“No two persons ever read the same book".
Edmund Wilson
Well ain't that the truth? If I ever need reminding of this I just recall nearly every Book Group discussion I have ever attended. Somedays I swear we had been reading completely different books.
It seems at times that I bring my feminist tendencies to the fore more than my other group members and will often be greatly annoyed by a male character which others have found very sympathetic. They look at me a bit betwaddled when I launch into my reasons for thinking the character is flawed and/or objectionable, when really they think he's just a nice misunderstood man.
At other times, I am moved beyond words about something, and others have just skipped over it and thought right, what's next?
As an author, I guess you really are engaging in a dance of sorts with your readers - in part the full realisation of your work is made only when the reader responds and/or brings their bits to the reading of it. You can assume it is complete when it leaves your hands to be published, but in a way it takes on multiple forms as different people read it and experience it though their own prisms of experience, bias, fear and hope.
I love that Book Group exposes me to books I might not get to read otherwise; and that it shows me different ways of thinking about a book, a writer, a story.
I am currently re-reading The Help for Book Group; and looking forward to next week's discussion. I expect there will be things I had missed or not noticed that get discussed. Fingers crossed.
Edmund Wilson
Well ain't that the truth? If I ever need reminding of this I just recall nearly every Book Group discussion I have ever attended. Somedays I swear we had been reading completely different books.
It seems at times that I bring my feminist tendencies to the fore more than my other group members and will often be greatly annoyed by a male character which others have found very sympathetic. They look at me a bit betwaddled when I launch into my reasons for thinking the character is flawed and/or objectionable, when really they think he's just a nice misunderstood man.
At other times, I am moved beyond words about something, and others have just skipped over it and thought right, what's next?
As an author, I guess you really are engaging in a dance of sorts with your readers - in part the full realisation of your work is made only when the reader responds and/or brings their bits to the reading of it. You can assume it is complete when it leaves your hands to be published, but in a way it takes on multiple forms as different people read it and experience it though their own prisms of experience, bias, fear and hope.
I love that Book Group exposes me to books I might not get to read otherwise; and that it shows me different ways of thinking about a book, a writer, a story.
I am currently re-reading The Help for Book Group; and looking forward to next week's discussion. I expect there will be things I had missed or not noticed that get discussed. Fingers crossed.
Wonderful book! I've yet to join a book group, but am curious about them. I read for pure enjoyment and often wonder if discussing it at length would take the enjoyment away. What have you found?
ReplyDeletehi J, I thought it was great too - it hurt in places and made me happy in many others, I took deep breaths in and cringed, I empathised, I disliked... All good! One of the challenges of book groups is to leave enough time between meetings so you can read what you like as well as the book group book. I couldn't bear only reading the books we get, so I need a good gap so I can get thru a few of my own as well as the one I am supposed to read. Discussing it does make me think about a book more than I usually do - why did I like it, what was good/bad etc. Helpful to me at times to clarify my thinking, but I couldn't do it for every book I read that's for sure!
DeleteLol.... I've had those moments too.... Did we read the same book?? I suppose we all relate to different things in different ways depending on our life experience. Often someone will say, you have to get such-and-such a book and after reading it I wonder what that person ever saw in it.
ReplyDeleteThat last it s so true too Robyn - I often think I need to re-read the book because clearly I've missed it whatever it was that worked such magic for them! It can be a bit like that with movies too I think - I always worry a bit when I'm told 'you MUST see this, read this'...expectations are high and may not be met.
DeleteMy friend, Ellen Granter, did the cover.
ReplyDeleteHow cool Roberta - I love this cover! The first version I read had the movie girls on the cover so this was a delight to get second time around.
DeleteI'm not in a book group, but I can see how the views might be really different. I guess that's more likely with books than with films - there's so much more left for the reader to fill in. Anyway, I'm sure there will be a mix of comments about The help. Hope to read more from Kathryn soon. Some of those characters will stay with me for a long time.
ReplyDeleteHi Annie - I think we also sometimes go to books with expectation based on the blurb, the title, the author, the cover... and there can be a mismatch can't there? We don't ever really end up in fights but we have had one person absolutely HATE a book that had the rest of us rolling in laughter and quoting bits of it to each other and there is another book we just don't mention "don't mention the war" because one of us really really disliked it with a vengeance and the rest of us loved it. I enjoyed the Help - altho it is a hard book to 'enjoy' but it held me and I got totally engaged with the characters.
DeleteLike shared memories of life - my sister and I remember totally different and sometimes conflicting details about things. Of course, I'M the one who remembers it correctly ;)
ReplyDeleteIsn't that so true Valerianna - my memory is brilliant too of course ;). We all prioritise memories, focus on different things, want to remember things in a certain way - yep we all bring something different even to memories of real events.
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