Smith Book Club

We read The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears, not my favorite book; I found the main character pathetic, depressing and difficult to relate to although the book seemed to emulate real life more so than most books that so often wind up culminating in some happy ending or at least where "everything works out for the best". It's about an Ethiopian immigrant who fled to D.C., the book could have also been called failure to launch. I didn't find the writing style very compelling either and I think if the author had developed some of the reasons (survivors guilt?) the main character wasn't able to make a good life for himself, we as readers could have perhaps felt something for him. I didn't like the book but I respected that the author wrote a book that didn't romanticize life- people who get lemons in life, often don't make lemonade, let's face it- as a teacher from the Bronx I see it more than most, but even when we get a fair shake a lot of us waste it.

Anyway we met at Marjorie's house, I talked to Marjorie at the first Smith party and she emailed me to help me find nanny work, she is simply put, a really lovely woman. She obviously has a very nice life in Paris judging by her sweet husband and fancy apartment, but she doesn't seem like many of the Smith alum who are cut off from contact from "real" people like the woman who told me only immigrants ride the subway anymore. She may have naturalized herself as a French citizen, but girlfriend, you're still an immigrant.

There are about 10 people in the Smith Book Club 4 who graduated from Smith in the early 50's and promptly moved to Paris to marry some Frenchman, 3 or 4 who are in their 40's one who went to the olympics for crew and another who got into SciencePo (one of the most distinguished universities in the world) and several who worked as journalists here, then there are the two of us from '02. Everyone wanted to see my Kindle and discover how it worked but in showing it around I promptly spilt red wine all over it, but seemed to have saved it from death. We ate a lovely dinner of chicken potpie and apple crumble with vanilla haagen daaz (for having spent most of their lives in Paris what an American meal!) and had a lively discussion about the book. Next month we are having at Eda's who when I mentioned I didn't have an oven but loved to cook invited me to come over and make the meal at hers because she doesn't cook, fine by me, but boy I better hit a home run- these old girls are tough!