March book club brings the first quarter of 2020 to a close. We celebrate St. Patrick's Day this month. And, on a sad note, we send our love and prayers to Darby and Nate this month. Darby's adorable, feisty and accomplished Grandmother, Maree, passed away last week. She was quite something and several of us were fortunate enough to meet her a few years ago. She was 98 and had lived a remarkable life. I hope you all had a chance to read her online obituary that she wrote for herself.Thanks to Terry for hosting. Her home gets prettier every time I visit. Laura, Robbie and Jordan made us comforting and delicious Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Terry made Tomato Bisque Soup. The main course was complimented by Carla G's olives and pickles, including her homemade ones. Janie brought the Cauliflower salad, Robbie also made chicken salad dip. There was a veggie tray with dip, Arnora brought mixed nuts and our floral bouquet. Assorted wines and tea rounded out the meal with Lis' Cream Puffs and Panetone bread.
Carl G reminded us that she says every time, "This is the best meal I have had all month!" I think we
all agree!
We missed Pam, Barb, Gwynne, Denise, Leslie and, as always, Darby and Lou.
Our book this month was Ann Patchett's, "The Dutch House." The story is told through the eyes of Danny who is a young boy as he begins his reminiscence of his childhood in the home referred to as the "Dutch House."At the end of WWII, Danny's father manages to build quite a fortune and buys the house, in a suburb of Philadelphia as a surprise for his wife and daughter. The house has been built by a Dutch family and Cyril Conroy buys it "lock, stock and barrel" as the saying goes. All the furnishings, decorative objects and paintings of the former family are never changed or updated over the years and never seem to deteriorate. The home only gets more lovely as time goes by, at least in Danny's perception.The house sets off a negative reaction in Elna Conroy who feels it is her life's purpose to serve the poor. She hates the house and eventually abandons it and her family for India. There she hopes to work with Mother Theresa but ends up on the wrong side of the Continent. This action paves the way for Cyril to remarry the wicked stepmother Andrea. It also sets up Maeve, Danny's older sister, as a pseudo-mother by default. So, in essence, the story is dealing with three very different "mother" figures. All of these women shape Danny's life and he struggles to reconcile two mother figures who abandon him. Not only does his mother leave without explanation but, when his father dies unexpectedly, Andrea kicks him out. Maeve who has already left home takes him in and sees to it that the education trust that has been left to them provides him an excellent education.
The book was well liked by most. I have now read three of Ann Patchett''s novels. I really liked State of Wonder but wasn't impressed with Commonwealth. However, this would be my favorite so far. For me, the writing drew me into the story. I felt emotionally connected to the characters and I resonated with the dilemma of a child trying to reckon with adults whose actions you cannot begin to understand.
When we are born, we do not get to pick our parents. There is no job interview, resume or, references. We don't get to choose someone we think is "suited" for the job. We are all, at the end of the day, flying by the seat of our pants in the department of parenting and doing the best we can. Many of us had challenging childhoods. I believe it is part of our life's path to find a way to heal whatever trauma or disappointments we experience because that is what gives us our strength, courage, compassion, etc. Yes, it builds our character. We aren't meant to stay stuck in it. And, I think that, in the end Danny and Maeve did just that.When I looked at the women in this story from a distance - it was obvious Elna loved her children but couldn't stay. She needed to mother the world. And, whether that was a higher calling or a need for penance of some kind isn't fully clear. Andrea, was the mother figure who stayed but, she didn't mother Danny and kicked him out at the first opportunity. Andrea wanted the house above all - the opposite of Elna who hated it. Maeve was the kind and motherly figure in Danny's life.
In the end, the story comes full circle. Elna reappears, Andrea passes away. The house falls into the hands of Danny's daughter, May, who it turns out looks like the portrait of Maeve. We didn't really talk about the portrait but it serves as the cover of the book. As I write this it occurs to me that the portrait of Maeve is the only "new" object that is added to the house. Maeve has an obsession with the house and spends a fair amount of time sitting out in front of it. And, in the end, Maeve's portrait is returned to it's rightful place. Full Circle.
The book rated a 4.2.
Next month we meet at Pam's and our book is "Save the Plums for Me."
