We met to discuss This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman. My typical book groupers felt the same way that I did about this book. We expected so much! We got so little. We really felt that although the story was supposed to be about Jake, we didn't get to know much about him. As you may recall, this story is about a boy who is under 18, who receives a video from a younger girl who he kissed at a party. The video shows her naked, and apparently masturbating. The boy forwards the video to one friend, and it goes viral. It seems that there is a lot of material there, but the characters really didn't have much depth.
All told, we talked about the book for about 20 minutes. We talked about our superintendent's unexpected resignation for 30 or more, and about miscellaneous things that seemed more interesting for another hour. So, in that respect, we were typical after all.
For next month, The Typical Book Group decided to read Paris Wife by Paula McLain. I already read that book for The Friends Book Group. My friend, Kim, is also in both book groups, so we decided to take on additional assignments. She is going to read The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, which features prominently in Paris Wife, and I am going to read A Movable Feast, also by Hemingway, about his Paris years.
Still Reading: Stone Arabia by Dana Spiotta. I am LOVING this book. More soon.
Still Listening To: Helen of Troy by Margaret George. 2 discs left!
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