We Devoured Twenty-One Novels Over Eight Months

Twenty-one down 979 to go

Thank you Nino Carè on pixabay

Is there a better way to become a better writer than reading some of our best authors?

In June 2023 I assumed the coordinator role of an online book club called 1000 Books to Read and Reread Before You Die.

Our group discusses books written or translated in English, selected from a curated list by editor James Mustich: 1000 Books to Read Before You Die.

On July 27, 2023, we discussed Lives of the Idle Rich after reading these works:

· The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton;

· Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald; and

· The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford.

Question. Who among the idle rich would wear pearls to the beach?

Answer. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Nicole Diver in Tender Is the Night

Can you guess which questions flowed from which novel?

·What are the benefits of “a wife not knowing she is oppressed”?

·While their father is outwardly prejudiced, does it rub off on the children?

·Pro or con? “Economically you’re a boy.”

Thank you misterfarmer on pixabay.com

On August 31, 2023, we followed our protagonists to Morocco, the Antarctic, and Scotland with these 3 works:

·The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles;

·The Birthday Boys by Dame Beryl Margaret Bainbridge; and

·The Expedition of Humphry Clinker by Tobias Smollett

Question. Which protagonist encounters Honest Mathew whilst traveling abroad?

Answer. Humphry Clinker in The Expedition of Humphry Clinker by Tobias Smollett

Can you guess which questions below flowed from which novel?

·When is a traveler, not a tourist?

·Why did Tabitha slide into Methodistism?

·How difficult would it be to write an epistolary novel?

Into the Autumn we met Swindlers and Scoundrels. On September 28, 2023, we discussed:

· Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser

· The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

· Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol

Question. Who should we trust?
Answer. Neither the swindler nor the scoundrel!

Do you know which question flowed from which novel?

·At any point were any readers rooting for Tom?

·While his lies embarrassed the town’s elders, did the protagonist’s lies hurt anyone?

·Did the protagonist get his comeuppance in the end?

On October 26, 2023, we discussed the theme Chosen Family after reading:

· A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry;

·Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy; and

· Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

We asked ourselves, “Is a chosen family a real family?”

Which additional questions flowed from which novel?

·Is Arabella villainous or merely resourceful?

·Why does the protagonist address and refer to his father as ‘Father’?

·How does Dina withdraw from her biological family?

Thank you Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

Then on November 30, 2023, we discussed the theme Home Sweet Home after having read:

· The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson ;
· Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier; and
· A House for Mr. Biswas by V. S. Naipaul

We asked ourselves, “When is a house, not a home?”

Which questions match which novel?

·Has his unhappy birth predetermined a lifetime of unhappiness?

·Why aren’t Mr. and Mrs. Dudley freaked out?

·In what instance does the protagonist grow from an enamored girl to an adoring wife?

Having enjoyed 15 works of fiction over 5 months we gave ourselves a break for December 2023.

To launch the new year, on January 26, 2024, we discussed the theme of Family Sagas with:

· Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner

· The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

· Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

We asked ourselves, “Which family would you have invited to your holiday table?”

Can you guess which novel spanned which question below?

·Given the chance, could the protagonist’s art save the family?

·Why did the author make every trusted man in the family unfaithful?

·Should the prostitute have done more to help the family?

Looking for love on February 29, 2024, we discussed the theme Elusive Love from:

· Persuasion by Jane Austen;

· The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; and

· The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.

We asked ourselves, “Should we celebrate elusive love on Valentine’s Day?”

The real questions were:

·Does love sickness exist?

·When do we get to the smoochy smoochies?

·How does the disrupted timeline of the narrative work so well?

Can you associate all of (or some of) the questions herein with each book listed above? If so, share them below in the comments box.

Would you like to explore the themes that we have discussed thus far? Find them here.