Best Book Club Books from the Tattered Cover, part 4
By Kristen on Mar 17, 2008 in Book Club Favorites, Future Classics...?
Here is the fourth installment of Tattered Cover’s recommended titles for book clubs – last week I completed their non-fiction choices, so the next three installments will be all fiction. This week, I have read three of the titles (in bold) and am familiar with five of the authors — I think most of you will recognize at least two of these “hot” book club books of 2007.
Fiction
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards I loved the first few chapters of this novel — especially the snow storm at the beginning — so suspenseful! And the decision the husband makes regarding their child — without the knowledge of his wife (intrigued yet?) was fascinating. I also thought the relationship of the couple was interesting, but I felt as if the narrative became bogged down in the middle and I didn’t connect to the characters as much as I did initially. But this was a certainly a “hot” read last year and is quick and engaging.
The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich Everything I have read by Erdrich I have loved — Love Medicine, Tracks, The Master Buchers’ Singing Club — and I look forward to reading this one too. Here’s the summary from Tattered Covers:
A New Hampshire family descended from a North Dakota Indian Agent hires Faye Travers to appraise their estate. She discovers a rare moose skin and cedar drum from an Ojibwe tribe. Faye knows the drum is special when she hears its music. The story begins to trace the path of the drum from its maker in the northern plains to its journey to the East. Readers learn from Bernard Shaawano, an Ojibwe, how his grandfather made the drum to mourn his daughter’s death, and how the drum changes the lives of people who touch it. Faye’s lifeand love are changed by this experience. It is one of Louise Erdrich’s best works.
The Wild Girl by Jim Fergus I have not heard of Fergus, so here is Tattered Covers’ take:
Author of the bestseller One Thousand White Women, Jim Fergus takes readers back to the Old West to the last Great Apache Expedition of 1932. In The Wild Girl, Ned Giles, a 17-year-old, quick-thinking orphan, joins the raid as the official photojournalist. The story is told through the diary of Ned Giles, who guides readers through the expedition, which is much more than trying to save a kidnapped Mexican boy. It involves an Apache girl who has been jailed in Mexico. Ned wants to trade her for the Mexican boy, and he is then forced to choose allegiances. This novel is based on historical fact and will take readers on a fast-paced journey with memorable characters.
The Dissident by Nell Freudenberger Another interesting pick that I am not yet familiar with:
The PEN/Malamud award-winning author of Lucky Girls writes about Chinese performance artist and political dissident, Yuan Zhao, who comes to America as a visiting scholar at a private girls’ school. Yuan stays with a wealthy, dysfunctional American family. The Travers family is occupied with their own family problems when Yuan arrives. Cece, the mother, is worried about her son Max, who has been arrested. She can’t talk to her psychiatrist husband because he is overly involved in genealogical research. Olivia, the daughter, is trying to ignore the fact that there’s a weird Chinese guy living in their pool house and teaching at her school. As the family and Yuan start to really look at each other, the trouble begins.
The Whole World by Julia Glass I am so excited to find this on the list!! The Whole World is one of my favorite books from 2007 — maybe one of my favorite books ever. Glass creates such a sense of place — with both New York City and New Mexico — and 
reading this truly is like taking a really interesting vacation from your own life and trying on someone else’s, which is what Greenie does when she leaves her bakery in NYC to become the personal chef of the governor of New Mexico. I can’t recommend this one enough — !
Sad Truth about Happiness by Anne Giardini Love the title! Haven’t read it yet… Back to Tattered Covers:
Maggie is 33 and ready for a change. Her roommate, Rebecca, writes questionnaires for women’s magazines and is convinced her newest quiz can predict the exact date of death of anyone who answers the questions honestly. When Maggie tries the test, she learns that she will die before her next birthday. Because she answered “No” to the question, “Are you happy,” she appears to have shaved decades off her life. With wry comedy, Maggie’s life becomes complicated. The often unexpected power of friendships and family, the universal pull toward home, and a more intense relationship with the world, all leave Maggie and the reader with a new awareness of the joys of happiness, which we all long for, but can seldom hold for longer than an instant.
White Ghost Girls by Alice Greenway For those of you who are politically/historically curious…
It is the summer of 1967 in Hong Kong. The turmoil of the Maoist revolution is causing unrest as war rages in neighboring Vietnam. White Ghost Girls is the story of Frankie and Kate, two American sisters living in a foreign land in a chaotic time. With their war-photographer father off in Vietnam, Marianne, their beautiful but remote mother, keeps the family close by, frightened of losing her husband to a mistress or the addiction of war itself. The sisters could not be more different. Frankie is curious and bold, while Kate is wary. The girls are pretty much on their own and they decide to explore the village when tragedy strikes. This is Greenway’s debut novel and it is a gem. The girls grow up against a backdrop of danger in this literary tale of sacrifice, love and loyalty.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen I reviewed this novel last year, so I will link to that review here. I think many of you will have already have heard about this one. For those of you who love horses, try Gruen’s other novels — Riding Lessons and Flying Changes (I like them better).
Leeway Cottage by Beth Gutcheon Thanks again to Tattered Covers:
Sydney Brant grows up in a privileged house in Dundee, Maine. She attends music school in New York and meets Laurus Moss, a Danish world-renowned pianist. They don’t really have a lot in common, but they fall in love and get married. It’s 1940, and Laurus decides to leave his pregnant wife and join the British army. Part of his family is Jewish and he is worried about their being able to leave Denmark. Gutcheon, who lived in Denmark, tells the story of Denmark saving its Jews through members of the Danish resistance. Meanwhile, Sydney is having a baby and knitting for the war effort. After the war, the couple is reunited, and their differences are apparent, especially when they move the family to Leeway Cottage.
Gentleman & Players by Joanne Harris Whenever I hear this author’s name, I know I’ve read something or other by her, but can never remember! She is the author of the lovely novel Chocolat and the interesting Five Quarters of the Orange. I loved Chocolat for its sensuousness — so lush… I found Orange interesting on a cerebral level, but was a bit disappointed. Her latest takes place in England at a boys’ school and interweaves two narratives. Chess lovers may especially appreciate this work.
Links to other Great Book Club Books –
Yahoo poll of Best Book Club Books for discussion
Time Magazine’s Best Fiction of 2007
Time’s Best Nonfiction of 2007
Tattered Cover’s picks, pt. 1, pt. 2, and pt. 3
And what some consider to be the worst book club books…
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Hi! Great list. I agree with you on Memory Keepers Daughter.. it did bog down in the middle. It wasn’t one of my favorites. White Ghost Girls was pretty good (kinda sad). I have Sara Gruen’s Flying CHanges on my TBR shelf but haven’t picked it up yet (loved Water for Elephants). I read Fergus’ 1000 White Women, and Wild Girl looks interesting too. Adding The Whole World and Sad Truth to my list of possible book club selections. Thanks!
lisamm | Mar 17, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for the comment! It’s always nice to find like-minded readers… Thanks for your take on White Ghost Girls, too. Let me know what you think about Flying Changes and The Whole World after you read them!
Kristen | Mar 17, 2008 | Reply