The Friday Afternoon Club by Griffin Dunne

Hmm. I guess if you care about him you should read this. If you want to know about his father, Joan Didion, Jackie and Jack Kennedy, Carrie Fisher or the names dropped here, you should read something else. This is sort of The Travels of a B(?) Actor.

Always in print since 1930, this novel details a year in the life of a lady who lunches and is now and then amongst ladies who lunch better. It's different than the usual English novel about class because it's set in the English countryside rather than London, and in a upper class house instead of a manor. It's a glimpse into the past about tea things but also the calm with which parents intentionally drown kittens while the kids are away.

You must love Woolf to like this. It is interesting to hear her thoughts on less adventurous writers and it makes me wonder what they said about her style.

Boring. The audio narrator‘s breathless and longing voice regardless of what she was reading was just too much to take. Disappointed after a promising start.

"Funny Story" by Emily Henry 2024
This book reminds me that novels are hard to write. This was sailing along on the crest of a good plot wave. Then, at about half way through, there is an unexpected fountain of self- disclosure by a major character who never seemed shut down in the first place. And another major character has somehow suddenly become an empath. Haven't finished reading it yet, but I think this is hard to recover from. We'll see.

All of the loss and misery caused by Hitler was writ large in the life of Zweig. Once one of the most prominent authors in Europe, a truly joyful man, Zweig was ultimately defeated by book banning and exile and genocide. This is a harrowing tale of the toll of war on a gentle heart. It won‘t tell you much that you don‘t already know, but it is another thing entirely to see this history through the eyes of a witness who is also a gifted writer.

The first chapter is a swirly, polished marble of a story. The others more than ably carry through the interesting idea about how we use space (real or imagined) to deal with grief and loss ( real or imagined). Leicther is a very skilled writer. Her sentences sing. She uses microdoses of magical realism to great effect. At the end of chapter 1 you learn that the story you have been following is not THE story. Almost Great.

I do not want to finish this book. But it has a 4 star rating on Goodreads which is very hard to come by. I know the general advice os that life is too short, blah blah blah. But I am asking people who have read this why they kept reading. Thanks.

It‘s one of those books whose value is in its capture of a very specific here and now. Perhaps it was shocking in 1960 to read a realistic account of the back rooms and backwash of Hollywood because of the Hollywood varnish of 1950‘s. It works. It‘s important. I don‘t think the novel was her best art form.

Virginia Woolf wrote a freaking masterpiece within the last few hours of her life, but was too talented to realize it. I‘m sad that she died thinking this shiny brilliance was but a trivial effort. This is a must read if you like Woolf.

Not much here. Vignettes that seem to be linked by a time period but are otherwise not reflected upon.

This is a love story about a woman who cannot love. And that‘s the most vexing and endearing thing about it. https://www.facebook.com/1082882538/posts/pfbid02hjjw4qxHqmsLpSfR16Gz3pkprQ6Xq8e...

Not his best. A few fun characters, but mostly either single dimension ones or incomprehensible ones.

Part Donald Trump origin story and part behind- the- scenes on The Apprentice. Despite giving 6 interviews, Trump talked almost 100% of the time about the show instead of about being president. But perhaps that‘s because the interviewer is from Variety. Worth a read but only if you are interested in Hollywood too.

Look at me/ don‘t look at me/ I‘m a celebrity!
No introspection and lots of excuses.The worst sort of drivel that claims it is not a tale of woe, but also says let me tell you my sad story from the land of milk and honey.

Just want to say that I appreciate those of you who are still posting creative images of your reading.

Read these Hardy novels before this one: Tess, Jude, Mayor of Casterbridge, Return of the Native, Desperate Remedies, The Hand of Ethelberta, The Trumpet Major, The Well Beloved. and don‘t read this one. It has all the Hardy hallmarks of astronomy, earnest lovers, and an unyielding English lanscape and social constructs that shape the fate of earnest lovers. But, the writing is clumsy, the science talk is too much, and the characters are dull.

Every bad thing that could happen to this woman does. Her journey is predictable. With each story beat, you wonder how it is going to sour. It‘s unclear what makes her see the light of day after years of oppression, and that is the flaw. This is a “woman ends victorious” / Bridges of Madison County kind of book. The readers have no clue as to why or how it reaches its conclusion; we‘re just supposed to be happy about it. Read a classic instead.

From bathing McCurdy until she was 16 to giving her vaginal “exams”, her mother was obsessive & possessive of her. Jenette was so busy pretending to be someone she wasn‘t for her job & family that she couldn‘t figure out who she was. She turned out to be a writer (something her mom said would make her fat). I‘m glad her mom died too. It was the only way for Jenette to survive. The success of this has landed her a big FAT book deal.

Vaginas that feel like castles; killing bees; adultery; a dark compact between mother and daughter; stalking; sexual obsession. If that does not intrigue you, then skip this. All of the above happens in a quaint New York hamlet that people move to to become the better version of themselves. But what happens if there isn‘t a better version of you? Darkly madcap. So startling, it disgusts; so hyper real, it excites. Will be better as a film.

A widowed mother takes her adult children on a cruise. The 4 are not friends & seem to barely know each other. If you are a parent you will recognize the innocent and unintentional rudeness of the adult child. That will carry certain readers a far way, but it‘s not enough. The story is easy to follow with moments of interest, and sometimes even literary reach, but I cannot say it is worth the time unless you are young & have loads of it.

I‘d like to swap books Anyone want to swap Foster by Claire Keegan or Vintage Contemporaries by Dan Kois What can you offer? Would like House on the Cerulean Sea or any books shown in the pictures but am open to others.

This is an absolute joy if you like: journey novels, gentle humour, English history, PG Wodehouse, & can withstand discussions about whether it‘s smart to bring cheese & tallow on a close boat trip & if you have ever wondered whether the maze at Hampton Court is worth the effort. There‘s no plot, but many extended anecdotes. This book wanders like a drunken tourist. It‘s a book about nothing. A Seinfeldian journey up the Thames and through time.

A young girl from a financially challenged family is dropped off with richer relatives for a stay of unknown duration. This is the way 10 year olds experience life. You are simply swept along in the happening. Her birth parents have made poor choices. Her foster parents have experienced hardships about which they had no choice. This heartbreaking and heartwarming book is about knowing when you have to accept versus when you have to act.

Wow.
“I never heard the Stock Exchange bell ring.”
I wish I could tell you why that is such a powerful statement in this book about power. The problem with writing a review about this book is that it would be a spoiler to talk about its structure, which is the real star of the show. Let me just summarize by saying it is a masterpiece. It is a writer‘s novel. Pick.Pick.Pick.

My Antonia is one of the “best loved” American novels. I hate it, which is shorthand for saying that the book did not speak to me & I am jealous that it speaks to others. I decided to give her another read. I did this with Steinbeck last year and while I still hate The Grapes of Wrath, I happily found The Red Pony to be a marvel. I chose Cather‘s My Mortal Enemy. And it is a revelation. The characters & situation are drawn with care & pain.

This had some interesting observations. One long scenario anout no one providing him water was particularly well done. Overall though after the first 8 chapters I grew bored. It seemed to fall into the socio- babble of every thing that‘s wrong in America can be fixed by having front porches. I love a deep porch, but…I am grateful though for the tip that the field in which Frederick Douglas fought for his freedom is still a field we can visit.

A couple rushes to marry & then make the most to set up house with little money and a lot of paint and hope. The course of their marriage, though unknown to them, is written when the jeweler refuses to give them the traditional silver spoons upon their engagement. Disappointment follows. Their love fails; lovers and babies come and go. The wife never gives up her hopes and dreams despite some dreary circumstances. A great read.

This reads like a story whose moments are strung like sparse lights between the poles of gay cultural events & movements of the end of the 20th Century. Like real life, this semi- autobiographical novel has no plot. Structural issues aside, this is a cotton candy of a book. Colorful, but thin, characters dash through the narrative doing their colorful things, in clever sentences. Short on story, long on style, nice cover. Maybe that‘s enough.

It‘s fantastic. I now know there‘s library in the Met & NY that the New Society Library ( set in an opulent brownstone) is open to the public. It also includes a few author homes & bars. But mostly it covers stores of every type in every boroug. There‘s a very interesting one devoted to old cookbooks that I want to see even though I hate to cook. Clearly aimed at book-obsessed people ( guilty), the book itself is gorgeous.

The author reports that she wrote 3 failed novels. If a novel is a book, then having finished this one, I say she can now clock 4. The entire book, as each of the three novels was, is about trees and how everything in life is either birthed, mediated, or made meaningful by trees. In fairness, she‘s won mutliple poetry awards. I generally don‘t get poets - apparently even when they masquerade as essayists. So, maybe don‘t listen to me on this one.

This is a failed book. No plot no enlightenment no value seemingly no purpose. Someone can prove me wrong.

I thought Ms Parker was a happy, witty day drinker. But this oeuvre to suicide says that was not so. She attempted suicide three times then finally her broken heart gave up. The poems are excellent, but not so worthy that you should read this if the topic frightens you because I also found that it was not enlightening in any way.

This is part bio /part history lesson. Sometimes it gets a bit personal and sounds like an “I was there” brag. I read this to learn how a privileged person becomes an activist against her upbringing and her family. She doesn‘t explain it. It‘s clear that she felt the sting of injustice against females, and was able to see it in other scenarios. But I don‘t know what made her act. Maybe it‘s as simple as a deep seated desire to set things right.

A young couple with no means tries to move into a higher class in broad daylight. Lesson: If you have a taste for the upper class, you better have the stomach for it too.
https://www.facebook.com/1082882538/posts/pfbid094Sne8jcNVAde6Yu3vckrW3GDMhWQZcQ...

In 1948, a black man drives away from his home late at night and is stopped by a white cop. You probably think you know what happens next. Except you probably don‘t. And that is part of the joy of this surprising book. It is in part a history, a heist, a warm family story and a gambler‘s tale - with comic & tragic notes and an intriguing ending. The title, cover & the overall of the novel are in synch so if you like them, you will like this book.

If you are tired of reading about women who take a risk on an adventure and find out that the guy they have befriended but disregarded is The One, then read this. The road to romance here is not surprising, but there are interesting markers along the way- like living in Istanbul, attending an opera in Vienna and developing a perfume business, all while also discovering an unknown personal history. A light and pleasing read.

TBH, I didn‘t like all of these essays, but when they connected they packed a wallop.

This is a failed book about interesting things: maps, magic, the NYC library. The plot has too many holes and events that are inexplicable. The main character is idealized and idolized for no reason other than she was a cute baby. I don‘t know how this got published. Please read something else.

An American Gilded Age millionaire walks into a London hotel for dinner. His daughter orders a steak & Bass Ale. The hotel doesn‘t have it. He buys the hotel then and there after a comic negotiation with the owner who warns that strange things happen at hotels. Moments later there‘s a murder, a missing prince, and a cast of hotel employees who are 1st class by day, but criminals by night. There was a too much plot, but it is a delightful read.

The composer De Bussey said that music is the space between the notes. This book is a roadmap of how to get there. A wonderful, perspective changing read. Full review here. https://www.facebook.com/1082882538/posts/pfbid02uiyopcPrYfsa4dQ8ig5GKjeNs6Vu5rz...

A middle class woman marries into an uber rich snobby family, only to learn things about her own class ideology. Reading it was like drinking a table wine: basic. It won‘t make you vomit or make you happy.

The author is a fiction editor IRL. As a result, this is clearly written. It, though, is not artistic. While it tackles Old New York class themes, it is not a modern Edith Wharton novel as some claim.

Super informative about what Fitzgerald‘s influences were when writing Gatsby. Unfortunately, of course, the story ends the same. His last check was for $13 in royalties. The price of genius, I guess.

Great Expectations
I KNOW it is on almost every best 100 novels list and I KNOW Charles Dickens is an icon and I KNOW it has been adapted for tv, film and stage countless times, but how come nobody told me this is one of the best novels that will ever be written?

Gobsmacked.

Review coming later after I catch my breath.

A good idea to cover stories in cold climes. But I expected tighter essays or imaginatively linked observation. I did learn things though.

Wanted to like this novel that was inspired by Gore Vidal‘s historical fiction masterpiece Burr. But couldn‘t.

What a grand idea to write a novel about a Mississipian displaced by the Civil War coming to NY to make his career but who, when he falls in love, runs into resistance from New England reformers about the place of women in society. Should they be wives or emancipators of women? Unfortunately, James is not up to the task of weaving this is into a story. Boring. #litsyclassics

Not really Untitled, but could not find No One Here is Like Me. A short memoir by Robert King. It asks the questions who loves you really and how much pain should you absorb to love them back. Full review https://www.facebook.com/1082882538/posts/pfbid0CqUtWQAj2t359N1sSp5cgJaQK6KJeLJc...

Two people from different backgrounds and sensibilities marry. Their rocky newlywed night plays out in a series of uncomfortable places, both mentally and physically. I like the idea of examining the paths of two people who think they have come together, but instead find themselves at a crossroads. I was with this all the way - until the bitter end. It did not say to me what the author says the take away is. McEwan wrote one book; I read another.

Ignore the backdrop of palace grounds & you can hear dreadful music that‘s familiar to many. The Spare. The Plan B. The Extra. You are not enough. You were born not enough. Play the game and know your place. For sure people have it worse than Harry, but there‘s power in the universal story of the underdog. Anyhow a B actress and a palace misfit meet and the shoe fits. We never really believed things would be happy FORever after, did we?