The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Our book club chose this book and I have delved right into it.  It's an historical fiction novel set in the 1920's.  It's about Hadley Richardson Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway's first wife and their life in Paris.  The novel opens with Hadley in Chicago visiting some of her friends and Ernest is there too, so they meet one another among mutual friends at a party.  Their is an instant spark among Hadley and Hemingway and they continue to see one another until Hadley returns home to St. Louis, the following week.

Ernest says he'll write to Hadley and he does.  Sometimes 2 to 3 times a day!  Hadley is utterly absorbed by his letters and cannot wait to return to Chicago for another visit.  Meanwhile life in St. Louis isn't as exciting.  Hadley lives with her sister, Fonnie and her husband, and seems quite disinterested of the comings and goings of her life.  Her family history unfolds here.  Her father, a gambler and drinker, lost thousands of dollars on the stock market, and shortly afterward when he could not pay his debts, committed suicide.  Just as Hadley was to set off for Bryn Mawr, her oldest sister, Dorothea dies in a freak accident where most of body was badly burned in a fire she was trying to put out.  Hadley begins college but returns after one year, disengaged and unfocused she returns home to her mother.  Hadley's mother was ill with Bright's disease and it was a slow death.  Hadley cared for her mother as best as she could with the help of her sister, Fonnie, and put her mother to rest.  Hadley had a strained relationship with her mother - one that she thought her mother treated her as if she was completely incompetent.

Hadley returns for a second visit and it seems sweeter than the first.  She and Ernest have good times with friends and get to know each other even more.  Hadley enjoys time with friends at concerts, plays and parties and more time with Nesto.   During this time, she discovers some of Ernest's thoughts from being in the war, and in love with a nurse, his dislike of his mother, and his struggle to make it as a writer.   

November 22 - 20 minutes
November 23 - 20 minutes
November 25 - 30 minutes
November 26 - 45 minutes
        

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake no more. . .

Well, I continued to read this book in Hawaii, in the evenings before bed and then I read it on the airplane ride home and it was a red-eye flight.  Needless to say, I fell asleep.  The story never evolved or developed.  It continued with Rose eating packaged and processed foods because she was tired of tasting her Mother's affair and disinterest in her husband.  Rose, finally, did confront her Mother about the affair when her Mother went on a "work trip" to Nova Scotia.  It almost seemed too casual.  Her Mother's response, "Oh, I didn't realize you knew about that?"  Really, like affairs are that casual, especially when caught in the act by your 13 year old daughter?  Her brother, Joseph, was getting more and more strange.  He spent all his time in his room and would randomly disappear.  Rose's father remained distant and unaware of any affair or problems in the family.  This book fell so flat for me!  Thursday afternoon, I ran into one of my friends who is in the book club.  I asked her if she finished the book and she said she didn't; she couldn't, it was a boring read with nothing to offer.  I felt the same.  She told me how it ended.  Along with Rose's peculiar ability to taste others' feelings, her brother, Joseph had an ability to change himself into an inanimate object.  Hence, the reason Rose could not find her brother when he was supposedly babysitting her at home.  Her father could not step into a hospital because of his ability to "smell" disease or death.  And the mother?  No ability other than to cheat.  Hmmm. . . I rate this one star.  Don't waste your time with this book.     

The Particular Sadness continued. . .

Continuing with this book, I read it Friday on the airplane and this afternoon on the airplane.  I still feel I have not gotten to the meat of the matter with this book.  Background: Rose, the main character (she just turned 9) tasted her favorite piece of Lemon cake and was disturbed by the empty feelings she did not identify with.  

Well, this time, Rose tells about the relationship she has with her brother, Joseph.  Joseph is their Mother's favorite.  But Joseph is a bit odd.  By odd, Rose means he's too smart for his own good.  People cannot relate to him and he has very few friends.  Even Rose recalls only a handful of moments that were meaningful around her older brother.  She does remember, however, how her Mother would go to the school and pick up Joseph and they would run errands together and just talk.  Their Mother talked to Joseph as if he was an equal, a friend she felt she could confide in, not her 3rd grade son.  Joseph's teacher found out he did not have a series of doctors appointments, but that he was pulled out of school to go to the market and talk with his Mom.  Even though Joseph was clearly bored at school and not challenged, did not relate to anyone but his Mom, she was on Mom probation.  Rose and Joseph's father, an attorney, was very perplexed by the situation.  He took notes as he asked his wife, why she took Joseph out of school.  

This background information was provided because George, Joseph's only friend, takes an interest in Rose's peculiar problem.  George proposes an idea to to take Rose to the neighborhood bakery on Saturday and investigate her feelings in the food.  Much to Joseph's dismay, the 3 of them head to the bakery that Saturday.  Rose discovers she has feelings for George, or so she thinks!  She likes the attention George gives her; his interest in her food and identified emotions.  When biting into a chocolate chip cookie she tastes instant anger.  Sure enough, George finds out the baker hates his job, saying, "You'd be angry too if you just finished college and this was your first job."  Next, Rose tastes an oatmeal cookie, and with it a rushing to finish it.  Janet, who baked the oatmeal cookie, is always running late for work!  The final bite was of the the angry baker's sandwich. His girlfriend had made it and as soon as Rose took a bite, she set it down immediately and says,  "the sandwich was yelling for you to love it."

George concludes as they walk home that Rose can identify feelings that people don't know about or don't want others to know about. . .

November 4 - 40 minutes
November 6 - 50 minutes
 

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

Our book club decided on this book because the last book we read was a little heavy and no one else had any other suggestions!  The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake takes place in Los Angeles and though it has not specified, I am guessing it takes place in the 1980's.  The main character, Rose, turns 9 years old and as she tastes her favorite cake her Mom made for her she uncovers strong feelings in her piece of cake.  Feelings that she is having trouble identifying with.  Her favorite cake, lemon laced with layers of chocolate frosting feels incredibly empty like when your restricted to diet food.  You crave something more fulfilling and rich but can't have it.  Perplexed by this mix of feelings and emotions Rose has, she visits the school nurse the next day.  The nurse asks, "Do you think your fat?  Are you throwing up food after you eat?"  Rose leaves the school nurse feeling even more confused.  

George, a friend of Rose's brother, takes an interest in Rose's peculiar problem.  When  the three of them get home, George takes out a notebook and begins to record everything Rose eats and the feelings associated with the food she eats.  Most everything tastes bland until she sneaks a piece of toast from her brother's plate.  Suddenly she senses rage and also a detached feeling.  How strange!  It is so powerful, she has to spit it out!

I am enjoying the book so far, yet I am not very far into it.  I really enjoy reading books that have children as the main character.  I love this perspective.  It gives me some nostalgia.   

October 24 - 20 minutes

October 26 - 20 minutes

October 29 - 20 minutes

October 30 - 30 minutes