Loving that this comes with a spoiler warning...
Caution! It is likely that the following reading guide will reveal, or at least allude to, key plot details. Therefore, if you haven’t yet read this book, but are planning on doing so, you may wish to proceed with caution to avoid spoiling your later enjoyment.
Introduction
Real people are really complicated," says Jocelyn, the founder of the "Central Valley/River City all-Jane-Austen-all-the-time book club." And the members of her newly founded book club certainly prove this to be true. Each has a story to tell, and much like an Austen novel, the intricate plots that are their own lives are slowly revealed. There's Sylvia, Jocelyn's friend of forty years, who is in the midst of a painful divorce. Her daughter, Allegra, beautiful, vivacious, a "creature of extremes" who finds her thrills through skydiving and rock-climbing but can't seem to find love. There's Bernadette, the oldest member at sixty-seven, a woman who has married well, several times at that, and even had a brush with fame, but currently looks disheveled and distracted. Prudie is the only member who's currently married. She's a high school French teacher and a great believer in organization, and finds comfort in her lists when life feels overwhelming. Grigg is in his early forties, yet his older sisters still feel protective of him, hoping to rescue him from the legacy of their father. And last, there's Jocelyn. Never married, she has a keen interest in the happiness of others and is constantly playing matchmaker. In fact, this could be her underlying motivation for inviting Grigg, the only member of the group who's never before read Austen. Or perhaps she thinks the book club will serve as a distraction for Sylvia. After all, who better to heal one's pain than Jane Austen?
Discussion Questions
1) The author opens the novel with a quote from Jane Austen, part of which reads, "Seldom, very seldom does complete truth belong to any human disclosure." Do you agree with this sentiment? Why do you think the author chooses to open the novel with this quote? How might this statement apply to each of the characters in the book?
2) When the group is first being formed, Bernadette suggests that it should consist exclusively of women: "The dynamic changes with men. They pontificate rather than communicate. They talk more than their share." (page 3). What do you think of her statement? How does Grigg affect the group's dynamic? How would things have been different without him?
3) While the group is reading Sense and Sensibility and discussing Mrs. Dashwood, Sylvia mentions that "the problems of older women don't interest most writers" (page 46) and is thrilled that Austen seems to care. Do you agree with this, that most writers aren't interested in older women? What about society in general? How does Fowler approach older women? Later, Prudie says that "An older man can still fall in love. An older woman better not." (page 47) Do you agree? How does Fowler deal with this issue?
4) On page 228 Sylvia asks, "Why should unhappiness be so much more powerful than happiness?" How would you answer her? How does each character find her/his own happiness in the novel?
5) The book club meets from March through August. How does the group change over these six months? "I always like to know how a story ends," Bernadette says on page 199. How do you think this story ends (the "epilogue to the epilogue")? Does Bernadette have a happy marriage with Senor Obando? Do Allegra and Corinne stay together? How about Jocelyn and Grigg? Daniel and Sylvia?
6) At the end of the novel, Jocelyn reluctantly agrees to read some science fiction, including the work of Ursula Le Guin, and really likes it. What other authors do you think the group might like? Although they would have to change the name of their group, what author would you suggest for the Central Valley/River City all-Jane-Austen-all-the-time book club to read next? What do you suggest for your own group?
7) If you're new to Jane Austen, are you now interested in reading her work? Based on what you've learned from Karen Jay Fowler, which novel would you go to first? If you are already a "dedicated Janeite," how has reading The Jane Austen Book Club made you feel about your favorite author? How would you describe your own "private Austen"? What novel would you recommend to first-time readers of Austen?
NB: Page numbers are from the hardcover edition. They may vary in the paperback edition
Friday 27 July 2007
Jane Austen Book Club Guff
Some inspiration for us:
The Jane Austen Book Club
Karen Joy Fowler
From the Jacket
Nothing ever moves in a straight line in Karen Joy Fowler's fiction, and in her latest, the complex dance of modern love has never been so devious or so much fun.
Six Californians join to discuss Jane Austen's novels. Over the six months they meet, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become suitable, and love happens. With her finely sighted eye for the frailties of human behavior and her finely tuned ear for the absurdities of social intercourse, Fowler has never been wittier nor her characters more appealing. The result is a delicious dissection of modern relationships.
Dedicated Austenites will delight in unearthing the echoes of Austen that run through the novel, but most readers will simply enjoy the vision and voice that, despite two centuries of separation, unite two great writers of brilliant social comedy.
Reviews
Kirkus Reviews - Bright, engaging, dexterous literary entertainment for everyone, though with many special treats and pleasures for Janeites.
Booklist - Donna Seaman. Fowler, a captivating and good-hearted satirist, exuberantly pays homage to and matches wits with Jane Austen in her most pleasurable novel to date by portraying six irresistible Californians who meet once a month to discuss Austen's six novels. Fellow Austenites will love Fowler's fluency in the great novelist's work; every reader will relish Fowler's own ebullient comedy of manners, and who knows how many book clubs will be inspired by this charming paean to books and readers.
BookPage - Though Fowler takes Austen as her inspiration, she clearly possesses her own unique voice and gift for storytelling.
San Francisco Chronicle - Karen Joy Fowler deserves every success this savvy, episodic but chamois-smooth novel can bring.
Time Out New York - Fowler has fashioned a deft, witty multiple-character study and closely observed comedy of romantic manners.
The New York Times Sunday Book Review - What results is Fowler's shrewdest, funniest fiction yet, a novel about how we engage with a novel. You don't have to be a student of Jane Austen to enjoy it, either. At the end are plot synopses of all six Austen novels for the benefit of the forgetful, the uninitiated or the nostalgic.
The Washington Post - It's just as hard to explain quite why The Jane Austen Book Club is so wonderful. But that it is wonderful will soon be widely recognized, indeed, a truth universally acknowledged.
The New York Times Book Review - What strikes one first is the voice robust, sly, witty, elegant, unexpected.
The New York Times - The thoughts are more than literary discussion. They bring out the characters and emotions of the participants along with the tensions and sympathies that flit and filter among them. Ms. Fowler has the genial notion to see in the book club — that newish American cultural phenomenon — a society resembling nothing so much as one of those sets of country gentry among which Austen constructed a social comedy where irony stiffens sentiment, and pain is a cool afterthought.
Karen Joy Fowler Biography
Karen Joy Fowler was born in February 1950 in Bloomington, Indiana where her father was a professor of psychology. She says "Bloomington lives in my mind as a sort of Oz-like place where I caught fireflies and watched lightning and ran around. None of the yards were fenced, so we could play games that covered massive amounts of territory." When she was 11 her family moved to Palo Alto, California.
She majored in political science at the University of California at Berkeley and her first baby at twenty-three during the last year of her master's program (at the University of Davis). After completing her master degree she entered what she refers to as her 'child-rearing years' - until the age of 30 when she started to feel restless and took a dance class to reclaim some space for herself - as she says 'it was only after I realized that I wasn't going to make it as a dancer that I took a creative writing class in Davis."
She started to publish science fiction stories and made herself a name in the sci-fi community with the publication of Artificial Things (short stories). This was followed by the novels, Sarah Canary and The Sweetheart Season.
In 1991, with sci-fi writer Pat Murphy, she created the James Tiptree Jr Memorial Award which, to quote Fowler, 'is presented annually to a short story or novel that explores or expands our understanding of gender...both to honor Alice Sheldon [the science fiction author who used the pen name James Tiptree] and to remind the field of its own importance in the continual struggle to re-imagine more livable sexual roles for ourselves.'
Karen lives in Davis and writes full time. Her most recent book, The Jane Austin Book Club, was published in 2004.
The Jane Austen Book Club
Karen Joy Fowler
From the Jacket
Nothing ever moves in a straight line in Karen Joy Fowler's fiction, and in her latest, the complex dance of modern love has never been so devious or so much fun.
Six Californians join to discuss Jane Austen's novels. Over the six months they meet, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become suitable, and love happens. With her finely sighted eye for the frailties of human behavior and her finely tuned ear for the absurdities of social intercourse, Fowler has never been wittier nor her characters more appealing. The result is a delicious dissection of modern relationships.
Dedicated Austenites will delight in unearthing the echoes of Austen that run through the novel, but most readers will simply enjoy the vision and voice that, despite two centuries of separation, unite two great writers of brilliant social comedy.
Reviews
Kirkus Reviews - Bright, engaging, dexterous literary entertainment for everyone, though with many special treats and pleasures for Janeites.
Booklist - Donna Seaman. Fowler, a captivating and good-hearted satirist, exuberantly pays homage to and matches wits with Jane Austen in her most pleasurable novel to date by portraying six irresistible Californians who meet once a month to discuss Austen's six novels. Fellow Austenites will love Fowler's fluency in the great novelist's work; every reader will relish Fowler's own ebullient comedy of manners, and who knows how many book clubs will be inspired by this charming paean to books and readers.
BookPage - Though Fowler takes Austen as her inspiration, she clearly possesses her own unique voice and gift for storytelling.
San Francisco Chronicle - Karen Joy Fowler deserves every success this savvy, episodic but chamois-smooth novel can bring.
Time Out New York - Fowler has fashioned a deft, witty multiple-character study and closely observed comedy of romantic manners.
The New York Times Sunday Book Review - What results is Fowler's shrewdest, funniest fiction yet, a novel about how we engage with a novel. You don't have to be a student of Jane Austen to enjoy it, either. At the end are plot synopses of all six Austen novels for the benefit of the forgetful, the uninitiated or the nostalgic.
The Washington Post - It's just as hard to explain quite why The Jane Austen Book Club is so wonderful. But that it is wonderful will soon be widely recognized, indeed, a truth universally acknowledged.
The New York Times Book Review - What strikes one first is the voice robust, sly, witty, elegant, unexpected.
The New York Times - The thoughts are more than literary discussion. They bring out the characters and emotions of the participants along with the tensions and sympathies that flit and filter among them. Ms. Fowler has the genial notion to see in the book club — that newish American cultural phenomenon — a society resembling nothing so much as one of those sets of country gentry among which Austen constructed a social comedy where irony stiffens sentiment, and pain is a cool afterthought.
Karen Joy Fowler Biography
Karen Joy Fowler was born in February 1950 in Bloomington, Indiana where her father was a professor of psychology. She says "Bloomington lives in my mind as a sort of Oz-like place where I caught fireflies and watched lightning and ran around. None of the yards were fenced, so we could play games that covered massive amounts of territory." When she was 11 her family moved to Palo Alto, California.
She majored in political science at the University of California at Berkeley and her first baby at twenty-three during the last year of her master's program (at the University of Davis). After completing her master degree she entered what she refers to as her 'child-rearing years' - until the age of 30 when she started to feel restless and took a dance class to reclaim some space for herself - as she says 'it was only after I realized that I wasn't going to make it as a dancer that I took a creative writing class in Davis."
She started to publish science fiction stories and made herself a name in the sci-fi community with the publication of Artificial Things (short stories). This was followed by the novels, Sarah Canary and The Sweetheart Season.
In 1991, with sci-fi writer Pat Murphy, she created the James Tiptree Jr Memorial Award which, to quote Fowler, 'is presented annually to a short story or novel that explores or expands our understanding of gender...both to honor Alice Sheldon [the science fiction author who used the pen name James Tiptree] and to remind the field of its own importance in the continual struggle to re-imagine more livable sexual roles for ourselves.'
Karen lives in Davis and writes full time. Her most recent book, The Jane Austin Book Club, was published in 2004.
Thursday 26 July 2007
Meeting Number 2: 24/07/07
Meeting number 2 was another great success - particularly Bridget's cheesecake! Thanks to Bridget, Sophia and Laura for hosting us all. And I just realised we didn't give you our €2, so we all owe you... Also i realised that we were meant to draw three books out, not just two. Next time... Til then anyway, can't wait for the movie of Perfume. Catch ya soon, Fleur x
Book Group Meeting # 2
Tuesday 24th July 2007
Location: Laura, Bridget & Sophia's house
Attendees:
Laura
Sophia
Bridget
Joanna
Grainne
Fleur
Books recommended:
Emma, Jane Austen
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
Wise Children, Angela Carter
Flatlands, Edwin A. Abbott
Myths of Avalon (Joanna, do you have the author? Ta!)
The Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers
On Beauty, Zadie Smith
Films recommended:
Company of Wolves
Books nominated for reading:
This Book Will Save Your Life, A. M. Homes - Grainne
Nights at the Circus, Angela Carter - Fleur
Oryx & Crake, Margaret Atwood - Bridget
Lolitta, Vladimir Nabokov - Laura
A Hundred Year's of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Sophia
Jane Austen Book Club, Karen Joy Fowler - Joanna
Books pulled out:
Jane Austen Book Club, Karen Joy Fowler
This Book Will Save Your Life, A. M. Homes
Book chosen:
Jane Austen Book Club, Karen Joy Fowler
Next meeting:
Screening of Perfume
Tuesday 7th August, 8.00pm
Joanna & Grainne's House, 2a Waterside
Next book meeting:
After everyone's holidays!
Tuesday 4th September, 8.00pm
Venue: TBC
Location: Laura, Bridget & Sophia's house
Attendees:
Laura
Sophia
Bridget
Joanna
Grainne
Fleur
Books recommended:
Emma, Jane Austen
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
Wise Children, Angela Carter
Flatlands, Edwin A. Abbott
Myths of Avalon (Joanna, do you have the author? Ta!)
The Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers
On Beauty, Zadie Smith
Films recommended:
Company of Wolves
Books nominated for reading:
This Book Will Save Your Life, A. M. Homes - Grainne
Nights at the Circus, Angela Carter - Fleur
Oryx & Crake, Margaret Atwood - Bridget
Lolitta, Vladimir Nabokov - Laura
A Hundred Year's of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Sophia
Jane Austen Book Club, Karen Joy Fowler - Joanna
Books pulled out:
Jane Austen Book Club, Karen Joy Fowler
This Book Will Save Your Life, A. M. Homes
Book chosen:
Jane Austen Book Club, Karen Joy Fowler
Next meeting:
Screening of Perfume
Tuesday 7th August, 8.00pm
Joanna & Grainne's House, 2a Waterside
Next book meeting:
After everyone's holidays!
Tuesday 4th September, 8.00pm
Venue: TBC
The inaugural meeting - 19/06/07
I've just added some more details of our first meeting for good memories sake: (Grainne, I apologise but I wrote this before I read your post. Ouch, bad blogging etiquette! I promise I will read EVERYTHING from now on)
Tuesday 19th June 2007
Location: Fleur's house
Attendees:
Laura
Sophia
Bridget
Kat
Grainne
Fleur
The Process:
1) Everyone puts forward a title, we pull 3 out of a hat and then vote
2) €2 kitty each time towards snacks
Books recommended:
A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
Books nominated for reading:
Perfume, Patrick Suskind - Grainne
Perfume, Patrick Suskind - Sophia
Possibility of an Island, Michel Houellebecq - Bridget
Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd - Kat
Tropic of Capricorn, Henry Miller - Laura
God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy - Fleur
Book chosen:
Perfume, Patrick Suskind
Next meeting:
Tuesday 24th July
Book Group Meeting #1
Tuesday 19th June 2007
Location: Fleur's house
Attendees:
Laura
Sophia
Bridget
Kat
Grainne
Fleur
The Process:
1) Everyone puts forward a title, we pull 3 out of a hat and then vote
2) €2 kitty each time towards snacks
Books recommended:
A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
Books nominated for reading:
Perfume, Patrick Suskind - Grainne
Perfume, Patrick Suskind - Sophia
Possibility of an Island, Michel Houellebecq - Bridget
Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd - Kat
Tropic of Capricorn, Henry Miller - Laura
God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy - Fleur
Book chosen:
Perfume, Patrick Suskind
Next meeting:
Tuesday 24th July
Friday 22 June 2007
Perfume by Patrick Süskind
The inaugural meeting of the Book Group took place on Tuesday 19th 2007 and there was a great turn out considering the short notice.
The meeting was held in Fleur's house and she was a wonderful hostess. As well as creating a comfortable atmosphere for all attending she also provided scrumptious snacks. Thanks Fleur - you've set quite a standard!
At our first meeting the Book Group decided on our first title. The book chosen was Perfume, by Patrick Süskind.
Enjoy the book ladies and I look forward to our next meeting and to discussing Perfume...
The meeting was held in Fleur's house and she was a wonderful hostess. As well as creating a comfortable atmosphere for all attending she also provided scrumptious snacks. Thanks Fleur - you've set quite a standard!
At our first meeting the Book Group decided on our first title. The book chosen was Perfume, by Patrick Süskind.
Enjoy the book ladies and I look forward to our next meeting and to discussing Perfume...
Thursday 21 June 2007
Am I the first?
Or am I not seeing something? I dunno, new things are confusing.
So I have a question - who likes Scrabble? Cos I reckon a Scrabble tournament should be on the cards - Scrabble's full of words... books are full of words... its inevitable! Who's with me?
So I have a question - who likes Scrabble? Cos I reckon a Scrabble tournament should be on the cards - Scrabble's full of words... books are full of words... its inevitable! Who's with me?
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