What a beautiful Thanksgiving we were blessed
with in Western Pennsylvania; I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday and the
pleasantly warm November days. We even had a beautiful day for our book club’s annual
Christmas Home Tour on November 19. Becky, Cheryl, Ginnie, Jody, Lori and I
attended the tour as well as junior member, Kristen Barnhart, and my
sister Theresa Beck.
Our tour included extravagant homes such as
Doug Bell’s with a brick oven on a detached rotunda overlooking his wooded
property and unique homes like Carol Foster’s with its antique baby-dolls, heirloom
clothes, and furnishings. Highlighting our day was St. Paul’s Roman Catholic
Church which featured stained glass windows handcrafted in Munich, Germany;
exquisitely carved triptych altars, the first of their kind, designed to close
during Holy Week; and flooring and altars constructed of marble from Conamara,
Italy, inlaid with glass mosaics. We were shocked to learn that the total cost
for the building and all its furnishings when it was completed 100 years ago
was only $140,000!
In
between our touring, we dined at the Hardwood Café on Rte. 8 and discussed our
November book selection Little Bee by
Chris Cleave. The consensus on this title
was not glowing. It was definitely not one of our best picks. For me, however,
after reading this book, I have more of an understanding of the background of
my friend from Nigeria, Sister Mercy. It’s deeply troubling that in so many
parts of the world people think they have the right to persecute others. I can
understand, now, why so many Nigerians like Sister Mercy become priests and
nuns. It must be a prime opportunity to rise out of a horrible situation. As I
listened to Little Bee share her stories, I could hear Sister Mercy recalling
her own, “I am telling you…!” with her wide eyed expressions, “weh!”
When I read a book, I always try to extract
some bits of eternal wisdom, thoughts about human nature that are timeless,
that apply to all generations. One of my favorites from Little Bee and one we discussed at the Hardwood Café was a remark
made by the character Sarah’s mother to Sarah. She said, “One of you in a
marriage has to be soft. One of you has to know how to say, Have it your way.” All of us could see
in our own marriages which one is the “Have it your way” partner.
Interestingly, we are now even seeing this eternal truth play out in our
children’s relationships!
Also, I would like to note the narration of
Cleave’s book, alternating first person. I thought it was a clever way to write
the story, allowing the reader into the thoughts of both main characters. To
become a New York Times Bestseller, I don’t think any other narration would
have worked for Cleave’s story. The narration gave it a more biographical
quality, and it kept the reader from becoming too opinionated about either
Little Bee or Sarah.
I really felt sorry for both characters,
actually, especially at the end. Sarah should have been more cautious and less
naïve about the volatile situation in Nigeria before jumping on the plane with
Little Bee. Did anyone think that Lawrence planned the whole thing? On page 230
when Little Bee and Lawrence were in the park, before Charlie was missing,
Little Bee said to Lawrence, “You should go back to them,” meaning his wife and
children; Little Bee noted a “great sadness” that fell over Lawrence after she
said this. Conveniently, Lawrence was the one who arranged for Sarah to board
the plane. With his ties to Great Britain’s Home Security Office; I don’t
believe he was helping Sarah as much as he was saving himself. Was he just
acting as a desperate man? Think about it. He had everything to gain from
deporting both Sarah and Little Bee, not only keeping his job but ultimately
his wife and his children. Lawrence was a weak man; he saw his world falling
apart and acted out of desperation.
In closing our book club meeting at Hardwood
Café, we set Friday evening, December 9, as the date for our book club
Christmas party and Shakespeare’s Restaurant for our dinner. Please, let me
know if you and your husband or a guest plan to attend so I can make enough
reservations. Let’s meet at 5:00 PM at Appleby’s Restaurant/Bar on New Castle
to start then we can carpool from there. This is a “dress for the holiday”
affair so be festive! Most importantly, bring your “great” book ideas for
January. We want the New Year to be filled with great reading!
Merry
Christmas,
Tammy
