Comments from the De Soto Book Discussion Group regarding our March 2014 selection:


Mary Coinby Marisa Silver

Below is a summation of the members' reactions to this work.

Mary Coin is a fictionalized narrative of a real photograph taken during the Depression by photographer Dorothea Lange. The iconic image titled “Migrant Mother” becomes the novel’s title character, Mary Coin, while photographer Dorothea Lange is rendered as the character Vera Dare. Tying the brief encounter of these two women together across several decades is a third character, Walker Dodge, a social historian who is also researching his family’s past. While much of the narrative parallels the true events surrounding the photograph, Silver enhances and expands this moment in time with fictional details that let the truth behind the image come to life.

Stand-in facilitator Leslie Nord reported the book group members’ responses:

Most did not realize that the book was based upon real people, or that the book was based on a real photo, although some remembered studying the photo in school. We talked a lot about what was true and what wasn’t – that the woman in the photo (Mary Coin) was real and the photographer Vera was real. The third character, Wade Dodge, was not. That part of the story was fabricated. Everyone liked the main character, Mary Coin, and felt she was a very strong and passionate woman. Most were disappointed with the ending because it was not a happy one for Mary. We discussed how in real life she did find happiness with her third husband who had a good job as a bank administrator. The book had a better ending for Vera and they wished the author had done the same for Mary.

They all liked the book and found it a good reminder of how difficult the depression was. This led to different discussions of the time period and similar books such as Grapes of Wrath. One member had relatives from Oklahoma who had similar stories of moving to California to find work and how horrible the conditions were. One member’s daughter uses the photo to teach her middle school students about the time period.

Some felt the book bounced back and forth too much between time periods and felt that was confusing. We all agreed the main theme was the strength of women and American motherhood – that it is a ‘woman’s book.’ We talked about how she would have done anything to provide for her children. We talked about similarities with Sand Castles [The Sand Castle Girls by Chris Bohjalian], but they preferred this story since the Sand Castles story was so tragic. They agreed there was some similarity to The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, although most felt Henrietta should have been compensated more so than Mary. We talked a lot about how Mary’s photo was one of hundreds taken by the photographer of migrant workers and settled on the fact that since no one else was compensated there was no reason to single her out.

Comments from the De Soto Book Discussion Group regarding our February 2014 selection:

The Sandcastle Girlsby Chris Bohjalian

Below is a summation of the members' reactions to this work.

This fictional account of the Armenian genocide of 1915 when 1.2 million Armenians were systematically eliminated proved extremely timely for today’s events in that part of the world. The book provided rich fodder for discussion, including how the plot is structured around a “photo.” Other points of discussion were the nature of atrocities like genocide and what immigrants sacrifice culturally when they flee their homeland to survive and begin a new life in another country. Most members felt the female characters were not truly realistic for the time and place but did allow the historical events to be portrayed vividly. All the members were shocked at their lack of knowledge of this genocide. One member later told me she has learned an amazing amount of geography from the book group selections.

Comments from the De Soto Book Discussion Group regarding our January 2014 selection:

Please Look After Momby Kyong-Sook Shin

Below is a summation of the members' reactions to this work.

Please Look After Mom provoked a lot of discussion in the book group as members were able to look at the situation from both perspectives, as children and as mothers.  The story begins as the adult children begin a search for their mother who became separated from their father in the Seoul, Korea subway station.  When the father realized his wife had not followed him into the subway car, it was too late to get off. When he did make it back to the point of separation she was gone.  As the days become weeks without finding their mother, the children and the father reflect on the mother's life and their own relationships with her.  Love, guilt, and regret intermingle with the memories producing a panorama of emotions in each of them.

All the members liked the book.  Some of the comments were--"It kept my interest"; "It was different"; "I liked that it was told from different perspectives"; "It was really hard to read but held my interest"; "I think I could have written this book"; "It riled up a lot of emotions in me"; "Lots of emotion, guilt, regrets"; "I did not like the husband."  In fact, every member expressed a dislike for the husband and admiration for the mother who managed to feed and raise five children on almost nothing in post-war Korea.  Several members did find the narrative structure difficult as two sections used the second-person "you" where, in English, a writer would have used the first-person "I."  All agreed they were sometimes confused as to who was narrating some parts.

One member expressed amazement at how often the group's discussion led her to experience a much deeper view of each book.

Comments from the De Soto Book Discussion Group regarding our December 2013 selection:

The Snow Childby Eowyn Ivey
Below is a summation of the members' reactions to this work.

Eowyn Ivey’s “The Snow Child” takes the Russian/Alaskan folktale of the Snow Maiden and transforms it into a realistic fictional narrative about a middle-aged childless couple that leaves their old life behind to homestead in the Alaskan wilderness. When, in a rare moment of fun, they build a child out of snow and an orphan girl appears out of the wilderness, it seems that their snow child has come to life. How this and other events impacts the couple’s life weaves a beautiful story about the nature of family while maintaining the integrity of the original folktale.

Some members found the story sad and at least two described it as “strange.” However, all said they would recommend this title to others. One comment, “I’m of two minds: on the one hand I kept thinking this is the strangest story, but on the other I couldn’t put it down.” Another member chimed in, “It was the same for me. I kept reading and reading and, even though it gave me a headache, I had to keep reading.” Discussion focused on the strength of the characters and how real they were. All the characters were likeable and there were no “villains” in this remarkable look at homesteading in the Alaskan wilderness of 1920. The concept of “changing the ending” was also discussed—how the author had used the old folk tale of the Snow Maiden to produce a story that redrew the narrative using non-magical characters while maintaining the essential integrity of the folktale. One member said, “I just loved, loved, loved this book!”

Comments from the De Soto Book Discussion Group regarding our November 2013 selection:

Life After Lifeby Kate Atkinson
Below is a summation of the members' reactions to this work.

November's meeting marked a special event for the group as this month's selection and discussion were tied into the Johnson County Museum's project "Citizen Soldiers of the Prairie," which celebrates the contribution to the WWII effort of those working at the Sunflower Ordnance Plant in DeSoto. Kate Atkinson's Life After Life was chosen for the discussion as it is mainly set in the first half of the 20th century and vividly depicts the Blitz of England as well as other difficulties experienced by both the English and German populations during the WWII.

The structure of the book is unusual, reminiscent of the movie Groundhog Day. Certain events in the life of the central character, Ursula, are replayed with different consequences depending on the choices made at critical points in the narrative. Thus Ursula may fall out of a window while reaching for her doll and tumble to her death; or, someone might enter the room just in time to distract the child and save her from her fate. This unusual structure produces a narrative that uniquely shows the sheer randomness of life and how the fate of nations and millions of people can turn on the presence or absence of one person at one moment in time.

All the members enjoyed the book but found it difficult to read at times because of its narrative structure and basic premise. Several commented that the book depicted the London blitz very vividly and brought the true nature of that ordeal home to them as no other book had done before. Every member contributed some moment in the book that she found memorable. Izzie, Hugh’s sister, was everyone’s favorite character while all agreed they liked Teddy as well. The story is very complex and some said they planned to reread it and see what they might have missed on first reading.

Comments from the Book Discussion Group at DeSoto Library regarding our October 2013 selection:

The Forgotten Gardenby Kate Morton
Below is a summation of the members' reactions to this work.

The Forgotten Garden is a modern Victorian saga that relates three stories in an interwoven narrative that has, at its core, a genealogical mystery. The novel begins in modern-day Australia when Cassandra's grandmother Nell dies and leaves her a cottage in England. Two other tales then run concurrently against Cassandra's account of her efforts to uncover the mystery of her grandmother's parentage and her ownership of the cottage. The second story recounts how Nell's mother, Georgianna, came to live at Blackhurst Manor. The third story reveals Nell's astonishing journey as a 4-year-old alone on a ship bound for Australia and her subsequent adoption after being abandoned by a mysterious woman known to Nell only as the "Authoress." Interspersed among these three narratives are the fairy tales contained in a book handed down to Cassandra from her grandmother.

Everyone in the book group thoroughly enjoyed this unusual saga which contains multiple themes, symbolism, and slightly gothic overtones. When asked what theme or event caught their attention most, members had a variety of answers: the intensity of Eliza & Sammy's games, the mystery of Nell's parentage, Eliza's life at Blackhurst Manor, Eliza's imagination and the fairy tales she wrote, Cassandra's story, the mystery of why Nell was alone on the boat, and the story of the cottage Nell leaves to Cassandra. There were many points of discussion, especially about the unusual structure of the book and how the various settings, such as the intricate maze that bordered the garden at Blackhurst, provides continuity and underpins the stories as readers move back and forth in time through the various characters. All the members said they heartily recommend this book to others.

Comments from the Book Discussion Group at DeSoto Library regarding our September 2013 selection:

On Canaan's Sideby Sebastian Barry
Below is a summation of the members' reactions to this work.

On Canaan's Side is the fictional memoir of 89-year-old Lilly Bere as she seeks to explain the act she is about to commit—that of taking her own life. This is a sweeping account that begins in Ireland where Lilly recalls living with her father and siblings after her mother died. Of growing up expecting a life of marriage and children. When her life is suddenly threatened by the violent political unrest in her homeland, arranges her escape to America with her first love, who has also been marked for death by the opposition. And so her story becomes a saga of overcoming loss after loss, of the redemption of work and friendships, and of grace and endurance. In the course of Lilly's life, she experiences the ravages of many wars through the men in her life: her father, brother, husband, son, and grandson. Somehow Lilly manages to accept these repeated blows from life and love with with her own acquired wisdom which she now imparts through this account of her journey from girlhood to old age.

Although members said the book gets off to a slow start, they all agreed it was well worth the effort. They felt Lilly's voice came through clearly and they were able to emphasize with her struggle to persevere through all the turmoil and grief contained in her story. All said they would recommend this selection to others.