ago, they were here. Some took issue with her bullish advocacy for her daughter in the hospital, which led us to a very passionate argument between those who perceive such advocacy as essential, and those who felt she overstepped her bounds in second guessing the doctors. We also talked about faith and its role in the grieving process, and which some wished Didion had explored more, though others felt that wasn't her focus, either because she is not spiritual in that way, or because her theme was more about where she was, without John, and less about where he may have gone. It was one of our best meetings. And did anyone notice that the J,O,H and N in the title are a different color, spelling out John?
Before the above discussion we voted for our next book and our hostess provided us with 5 really strong choices. We had our first three-way tie for:
Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl -- here's the reading group guide
The Places in Between by Rory Stewart -- here's the reading group guide
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett -- here's the reading group guide
The other two titles were:
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (my top choice) -- here's the reading group guide
Night by Elie Wiesel (which a lot of us wanted to read, but not right after the Didion) -- here's the reading group guide
Tender at the Bone won and I hope whoever hosts makes some of the recipes Reichl includes in the book!
