Beastmomma

From goodreads:

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step. Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger.

Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

Pages: 464 (Hardcover)

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Source: I purchased because the wait list at the library was over 300

When my book club selected The Help by Kathryn Stockett, I was excited because I wanted to read the book and thought it would be out in paperback in time for our discussion.  Turns out that since it is doing so well, the paperback publication date got pushed back.  I put myself on the list at the library, but knew I was in trouble because the wait list for the book was over 300 people.  Fortunately, I was able to find the book for a reasonable price and got swept up in the story so quickly that I did not feel too bothered with having to purchase a hard back.

I started reading the book a week before our meeting because I wanted to say that I had begun, but I knew I would not be able to finish since I was in the midst of bar exam prep.  I got so engrossed in the lives of the characters that I had to hide the book because it was interfering with my studying.  When I was finally finished with the bar exam, I needed to spend time packing and preparing to move to DC for my new job.  As a result, I could not spend a lot of quality time with the book.  I finally finished the book during my first week in DC and even though I was sorry it had taken me so long to finish, I was glad for the chance to stretch out and savor the story.

My favorite part of the book was the secret friendship that formed between Skeeter and Aibileen.  I especially loved how they came to decide to write the book and the process of discovering the best way in which to tell the story.  I also enjoyed getting to know Minny.  Underneath her tough exterior and rough edges, I loved the tenderness with which she interacted with Aibileen.  One of my favorite scenes in the book is when Minny realizes the secret that her boss is keeping.  I also loved the scene when Minny encourages Skeeter to make a life change.  In addition to being in my favorite scenes in the book, Minny was my favorite character.  I loved how she seemed to get stronger and more powerful as she told her story. 

In my copy of the book, there was an afterward written by the author about the inspiration and experience of writing the book. Even though it was not part of the story, I enjoyed that section as well. It gave context to how the story came about and made me feel more appreciative of her journey into speaking in the voice of women whose life experience is so different from her own.

I am counting the book for the following challenges:

Chunkster Challenge: The book is 464 pages

Women Unbound: The book is about a bond between three women who come together through the power of story telling.

Even though I am very slow with completing books,  I thought it would be fun to track my reading progress each week. The Sunday Salon is  an online reading group where all the participants set aside time to read every Sunday and blog about the experience. To learn more or to join, click on the picture above.

For the past six months, I have been overwhelmed with book club commitments to the point where I kind of gave up trying to finish the book in time for the meeting.  In an effort to meet people in the Boston area, I joined a lot of groups and was getting something out of each one.  However, between job searching, bar studying, and then moving, my ability to finish books by a deadline diminished.  When I returned to the DC area, I was excited for the chance to be part of a book club again.  I thought that I would have more time to read since I was going to be commuting by train; however, my job has been really overwhelming which has cut into my reading time. 

I was super excited to attend a meeting of a book club meeting hosted by my dear friend Sonja's older sister, Karen, blogger of Planet Books.  I really enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield which was this month's selection. I finished the book on Saturday morning and will write a review, but I thought it was incredible.  It was nice to attend a meeting for which I was "prepared" and to be able to participate vigorously in the discussion since I was excited about the book.  You can read my initial thoughts on the Thirteenth Tale in my last Sunday Salon post which can be found here. 

Even though I am very slow with completing books,  I thought it would be fun to track my reading progress each week. The Sunday Salon is  an online reading group where all the participants set aside time to read every Sunday and blog about the experience. To learn more or to join, click on the picture above.

Since my last salon post, I haved moved to DC to start my fellowship.  It has been an exciting, but exhausting adjustment. You can read more about the transition here.   As a result of my moving and settling in adventures, my reading time has been pretty limited.  Right before I left MA, I stayed up late to finish an INCREDIBLE, AMAZING, THOUGHT PROVOKING book! Geometry of God by Uzma Aslam Khan is truly one of the best books I have read in a long time.  I wish that I could capture all of insights I had while I was reading and all the ways I have been thinking about it since I finished into a review; however, all I could produce is something that is filled with exclamation points and grand statements. You can find my review here.

After a few weeks, I finally started another book.  My dear friend Sonja's older sister, Karen, blogger of Planet Books, lives in the area.  She graciously allowed me to join her book club.  I am really looking forward to spending time with her and to be part of a reading group again.  To prepare for the meeting, I started reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I am only about a quarter of the way through, but I really love one of the main characters. Her description of reading and the ways in which books can carry you away really resonates with me.

From goodreads:

Amal: the practical sister who digs up the "diamond key" that unlocks the mystery of Pakicetus, a whale-dog creature who once swam the ancient seas that are now Pakistan.
Mehwish: the blind younger sister, who moves with the sun and music inside her and thinks in "cup lits not fully legal."
Zahoor: their heretical grandfather, a scientist who loves variation and "vim zee" and his two granddaughters most of all.
Noman: the young man who steps into a lecture hall, decides "their triangle needs a fourth point," and changes all their lives. 

These are the four shifting chambers who make the heart of The Geometry of God, the new novel from lauded Pakistani writer Uzma Aslam Khan. Through these vivid, contradictory, and original characters, Khan celebrates the complexities of familial and erotic love, the tug of curiosity and duty, the intersections of faith and longing. Her exuberant language draws from Urdu and Punjabi and invents one of its own for Mehwish, whose fractured English divides and slows and reveals.

Pages:386 (paperback)

Rating:9.75 out of 10

Source:borrowed from my library

When the Natick book club first selected The Geometry of God by Uzsma Aslam Khan, I had no idea what to expect.  As I got deeper into the book, I found myself searching for reasons to read another paragraph or chapter or sentence.  The night before I drove to DC to begin my new job, I stayed up TOO LATE finishing the book because I needed to know what happened before I had to return the library book.  On my drive, I found myself thinking about the characters and marveling at the story.  The book truly draws you into several worlds.  In one world is the conflict between the religious and the scientific community. In another world, you are watching Amal and Mehwish grow up and try to figure out ways to transform the way they function in the world.

As cliche as it sounds and because I am still tired, I REALLY LOVED this book!  Surprisingly, I related to all four of the main characters even Norman who irritated me.  I appreciated Amal's struggle to be seen as a competent professional woman while also being a good sister and partner to her husband. One of my favorite quotes from her is:

"I have only ever wanted to be a humble voice in a mighty chorus. I have only ever wanted to be a small flame in a greater fire. Tonight, I am."

In the book, Amal works to find professional fulfilment, but in order to do that she has to tune out voices of her parents and in-laws.  I appreciate that she wanted to make small changes to her marriage in order to have a partnership that reflects who she is trying to become. 

I really loved Zahoor's curiosity and desire to share knowledge with his family and the general public.  I also appreciated that he was not afraid to speak up against brainwashing and the hypocrisy shown by religious fundamentalists in the book.  Not to give too much away, but when he was in prison, it broke my heart when he was upset that he could not read because there was no light in his room.  The interaction between him and Amal reminded me a lot of time I spent with my own grandfather. 

Even though I did not care for Norman very much, I appreciated that he was trying to keep peace and be a good son even as he destroyed another man's life.  Another one of my favorite quotes was when Zahoor questions Norman about his life purpose:

"What would you do with your hands if deprived the power to sign your name across my life?"

When I read that quote and the exchange, my jaw dropped.  It was such a powerful scene and made me think of how many people derive power and status from putting down others.  Even though it would be easy to demonize some characters in the book, the author does a great job of showing the complexity of all characters.

My favorite narrator in the story is Mehwish.  She is blind and, as a result, all of her descriptions are very sensory.  It amazed me how she could tell what was happening the room even when no words were spoken.  As cheesy as it sounds, I loved watching her grown-up.  Each time I read a passage, I could see subtle and not so subtle in her way of absorbing information.

Even though I had read books that explored the concept of science versus religion and of women challenging the status quo, I have never read anything quite like this.  The beginning was a bit slow, but by the end I was excited to see what happens next and very sad to finish.  I miss reading the stories of the characters. I appreciated that the book made me pause, reflect, and reread at several points before I went on.  Maybe it is because I have only been reading for work for the last two weeks, but I am really missing reading this book. I wish that I had finished it before the book club meeting because I would have really enjoyed a vigorous discussion about many elements in the book.

In addition to enjoying the book VERY much for book club, I am also counting it towards the following challenges:

1. Orbis Terrarum: The author was born in Pakistan
2. Global Reading Challenge: The book takes place in Pakistan
3. South Asian Author Challenge: The author is Pakistani and the novel takes place in Pakistan.
4. Women Unbound: Two of the characters are women struggling with who they are supposed to be with who they want to become.

Even though I am very slow with completing books,  I thought it would be fun to track my reading progress each week. The Sunday Salon is  an online reading group where all the participants set aside time to read every Sunday and blog about the experience. To learn more or to join, click on the picture above.

Over the past two weeks, I have been consumed with preparing to move to DC for my one year fellowship. It is exciting, but overwhelming! Things have slowly started to fall into place as we got our house rented fully furnished which means we do not have to rent a truck and can just fill our cars with stuff for the trip. We are going to stay with my parents until we find a place in DC.  We decided to do most of our searching when we arrive and focus on wrapping things up here.  I am leaving on Friday; I cannot believe that the month went by so quickly.

I have been reading more, but it is almost all to keep up with book club meetings.  Last Tuesday, the book club of Professors and Partners met to discuss Home Town by Tracy Kidder which I did not finish in time for the discussion.  As I wrote in my last Sunday Salon post, I am having a hard time caring about the characters and staying engaged with the story.  In spite of that feeling, I still want to finish the book and hope to complete it before I leave on Friday.

Tomorrow, I am meeting with the Natick book club to discuss Geometry of God by Uzma Aslam Khan I started the book late because I was trying to finish another book (see above). As much as Home Town dragged, the Geometry of God goes quickly.  I have to read sections over to make sure that I understood correctly because some of the actions are so outrageous.  I love the conflict between religion and science and the questioning of women's roles in society.  Even though I will likely not finish the book in time for discussion tomorrow, I am looking forward to the meeting and to finishing the book by Friday, so that I can return it to the library before my road trip.

I am still hosting the Orbis Terrarum Mini-Challenge. It is a contest that combines food and books.  Each week, I write a post that is a tribute to food, writing, or food and writing from a particular region. If you comment on the post, you are eligible for a prize.  Click on the link above for more details.

Over the past two weeks, I have done a few book-ish things:

I posted reviews for Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (My review is here.) and I Love You and I’m Leaving You Anyway by Terry McMillan (non-fiction): You can find my review here. 

I also participated in book meme for Booking Through Thursday. That post can be found here.

Time for me to return to packing and doing other preparations for the move.  Hope that you have a good Sunday and a wonderful week ahead!