Book Discussion

Every month a Barney Librarian leads a Book Discussion at The Gables at Farmington, located in the third floor lounge at 20 Devonwood Drive. The discussion this month will meet Tuesday May 29 at 2:00 p.m. The featured book we will be reading for the month of May is The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer.

from Publishers Weekly:
"Packer's engrossing debut novel begins without ostentation. On Memorial Day, Carrie Bell and her fiance, Mike Mayer, drive out to Clausen's Pier for their annual ritual, a picnic with their friends, a trip they make the way a middle-aged couple might, in grudging silence. Before their resentments can be aired, Mike dives into too shallow water, suffering injuries that change their lives. If Mike survives, he will survive as a quadriplegic, and Carrie faces unexpected responsibilities. Ultimately, Carrie does what is both understandable and unthinkable. She leaves her hometown of Madison, Wis., and shows up on the doorstep of a friend in New York City. There she discovers a different world, different friends and a different self. The hovering question--what will Carrie do? Abandon Mike or return to him?--generates genuine suspense. Packer portrays her characters--both New Yorkers and Madisonites--deftly, and her scenes unfold with uncommon clarity. But if Packer has a keen eye, she has an even keener ear. The dialogue is usually witty; more important, it is always surprising, as if the characters were actually thinking--one of the reasons they become as familiar to the reader as childhood friends. The recipient of several awards, Packer is also the author of Mendocino and Other Stories. Clearly, she has honed her skills writing short fiction. What is unexpected is the assurance she brings to a larger canvas. In quiet but beautiful prose, Packer tells a complex and subtly constructed story of friendship, love and the hold the past has on the present. This is the sort of book one reads dying to know what happens to the characters, but loves for its wisdom: it sees the world with more clarity than you do. "

For a reading group guide for this book click on the link provided below.
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/dive_from_clausens_pier1.asp

Stay tuned for these upcoming book discussions:

Tuesday, June 26, While I Was Gone by Sue Miller.
Tuesday, July 24, Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman.
Tuesday, August 28, The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner.

Are you a member of a book group?
The Farmington Library can order multiple copies of a title for your book discussions. Ask a librarian about it today!