The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

In order to position ourselves to stay on track for six books this year, Jennifer cracked the whip and organized a bookclub a mere three weeks after the previous meeting … IN THE SAME MONTH! The book pick was The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell. Amazingly, almost everyone showed up (we missed you, Amy). Liz even joined virtually on Skype. (This is the picture that Liz took from Texas.)

Generally, the book was well received as we all found it easy to read and intriguing enough to keep reading. There was some discussion about whether or not the ending was compelling. For some it was sweet justice; while others described plot modifications that they preferred better. Some comparisons were made between the two independent female characters and how their lives were shaped by the time in which they lived. We also discussed how appalling it was that women in earlier times could be committed to a mental institution for almost no reason at all.

We enjoyed discussing our own lives too: Lisa’s cake dilemma, Liz’s flower garden, Karen’s start up, Cathy’s ideal job title (Applied Attractionologist), Rebecca’s potential plans for the future (!), and Jennifer’s colored contacts.

All in all, it was a very pleasant bookclub and much appreciated given the very short notice. Hugs to everyone.

Valley of the Dolls

For our first book of 2014, Liz chose a classic:  Valley of the Dolls, by Jacqueline Susann.  It was written in the 1960s, and though I had heard of it, I knew nothing about it.  Here's the summary from Amazon:

Dolls: red or black; capsules or tablets; washed down with vodka or swallowed straight—for Anne, Neely, and Jennifer, it doesn’t matter, as long as the pill bottle is within easy reach. These three women become best friends when they are young and struggling in New York City and then climb to the top of the entertainment industry—only to find that there is no place left to go but down—into the Valley of the Dolls.

It was quite sensational for its time, discussing topics like sex and drugs in a way that had never been done before.  I found it quite interesting.

We all read the book and we all showed up!  (Eventually... Lisa forgot and we had to call her, but she made it!)  We met at Pasta Pomodoro in Noe Valley and enjoyed a long lunch with Brussels sprouts and risotto.  Karen brought along some wine from a friend's vineyard.  We have a friendly waiter who was nice enough to take our group photo--and then later we realized he'd taken a selfie!  Cracked us up.

Good book, good food, good company.  Pretty much sums it up.