Book Group

We met last night to talk about The Little Women. We didn't totally pan it, but we did find lots to criticize. Some of the things we discussed:

No one liked the readers' notes interspersed throughout. One member of the group didn't even bother to read them.

The book seemed simplistic, perhaps because it was "written" by a 16-year-old. But the author (the real author, I mean) could have given us some wisdom or complexity along with Joanna's point of view.

And the whole premise of the story was annoying: these girls who could not forgive their parents for something that was over and done with, and ultimately none of their business. Especially when you think about the original Little Women, with its recurring themes of don't let the sun go down on your anger, keep your temper, etc.

We did like some of the peripheral characters, especially the photographer and the grandma. And I loved the description of the smell in the stairway of their apartment in New Haven: "body odor curry."

Next book: The Known World, which, conveniently, was one of my Chrismubirthdaykah presents.