Villette by Charlotte Brontë

“I believe in some blending of hope and sunshine sweetening the worst lots. I believe that this life is not all; neither the beginning nor the end. I believe while I tremble; I trust while I weep.” 

― Charlotte Bronte, Villette

Charlotte Brontë was born on April 21st of 1816 in Market Street, Thornton, west of Bradford in the West Riding of Yorkshire to an Irish Anglican clergyman, Patrick Brontë and his wife, Maria.

In 1820 when she was 4 years old, Charlotte’s family moved to Haworth on the edge of the moors in West Yorkshire, England, where her father was appointed perpetual curate of St. Michael and All Angels Church.  The moors and surrounding Yorkshire locale thereafter became highly influential to Charlotte’s development as she grew up and her subsequent writing was filled with their beauty and stark isolation. All three author sisters - Charlotte, Emily & Anne - drew heavily from their surroundings and the loneliness of the landscape featured as a haunting presence in all of their works.

It seemed that death was a close companion of the Brontë family throughout Charlotte’s life with the loss of their mother in 1821 and the two oldest daughters, Maria and Elizabeth in 1825, who both died of tuberculosis while still children.

After Charlotte’s mother passed away in 1821, their Aunt Elizabeth came to oversee the children and house, but even so, it appears that the Brontë children spent a great deal of time alone together and began to create stories and characters in their seclusiveness. 

“But solitude is sadness.'

'Yes; it is sadness. Life, however, has worse than that. Deeper than melancholy lies heart-break.” 

― Charlotte Brontë, Villette

All of the Brontë children were avid readers and all retreated into a rich fantasy life which fed into their writing - whether poetry or prose. Charlotte drew heavily on life experiences of her own and wove them into her works - whether it was the damp & dismal conditions at the Clergy Daughters’ School at Cowan Bridge, her brief stints as a governess or her teaching role at a school.

Charlotte was the eldest to survive to adulthood out of the five Brontë daughters and brother, Branwell, and she lived the longest out of all six children.  She remained at the parsonage at Haworth with the elderly Patrick Brontë until she was married at 38 years old to Arthur Bell Nichols, her father’s curate. 

Within nine months, however, she had died due to complications in pregnancy.  Her death was reported as being tuberculosis - the family illness - but more recent medical analysis has determined that it was hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition which is treatable today.

We all have our own perceptions of the Brontë sisters; Charlotte, Emily and Anne.  Their works are some of the most read, debated and beloved in literature.  For three fairly secluded young women, their writing was deep, involved, psychological and worldly.

“If life be a war, it seemed my destiny to conduct it single-handed.” 

― Charlotte Bronte, Villette

Villette - Charlotte’s third published work and the last published during her lifetime - was originally published in 1853 in 3 volumes. Like Jane Eyre, Villette is  a psychologically complex workalthough it also follows threads of Gothic romance, so popular at the time. Protagonist, Lucy Snow is a memorable character and is one of the most honest heroines of the literary time.

There is much about the storyline that bears a heavy resemblance to a period of Charlotte’s own life and her experiences in Brussels, Belgium where Charlotte and Emily were both enrolled in a boarding school. In exchange for board and tuition, Charlotte taught English and Emily music.  

With major themes of intense isolation, social repression and internal conflict, the work Villette bears many similarities to Charlotte’s life and her time spent in Belgium.  She and Emily were foreigners, Protestant instead of Catholic like others at the school and Charlotte apparently struggled with an attraction for the married head of the school, Constantin Héger.

Many readers view Villette as being an even better novel than Jane Eyre - but has it stood the test of time and popularity as such?

No mockery in this world ever sounds to me so hollow as that of being told to cultivate happiness. What does such advice mean? Happiness is not a potato, to be planted in mould, and tilled with manure. Happiness is a glory shining far down upon us out of Heaven. She is a divine dew which the soul, on certain of its summer mornings, feels dropping upon it from the amaranth bloom and golden fruitage of Paradise.

― Charlotte Bronte, Villette

SANDITON by Jane Austen

“But Sanditon itself — everybody has heard of Sanditon. The favourite — for a young and rising bathing-place — certainly the favourite spot of all that are to be found along the coast of Sussex; the most favoured by nature, and promising to be the most chosen by man.”  

Mr. Parker

In January of 1817 Jane Austen began a new work which she entitled The Brothers.  By mid-March however,  the eleven completed chapters were paused and never finished - most likely due to her advancing illness.

The current title, Sanditon was used amongst the Austen family, although both remaining copies of the manuscript are marked Untitled.  James Edward Austen-Leigh, one of Jane Austen’s nephews, referred to the work in 1871 — the first that it was mentioned in public — with a summary and quotations when he released a second edition of his Memoir of Jane Austen and in 1925 it was published as Jane left it under the title, Fragment of a Novel, which was edited by R.W. Chapman.

“Those who tell their own story, you know, must be listened to with caution. When you see us in contact, you will judge for yourself.” 

Mr. Parker

Numerous attempts have been made through the years at imagining the rest of the story, beginning with Jane’s niece, Anna Lefroy. The unfinished novel now known as Sanditon was definitely a different premise than most of Austen’s other works.  The seaside resort setting with emerging themes of business ventures, health and hypochondria, greed and ambition were newer areas for Jane Austen’s writing and it would be fascinatiing to see how she would have developed and completed this storyline!

Beloved author Jane Austen was born December 16, 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire in England to a rector father from an old and well-respected family of wool merchants who had fallen into poverty and a mother from the prominent and highly-connected Leigh family. George Austen received a modest income from the living to the Steventon parish and depended on assistance and support from relatives along with farming and the tutoring of young boys who boarded in the Austen household. 

Although money was ever an issue, the Austen household was filled with intellectual conversation, amused considerations of social and political interests and easy debate. Their home was frequented with visits from friends and family with news of travels, fashionable life in London and Bath - all of which Jane digested and which ultimately found their way into her works.

In the midst of a very affectionate family, Jane and her sister Cassandra in particular had a deep and devoted relationship and hated to be apart. Other than a few relatively short stays at boarding schools, they were primarily educated by reading at home with some guidance from their father and older brothers.  Her father always gave her unrestricted access to the library and provided both Jane and her sister with drawing materials and paper for writing.

Jane loved to write and experimented with different “voices” and mediums.  She filled bound notebooks with parodies of current historical writing or the wildly romantic fiction of the day (which she disliked).  She wrote poems, short stories, comedic plays and began trying the drafting of novels - all of which is now referred to as her Juvenilia.

It wasn’t until her 30s that Austen began to anonymously publish her works.  She, her mother and her sisters had settled with her brother Edward in the village of Chawton within his Hampshire estate and Jane Austen began her most serious period of readying some existing manuscripts for publication.  She published four well-received novels during her time there.

Most published writers of her day were men but Jane Austen brought a new voice to her literature of the day.  She presented the everyday and the ordinary life of a woman of her station in Britain.  She didn’t delve into the political or fill her works with the crimes or wars that were a part of her day and time, but wrote about the simple plight of the single female in a world that left her materially dependent on others.

It is the lasting greatness of Jane Austen’s works that - regardless of the century, continent or person - we can each find ourselves in her carefully constructed characters.  We have all most likely had our Willoughbys or Henry Crawfords - but if we are very blessed, we sometimes find our Edwards, Darcys or our Colonel Brandons to be our companions.

Sir Edward’s great object in life was to be seductive. With such personal advantages as he knew himself to possess, and such talents as he did also give himself credit for, he regarded it as his duty. He felt that he was formed to be a dangerous man, quite in the line of the Lovelaces Sir Edward’s great object in life was to be seductive. 

The Narrator

We don’t know as much as we would like about Jane Austen - her life, her thoughts, her loves.…  Her sister, Cassandra was a fierce protector of Jane, and is thought to have destroyed over two thirds of Austen’s letters before her own death, leaving only about 160 letters for our study - none of which were written before Jane turned 20.  Some of the redacted letters that remained even had sections cut out and ultimately revealed extremely little about what she thought about her family, her friends, politics and religion.  

It is possible, however to hear Jane Austen’s heart in her published works and not only that, but her satirical nudges at society, her burden of monetary dependence on others and her appreciation of honor and kindness.  She was a ground-breaking writer for her time - yet before she died, none of her works were published in her name.

Jane Austen died at 41 years old is buried in Winchester Cathedral with the inscription:

In Memory of JANE AUSTEN, youngest daughter of the late Revd GEORGE AUSTEN, formerly Rector of Steventon in this County. She departed this Life on the 18th of July 1817, aged 41, after a long illness supported with the patience and the hopes of a Christian. The benevolence of her heart, the sweetness of her temper, and the extraordinary endowments of her mind obtained the regard of all who knew her and the warmest love of her intimate connections. Their grief is in proportion to their affection, they know their loss to be irreparable, but in their deepest affliction they are consoled by a firm though humble hope that her charity, devotion, faith and purity have rendered her soul acceptable in the sight of her REDEEMER.

There is nothing in this original inscription that celebrates her lasting contribution as a profoundly important writer, but simply honors her wealth of value as a beloved daughter, sister and friend.

Among other points of moralising reflection which the sight of this tete-a-tete produced, Charlotte could not but think of the extreme difficulty which secret lovers must have in finding a proper spot for their stolen interviews. 

The Narrator

As we revisit our beloved Jane Austen in our Winter Book Breakfast choice of the unfinished Sanditon - a work that has received significant attention over the last few years as a result of the PBS series, which was wildly based on the Austen novel.  We have read all of the Jane Austen novels over the years - but not this one!  This should be a great addition and give way to interesting discussion!  We will be discussing this book on Saturday, January 28th, 2023.  This is a shorter work - there is plenty of time to read this one!

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

If you love disappearing into a great story - you will truly love any & every book written by Australian writer, Kate Morton.

Author of six novels - all of which have been New York Times bestsellers - Kate’s books have been #1 bestsellers around the world and have been published in 42 countries and in 34 languages.  She is known as one of Australia’s biggest publishing exports.

What has made her such a beloved writer amongst her fans?  Her depth of storyline transcends countries and languages.  She has a gift for transporting us into another time and another life, often weaving seamlessly between characters and time periods. She takes us on a journey that lends itself to colorful mysteries and satisfying surprises, and is a master at creating a pleasing atmospheric experience.

Born in a small town in South Australia, Kate’s family moved several times until they settled on Tamborine Mountain, which became a place that allowed Kate Morton’s imagination to flourish. She credits her journey as a writer to the love that she had as a child for the joys of reading and the happiness that she experienced losing herself in the stories that she read.

Published in July of 2013, The Secret Keeper is my favorite Kate Morton novel, with The Forgotten Garden a close second. The book begins with 16-year-old Laurel Nicolson hidden in a treehouse reading.  She witnesses a murder that changes her life and challenges the core of who she is and how she views her beloved mother.  As an adult, she begins a search for the truth and what she discovers will only be found as she delves into the past.

When asked to describe The Secret Keeper in one sentence, Kate Morton said:

“Shifting between the 1930s, the 1960s and present, The Secret Keeper is a spellbinding story of mysteries and secrets, theatre and thievery, murder and enduring love.”

The Jane Austen Tea Society’s Summer Book choice is a wonderful read  - The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton with a Book Breakfast & Discussion to take place on Saturday the 30th of July at 10am.

Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith

“There was so much life then. Well it is gone now. Like chimney smoke into thin air.”

Ivy Rowe to Danny Ray Rowe

Published in 1988, Fair and Tender Ladies is undoubtably Lee Smith’s most well-known and most beloved novel.  A seasoned Southern storyteller - Lee Smith’s sense of a place and its people are at their finest in this epistolary work which chronicles the life of Virginia Mountain native, Ivy Rowe. 

Lee Smith’s writing is a rich blend of humor and insight into the people and culture of Appalachia.  She has a simple and honest way of exposing the mountain culture hardships and flaws but doing so with a deep affection for the South and its people.

Born in a small, coal-mining town in the Appalachian mountains, Lee Smith’s keen and loving observance of her culture  - and her careful listening to the stories told around her have given birth to 15 novels and 4 collections of short stories, garnering multiple awards and recognition.

But out of all her works - Ms Smith’s most devoted readers seem to all agree that Ivy Row is the best of her many well-crafted characters.

Poor and one of nine children in the family, Ivy was born with a pure and innate love of literature and an undaunted drive to learn.  Her prospects for bettering her life were slim in the sheltered turn of the century mountain area where she began her life but she developed a creative outlet for herself in the lengthy & involved letters written throughout her life to friends and family and these letters give us the storyline to her life.

Ivy often dreams of far-off places that she longs to see but her letters strongly present a moving picture of the community where she lives — the local customs, food and folktales such as Whitebear Whittington, Old Dry Fry or Mutsmag. A fiercely independent person - Ivy doesn’t always conform to common ways of thinking around her - but perseverance becomes one of her strongest tools to survive.

As Ivy progresses through her life, she encounters many of the same obstacles to personal growth as other young women around her, who struggle to keep their children fed and clothed. As Ivy’s time becomes more and more occupied with working, chores and eventually, children her chances to read and learn become more rare.  

Ivy Rowe never had much in the way of possessions and didn’t seem to really want them - but as a young unwed mother, the birth of her first child gave her something rare and unique in her life - 

“Miss Maynard, do not pity me.

Do not even bother to dislike me, nor pity me, nor anything else, because I do not need anything from you, nor want it either.

My little baby Joli Rowe was born September 10, 1918. She is all mine. I have never had a thing of my own before. She is the most beautiful baby in the world.

So, I pity you!”

Ivy Rowe to Miss Mabel Maynard

This book is a Southern Lit classic for a reason.  There is plenty of time – start reading!

The Jane Austen Tea Society has happily returned to a study of a Southern classic - Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith with a Spring Book Breakfast & Discussion to take place on Saturday the 30th of April at 10am.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

“Neighbors bring food with death, and flowers with sickness, and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a knife, and our lives.”

Narrator Scout Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird

It’s a lyrical work that never fails to sound a chord deep within most of its readers.  We each find ourselves meeting the tale that it tells from our own well of history and experience. And if you are a Southerner - you might hear something more — something deep and searching, familiar and innate.

My first experience with To Kill A Mockingbird was watching the movie as a little girl.  I loved Scout.  I trembled at the thought of the Radley house.  And my young mind grappled inadequately with the courtroom scene and the issues that were unforgettably dealt with there.

But later when I read the book To Kill A Mockingbird as an adult - I found a new and profound respect and appreciation for the quality of word crafting that makes up this work. It is the kind of writing that makes you feel - and it’s nearly impossible to read it without the tense jangling of your nerves or the warm stroking of emotion.

Published in 1960, winner of a Pulitzer Prize and translated into more than 40 languages with sales of over 40 million copies - To Kill A Mockingbird has a solid place in American classic literature and is on countless required reading lists across North America.

Narrated by 6-year-old Scout Finch, the novel’s storyline weaves through themes of racial prejudice, relationships in an old Southern family, societal views of class and poverty in 1930s Alabama and even just the day to day growing pains of children in a small town where they are often labeled by family histories.

"First of all," he said, "if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view ... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." 

Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird

As the novel progresses, we follow the world of Scout and her family but also the growing obsession that Scout, her brother, Jem & their young neighbor Dill have for a mysterious recluse neighbor, Boo Radley.  

When Scout’s father steps up to represent Tom Robinson, a black man accused of beating and raping a young white women -  we walk through the rocky and multifaceted territory of prejudice, hate, ignorance and fear but with Harper Lee’s skillful writing, we are also able to witness courage and strength of character. 

"Well, most folks seem to think they’re right and you’re wrong … They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect for their opinions," said Atticus, "but before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience." 

Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee - born Nelle Harper Lee in Monroeville, Alabama in 1926 - wrote about a world that she knew and people that were familiar.  Her work reveals a South that she deeply loves and yet recognizes in its raw, flawed & damaging prejudices.

Lee wrote To Kill A Mockingbird in a cold-water NY flat, submitted it to a publisher in 1957 and then spent 2 and a half years in revisions - but upon publication, it received almost immediate acclaim.

The characters in the novel are well-developed and memorable.  As we read - Scout and her brother, Jem somehow feel familiar to us through their struggles, triumphs, lessons and fears.  Atticus Finch - a moral compass of the novel - is a father and a man to be loved and admired —  and has become a famous figure in literature for his strong character and innate kindness.  The Finch family housekeeper, Calpurnia, brings a gentle but firm guidance to Scout and Jem’s motherless lives as she teaches them consideration of others and basic manners.  The innocent playfulness of young Dill - based on Harper Lee’s lifelong friend, Truman Capote - and the other various neighbors who surround them are richly drawn and worth a savor as you read.  This important work manages to skillfully portray both the soft gentility of small town Southern life and the meanness of spirit that dirt-poor poverty can create when unaccompanied by education.

This book is a classic for a reason.  There is plenty of time – start reading!

The Jane Austen Tea Society has happily returned to a study of a Southern classic - To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee with a Winter Book Breakfast & Discussion to take place on Saturday the 22nd of January at 10am.

"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." 

Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

“There was not one lord in the neighborhood; no — not even a baronet.  There was not one family among their acquaintance who had reared and supported a boy accidentally found at their door — not one young man whose origin was unknown.  Her father had no ward, and the squire of the parish no children.

But when a young lady is to be a heroine, the perverseness of forty surrounding families cannot prevent her.  Something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way.”

Of Catherine Morland, our would-be heroine

Northanger Abbey

As Jane Austen characters go, Catherine Morland has never been a favorite of mine.

Granted, she was an avid reader — a trait close to my heart — but also a dreamer who found herself confusing reality with the lurid gothic novels that were her obsession. 

Catherine was from modest means, one of ten children born to a country parson. She was normally “pleasing” in appearance and only pronounced “pretty” when she was absolutely at her best.

“No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy, would have supposed her born to be an heroine. Her situation in life, the character of her father and mother, her own person and disposition, were all equally against her.”

Northanger Abbey – Chapter 1

However - below Catherine’s unremarkable exterior beat a heart that dreamed wildly of dark brooding mysteries, untamed heroes and dungeons filled with… well, she wasn’t quite sure, having been soundly brought up as a clergyman’s daughter.

But we all know that immense, vivid and unknown worlds open up when you lift the cover of a book.  And if you happen to admire the novels of Ann Radcliffe as Catherine did, you could easily believe that the Abbey that you are visiting might just hold the mysterious “horrors” that haunt your daydreams.

The Jane Austen works Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice were in process and amidst revisions when Jane Austen completed a book that she initially entitled Susan. Written in 1798 – 1799 and revised for the press in 1803, Miss Austen sold this work for £10 to a bookseller in Bath. He allowed Susan to languish on his shelves until 1816 when Jane’s brother Henry purchased it back into their control, with the bookseller woefully unaware that the writer of this novel now had four popular novels released and much admired.

Jane Austen crafted revisions and changed the book title to Catherine after the heroine was renamed.  But after her death in July of 1817, Jane’s brother posthumously published the work later in the year with the title Northanger Abbey as the first two of a four-volume set, which also included Persuasion.

There is a comic lightness to Northanger Abbey but also a serious undercurrent of what may happen when life is lived without realistic awareness and evaluation.  There can be a danger in believing that life is the same as fiction or even in the simple act of believing everything that you hear without first exercising a balanced discernment regarding the speaker or subject.

The Jane Austen Tea Society has happily returned to a study of one of Jane Austen lesser- read works - our beloved Regency author’s works  - Northanger Abbey with an Autumn Book Breakfast & Discussion to take place on Saturday the 23rd of October at 10am.

There is plenty of time – start reading!

“A well-informed mind is the best security against the contagion of folly and vice. The vacant mind is ever on the watch for relief, and ready to plunge into error, to escape from the languor of idleness. Store it with ideas, teach it the pleasure of thinking; and the temptations of the world without, will be counteracted by the gratifications derived from the world within.”

Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho

Favorite Books of 2020

There were many factors that made 2020 a big reading year for me and I found myself delving into many various genres, which I loved.  Since I share each book that I am reading on social media - I have been asked many times to talk about my favorite reads — so here we go!

Strong Storyline, Character & Plot:

The Chief Inspector Gamache Series - Louise Penny

After a strong recommendation by my smart sister, Carol, I began with the first book in the Gamache series - Still Life - in July of 2019 and very quickly put them into a reading priority, finishing the first 15 books by March of 2020.  The character development in Louise Penny’s books is the strongest that I have experienced in a series since I fell in love with the Harry Potters years ago.  Most of the now 16 books are primarily set in a small Canadian village in Quebec’s Eastern Townships called Three Pines and the overriding hero of all of the books is the Chief Inspector of Homicide for the Sûreté du Quebec, Armand Gamache. Among the many appealing characters that Louise Penny has created for this series, Gamache is the cream of the crop.  He is someone so kind and dependable, so loving and respectable — that you find yourself reading each book - in some ways - just to know him better.  But there is so much more to these books. They have a sense of place that is very pleasing (you seriously want to live in Three Pines and eat at the Bistro!) with well-written & interesting storylines that make you want to sink deeply into your armchair with a big cup of tea and no plans for the evening…. or the month.

The Giver Of Stars - Jojo Moyes

As a longtime book lover - there was so much about this novel that appealed to me.  The writing is wonderfully crafted and draws you into the lives of several women living in Kentucky during the American Depression who devoted themselves to delivering library books to people in the remote, poverty-stricken hills surrounding their small town. Based on a true story, it has the threads of friendship, strength of purpose and love of literature running all the way through it.  And the women are delivering books on horseback — what’s not to like about that?

Once Upon A River - Diane Setterfield

I very much enjoyed the atmospheric quality of this book.  The writing was lyrical, highly creative and a pleasingly effective vehicle to carry the story.  I find that when I read a book, my enjoyment is often carried by whether or not I like any of the characters.  In this novel there were some wonderfully-drawn people that you looked forward to the story touching as their stories and the overall tale wove on.  This novel was like the winding and building of a river and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

Deeply Crafted & With A Memorable Writing Voice

Ava’s Man - Rick Bragg

I read this book years ago, but reread it in 2020 as part of a book club choice.  It reads like a novel but in truth is a colorful portrait of Rick Bragg’s hard-living, largely uneducated moonshiner grandfather, Charlie Bundrum, who supported his wife and eight children during the Great Depression by working as roofer, bootlegger, carpenter, general laborer & skilled fisherman who could catch catfish (and even squirrels) with his hand.  Ava’s Man is a book that will make you hungry for cornbread and pinto beans; for catfish and hush puppies and darkly sweet iced tea. You will begin to remember hot, dusty summers and the shock of cold creek water as it closed over your head.  If you are a Southerner , it is easy to find yourself in the well-crafted writing of any of Rick’s works, but Ava’s Man is especially fertile and ripe for remembering your own family history - wherever your origin.  If you subscribe to the popular magazine Southern Living, then most likely you - like me - have yanked the latest issue straight from the mailbox and opened up to the last page to read Rick Bragg’s column, Southern Journal. Anyone born anywhere due south of Maryland will understand Rick’s flavorful, sometimes sobering and always humorous references to life in the South — and if you weren’t born in the South, you will definitely garner a new understanding of the people of the region.

My Reading Life - Pat Conroy

One of my favorite things to do is read — so I especially love to link arms with another avid reader and hear their thoughts, suggestions and particular loves when it comes to books. As a matter of fact - if I see anyone at a coffeeshop or on a park bench with a book — it’s all that I can do not to stop and ask them what they are reading…  But there are two books that I have read that make me realize that I am a dismal lightweight in the Bookworm Hall of Fame.  One of these books is 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (I especially cherish the audio version and have it on my iPhone) and the other is My Reading Life by Pat Conroy.  This must-read gives Pat’s thoughts on his most-beloved books, cites references to his well-developed reading habits and scatters his incredible anecdotes along the way. There is something in Pat Conroy’s writing that sounds a deep common chord in me — language that is nearly tactile & vividly sensory. It has the ability to both bring me to tears in one minute and then have me laughing out loud in the next. Every visit that I made to Charleston while Pat Conroy was alive, found me peering about in restaurants or while browsing in Charleston bookstores - hoping to see him.  I wanted so desperately to meet him…. and in this book, I feel a bit as though I have.

Themes That Beckon Us To Be Better People

We Were The Lucky Ones - Georgia Hunter

This novel was inspired by the true story of the author’s Jewish grandfather and of his family’s experiences during World War II.  Opening before Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939, this work does an excellent job of putting us within a place, culture and time and then taking us on a breathless journey with this extended family.  Through them we gain a better understanding of what Jewish people encountered and suffered during the Holocaust - whether it involved enforced labor in Nazi factories, hiding in people’s homes, hunger, hardship or exile.  And because it is such a well-written book, our emotions and sympathies are drawn in as we follow the expertly-drawn characters. While reading this book, I didn’t realize that it was based on a true story - so was amazed to find that out at the end of the story.  I think that made it even more important a read to me.

Before We Were Yours - Lisa Wingate

Another eye-opening work based on real life events, Lisa Wingate’s novel delves into the lives of children who were separated from their birth parents and placed out for adoption for profit. The author relays the story through the experiences of two primary characters - one living in the late 1930s in Memphis and the other in present day South Carolina. The story is based on the infamous director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, Georgia Tann, who kidnapped and sold children from poverty to wealthy families around the country.  There were moments in the books when I literally held my breath.

Some of these books I purchased and some I picked up curbside at our local library - but I want to use this moment to encourage you to buy from your small local bookstore — it will help them and you will enjoy your reading (and reader supply) purchases!  

Here in Nashville we have Parnassus Books- https://www.parnassusbooks.net.  They have been very proactive in helping us to shop and remain safe during the pandemic.  But I also love to support Books-A-Million and Barnes & Noble.  It’s so important to have brick & mortar stores that we can always walk into to hold the books in our hands and ask for recommendations.

Happy Reading in 2021!!!