the 16th works for me as well. I have to get the book though (the library returnee seems to be delaying! :) )

Hello-

I can do the 16th or most Tuesdays... Does anyone want to meet to discuss Persuasion again? What about at Owen O'leary's in Southborough one afternoon?

Miss you!

-Wendy

June 16th isn't great for me (see Kathy's email)... but I might be able to swing it. I have the day off from work and will be in Maine and then Portsmouth with friends. Not sure when I'll get home. If that is the only Tuesday that works for you, Kathy, we should probably go with that.

Mr. Darcy Takes A Wife- Linda Berdoll.  476 pages.

This rollicking sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was originally self-published in 1999 as The Bar Sinister. In Berdoll's wild, bawdy, and utterly enjoyable novel, the Darcys begin their married life as one of the happiest, most in-love couples imaginable. Berdoll picks up the story after their wedding, but flashes back to the days after the courtship, when Elizabeth and Darcy's passion for each other grew stronger. After a spicy wedding night, the couple finds their compatibility extends far beyond their matched wits. As Elizabeth settles into her role as mistress of a large household, her sister Jane grapples with her own, less passionate marriage to Charles Bingley. Thrown in as well are an illegitimate young man who just might be Darcy's son, a vengeful serving man who plagues the Darcys and develops an unhealthy fixation on Elizabeth, and suspicions of infidelity. Austenites who enjoy the many continuations of her novels will find much to love about this wild ride of a sequel, especially Berdoll's depiction of the enduring, strong love between Elizabeth and Darcy.

 

Revolutionary Road- Richard Yates. 376 pages

The rediscovery and rejuvenation of Richard Yates's 1961 novel Revolutionary Road is due in large part to its continuing emotional and moral resonance for an early 21st-century readership. April and Frank Wheeler are a young, ostensibly thriving couple living with their two children in a prosperous Connecticut suburb in the mid-1950s. However, like the characters in John Updike's similarly themed Couples, the self-assured exterior masks a creeping frustration at their inability to feel fulfilled in their relationships or careers. Frank is mired in a well-paying but boring office job and April is a housewife still mourning the demise of her hoped-for acting career. Determined to identify themselves as superior to the mediocre sprawl of suburbanites who surround them, they decide to move to France where they will be better able to develop their true artistic sensibilities, free of the consumerist demands of capitalist America. As their relationship deteriorates into an endless cycle of squabbling, jealousy and recriminations, their trip and their dreams of self-fulfillment are thrown into jeopardy.  Yates's incisive, moving, and often very funny prose weaves a tale that is at once a fascinating period piece and a prescient anticipation of the way we live now. Many of the cultural motifs seem quaintly dated--the early-evening cocktails, Frank's illicit lunch breaks with his secretary, the way Frank isn't averse to knocking April around when she speaks out of turn--and yet the quiet desperation at thwarted dreams reverberates as much now as it did years ago. Like F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, this novel conveys, with brilliant erudition, the exacting cost of chasing the American dream.

 

Blue Boy, Rakesh Satyal.  352 pages

Satyal's lovely coming-of-age debut charts an Indian-American boy's transformation from mere mortal to Krishnaji, the blue-skinned Hindu deity. Twelve-year-old Kiran Sharma's a bit of an outcast: he likes ballet and playing with his mother's makeup. He also reveres his Indian heritage and convinces himself that the reason he's having trouble fitting in is because he's actually the 10th reincarnation of Krishnaji. He plans to come out to the world at the 1992 Martin Van Buren Elementary School talent show, and much of the book revels in his comical preparations as he creates his costume, plays the flute and practices his dance moves to a Whitney Houston song. But as the performance approaches, something strange happens: Kiran's skin begins to turn blue. Satyal writes with a graceful ease, finding new humor in common awkward pre-teen moments and giving readers a delightful and lively young protagonist

 

The Reader, Bernhard Schlink 224 pages

Michael Berg, 15, is on his way home from high school in post-World War II Germany when he becomes ill and is befriended by a woman who takes him home. When he recovers from hepatitis many weeks later, he dutifully takes the 40-year-old Hanna flowers in appreciation, and the two become lovers. The relationship, at first purely physical, deepens when Hanna takes an interest in the young man's education, insisting that he study hard and attend classes. Soon, meetings take on a more meaningful routine in which after lovemaking Michael reads aloud from the German classics. There are hints of Hanna's darker side: one inexplicable moment of violence over a minor misunderstanding, and the fact that the boy knows nothing of her life other than that she collects tickets on the streetcar. Content with their arrangement, Michael is only too willing to overlook Hanna's secrets. She leaves the city abruptly and mysteriously, and he does not see her again until, as a law student, he sits in on her case when she is being tried as a Nazi criminal. [...] The theme of good versus evil and the question of moral responsibility are eloquently presented in this spare coming-of-age story that's sure to inspire questions and passionate discussion.

 

City of Thieves, David Benoiff 272 pages

Author and screenwriter Benioff follows up The 25th Hour with this hard-to-put-down novel based on his grandfather's stories about surviving WWII in Russia. Having elected to stay in Leningrad during the siege, 17-year-old Lev Beniov is caught looting a German paratrooper's corpse. The penalty for this infraction (and many others) is execution. But when Colonel Grechko confronts Lev and Kolya, a Russian army deserter also facing execution, he spares them on the condition that they acquire a dozen eggs for the colonel's daughter's wedding cake. Their mission exposes them to the most ghoulish acts of the starved populace and takes them behind enemy lines to the Russian countryside. There, Lev and Kolya take on an even more daring objective: to kill the commander of the local occupying German forces. A wry and sympathetic observer of the devastation around him, Lev is an engaging and self-deprecating narrator who finds unexpected reserves of courage at the crucial moment and forms an unlikely friendship with Kolya, a flamboyant ladies' man who is coolly reckless in the face of danger. Benioff blends tense adventure, a bittersweet coming-of-age and an oddly touching buddy narrative to craft a smart crowd-pleaser.

Hello-

Sorry I missed the last bookclub - Bruce and I were in Texas. Who's turn is it? Is it Kelly? Has the book been decided? I missed you last week :(

Best regards,

Wendy

Reservation for 7pm has been made in my name at Grafton St. It is in Harvard Square (1230 Massachusetts Ave)

Here is the website http://www.graftonstreetcambridge.com/

Grafton St at 7 - I'll be there!

See you all there!

I'll be there! Grafton Street at 7pm?

Hey, I was going to suggest Cornwall's, but agree that it's probably going to be crowded and loud, or Elephant and Castle in the financial district, but I think that Grafton Street is a good idea too. Much more open and probably not that crowded.

See you guys there at 7!

Oh sorry, I missed seeing about Grafton St - I like that too! = )

I've heard Tory Row in Harvard Sq is worth trying out... haven't been there myself yet, it's new: http://www.toryrow.us/index.html

I'll be there at 7pm.....is the decision the restaurant near Harvard square? see you! -S

OK...River Gods doesn't take reservations and they thought a table for 8 or so would be hard to get. Plough and Stars sounds a little to music oriented for a good book club discussion.

For whatever reason, there do not seem to be the perfect pub bar for book club (too small, too loud, am I getting too old??) So how about an old stand by, the Grafton Street in Harvard Square? Am definitely open for other suggestions. Will make a reservation tomorrow.

That was my fear on both locations....any other thoughts of a good "pub" that is easy to get to?

I like plough and stars but its not really a good place for bookclub - its very loud and has live music, and limited seating.

But its great if you just want to drop in someplace for live music and a drink!

River gods is probably a better choice but I think it would still be hard to get a table for 8.
I can be there at 7pm or whenever.

I'm a tentative. We have a conference in San Diego on Wednesday that we are no way ready for.

I might be a little after 7, bc coming fr Manchester, but let's face it, we're always trickling in late, so I assume this won't be a problem = )

7:00 is fine and I only have about 20 pages left of the book so I should be all set! I like the idea of Plough and Stars but don't know anything about the place.

So...still have a bit more to finish, but should be OK for Tuesday. Did a bit of looking for restaurants. Am very open to suggestions, so if you have an idea please share.

My first thought was the Plough and Stars in Central Sq, it is a pub (the covers the british thing), and taken literally I read "plough" as salt of the earth (Anne) and "Stars" as the rest of her family not really living in reality. Note, I have never been here, but have heard good things...the reviews looked pretty good. Just not sure if it is good for a group. So, defer to anyone who has frequented the place

My other thought was River Gods, just because I want to go there.

Shall we say 7pm or do people need later?

Any ideas for tuesday as of yet? Haven't finished the book but will try my hardest to get it done!