January '05 Book Club Selection

[emeleel]

According to the list, mtomm. Calling Margo!

[lynnzop[$]]

I'm nearly done...just getting through the Obit chapter.

I expected to be very sad when Daisy died. But I wasn't.

I like this book, but I don't feel like I connected with it..hard to describe. I did find myself, in the latter chapters where Daisy was an old woman, thinking about being in her shoes. Thinking "someday, I'll be there, and my family and younger people will be thinking about me like this" that was sort of depressing.

Basically, while there are so many blanks that don't get filled in, I think this was a very realistic story. There weren't a lot of startles and exaggerations of life events. I did have to chuckle at the conversation after Daisy had died about her first marriage.

When Fraidy said something about her "60-year old body", it was an eye-opening moment. Another of those "geeze, when did we get to the be the old people, we're still 25 in our own minds" thoughts that I know I'll have some day.

What ever happened to Beverly? I missed where she went off to.

Sharon, this is a great discussion book. I'm going to print off your questions later and go back to think them through. (After I've finished the final few pages I have left.)

Lynn

[emeleel]

What ever happened to Beverly? I missed where she went off to.

I want to say.... cancer?

[theworm[$]]

I hope to finish the book this weekend. I was reading the chapters with all the letters last night. I think I finished it, but I'm not sure.

Sharon - I really love this book!!!

[lynnzop[$]]

You might be right...I'm drawing a blank, just suddenly occured to me that she sort of disappeared.

There weren't that many things that happened to others that were dealt with in more than a sentence or mention. Daisy's two friends - Beans died of cancer, and Fraidy got senile (or it might have been the other way around) - just one short sentence and that was it, they were dismissed.

[lynnzop[$]]

theworm said

Sharon - I really love this book!!!

I can't say honestly that I "love" it, but I would definitely recommend it to someone else. I'm curious what the reviews on eps say about it.

[theworm[$]]

I love it for the writing. The story is sort of quiet, and I don't feel really connected to the characters - I don't expect this to change by the end of the novel, but the writing is excpetional. Some of her descriptions are just beautiful!!! And I think that, so far anyway, the story is very real. Not remarkable, but very real and very.....sincere.

[mtomm[$]]

I'm just ahead of you, Worm and I'm really enjoying it, too. I'm surpised each time I start a new chapter by how she has put it together.

[murasaki]

Beverly got a quick mention as having died from cancer, somewhere in the part where Daisy moved to Florida (author had to explain how she had no more ties to the old house, etc.).

[ms_n]

Thanks, Naomi. I like hearing what you have to say about the writing. I had forgotten who Beverly was! My mind has no memory at all. I'm going to have to write notes to myself to remind me who is who in my own life when I get older. I'd better start now...

I'm glad you are enjoying the book, everyone. I thought the storytelling itself was masterful and clever and that the reader's detachment from the characters was deliberate which uniquely made its own general statement about life. That is what I most appreciated about the book -- the writing and its use of technique.

What I enjoy most about this discussion are the different perspectives and experiences through the reading. I greatly enjoy reading everyone's responses, reactions, and insights. Thanks to everyone for participating.

[theworm[$]]

But we're not done yet!
Ok - I'm now up to the part where the niece is visiting Aunt Daisy in Florida.
Beverly died of Pancreatic Cancer. Daisy moved to FL to be near Beans and Fraidy.

Love it love it love it.
The depression section was VERY interesting. More on that later - need another nap.

[ms_n]

theworm said

But we're not done yet!
Ok - I'm now up to the part where the niece is visiting Aunt Daisy in Florida.
Beverly died of Pancreatic Cancer. Daisy moved to FL to be near Beans and Fraidy.

Love it love it love it.
The depression section was VERY interesting. More on that later - need another nap.

LOL. I'm feeling like a nap, too. Looking forward to you next post.

[theworm[$]]

-Who is your favorite character and why?
I think that Daisy is probably my favorite, but that is quite possibly because the book was about her and we know most about her. Unlike some otner readers, I don't think this was a depressing story, and I don't think that Daisy had an unfullfilling life. I think that for the most part she looked at the positive in situations. She dealt with some rough times, but she made the most of her life. She was educated, she travelled, she had good friends, a good marriage (though I think she might have preferred more passion), she raised 3 children and a grand niece, had a career, a love affair, good friends. Except for her bought of depression she lived what seems to be a contented life - and even when she was depressed, she handled that as a passing phase. I respect her very much. I think I would have liked her and her practical approach to life.


-Why is the book entitled The Stone Diaries (pp. 86, 358, and 359 may
be helpful)?
I am embarrased to admit that I find this question difficult to answer. Obviously there is a lot of talk of stone in the book - Daisy's fathers tower and pyramid - his livelyhood, but there is something more symbolic and I'm having a hard time defining it in my own mind. Stone is hard and unmoving and permanent, but in this novel, it has a life. Cuyler changes stone with his carving and building. I think that the stones relate to an individuals presence and how that remains on earth. When Daisy dies, she feels her body turning to stone - somehow that is setting herself as a permanent thing in the world. Somehow stone is alive and giving in this book, and the imagery of stone gives the characters some lasting substance.


-What was the significance of Mercy Goodwill's ring? What did it symbolize
(pp. 182, 279)? Daisy never knew her mother. Cuyler barely new Mercy. I think that the ring - like the symbol of the stones - was a reminder of Mercy's permanence and her effect on others after her death.


-The author uses letters and a series of theories by other characters to shed light into Daisy's life. Do you feel these were an effective way to learn
about Daisy? Do you feel that you know Daisy Goodwill Flett well? How
would you describe her? I loved the authors style and reading the letters and theories of others. I think that it's easy to presume what another is thinking or feeling, and that everyones different "take" on Daisy's situation was reflective of their own experience with her - which may or may not have any relationship with reality. It made me think about our life and what people know or think of us and what we know and think of them. Do we REALLY know others? Do we really know ourselves? How much of what happens in life do we understand and/or accept, and how much do we fight it? In the end, Daisy's explanation of her depression was the most interesting. It wasn't a big reaction to something - it was a temporary state, and she accepted it, lived it and was finished with it.

-After reading Mrs. Flett's theory what theory do you have about Daisy's
depression (pp. 261-263)?
I think that perhaps the depression was just a chemical depression that came and went. Daisy certainly had things to be depressed about - she had certainly experienced losses. Many women of that age experience depression. I think the way that she dealed with it shows her strength and shows how well she knew herself.


-What, if anything, do you think was missing from Daisy's life?
Passion. Demonstrative love. I think that she missed out on having a mother, but I think that she never knew her real mother and that Aunt Clarentine filled that void for her as a child. Perhaps not having a relationship with her father when she was a young child was more hurtful.

-What different choices could Daisy have made to change the outcome of her life? Is there any point where she could have done something differently to bring more meaning or happiness into her life?
I question whether her life was not happy and without meaning. I think for the most part she was content with her life and her life did have meaning.


-What did Daisy gain from meeting Magnus Flett? A sense of history. A sense of closure. A feeling of being connected to something outside her immediate circle.

-Which character's life do you think is the most fulfilled? Beverly


-How does the poem that appears on the page before the family tree located at the beginning of the book relate to the story? I think that is speaks of Daisy's effect on others and the world - despite having an ordinary life.


-On pages 65-68 the author explores the definition of religion. How would you describe Daisy's religion? I don't know that Daisy bought into the idea of religion. I think she found wonder in the world around her - in plants and flowers and Niagra Falls. I got the sense that she had no need for a greater being or a spirituality that went beyond the here and now.


-Conrast Cuyler's death (pp. 271-280) to Daisy's (pp. 357-361). How are
they different? It seems that Cuyler died at peace - ready to go - not afraid. He was resigned to death. Daisy didn't love what age had done to her body, but she wasn't ready to go. She was not at peace with death.

I don't feel that I did a good job answering these questions. They are great questions - and I want to read everyone elses answers, but I had a hard time with them. I LOVED this book. I loved its quiet telling of a life. The different perspectives given by various characters. I liked Daisy. I liked that the story was in a way quite unremarkable, but I can still view Daisy as a heroic figure for her strength and practicality.

[lynnzop[$]]

I don't know that I can specifically answer the questions, Wormie (so maybe that makes me a bad book club member ), but I'll take a shot at a couple of them.

-Who is your favorite character and why?
Victoria. She reminds me of myself, visiting my own aunt (even though Daisy is her Great Aunt, and there is a greater age disparagy.) Even though we didn't know a lot about Victoria, I admire her going down, hauling Daisy off to Scotland, and her sense of adventure.

At different points in the book, however, I could easily say I really liked Mercy, Daisy, Fraidy, and Alice for various qualities.


-Why is the book entitled The Stone Diaries (pp. 86, 358, and 359 may be helpful)?
Unfortunately, page numbers probably won't help me since I picked up a large print version ....but along with Delia's reasoning above, I picked up on Daisy's middle name and Mercy's maiden name. "Stone". Whether it was because of the proximity to the quarries or a common name of the time (Mercy grew up in an orphanage, didn't she?), the book is about Daisy's life, and one part of her name that did not change with time was Stone. That was a constant.

-What, if anything, do you think was missing from Daisy's life?
Absolutely passion, but I don't know that she was the type of woman who would invite passion. Even when she was younger, she seemed rather reserved and shy about things. Fraidy was the one who invited passion. I can picture her wing-walking.

-Which character's life do you think is the most fulfilled?
Again, I'd have to say Victoria. I believe she saw what she wanted and went out and got it.

[ms_n]

I *really* enjoyed your answers, and it means a lot to me that you would put any thought into them at all. Thanks for sharing your ideas.

I didn't think that Daisy's life was meaningless. Far from being without purpose, Daisy spread goodness in many ways through loving people and caring for her garden. As far as I could tell, her religion was as simple as being the best person she could be and doing what she thought was right -- someone I would enjoy being friends with. What saddened me was that peace escaped her at death. I found that depressing. In my eyes, her life was complete, and I tried to figure out what I thought she felt she missed.

[mtomm[$]]

ms_n said

I *really* enjoyed your answers, and it means a lot to me that you would put any thought into them at all. Thanks for sharing your ideas.

I didn't think that Daisy's life was meaningless. Far from being without purpose, Daisy spread goodness in many ways through loving people and caring for her garden. As far as I could tell, her religion was as simple as being the best person she could be and doing what she thought was right -- someone I would enjoy being friends with. What saddened me was that peace escaped her at death. I found that depressing. In my eyes, her life was complete, and I tried to figure out what I thought she felt she missed.

Agreed, Sharon. I could see no reason why she should have felt so unfulfilled at her death. She had a good life with its ups and downs and it was filled with people whom she loved and who loved her! Maybe I should say "Shame on Daisy for not being grateful." But I don't really feel that way about Daisy.

I actually don't think Daisy felt that way at her death. I think the author just wrote it that way! I'm twisting this around the end the way I want it to.

[ms_n]

LOL