What
a wonderful winter turnout we had for our Butler Women of Wisdom’s January book
club at Natilie’s Pizzeria. It’s always enjoyable to see everyone. In
attendance were Barb K., Cheryl, Ginnie, Lori, Mandy, Sharon, and me. We were especially
happy to see Mary Beth back in the fold! Her pet business is flourishing
placing her in the time-consuming world of business owner and entrepreneur; but
once a book club member, always a book club member; Mary Beth came back to us!
Well,
it was unanimous. We were all hooked once we began reading Adrianna Trigiani’s book
All
the Stars in the Heavens. The intriguing story Trigiani created around
Loretta Young’s movie star life and her relationships with the biggest names in
Hollywood kept us turning the pages. More, more! We wanted all the juicy
details that Trigiani could dig up. Starting with Loretta’s innocent romance
with Spencer Tracy, we succumbed to the plot based on one luscious encounter
after another.
Clark
Gable and Loretta’s secret tryst on the remote set of Call of the Wild was Trigiani’s nail biter. The revelation had me
screaming, “Don’t Loretta, don’t do it, don’t give in to Clark’s bullshit!” She
did, stupidly, and the story of their secret love child is scandalous. How a
woman would pretend to not have a child when every fiber of her being is
screaming out, “I’m a mother,” left me grasping to remain loyal to our
protagonist. I detested Loretta for her choice, money over baby. Oh, yes, many
will say she had no choice. She either maintained her Hollywood image of purity
and dignity for the film studio and public or risk losing her career. Women during the 1930’s were stoned by the
world for lesser indiscretions than having a romp with another woman’s husband.
Still,
Loretta was a professed Catholic. As a cradle Catholic who was raised to
experience guilt for even the smallest of sins, I can’t believe Loretta’s
actions. And then to never tell her daughter Judy the truth about her birth
until her daughter was a grown woman. Even then, Loretta only divulged the facts
because Judy had become suspicious and directly confronted her mother. This was deplorable to me. I believe Loretta
would have kept the secret until she died, just for the sake of her precious
puritanical Hollywood image. When Judy pried her mother for answers, Loretta
admitted all stating, and I’m quoting from Judy’s autobiography, that Judy was
“a walking mortal sin.”
Trigiani
was never biased in her writing. She never wagged a finger at Loretta or at
Clark. She left us to determine our own opinions of the couple and their fateful
decisions. Based on Loretta’s actions, it is my opinion that she was a selfish woman
who believed appearances are what counted. She lived her Hollywood persona
until the day she died. Will we ever know the real Loretta Young, not simply the
illusion?
Our
book club member Becky grew up with the Loretta Young show. She recollects with
nostalgia the beautiful actress’ hallmark entrance. Each week Loretta would
open the doors to the set of her show dressed in a couture fashion of the
season and twirl regally onto the stage. Fans of the program, Becky and her
sister loved this dramatic introduction. Playacting, they would mimic Loretta by
walking through a door in their home modeling their own outfits and twirling. Becky
also enjoyed the show’s dramas, especially the endings when Loretta would
return onto the stage to conclude the program with a moralistic message, a
reading from the Bible or a noted quote of wisdom. As a child, Becky was
inspired by the illusion of Loretta Young.
All the Stars in the Heavens had many great lines, a stamp of
excellence in all our favorite books. Here are a few from our list:
“The distance
between the haves and the have-nots is a train ride.” p 40
“My mother
always says that’s the key to being happy. Don’t live to work, work to live.” –
Nivens, p 72
“There’s
nothing worse than a love affair that never bloomed. You have to think like the
gardener who snips the heads off the buds that never blossom. It brings down
the beauty of the garden. We are meant to bloom.” – Niven, p 96
“Life isn’t a
class where you can get a perfect score. It seems to me you have to keep
trying.” – Gable, p 135
“Perhaps the
girls were more at ease appealing to the Blessed Mother, as their fathers on
earth didn’t do much to look after them.” p 201
“That’s why
there are so many babies in the world. It’s called winter.” – Loretta’s mother,
p 260 (Both of my babies were conceived in January!)
“It’s funny,
Alda, nobody ever told me motherhood was temporary. You think you have years
and years with them, but the truth is, you don’t.” – Loretta, p 435 (This is my
favorite line in the book; it hits so close to my heart.)
“We figure
that there will always be a moment to have the conversation that we meant to
have, and then the moment passes and it’s too late. . . the most important
thing I learned was to say what you mean when you have the moment to say it. .
. Don’t wait, because the time may not come again.” – Alda, p 445 (This is
Lori’s pick and notably a great line.)
We
need to thank again Adriana Trigiana for giving everyone in our book club a
free and autographed copy of All the
Stars in the Heavens! It was an honor to receive it and a pleasure to read
it.
Our
next book selection is The Nightingale
by Kristen Hannah. Ginnie has already started it and says it’s another page
turner.
Before
I close, I must include a mention of the nice letter our book club received
from Mary Kay Kelly, Supervisor of Behavioral Health Programs, at Butler Health
System. She thanked us for our generosity for our Christmas gift of books to
the Children’s Partial Hospitalization Program. A special thanks needs to go to
Cheryl for her service as our book club secretary and organizer of our yearly
donation. Mary Kay commented on the great selection of books Cheryl chose as our
charity, and because of our gift, BHS has started generating ideas for building
a small library for the children they service. It is the butterfly effect,
ladies! We started a chain reaction which will promote reading! Yes, finally! I
have been a Reading Specialist for 12 years and a teacher of reading for 19
years and, finally, it may be happening, a seed may be planted!
I
am so grateful for Butler Women of Wisdom and the supportive community of women
we have grown to become; our stories are just as great as those written in the
books we read. So I look forward to seeing all of you at 6 PM on Monday,
February 29, at Natilie’s Pizzeria for another meaningful and animated book
discussion.
Your friend
in reading,
Tammy
