By Debbie Stone and Gini Cunningham
Debbie: When Gini sent me a reminder about our book review of How to Read a Book she asked me to rate it in advance: Guess—Gini loves it; Gini finds it okay; Gini dislikes it.
Such pressure! Gini and I rarely have the same thoughts about a novel, but I had a very full heart when I closed the last page of this book and I’m hoping my dear friend Gini loved it as much as I did. Let me begin with my favorite quote:
“Books won’t solve my problems, Harriet.”
“No, but they give your problems perspective. They allow your problems to breathe.”
This is a story of the power of literature. A retired English teacher (Harriet) volunteers her time to lead a women’s book club inside a prison. The group meets weekly, and we follow one young woman inmate (Violet) in particular.
There is a combination of points of view told by the three main characters - Harriet, Violet and Frank, the book shop handyman, in alternating chapters. There is a hint of romance—which will surprise you in how it presents itself—but that is not the main focus.
How to Read a Book is a story of second chances, compassion, forgiveness, trust, found family, and human connections and will leave you feeling happy and deeply satisfied. You will fall in love with the characters, including the talking parrots. Yes, there are talking parrots; not a joke and totally relevant to the plot.
This is a great choice for a book club read. Monica Wood has a knack for creating deeply human characters who evoke empathy in the reader. I read and also loved her book The One-in-a-Million Boy and highly recommend it, too.
Gini: I figured it would be fun for Debbie to select how I might feel about this book – she chose middle-of-the-road – while in reality I love it. In fact, by the end I gushed (something atypical for me!) Wood works magic weaving three strangers into a binding friendship. Switching point-of-view is a popular style, but often this technique is confusing. Wood’s talent makes the entire process feel natural.
One quote: “The writer writes the words. The given reader reads the words. And the book, the unique and unrepeatable book, doesn’t exist until the reader meets the writer on the page.” Harriet designs her book club to engage the imagination and intelligence of her group as they learn to recognize their own ambitions and desires. An example comes from reading Spoon River Anthology (which I now need to re-read) with conversations based on the statement: “When I get out [of prison] the first thing I do… Meanwhile…” So the reader can plug this into personal life: “The first thing I do on vacation/next week/when I see… Meanwhile I will plan/save/practice…” Also the past life and current perspectives of the women in the book help me understand the how and why of someone becoming incarcerated and how they might escape into a new reality.
About the birds. Violet’s lands a job with a researcher who studies parrots – their language, attitudes, memory with games, and personal interactions with Violet and Dr. Petrov. “The tongue must learn new ways to move” describes Ollie, an aging parrot practicing repeating new vocabulary. The tongue idea links to life situations when undesirable comments leap out of the mouth before the brain can rein them back to avoid pain and confrontation, “…conclusions before evidence” according to Petrov. There are so many philosophical declarations throughout the novel. My brain raced.
Debbie mentions romance – one arises with red flag warnings and another the reader longs for. The first irritated me, but its quick dissolution defrayed my disgust; the second is simply perfect and although predictable, it is pleasant. Maybe both of these reactions are due to the excellent character development and an attachment I sensed for each.
Another line: “The problem with retrospect is it never shows up beforehand.” Of course, this is easily explained but reflecting on it I thought back to the times I have grieved over a past event when nothing can be done to change or reverse it. I need to learn and then move forward toward a more positive future encounter. Debbie covers main emotions: compassion, trust, family just as each character discovers these as well. Kindness and forgiveness are intertwined throughout Wood’s work. Good choice, Debbie!