I thought it a cool concept - the title of the book comes from the 16th-century German mystic and
theologian, Jacob Boehme, who believed in the signature of all things,
“namely, that God had hidden clues for humanity’s betterment inside the
design of every flower, leaf, fruit and tree on earth. All the natural
world was a divine code. … This is why so many medicinal plants
resembled the diseases they were meant to cure, or the organs they were
able to treat.”
Fascinating! Now to think why the book was named for that concept????? Was Alma, in all her suffering, meant to better the world? Perhaps. Though her family was well off, emotional validation was lacking in the Whittaker home. So here you have a girl who has access to everything, including her own pony to traverse the many fields her father owns, yet her mother smacked her down verbally for the smallest emotional infraction. And her father only validated the fact that she was far from beautiful, far from "wanted".
Given almost every single human interaction designed to provide companionship and comfort, Alma messed them up completely. Her mother, her father, her adopted sister, her new found friend, and her potential love interest. Later, even her husband! Oh Alma!
But - Alma does live a long, long, long life. She gets validation eventually- and even takes the reigns of her own life. We have to cheer her in the end.
Too bad that Louise couldn't get the book from the library! I hoped that this book would be widely available given its popularity.
Next time, we shall try and choose something that Louise should easily be able to apprehend!
Well, to console her - we ordered Louise a giant Bloody Mary - just as pictured - with tons of nibbles on a stick. And along with that, she was able to pick from a bevy of delectable brunch items.
We all shoveled up heaping helpings of the Egg Skillet with Roasted Potatoes, the Smoked Bacon, the hash browns with scallions, waffles with syrup and strawberries & cream, even things like turkey and gravy, sweet and sour chicken, grilled atlantic salmon and chicken wild rice soup!
I think we were beyond satisfied after numerous re-filled coffee cups and nudgings to return to the buffet dessert bar where what waited was a delicious apple crisp with fresh cream. Yes, the belt needed to be loosened!
We did miss some of our members, but we had a lively discussion and welcomed Jessica Hogan from Chicago, who indulged along with us.
Next time, we will meet around the first week of December. Jarby agreed to research some titles for us that might include something holiday-themed - something light and humorous? We'll see what she comes up with!
Thank you all for joining us for brunch - it was great to see everyone and be pampered and taken care of by our nice waitress at Maynard's!
See you all next time.
Let us know what you all are reading now - what are you enjoying?
Happy Reading,
Katie
