Blast from the Past discussion

YOU DID IT!! What are the messages that Addie was wanting to give to her granddaughter? Has anybody else had a similar experience with a grandparent? Grandparents are such a wealth of knowledge....do you feel like today's society utilizes the elderly like we should? Any final thoughts on the book? Thanks for joining!

The last section of this book made me tear up. Everything that Addie was trying to portray to her granddaughter is stuff that I think all people who have lived long lives wishes for younger people to know. We do NOT respect the elderly like we should in this country, and this book made me miss my paternal grandmother so much. She was always telling stories when I was a teenager and of course I didn't listen ;). I'm going to be calling up my other grandmother soon to learn how to knit before it's too late!!

Filomena is probably my favorite character besides Addie. She really was pushes the boundaries as a woman back during that time period which I respect. What a free spirit!!

I loved how this book described female friendship. All of those girls stayed so close throughout the years. I think we have lost that a little bit in today's modern age because social media disconnects us a little bit. We "feel closer" because we peer into each other's daily lives, but how much emotion do we get out of Facebook? We just don't connect with other humans like we used to!

Yes the ending of the book made me sad too even though it ended well for everyone! I feel lucky that I knew all my grandparents and have heard their stories. Grandparents and friendships are definitely things to be cherished. I like how Addie stresses so much about being kind to other people. She had many other people especially looking out for her during her life and who changed her life.

This story was so wonderful. I absolutely loved it!!!

Candace wrote: "Yes the ending of the book made me sad too even though it ended well for everyone! I feel lucky that I knew all my grandparents and have heard their stories. Grandparents and friendships are defini..."
Glad to hear that you liked it!!

Such a good book! So glad I joined in this month. I probably would not have thought to pick this one up on my own. I'm glad Addie's mother passed before she got married and had children of her own, so they did not have to experience the toxicity that Addie did her whole life. Reading about Aaron passing and Jake dying in WWII was heartbreaking. But I loved that no matter what happened Addie had a support system around her that helped her keep her positive outlook on life. This is a woman who went through a lot that would mentally scar and screw up most people, and she triumphed. I was so happy to see Philomena come back for the wedding too. Everyone should be lucky enough to have a friend that stands the test of time like that.

I really liked the book but the ending felt a bit rushed to me. I would like to know more about Addie's career because she is such a strong woman. That was my only dissappoinment.

Overall, I am very glad I read the book and joined this reading group.

Very enjoyable book. I too felt the ending was a bit rushed. I was surpised when she said she thought more about the people that wasn't at her birthday party and her sister, Betty was one of those people. I wonder what happened to her. Actually, I think this could have been a series. I would have loved hearing more details of her lifer after she and Aaron got married.

But this was still a great read. I enjoyed being a part of the group and reading what others thought about Addie's story.