We are seven handsome and charming* guys who meet at a different restaurant every month or so, having read a book in common, and discuss whatever we want--generally the assigned book, but usually many other timely topics as well. We rotate the responsibility to suggest titles, but the group has the final say. Our book club rules: 1) Anything goes, fiction or nonfiction; 2) paperbacks are preferred; and 3) staying under 300 pages is desirable (N.B., we violate this one all the time). We rate all books and restaurants on a 5-point scale.

* All other adjectives were vetoed.

October 30, 2012

My Antonia by Willa Cather (Icehouse)

Willa Cather's 1918 novel, My Antonia, appealed to everyone.  We loved the elegant writing, the artful evocation of a place as it evolved over time, and the true-to-life characters whose fates by turns intertwined and diverged.  Plus, it was fun to read!  We compared it to the best works of Edith Wharton and Stephen Crane.  In our judgement, this is an American classic that deserves its central place in the nation's literary canon, and we gave it our highest ratings.

We dined at the Icehouse restaurant which also received accolades--for its salads, NY strip, arctic char, duck gumbo, and ribs.  Unsurprisingly, we devoted our conversation to a few other topics, particularly the upcoming election.  We continued to be divided on the voter ID amendment proposal, and by a 5-2 vote, we predicted a close Romney victory in the nation as a whole.

We'll meet next time on Tuesday, December 11, at 6:30 at a place TBA.  We'll read Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara, which won out over two other suggestions: The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt and I, Claudius by Robert Graves.  Paul is eligible to suggest the next book.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)