We Were Liars by e. lockhart

Today we met in the Morris County Library conference room to talk about the YA novel everyone has been buzzing about, We Were Liars. We had our biggest discussion yet, but there’s still room for more of you! We’d love to have you.

Overall, people really liked this book, with many giving it 4 or even 5 starts. I don’t know if that’s happened before, so this was a definite favorite. A couple of people gave it a low of 3, mostly because even the significant characters were fairly flat and undeveloped. However, a case could be made for that actually being the way teenagers actually view other kids their age who they only see every summer.

First, we will not spoil the ending of the book, so don’t worry! If you haven’t read it yet, it’s a doozy, and no one saw it coming. Aside from the ending and its emotional impact, we discussed the themes of wealth in society. Cadence and her cousins are from the “keep a stiff upper lip” upper crust of society, and nothing breaks into that shell. As teenagers, they rebel against it, of course.

Morris County Library Book Club tomorrow!

Tomorrow morning (Wednesday, June 16) at 10 am we will be talking about the YA novel We Were Liars by e. lockhart. This book twists and turns and is never quite how it seems. See you tomorrow morning! We can’t wait to talk about this one….

Also, in what will be no surprise to anyone, this book has already been optioned into a movie. Who will play Cadence? Mirren? Gat? Bring your favorite choices – no one has been cast yet!

Someone Discussion

This morning we had a very interesting discussion on the book Someone by Alice McDermott. Many of our regular Book Clubbers found it a great read. Even those who thought it somewhat disjointed gave it three stars (out of five), but for the first time, we had more than one person rating it a five star book! So congratulations, Ms. McDermott. Rave reviews!

A lot of the discussion revolved around the meaning of vision and sight. Marie has had problems with her eyesight her entire life. This lack of ability to see clearly is echoed in the many relationships Marie has – including her brother Gabe, her parents, and Walter, among others.

On a related note, we talked about the meaning of people falling throughout the book. Not only does the book begin and end with the story of Pegeen and her fatal fall, but several other characters take serious tumbles throughout the novel.

Book Club This Week!

Don’t forget to stop by the Morris County Book Club this Wednesday, April 15, at 10:00 am. We’ll be talking about Alice McDermott’s Someone.

This book has won a lot of awards, among them:

• Publishers Weekly Best Fiction Book of the Year
• Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Book of 2013
• New York Times Notable Book of 2013
• Washington Post Notable Fiction Book of 2013
• NPR Best Book of 2013

It’s going to be a great discussion. Once your taxes are done (they are done, aren’t they?), spend a little quality time talking with all of us about this extraordinary book about an ordinary woman.

Interview with Alice McDermott

The Morris County Library will be meeting on Wednesday, April 15, at 10 am to discuss Someone by Alice McDermott. After you’ve read the book, take a look at this video of the award-winning author talking about her book with PBS Newshour’s Jeffrey Brown.

MCL Book Club Selection for April: Someone by Alice McDermott

Join us on Wednesday, April 15 at 10AM for a discussion of Someone by Alice McDermott. 

We first meet Marie at age seven, when she’s sitting on the stoop in her tight-knit, Irish-Catholic Brooklyn neighborhood, waiting for her father to come home from work. Down the street, boys play stickball, consulting with dapper Billy, their blind umpire, an injured WWI vet. Tragedies and scandals surge through the enclave, providing rough initiations into sex and death. Gabe (Marie’s older brother) becomes a priest. Marie works at a funeral home as a “consoling angel,” acquiring cryptic clues to the mysteries of life via teatime gossip sessions with the director’s wise mother and a circle of wryly knowing nuns. Eventually Marie finds joy as a wife and mother, while Gabe struggles with his faith and sexuality. A marvel of subtle modulations, McDermott’s keenly observed, fluently humane, quietly enthralling novel of conformity and selfhood, of “lace-curtain pretensions” as shield and camouflage, celebrates family, community, and “the grace of a shared past.” – from Booklist 

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 Links to Reviews:

• New York Times Book Review of Someone
• NPR Book Review of Someone
• The Washington Post Review of Someone