Members Present: Christy, Annette, Cindi, Sharon, Teri, Marie, Terrie (eventually :))
Venue: Wildflour
Book Discussion:
In general, everyone liked the book but still liked "What Alice Forgot," by the same author, better. We may never read book that we will love more than that one. So if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.
We spent a good portion of the time summarizing the book for Annette. It was more complex than it seems on the surface. Everyone agreed that Ellen was a lot like me--the kind of person who would try to befriend her stalker.
Marie thought Patrick was a jerk and that he totally used Ellen. I don't think he's that different from most guys--not good or bad, but quick to find a mother figure and not big on providing closure after a break up.
Some people felt bad for Jack, Patrick's son, since he lost his mom and then lost Saskia. I thought he seemed pretty well-adjusted.
Everyone but me liked Ellen's mom, Anne--the single mother/physician who is the exact opposite of Ellen. She does seem to have fun with her two sisters (or were they just friends?). Someone like Shirley McLaine would probably play her. Or is she too old now?
We kept trying to do the discussion questions but ended up gossiping instead. Some of the things we discussed were how the male characters in the book were less interesting than the female characters. Most people could not relate to being dumped because everyone is married but me. I totally admit to being like Saskia in that I will not let the guy end the relationship by ignoring me.
We also discussed how it's much easier to stalk people these days and some people admitted to looking up some people of interest from the past but not going as far as making contact. I bet you're wondering who, aren't you? Guess you should have been there!
One of my favorite lines of Saskia's is when she says "if Patrick had been killed in a car accident, I would have been allowed to grieve for him for years. People would have sent me flowers and dropped off casseroles. I would have been allowed to keep his photos up, to talk about him, to remember the good times. But because he dumped me, because he was still alive, my sadness was considered undignified and pathetic."
I also liked her new friend's motto: "knit, don't stalk." Sounds like good therapy to me!
All of the info on hypnosis was accurate. Marie wanted to know if it would work for weight loss. As it indicates in the book, hypnosis works well for things that you are highly motivated for--like avoiding pain, reducing anxiety. It tends to be less effective for things like weight loss, addictions, etc. because we're more ambivalent about giving them up. I told everyone how they can use suggestions as a form of self-hypnosis. See all the useful info you missed out on?
In other book club news, the movie Gone Girl is apparently better than the book, which is rare. The wife--I forget her name--was nominated for Best Actress.
Noteworthy News:
- Teri is officially moving to Colorado, so this will probably be her last book club :(.
- Marie is shopping for tennis clothes on the sales rack because she's retired. So if you hear of any sales, let her know.
- Gina knew we were talking about her and texted me to tell us to stop.
- I was sick and had to leave early to get my drugs, so that's partly why our book discussion was so short.
I guess there actually wasn't much news to report.
Next Book:
This is Where I Leave You - Jonathan Tropper
Also a movie that some people have seen and loved. I haven't seen the movie, but I know the book is way better. It was freakin' hilarious. I don't know how someone can come up with so many funny lines in one book. But feel free to cheat if you want and just see the movie. It's mainly about the food and good company, anyway.
