September Senior Book Break
Subject : Books that take place in another country
Erte & New Erte In Full Color by Charles Spencer
Erte was an artist, born in Russia in 1892, who moved to Paris. Not a lot is known about his personal life, but he belonged to the art deco period. He is famous for his Harper’s Bazaar covers. He designed costumes for the Zigfield Follies and “Ben Hur,” the 1923 movie. The books are simply pages of his artworks, though he worked in other mediums as well. They are very dramatic and eye catching.
This led to a discussion of other art exhibits that our members had visited. A remembrance of the bus tours, locally, that used to be available before COVID, that allowed small towns like ours to travel cheaply and safely to art exhibits all throughout California, and how much they were enjoyed. Several trips were shared.
Waiting by Ha Jin
This book takes place in China. Ha Jin was called into the Army, but his father called him home because his mother was ill. Father had to maintain the farm and could not care for her. There was an arranged marriage, whereby the “wife” would care for the mother until he completed his military service. Eventually Ha Jin met someone he loved and asked for a divorce. This was refused. Somehow, after 10 years, he did manage to marry the woman he loved.
A difference in military duties from other countries were discussed. There was no compassionate leave in China.
Middlemarch by George Eliot (pen name for Mary Ann Evans)
A woman in the 1800s in England, had her “place’ in society.” Dorothea, an idealist, wanted to do something big, but because of her gender, could not. She finally marries an older man, who is writing his “great novel” but never completes his task. She dreams of being a muse, but is disillusioned. Our reader was not finished with the book, but was intrigued and will finish it soon.
Discussion was about the fact that the era of the Bronte sisters and Jane Austin and had similar ideologies. Women were not expected to be intelligent and have an opinion.
The Book Of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
It is Paris, 1943, occupied by Nazi Germany. A polish Jew and his wife escape to Paris before the war and have a naturalized daughter, Eva. While mother and Eva, who is in college, do a favor for a neighbor, the Gestapo arrests the father. Eva forces her mother to come with her to escape to safety in Switzerland. They end up in Aurignon, France, where Eva attempts to find a job to continue their journey. Mother does not understand the situation and resists. There are no jobs and she ends up joining the Resistance, attempting to smuggle Jewish children to safety. The book describes the many diverse French people who made up the Resistance and the many activities they were involved in. They attempted to make a code book out of old latin epistles and gospels, which gave names of the children before given false identities, their new identities. After the war if someone wanted to know who they were or for parents looking for their children, it would be available.
They are sold out and the book is lost. Eva ends up in the US and as a librarian, sees a notice of someone attempting to return books the Nazi’s had confiscated. It is their book. She leaves immediately to recover the book and arrives the same day as a Resistance colleague, who she had been in love with, shows up for the same reason. In the afterward it is explained that this is based on true events.
Discussion was the surprise that the book was based on facts. The extent of the diversity of the French Resistance and the lengths they went to save the Jews, is not well known. This book is in the Grover Beach Library.
We also welcomed a new member, Sylvia.
Our next meeting takes place October, at 10:30 a.m. The topic is Mystery