What's this? A recap? Written by Mary? It's true!
In the first ever episode of Book Club On the Road, Manhattanite Book Clubbers boarded MetroNorth for Greenwich. Many thanks to Tom and Kathy who graciously hosted book club in their fancy, expansive home! Not only did they feed us and ply us with liquor, but they engaged in other stereotypical suburban activities including carpooling, barbequing, and giving tours of their home.
This meeting also saw the return of Jeanne, who has been MIA since the arrival of Jack and Charlie. "I didn't read the book, but I live nearby, so I had to come for lunch," she explained as she cut out before the discussion. No matter! We all loved her fabulous pink sneakers. Ann was all about pink in her matchy sweater, scarf, pants, and socks. This was also the first family-friendly book club, as the afternoon was punctuated by shrieks from Alex and Luke. Family or otherwise friendly, Scott and Ako have been voted "Book Club Members Most Likely to be Surgically Attached". Hilary documented the afternoon with her camera, noting that she's using the book club website as her final project for her final class at library school.
As for the discussion, "Age of Innocence" came close but didn't quite surpass "Straight Man" as Book Club's favorite book ever. Some had problems finding the characters likeable; others found it difficult to relate to the historic setting. Nate lowered his rating out of spite, not that there's anything wrong with that. The women of Book Club generally disliked Archer while the men related to his predicament. May brought about a lively discourse and, no surprises, Chris really liked her. Matt highlighted the discussion by comparing Wharton with James.
Our next meeting will be Tuesday, December 7 at Chris's. We will be reading Sherlock Holmes, which Scott is concerned may not actually provide enough for us to discuss. Fear not! We're delving into Chris's past, which should provide more than ample material for at least one evening's worth of discussion.
And now . . . girls jumping on trampolines!