Shelli’s Comments (group member since Sep 16, 2009)

Shelli’s comments from the Cafe Libri group.

April's book of the month

In Chapter 8, Ding says to Lalu, "Don't you understand, you cannot escape your fate?"(p.77). How does this book embody the debate on predestination vs. determining one's own future?

Discuss the various meanings behind the title, "Thousand Pieces of Gold." Do you think it is an appropriate title for this book?

Do you think the author presents a realistic portrait of race relations in a small, yet polarized American community? How about the role of women in a largely male community? Discuss how you think it feels to be a minority in a similar situation.

"For the Gold Mountains they had described was not the America she would know. This: the dingy basement room, the blank faces of women and girls stripped of hope, the splintered boards beneath her feet, the auction block. This was her America."(p.102). This small passage touches upon the idea of the ‘American Dream' and how reality is often very different than immigrants imagined it to be. Do you think immigrants still experience these same feelings in America today? Describe your own personal experiences.

During the course of the book did you ever think Lalu fit into the role of a ‘China doll?' If so, when does her status start to change and what events contribute to her eventual liberation?

Charlie speaks of the limitations Lalu will have as a Chinese person living in 19th century America. Besides her decision to not have children, in what other ways does Lalu show that she is aware of these limitations?

To what degree does Lalu loosen her ties with her Chinese background? Mention some examples from the book.

Does Jim's concern for Lalu match the brief relationship she had with the bandit Ding? How do the two relationships differ?

Lalu is told by Charlie that a Chinese person in America cannot own land. Considering Lalu's love of farming and land, does she ever accept this concept? Give examples of her defiance and perseverance.

Is Charlie's and Lalu's relationship similar in some ways to the one Lalu formed with her father when she worked in the fields of northern China?

"And when you became of age, your mistress would have found you a good husband, and you would have been free again. Now you are neither snake nor dragon. You are a woman, yet you work like a man, a laborer. Who will marry you?" (p.356). Discuss the daily discrimination Lalu faced in China and how it differed from the discrimination she faced in America.

March 2017 Book of the Month

February 2017 Book of the Month

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
We all do it—actively watch life around us. In this way, with her own voyeuristic curiosity, Rachel Watson is not so unusual. What do you think accounts for this nosey, all-too-human impulse? Is it more extreme in Rachel than in the average person? What is so different about her?

How would you have reacted if you’d seen what Rachel did from her train window—a pile of clothes—just before the rumored disappearance of Megan Hipwell? What might you or she have done differently?

In both Rachel Watson’s and Megan Hipwell’s marriages, deep secrets are kept from the husbands. Are these marriages unusual or even extreme in this way? Consider how many relationships rely on half-truths? Is it ever necessary or justifiable to lie to someone you love? How much is too much to hide from a partner?

What about the lies the characters tell to themselves? In what ways is Rachel lying to herself? Do all people tell themselves lies to some degree in order to move on with their lives? Is what Rachel (or any of the other characters) is doing any different from that? How do her lies ultimately affect her and the people around her?

A crucial question in The Girl on the Train is how much Rachel Watson can trust her own memory. How reliable are her observations? Yet since the relationship between truth and memory is often a slippery one, how objective or “true” can a memory, by definition, really be? Can memory lie? If so, what factors might influence it? Consider examples from the book.

One of Rachel’s deepest disappointments, it turns out, is that she can’t have children. Her ex-husband Tom’s second wife Anna is the mother to a young child, Evie. How does Rachel’s inability to conceive precipitate her breakdown? How does the topic of motherhood drive the plot of the story? What do you think Paula Hawkins was trying to say about the ways motherhood can define women’s lives or what we expect from women’s domestic lives, whether as wives, mothers, or unmarried women in general?

Think about trust in The Girl on the Train. Who trusts whom? Who is deserving of trust? Is Rachel Watson a very trustworthy person? Why or why not? Who appears trustworthy and is actually not? What are the skills we use to make the decision about whether to trust someone we don’t know well?

Other characters in the novel make different assumptions about Rachel Watson depending on how or even where they see her. To a certain extent, she understands this and often tries to manipulate their assumptions—by appearing to be a commuter, for instance, going to work every day. Is she successful? To what degree did you make assumptions about Rachel early on based on the facts and appearances you were presented? How did those change over time and why? How did your assumptions about her affect your reading of the central mystery in the book? Did your assumptions about her change over its course? What other characters did you make assumptions about? How did your assumptions affect your interpretation of the plot? Having now finished The Girl on the Train, what surprised you the most?

October's Book of the Month.

August 2016's book of the month

1. Fates and Furies is told in halves. Why do you think the author chose to narrate the story this way? How did the split storytelling affect your reading of the book? Might it be symbolic of the characters’ inner lives?

2. Consider Mathilde’s final decision—to keep her past a secret for so many years. Do you think she should have told Lotto the truth? Think about whether this lie was truly for the best; could they have been happy if Mathilde had told him everything? Why do you think she kept this information to herself?

3. How did the inclusion of Lotto’s writing affect your reading experience? Did Lotto’s plays help you to understand his character?

4. Discuss the way the author presents Lotto’s writing talent. Mathilde has a significant hand in his success, but she is never recognized for it. Should she have taken the credit? Discuss the effect of stardom on Lotto’s understanding of himself and his marriage.

5. Fates and Furies questions male vs. female perceptions of reality. Think about how the author approaches the notion of feminine anger. Mathilde is an incredibly angry character; do the men in her life allow for this anger? Why or why not? Do you think Lotto is a misogynist? And how does your vision of Lotto’s world change after hearing Mathilde’s side of the story?

6. Mathilde’s relationship with Ariel is abusive. What does Ariel’s presence in the story say about Mathilde’s natural impulse toward revenge? Where is her reaction to her experience with Ariel directed at other characters?

7. Think about setting. As the characters grow, they find themselves in ever-changing spaces. How does each setting compel their actions and, eventually, their relationships? Specifically, discuss Mathilde’s life in France, Lotto’s childhood in Florida, and how these geographical differences affect their union in New York.

8. Fates and Furies spans a long period of time. Chronologically, the plot is very complex, though there is a central focus on Lotto and Mathilde. . How do Lotto and Mathilde change over the years, together and apart? Do you think they had a happy marriage?

Hi Everyone,
So glad we are back up and running. I hope all of you enjoy the selection this month. I wanted to ask if anyone would be interested in having their reviews posted on our Cafe Libri facebook page. I think this would be a great feature for the Cafe Libri Facebook page. Please let me know what you all think and if you are interested in having your review featured on the page! If you have not done so yet, please like the Cafe Libri facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/cafelibri/

Hi Everyone,
So glad we are back up and running. I hope all of you enjoy the selection this month. I wanted to ask if anyone would be interested in having their reviews posted on our Cafe Libri facebook page. I think this would be a great feature for the Cafe Libri Facebook page. Please let me know what you all think and if you are interested in having your review featured on the page! If you have not done so yet, please like the Cafe Libri facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/cafelibri/

May's book of the month: owners choice

May's books of the month: Owners choice

Jeffrey Taylor


I guess the first two questions would be, why in hell would anyone what to assassinate James A. Garfield and does the author well support the assassin's insanity?

Garfield as president seems innocuous enough. He was a Union General and early in his political career supported a hard line on reconstruction and opposed civil service reform. However, by the time he had become president he had relented on his reconstruction stance and became a reformer. Garfield's early positions would have angered an unreconstructed southerner but by the time he became President, would that anger still have motivated an assassin?

Early in the book we are told that Charles Guiteau was an disappointed Garfield supporter who's expectation of preferment was denied. Would that have been enough to justify assignation in the mind of a sane person? Would anyone who attempted to assistant an elected President be insane prima facie?

April's book of the month.

Post from Cafe Libri Yahoo:

Wow, lots of questions! Sorry for the slow reply, I've been away a couple of days.

1. Originally I wanted to read it because the character has always been interesting and the Musical, Oliver!, especially made him inttiguing as played by Jack Wild. I always wanted to know what ever happened to him (the Artful Dodger, I know what happened to Jack Wild) and after reading samples of several books about him as well as a few of the books all the way through, I decided this was the best one. Yes, it lived up to my expectations. I thought it was very well done! I wanted to share it with other readers who might share my fascination for the character.

2. I liked the Victorian feel of the book and how it affected the narrative. He didn't get overblown like some authors do with Victorian phrases and slang, but used just enough to keep it accessible for modern readers. I think Jack had to tell his own story. Another person would only see a part of him, especially with him moving between social groups.

3. As in question 2, I found the style very good for this story. Favourite passages are many, but I was hooked by the very beginning;
"The white cliffs of Dover slowly appeared through the mist rising from the ocean surface. Jack stood at the rail of the ship, watching his homeland draw closer with every lap of the waves.
I’m home, he thought to himself in the near silence of early morning. The moisture stinging his eyes threatened his normally cool composure. Jack Dawkins didn’t get emotional over a country that shut him out, or so he tried to convince himself. It was only his satisfaction at returning illegally that had him over excited."

4. I've read the author's blog so I know he's a professor of History, specialising in Victorian era. Yes, he got even small details right. How well did he convey them? I really felt I was there.

5. I read a lot of Victorian era books, both written in the period and modern writers writing Historical Fiction, so it's familiar but I'm not an expert. I actually looked up a couple of things, like the volley gun which is something I had to know whether it really existed. It did. I would say this added another layer to my impressions of Victorian England, as shaped by Dickens himself as well as other authors from the period.

6. I get very deeply into the setting of a book, whether it's a historical period or a completely fantasy world. It's getting back that can be tricky after a good read. Crossing London bridge and thinking it was nicer with horse drawn Hackney carriages than cars.

7. I'm not sure which other Historical books this group has read, but it was different in that it focused on a familiar character.

8. As a Fantasy reader, I think Historical works fill a similar need to be transported t another world. It's just more realistic.

9. Actually, I recently bought his Christmas book, which is a sort of sequel to this book, or at least uses some of the same characters. One thing I really liked was the dilemma Jack faced when he had a chance to slip into wealthy society. His familiar criminal world had both comforts and discomforts to offer him. I also liked the humour that slipped in sometimes and the resolutions for the various characters. It was very tidy at the end with everyone accounted for in one way or another. It was obviously meant to be a stand alone book rather than a start to yet another series.

Pam M

Thanks Nikki for the instructions.

Historical Fiction Discussion Questions
For the person who chose this book: What made you want to read it? What made you suggest it to the group for discussion? Did it live up to your expectations? Why or why not?

Discuss the book's structure. Does the author use any narrative devices like flashbacks or multiple voices in telling the story? How does this affect the story and your appreciation of the book? Do you think the author did a good job with it? How do you think it might have been different if another character was telling the story?

Talk about the author's use of language/writing style. Have each member read his or her favorite passage out loud. (You might want to warn them ahead of time that they'll be doing this so they'll be prepared.) How does this particular passage relate to the story as a whole? Does it reveal anything specific about any of the characters or illuminate certain aspects of the story?

Talk about the time period in which the story is set. How well does the author convey the era? Did you have a sense of whether or not the author remained true to the events, social structures and political events of the time period?

Is this a time period that you knew a lot about before you read this book? If so, did you learn anything new? If not, did you come away with a greater understanding of what this particular time and place in history was actually like?

Is it difficult to keep our own, modern-day experiences from influencing the reading of a historical fiction tale? Can we imagine what life was really like for the characters within the context of the time period?

Compare this book to other works of historical fiction your group has read. Is it similar to any of them? Did you like it more or less than other books you've read? What do you think will be your lasting impression of the book?

Why do you suppose works of historical fiction are so popular with readers? What appeals to you the most about these types of books?

What did you like or dislike about the book that hasn't been discussed already? Were you glad you read this book? Would you recommend it to a friend? Do you want to read more work by this author?

1. Donna Tartt has said that the Goldfinch painting was the "guiding spirit" of the book. How so—what do you think she meant? What—or what all—does the painting represent in the novel?

2. David Copperfield famously says in the first line of Dickens's book,

Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will beheld by anybody else, these pages must show.

Because of the many comparisons made between Dickens's work and The Goldfinch, that same question could rightfully be asked by Theo Decker. What do you think—is Theo the "hero" of his own life? What, in fact, does it mean to be the "hero" of a novel?

3. Tartt has said that "reading's no good unless it's fun."

The one quality I look for in books (and it's very hard to find), but I love that childhood quality of gleeful, greedy reading, can't-get-enough-of-it, what's-happening-to-these-people, the breathless kind of turning of the pages. That's what I want in a book.

In other words, a good book should propel readers from page to page, in part because they care about the characters. Has Tartt accomplished that in The Goldfinch? Did you find yourself rapidly turning the pages to find find out what happens to the characters? Does the story engage you? And do you care about the characters? If so, which ones?

4. How convincingly does Tartt write about Theo's grief and his survival guilt? Talk about the ways Theo manifests the depth of his loss and his sense of desolation?

5. What do you think of Andy's family: especially Andy himself and Mrs. Barbour? Are we meant to like the family? Is Mrs. Barbour pleased or resentful about having to take Theo in. What about the family as it appears later in the book when Theo re-enters its life? Were you surprised at Mrs. Barbour's reaction to seeing Theo again?

6. Talk about the ways in which the numerous adults at his school try—to no avail, as it turns out—to help Theo work through his grief. If you were one of the grown-ups in Theo's life, what would you do or say differently to him. Is there anything that can be said?

7. Many reviewers have remarked on Boris as the most inventive and vividly portrayed character in the book. How do you feel? Are you as taken with him as both Theo and book reviewers are? Talk about his influence over Theo—was it for better for worse?

8. Readers are obviously meant to find Theo's father negligent and irresponsible, a reprobate. Are you able to identify any redeeming quality in him? What about his girlfriend?

9. Talk about Hobie and how Tartt uses his wood working and restoration as a symbol of his relationship to Theo. How does Theo disappoint him...and why? Theo fears he will, or already has, become like his father. Has he?

10. Tartt asks us to consider whether or not our world is orderly, whether events follow a pattern (which could indicate an underlying meaning), or whether everything that happens is simply random—like the explosion that killed Theo's mother. What does Theo's father believe...and what does Theo believe? Do Theo's views by the end of the story?

11. The book also ponders beauty and art. Why is art so important to the human soul? What are its consolations...and what are its dangers? In what ways can we allow ourselves to be trapped by art or beauty? And HOW does this relate to the Goldfinch, the painting at the heart of this story— a painting of a bird chained to its perch and a painting that Theo clings to for 14 years.

12. What do you think the future holds for Theo? Why do you think Tartt left the book's conclusion open as to whether he will end up with Pippa or Kitsy?

13. If you were to cut portions of the book, where would you make those cuts? *

14. If Tartt were to write a sequel of 700+ pages, would you read it? *

(* Thanks to Sally of Houston, Texas, who sent in the last two questions. All other questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online of off, with attribution. Thanks.)

February's book of the month.