Comments on: Don’t try this at book groups

By: Kaite

Kaite — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 02:12:29 +0000

1000 White Women by Jim Fergus tanked?! Wow. I loved that book. So did my book group. All of them found things to like about it. What fascinated me the most was the different elements each reader liked. One talked about the story; one reader talked about the characters; another the frame and historical detail; we all liked the fairly quick pacing for an historical novel. Just goes to show, every book isn’t suitable for every book group.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:31:16 +0000

I am in 2 different book groups with 2 very different tastes. I recommended Gilead for the group who likes more popular reads, and got totally blasted for it–it was boring, nothing happened, etc. When we discussed it in the second group, which is more literary, they loved it. The choices for that group tend toward trendy literature titles, which can get a little old sometimes, too.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:44:54 +0000

I remember disliking Black and Blue because it was a huge whine fest. Our only book club dud so far was 1000 White Women: The Journals of May Dodd. Only 2 out of 13 who read it actually had good things to say.

By: Kaite

Kaite — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:20:42 +0000

See, my ruse is working! And Jim? That is the sneakiest ploy I’ve ever heard to drum up business for a relative’s book.

By: Keir

Keir — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:15:52 +0000

Great anecdote, Jim. And Kaite? No, I don’t believe you. But it’s good of you to be so modest.

By: Jim Rettig

Jim Rettig — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:12:48 +0000

I can’t remember the title of the novel. But one member raved about it and persuaded the group to read it. It was published in the UK and was hard to obtain; the recommender got copies for all who wanted them and we paid her for them. I wondered about this book when I checked WorldCat and learned that only Harvard and two other libraries held it in North America.

Published in the 1960s or 1970s, it was a plodding effort, a fair imitation of a 19th-century novel in both structure and theme (downtrodden rural Brits triumphing through grit, faith, and determination). When the group met to discuss this book the response was restrained and tepid. Perhaps disappointed that the rest of us didn’t share her enthusiasm for the book, the recommender was the first to leave that day. Just before she left, she told us her grandmother was the author. Many were relieved that we had withheld our stronger comments about the book–and then willingly shared them then. The recommender soon dropped out of the group, citing her responsibilities to her young children as her reason. Perhaps. Perhaps not.