June selection is

Interventions: A Novella and Three Short Stories

by Richard Russo

Wednesday, June 5, at 6:30

New members always welcome.

Call the library to reserve your copy at 236-3642.

The May meeting of the First Wednesday Wicked Good Book Club was an excellent reminder of what book groups (especially wicked good ones) are all about. So many varying opinions were expressed and there was such a wide range of interpretations of what at first glance appeared to be quite a simple story. It's so rewarding to share thoughts on a book with other readers.

Our May selection was Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel, Chicken with Plums, a graphic novel similar in format to a comic book. In reality, a graphic novel can offer much more to readers. Earlier our group read Satrapi's memoir about growing up in Iran called Persepolis, also written in the graphic format.

At the start we all agreed that the story of Nasser Ali, a renowned musician who loses his beloved tar (musical instrument) and thus his will to live, is tragic, but from there our members had lots of different responses to the book. Some of us found layers of meaning: Nasser's unhappy marriage, his apathy towards his family and his attachment to his mother were all brought up for discussion. We didn't all agree that he was the orchestrator of his own destruction, but many of us felt that his resignation was unfortunate. Probably  his destiny was decided when he couldn't marry his true love and musical muse; then later when his frustrated wife broke his tar, he gave up. The quality of the illustrations and how the author/artist was able to convey so much in a few story boxes, we thought was remarkable.

In addition, we talked about the strength of graphic novels as a literary genre, and even what is meant by the term literature; we concluded that it's very subjective.

All in all, I'm very thankful for book group and how much we all gain from sharing opinions. After this thoughtful discussion, I for one found so much more to appreciate in Chicken with Plums. I hope Marjane Satrapi continues to offer great ideas in her thought-provoking style.

The Rockport Library recently acquired the award-winning film adaptation of Chicken with Plums, in addition to the book.

Our June meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 5th (not the 6th as I first said) and we're reading Richard Russo's Interventions: A Novella and Three Short Stories. We're always pleased to have interested readers join us.

Jenni Ruddy

Before You Know Kindness

Cocktail hour under the tree of forgetfulness

The Jungle Book

Alexandra Fuller

Rudyard Kipling

B. Fuller

jFiction KIP

Memoir of your choice or

The Sharper your knife the less you cry

February 2008

November 2007