Tessaro's novel The Perfume collector chosen by Sue.
Members who attended were Julie, Nancy, Sue, Janet,
Betsy, Kathy,Sarah and Nettie.
Sue started by presenting 3 of her favorite perfumes
which evoked special memories and reactions
from others. I remember two by Estee and one called
pheremone (an expensive concoction). This led to
a discussion of the popular perfumes we remembered
at different periods in our lives such as white shoulders
and evening in Paris.
We had all read and enjoyed the book and we delved
into the two main characters Eva Dorsey and Grace
Monroe. We discussed especially the change that
Grace underwent throughout the book as she
dealt with the inheritance and and the discovery
of her true the mother. We felt the inheritance would
help her develop into her real self rather than an
extension of the husband Roger.
We all liked the historical background of the way of
life in New York, London and France and how
it related to women just gaining some independence and
equality.
All together the book had a bit of mystery, romance and
made for a pleasant read. Sue did a wonderful job of
adding a new dimension of smell and monitoring the
discussion.
Kathy chose a book called "The Ice Cream queen of
Orchard Street" by Susan Gilman who is a very
entertaining author. This story is also a historical
fiction about an immigrant coming to New York
as a child who is orphaned and against all odds of
prejudice and the hardships of the depression
manages to build an empire.
We chose July 15 for the next meeting.
Will send reminders.
