In this collection of 14 stories set all over the globe, Edwards explores the lives of those who exist on the fringes of society. Among them are a fire-eater, an American and his Korean war bride, Madame Curie's maid, a first-time sky diver, a trapeze artist, a rubber plant worker, an Englishwoman who has lived in the Third World for 30 years, and the daughter of a prominent anti-abortion protestor. Though their tales vary dramatically, each comes up against the barriers of place and circumstance in the most universal of experiences: the quest to discover and understand the elusive mysteries of love.
Questions for discussion:
Which story did you like the most and why was it your favorite?
Which story did you like the least? What didn't you like about it?
What did the characters in the stories have in common?
Have you read Kim Edwards' bestseller The Memory Keeper's Daughter?
If yes, how does the Secrets of a Fire King collection of stories compare to The Memory Keeper's Daughter?
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Bust by Adam Resnick
From the book cover:
On the surface, Adam Resnick was your typical guy next door, a dynamic young businessman, a devoted husband and father of two. But Adam spent nearly two decades as an obsessive gambler, chasing his habit from casino to casino, bookie to bookie, winning and losing millions, often in mere hours--until one day he received a phone call that was his moment of reckoning, and that marked his transition from lifelong addition to awareness and recovery. Bust is a true-life tale of a man whose gambling roller coaster finally stops and he has to winback millions in a day or lose everything.
Adam Resnick grew up in a typical middle-class Wisconsin household. From early childhood, he exhibited behavioral patterns that would later define and drive his gambling. Before his indictment in 2005, he had built a successful career as a health care entrepreneur. In January 2007, after pleading guilty to wire fraud, Resnick began a forty-two-month term in federal prison.
Questions for discussion:
What did you think about the book?
Do you think the book paints a realistic picture of the world of gambling?
Have you ever gone to a casino or gambled? How does it make you feel?
Have you ever known anyone with a gambling addiction or other addiction?
On the surface, Adam Resnick was your typical guy next door, a dynamic young businessman, a devoted husband and father of two. But Adam spent nearly two decades as an obsessive gambler, chasing his habit from casino to casino, bookie to bookie, winning and losing millions, often in mere hours--until one day he received a phone call that was his moment of reckoning, and that marked his transition from lifelong addition to awareness and recovery. Bust is a true-life tale of a man whose gambling roller coaster finally stops and he has to winback millions in a day or lose everything.
Adam Resnick grew up in a typical middle-class Wisconsin household. From early childhood, he exhibited behavioral patterns that would later define and drive his gambling. Before his indictment in 2005, he had built a successful career as a health care entrepreneur. In January 2007, after pleading guilty to wire fraud, Resnick began a forty-two-month term in federal prison.
Questions for discussion:
What did you think about the book?
Do you think the book paints a realistic picture of the world of gambling?
Have you ever gone to a casino or gambled? How does it make you feel?
Have you ever known anyone with a gambling addiction or other addiction?
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares
A classic example of Latin American Science Fiction by Argentine fiction writer Casares.
From the book cover:
"The Argentine Adolfo Bioy Casares is an urban comedian, a parodist who turns fantasy and science fiction inside out to expose the banality of our scientific, intellectual, and especially erotic pretensions. Bioy makes us laugh at our foibles with an affectionate yet elegant touch . . . . Behind his post-Kafka, pre-Woody Allen sense of nonsense is a metaphysical vision, particularly of life's brevity and the slippery terrian of love."
-- Suzanne Jill Levine
Jorge Luis Borges declared The Invention of Morel a masterpiece of plotting, comparable to The Turn of The Screw. This fantastic exploration of virtual realities also bears comparison with the sharpest work of Philip K. Dick. It is both a story of suspense and bizarre romance, in which every detail is at once crystal clear and deeply mysterious.
Set on a mysterious island, Bioy's novella is a story of suspense and exploration, as well as a wonderfully unlikely romance, in which every detail is at once crystal clear and deeply mysterious.
Inspired by Bioy Casares's fascination with the movie star Louise Brooks, The Invention of Morel has gone on to find such admirers as Julio Cortázar, Gabriel García Márquez, and Octavio Paz. As the model for Alain Resnais and Alain Robbe-Grillet's Last Year in Marienbad, this classic of Latin American literature also changed the history of film.
"The Invention of Morel may be described, without exaggeration, as a perfect novel . . . . Bioy Casares's theme is not cosmic, but metaphysical: the body is imaginary, and we bow to the tyranny of a phantom. Love is a privileged perception, the most complete and total perception not only of the unreality of the world but of our own unreality: not only do we traverse a realm of shadows, we ourselves are shadows."
-- Octavio Paz
About the Author:
Adolfo Bioy Casares (1914–1999) was born in Buenos Aires, the child of wealthy parents. He began to write in the early Thirties, and his stories appeared in the influential magazine Sur, through which he met his wife, the painter and writer Silvina Ocampo, as well Jorge Luis Borges, who was to become his mentor, friend, and collaborator. In 1940, after writing several novice works, Bioy published the novella The Invention of Morel, the first of his books to satisfy him, and the first in which he hit his characteristic note of uncanny and unexpectedly harrowing humor. Later publications include stories and novels, among them A Plan for Escape, A Dream of Heroes, and Asleep in the Sun (forthcoming from NYRB Classics). Bioy also collaborated with Borges on the Anthology of Fantastic Literature and a series of satirical sketches written under the pseudonym of H. Bustos Domecq.
For a complete plot summary, character information, and themes please visit the Wikipedia The Invention of Morel page.
Discussion questions:
Who is Morel and what is his invention? Why has he invented this?
What are some of the different feelings experienced by the fugitive? What are the reasons for his feelings?
What do we learn from the fugitive's diary?
Have you ever kept a diary?
From the book cover:
"The Argentine Adolfo Bioy Casares is an urban comedian, a parodist who turns fantasy and science fiction inside out to expose the banality of our scientific, intellectual, and especially erotic pretensions. Bioy makes us laugh at our foibles with an affectionate yet elegant touch . . . . Behind his post-Kafka, pre-Woody Allen sense of nonsense is a metaphysical vision, particularly of life's brevity and the slippery terrian of love."
-- Suzanne Jill Levine
Jorge Luis Borges declared The Invention of Morel a masterpiece of plotting, comparable to The Turn of The Screw. This fantastic exploration of virtual realities also bears comparison with the sharpest work of Philip K. Dick. It is both a story of suspense and bizarre romance, in which every detail is at once crystal clear and deeply mysterious.
Set on a mysterious island, Bioy's novella is a story of suspense and exploration, as well as a wonderfully unlikely romance, in which every detail is at once crystal clear and deeply mysterious.
Inspired by Bioy Casares's fascination with the movie star Louise Brooks, The Invention of Morel has gone on to find such admirers as Julio Cortázar, Gabriel García Márquez, and Octavio Paz. As the model for Alain Resnais and Alain Robbe-Grillet's Last Year in Marienbad, this classic of Latin American literature also changed the history of film.
"The Invention of Morel may be described, without exaggeration, as a perfect novel . . . . Bioy Casares's theme is not cosmic, but metaphysical: the body is imaginary, and we bow to the tyranny of a phantom. Love is a privileged perception, the most complete and total perception not only of the unreality of the world but of our own unreality: not only do we traverse a realm of shadows, we ourselves are shadows."
-- Octavio Paz
About the Author:
Adolfo Bioy Casares (1914–1999) was born in Buenos Aires, the child of wealthy parents. He began to write in the early Thirties, and his stories appeared in the influential magazine Sur, through which he met his wife, the painter and writer Silvina Ocampo, as well Jorge Luis Borges, who was to become his mentor, friend, and collaborator. In 1940, after writing several novice works, Bioy published the novella The Invention of Morel, the first of his books to satisfy him, and the first in which he hit his characteristic note of uncanny and unexpectedly harrowing humor. Later publications include stories and novels, among them A Plan for Escape, A Dream of Heroes, and Asleep in the Sun (forthcoming from NYRB Classics). Bioy also collaborated with Borges on the Anthology of Fantastic Literature and a series of satirical sketches written under the pseudonym of H. Bustos Domecq.
For a complete plot summary, character information, and themes please visit the Wikipedia The Invention of Morel page.
Discussion questions:
Who is Morel and what is his invention? Why has he invented this?
What are some of the different feelings experienced by the fugitive? What are the reasons for his feelings?
What do we learn from the fugitive's diary?
Have you ever kept a diary?
Monday, July 2, 2007
Teeth Under the Sun by Ignacio de Loyola Brandão
Teeth Under the Sun
Numéro July Book of the Month
Summary from the book cover
A modern-day Don Quixote and an exile in his own hometown, the protagonist of Teeth Under the Sun is kept from writing by a conspiracy (real? imagined?) designed to prevent him from revealing the truth about the town's strange status quo and violent past. In a place where people have abandoned their houses for tiny apartments inthe confines of new high-rises, the narrator walks the almost empty streets, remembering better times and meeting figures from his past: his ex-wife, his son, writers, friends, and revolutionaries. And all of this is interspersed with his memories of the movies. Fact and fiction, past and present, all meet in this story of the narrator's attempts to engage more fully with a modern world forcing him into isolation.
About the author
Ignacio de Loyola Brandão began his career writing film reviews and went on to work for one of the principal newspapers in São Paulo. Initially banned in Brazil, his novel Zero went on to win the prestigious Brasilia Prize and become a controversial best-seller. Brandão is the author of more than a half-dozen works of fiction, including Anonymous Celebrity and Angel of Death.
Questions for discussion:
Numéro July Book of the Month
Summary from the book cover
A modern-day Don Quixote and an exile in his own hometown, the protagonist of Teeth Under the Sun is kept from writing by a conspiracy (real? imagined?) designed to prevent him from revealing the truth about the town's strange status quo and violent past. In a place where people have abandoned their houses for tiny apartments inthe confines of new high-rises, the narrator walks the almost empty streets, remembering better times and meeting figures from his past: his ex-wife, his son, writers, friends, and revolutionaries. And all of this is interspersed with his memories of the movies. Fact and fiction, past and present, all meet in this story of the narrator's attempts to engage more fully with a modern world forcing him into isolation.
About the author
Ignacio de Loyola Brandão began his career writing film reviews and went on to work for one of the principal newspapers in São Paulo. Initially banned in Brazil, his novel Zero went on to win the prestigious Brasilia Prize and become a controversial best-seller. Brandão is the author of more than a half-dozen works of fiction, including Anonymous Celebrity and Angel of Death.
Questions for discussion:
How significant is the setting in this novel?
How does the time period affect the characters’ decisions?
How authentic is the culture or era represented in the book?
How did you feel about the characters? Who did you like or not like and why?
What are some feelings you had about one of the characters in the story? Their traits? Feelings? Attitudes?
Friday, June 22, 2007
Summary of The Metamorphosis and discussion questions
First published in 1915, this is the story of Gregor Samsa, a young traveling salesman who lives with and financially supports his parents and younger sister. One morning he wakes up to discover that during the night he has been transformed into a "monstrous vermin" or insect. At first he is preoccupied with practical, everyday concerns: How to get out of bed and walk with his numerous legs? Can he still make it to the office on time?
Soon his abilities, tastes, and interests begin to change. No one can understand his insect-speech. He likes to scurry under the furniture and eat rotten scraps of food. Gregor's family, horrified that Gregor has become an enormous insect, keep him in his bedroom and refuse to interact with him. Only his sister Grete demonstrates concern by bringing his food each day.
When Gregor breaks out one day and scurries into the living room, his father throws apples to chase him away. One becomes embedded in his back. Eventually the apple becomes rotten and infected; Gregor wastes away. When he dies the cleaning woman throws his remains into the garbage.First published in 1915, this is the story of Gregor Samsa, a young traveling salesman who lives with and financially supports his parents and younger sister. One morning he wakes up to discover that during the night he has been transformed into a "monstrous vermin" or insect. At first he is preoccupied with practical, everyday concerns: How to get out of bed and walk with his numerous legs? Can he still make it to the office on time?
Soon his abilities, tastes, and interests begin to change. No one can understand his insect-speech. He likes to scurry under the furniture and eat rotten scraps of food. Gregor's family, horrified that Gregor has become an enormous insect, keep him in his bedroom and refuse to interact with him. Only his sister Grete demonstrates concern by bringing his food each day.
When Gregor breaks out one day and scurries into the living room, his father throws apples to chase him away. One becomes embedded in his back. Eventually the apple becomes rotten and infected; Gregor wastes away. When he dies the cleaning woman throws his remains into the garbage.
Questions for discussion
Do you have sympathy for Gregor? If so, why? If not, why not?
How does Gregor feel about his job? What evidence in the story reveals his feelings?
People changed into animals or animals turned into people is a common fairy tale theme. What ways is The Metamorphosis like fairy tales we know and in what ways is it different?
What is Gregor's family situation like?
Soon his abilities, tastes, and interests begin to change. No one can understand his insect-speech. He likes to scurry under the furniture and eat rotten scraps of food. Gregor's family, horrified that Gregor has become an enormous insect, keep him in his bedroom and refuse to interact with him. Only his sister Grete demonstrates concern by bringing his food each day.
When Gregor breaks out one day and scurries into the living room, his father throws apples to chase him away. One becomes embedded in his back. Eventually the apple becomes rotten and infected; Gregor wastes away. When he dies the cleaning woman throws his remains into the garbage.First published in 1915, this is the story of Gregor Samsa, a young traveling salesman who lives with and financially supports his parents and younger sister. One morning he wakes up to discover that during the night he has been transformed into a "monstrous vermin" or insect. At first he is preoccupied with practical, everyday concerns: How to get out of bed and walk with his numerous legs? Can he still make it to the office on time?
Soon his abilities, tastes, and interests begin to change. No one can understand his insect-speech. He likes to scurry under the furniture and eat rotten scraps of food. Gregor's family, horrified that Gregor has become an enormous insect, keep him in his bedroom and refuse to interact with him. Only his sister Grete demonstrates concern by bringing his food each day.
When Gregor breaks out one day and scurries into the living room, his father throws apples to chase him away. One becomes embedded in his back. Eventually the apple becomes rotten and infected; Gregor wastes away. When he dies the cleaning woman throws his remains into the garbage.
Questions for discussion
Do you have sympathy for Gregor? If so, why? If not, why not?
How does Gregor feel about his job? What evidence in the story reveals his feelings?
People changed into animals or animals turned into people is a common fairy tale theme. What ways is The Metamorphosis like fairy tales we know and in what ways is it different?
What is Gregor's family situation like?
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
There will be a live audio and text discussion of The Metamorphosis on Wednesday, June 27th at 3:00 p.m CDT. It will take place at http://www.opal-online.org/ in the auditorium. Everyone welcome!
Time and place of future live chats and in-person discussions will be determined by the participants of the Numéro Book Club so please let me know which format works best for you. You can vote in the poll at the left or send an email to numerobookclub@gmail.com
Time and place of future live chats and in-person discussions will be determined by the participants of the Numéro Book Club so please let me know which format works best for you. You can vote in the poll at the left or send an email to numerobookclub@gmail.com
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