Possibly the most important part of any book club is the discussion! Obviously, over the next month you’ll hear plenty about my thoughts on the book. However, I want to encourage you to share your thoughts too – both with me, and with your fellow readers.
Peter, whom I didn't like at the beginning, is a character I've learnt to appraciate now that I'm reaching the end of the book. He is a good chap deep down inside, always trying to please people and concerned about their "happiness" and protection. He wants to take care of Sylvia, he wants to give a roof on the head to Naomi, he assists his father during his treatments. In our judgement we must remember that FACTS are important. He may not be very communicative but his mind is a continuous train of thoughts very difficult to follow at times and his effort to please is sometimes unnerving. In his violent quarrel with his brother I'm actually unable to take sides because if Peter has behaved hypocritically, Ivan has always refused any confrontation with his brother with the excuse of being "the young one ", the "needy one" emotionally speaking. In our society we think of OLD as a synonym of RESPONSIBLE, but at times young people can be emotionally stronger and their youth doesn't entitle them to refuse the help they could give.
I think you're touching on something really important there, Paola. All his life, Peter has felt a pressure to be the mature, responsible 'protector' – and I think this is what's left him feeling so vulnerable emotionally, and unsupported by those around him. He wants to look after the people he loves, but he struggles to communicate what he's feeling, and therefore can't ask for what he himself needs from them. What do you think Rooney is saying about communication here? I'd be interested to get your thoughts.
Communication is always the main problem in all the Rooney's books I read. People struggle to communicate their feelings but in my opinion every character has his fovourite interlocutor. Ivan , for exemple, can't express his feelins with his brother or his mother but with Margaret is really at ease and would get on talking and talking about everything that crosses his mind. Peter can't express what he feels for Naomi or how much he cares about his brother, but when he confides in Sylvia his speech is fluent and not syncopated, all anxiety is gone. The lack of communication is the reason why Connell and Marianne in Normal People will never be a couple, despite their intense sexual involvement and their mutual caring ( and this was for me particularly sad). That's the reason way I preferred INTERMEZZO. At least there is the idea that some mutual understanding is possible if the characters work on it.
Charles, I too found the writing difficult at first. Then, I realized that we were inside Peter’s mind…and then, inside Ivan’s. I’m on chapter 13 now and it begins to fall into place. I am blown away by how she is able to capture internal thought and how well she can make that different for each character. Unfortunately I only vaguely remember this from Normal People. In any case, I’m enjoying the journey and thanks for putting it in your book club.
Thanks for reading along, you're a bit ahead of me so it's nice to hear that it gets better! You referred to Normal People and I think we're seeing an author evolve very nicely here in terms of shaping her characters. I'm not sure if you read Beautiful World, Where Are You? but it also had some great character definition & relationships there. Can't wait to see where this all goes and to keep exchanging on this, I think there's going to be A LOT to talk about....!
Charles, I enjoyed the book and appreciate you including it in your book club. I’m also looking forward to your next choice! Intermezzo was terrific in some chapters and I really enjoyed how the author captures the internal life of the characters. I think that’s really a strength of hers. I decided the Intermezzo was the peak of the trauma both brothers experienced following the death of their father. Peter disintegrated and Ivan matured. I was disappointed in the final chapters of the book. Thought she was rushing to get it over with and sort of threw the resolutions at us. I believe it could have benefited from a few more chapters to take us more slowing through the resolutions. Ivan responds with maturity to Peter meeting him at the chess tournament but how did he get there? i really wanted to see that transition. And Peter to get to the point where he was able to appreciate his father AND his brother…needed a bit more there. That said, I really like her ability to articulate and share all the internal life of characters. Looking forward to the next one,,,your book club choice and Sally’s next book!
Thanks Carol for your amazing insights. I haven’t got much further than my previous post but will look out for the points you make and update this when I reach the passages you mention. How would you rate it relative to her previous novels? Her best? Her worst?
Charles, I’ve followed you from afar. Christine and Peter Schmidt are close friends. Want to
weigh in and thank you for the book
discussions. I’ve selected Table for Two to lead for our Windsor book club and wonder if I’ve set myself a daunting task given that they are unrelated short stories. Your thoughts please? Feel free to contact me at ruthscheer@aol.com or text me at (617) 462-4761. Greetings from
Castine Maine where leaf color is stunning right now.
Hi Ruth, thanks for your message. I think your book selection sounds great. Amor Towles is a great author and short stories means there’s something for everyone, and hopefully you can find some thematic thread that links them all. Give my best to the Windsor Book Club!
That's a really interesting point, Susan. I know what you mean. At points I also felt that Ivan's growth over the course of the novel was so dramatic and so 'neat' that it left me feeling a little skeptical. When you say jerryrigged together, is that what you're meaning?
Peter, whom I didn't like at the beginning, is a character I've learnt to appraciate now that I'm reaching the end of the book. He is a good chap deep down inside, always trying to please people and concerned about their "happiness" and protection. He wants to take care of Sylvia, he wants to give a roof on the head to Naomi, he assists his father during his treatments. In our judgement we must remember that FACTS are important. He may not be very communicative but his mind is a continuous train of thoughts very difficult to follow at times and his effort to please is sometimes unnerving. In his violent quarrel with his brother I'm actually unable to take sides because if Peter has behaved hypocritically, Ivan has always refused any confrontation with his brother with the excuse of being "the young one ", the "needy one" emotionally speaking. In our society we think of OLD as a synonym of RESPONSIBLE, but at times young people can be emotionally stronger and their youth doesn't entitle them to refuse the help they could give.
I think you're touching on something really important there, Paola. All his life, Peter has felt a pressure to be the mature, responsible 'protector' – and I think this is what's left him feeling so vulnerable emotionally, and unsupported by those around him. He wants to look after the people he loves, but he struggles to communicate what he's feeling, and therefore can't ask for what he himself needs from them. What do you think Rooney is saying about communication here? I'd be interested to get your thoughts.
Communication is always the main problem in all the Rooney's books I read. People struggle to communicate their feelings but in my opinion every character has his fovourite interlocutor. Ivan , for exemple, can't express his feelins with his brother or his mother but with Margaret is really at ease and would get on talking and talking about everything that crosses his mind. Peter can't express what he feels for Naomi or how much he cares about his brother, but when he confides in Sylvia his speech is fluent and not syncopated, all anxiety is gone. The lack of communication is the reason why Connell and Marianne in Normal People will never be a couple, despite their intense sexual involvement and their mutual caring ( and this was for me particularly sad). That's the reason way I preferred INTERMEZZO. At least there is the idea that some mutual understanding is possible if the characters work on it.
Charles, I too found the writing difficult at first. Then, I realized that we were inside Peter’s mind…and then, inside Ivan’s. I’m on chapter 13 now and it begins to fall into place. I am blown away by how she is able to capture internal thought and how well she can make that different for each character. Unfortunately I only vaguely remember this from Normal People. In any case, I’m enjoying the journey and thanks for putting it in your book club.
Thanks for reading along, you're a bit ahead of me so it's nice to hear that it gets better! You referred to Normal People and I think we're seeing an author evolve very nicely here in terms of shaping her characters. I'm not sure if you read Beautiful World, Where Are You? but it also had some great character definition & relationships there. Can't wait to see where this all goes and to keep exchanging on this, I think there's going to be A LOT to talk about....!
Charles, I enjoyed the book and appreciate you including it in your book club. I’m also looking forward to your next choice! Intermezzo was terrific in some chapters and I really enjoyed how the author captures the internal life of the characters. I think that’s really a strength of hers. I decided the Intermezzo was the peak of the trauma both brothers experienced following the death of their father. Peter disintegrated and Ivan matured. I was disappointed in the final chapters of the book. Thought she was rushing to get it over with and sort of threw the resolutions at us. I believe it could have benefited from a few more chapters to take us more slowing through the resolutions. Ivan responds with maturity to Peter meeting him at the chess tournament but how did he get there? i really wanted to see that transition. And Peter to get to the point where he was able to appreciate his father AND his brother…needed a bit more there. That said, I really like her ability to articulate and share all the internal life of characters. Looking forward to the next one,,,your book club choice and Sally’s next book!
Thanks Carol for your amazing insights. I haven’t got much further than my previous post but will look out for the points you make and update this when I reach the passages you mention. How would you rate it relative to her previous novels? Her best? Her worst?
Charles, I’ve followed you from afar. Christine and Peter Schmidt are close friends. Want to
weigh in and thank you for the book
discussions. I’ve selected Table for Two to lead for our Windsor book club and wonder if I’ve set myself a daunting task given that they are unrelated short stories. Your thoughts please? Feel free to contact me at ruthscheer@aol.com or text me at (617) 462-4761. Greetings from
Castine Maine where leaf color is stunning right now.
Hi Ruth, thanks for your message. I think your book selection sounds great. Amor Towles is a great author and short stories means there’s something for everyone, and hopefully you can find some thematic thread that links them all. Give my best to the Windsor Book Club!
That's a really interesting point, Susan. I know what you mean. At points I also felt that Ivan's growth over the course of the novel was so dramatic and so 'neat' that it left me feeling a little skeptical. When you say jerryrigged together, is that what you're meaning?