Book Club

All the Light We Cannot See

/ Jodi / 7 Comments

all the light we cannot see

This past weekend, our “Best Book Club Ever” got together to discuss “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr.  This is one of the best books I’ve read in quite some time.

And in honor of  Veteran’s Day today, I thought it befitting to share a bit about a beautifully written tale revolving around a subject so deplorable as war….  World War II in particular…. one of the darkest periods in our history.  Yet one that needs discussed….  and one I came to a deeper understanding of through this novel.

Our book club, which consists of 26 men and women, gave this book an average rating of 8.5 out of 10, which is one of the best ratings this eclectic group of ages and backgrounds has given a book.

Though you can certainly read a good summary of this Best Book of the Month on Amazon,  I thought I would help spread the word because I feel so passionately about this book.

The thing I especially loved,  for maybe the first time in reading a book I have to say – or at least in a long time, is the true beauty of the writing.

Doerr has a magical way of heightening our senses through the most gorgeous metaphors.  Maybe I am more aware now that I am trying to write a bit more myself, but this is a book that I didn’t want to rush through to finish as I often do because I am typically reading a book for the story – not the writing.

But this book was one I wanted to absorb into my pores.

I savored each word in each sentence.

The descriptive similes the author used, such as expressing the passing of time in a number of heartbeats, gave me a deeper appreciation for the most simple things in life.

It’s no wonder it took Doerr TEN YEARS to write this book!  When you create statements like this:

“And is it so hard to believe that souls might also travel those paths?  That her father and Etienne and Madame Manec and the German boy named Werner Pfenning might harry the sky in flocks, like egrets, like terns, like starlings?  That great shuttles of souls might fly about, faded but audible if you listen closely enough?  They flow above the chimneys, ride the sidewalks, slip through your jacket and shirt and breastbone and lungs, and pass out through the other side, the air a library and the record of every life lived, every sentence spoken, every word transmitted still reverberating within it.”

Are you gasping and sighing as I am even though I have read this many times?

It is such a good thing that Doerr created such short “chapters” that allow us the time to breathe and sigh and let the words sink in and absorb them into our souls.

Though confused a bit at first at how each “chapter” alternates between the tale of a blind French girl and a young German soldier during World War II, it slowly

and methodically

and heartbreakingly beautifully

comes together as the story goes on.

I loved the way Doerr heightened my own senses by expressing the most minute of details one becomes aware of when losing our sense of sight.

If you are a a reader, I hope you will consider this story that illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

And while we are on “the subject” of Veterans and Veteran’s Day, thank you to all of those that have served and are currently serving in our armed forces, and thank you to those whose lives we’ve lost in their pursuit of our freedom.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

I call your “Bluff”

/ Jodi / 7 Comments

bluffWhat a wonderful weekend we had!  As it winds down this Sunday evening, I am relaxing and reflecting on it all.

It started early on Friday with a late afternoon trip to Conneaut for “THE BEST BOOK CLUB EVER.”

“Oh Rob,” as I affectionately like to refer to our gracious co-host (who happens to be our cousin and one of our BFFs,  along with his amazing wife and one of my personal heroes, Joyce) has begun a blog of his own, which I encourage you to read:  Reflections.  Rob has such an endearing and though-provoking reflective perspective on life that you just can’t help but smile to think about him.

rob bc

I  daresay… even if you don’t like to read, you might just do it to be part of this amazing group! (As Joyce and Rob can attest as they have evolved into making room in their home for 30 or more people at times.)

It is a diverse and fascinating group of women AND men of all ages, backgrounds, professions and political views that comes together every couple months to drink a little wine, nosh on yummy treats (like these amazing flat bread, goat cheese, fresh fig and balsamic vinaigrette appetizers provided by the Vacavi Café where we met this month), and talk about the book we read, share how it affected us, explain what it meant to us, and explore our diverse experiences.

fig close upThis month’s book was chosen by our friend Laurie because it was written and self-published by a somewhat local author, Lenore Skomal, who was willing to come to our BEST BOOK CLUB EVER meeting and talk to us about her book.

And WOW – I might have to say this was the BEST Book Club of the BEST BOOK CLUB EVER!

As you may have guessed since I have begun this blog and since my profession is in Corporate Communications, I have a bit of an affinity for writing.

The topic of this book was also something that hit close to home on so many levels for me.

So the opportunity to get to meet the author, and to have her be such an amazing, engaging, REAL woman, was a surprising treat.

Heck – she is the one that officially named us “THE BEST BOOK CLUB EVER,” and even rode across the lake in Ed and Laurie’s boat with us to Rob and Joyce’s place for a night cap and continued intimate discussion.

lenore boat bc

So the book – “Bluff” by Lenore Skomal  -was born out of the author’s real-life experience with her mother’s end days’ experience of comatase in the hospital where physicians and staff spoke about her mom in her mom’s presence as if she weren’t there and couldn’t hear.  It made Lenore uncomfortable wondering how much her Mom could hear and comprehend and how it made her feel.

I was thoroughly intrigued, albeit at first taken aback, by Skomal’s representation of the book’s central character’s imprisonment in that “in-between” space teetering on death yet clinging to life in order to save the life of her unborn child – a choice made by the Catholic hospital staff where she is kept alive by medical intervention.  It was startling when I first heard Jude speak and hear what she had to say.  I will never look at or think of a person in a coma the same way and will be that much more reverent in their presence.

Bluff is quite a page-turner as each character develops and shockingly unfolds and reveals their own secrets, deceptions, and relation to the central theme.  The end will shock and startle you.  It will answer some questions, but raise that many more.  At first, it really threw me and made me think it was too much of a diversion from the original central theme, until we discussed it as a group and with the author, and I looked at the entire scope of subjects more globally – the secrets, the deceptions, the “bluffs.”  (And then to learn Part 2 is in progress where these characters continue to develop is exciting!)

Bluff was a perfect book club selection for those willing to discuss, debate, and truly delve into the most intriguing questions that plague us about the value of human life, life support, organ donation, and the ongoing debate and questions (even within the medical community) surrounding the consciousness of those in a coma.

It truly took Marty and I back to several years ago when we had the privilege of being with and loving Marty’s dear sister, Maureen, across the divide of this life to the next (or whatever we believe to be beyond this life) as we held her hands, whispered “I love you’s” and played soft soothing music.  You see, the hospice nurses caring for Maureen to told us they believed the last sense to go is that of hearing, so we made sure that with every last breath she took, Maureen heard our love.

As a “writer wannabe,” I was fascinated to speak with Lenore and learn about what it takes, the research involved in authenticating content, but most of all what drives us to want to write, how it affects us, and how it impacts those that read it.

I am grateful for the experience, recommend the book, and hope I have a new friend in Lenore Skomal.

And how ironic is it that the topic of this book is about  … Life in Between…

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi