August 1, 2023 

At the meeting: Liz, Janice, Lois, Meta, Sharon, Barbara, Tina.  Marilyn was getting the staples out of her hip and then heading to Atlantic City.  

NB: Though having been left with a COVID tiredness that hasn’t gone away, Liz was game to host this August meeting.  Each person received some of her impossibly delicious cinnamon-raisin bread to take home, while also taking samples from the breadbasket.  It was a vegetarian feast which, we should point out, had absolutely no calories. Steve joined us briefly upon his return from tennis.  There was talk of Ireland, his beloved cousin Mello, and the grandfather who disappeared to Australia.  

Book & Author:  Horse, by Geraldine Brooks

Questions and Comments: 

  • The book received near unanimous accolades, with Jarrett being the clear winner in the favorite character contest.  Barbara declared she now wants a horse, or at least a painting of a horse.  Lois told us about Ali’s horse Dean, which Gene drew a picture of.  It eventually got colic, was operated on, and then died.
  • Jarrett was able to deal with all kinds of people, even those who treated him badly.  He communicated well, even with animals.  His trials in life seemed to make him stronger. 
  • Harry bought his freedom and then instead of buying Jarrett’s release, he got it for his wife.  
  • The Civil War as backdrop of the novel plays an integral part in the storyline.  Beginning with the North’s lack of attendance at the first Kentucky state race, the war caused havoc in the world of horseracing and breeding.
  • When Mary Barr came to visit Jarrett, he tried to shoo her out, knowing that if they were seen in the same room, it could mean torture or death for him.  
  • The issue of racism and the ordeal of Black people doing ordinary things but being singled out, punished, and sometimes killed, was discussed at length.  It started by our noting how horrible it was to be Black before slavery was abolished but also commenting that not enough has changed.  “Driving while Black” can get you pulled over on many highways, and walking in white neighborhoods can get you questioned by police.
  • Where did Jarrett’s inherent goodness come from?  Some felt it was because he was loved.  He knew that his father loved him.  He learned from the older people he dealt with.
  • The section of the book that described Jarrett taking up with the woman whose husband was away at war was touching.  He was a good role model for the woman’s son and was able to step back from the woman when her husband returned from the war.  All were happy that later, Jarrett found love with another woman.
  • Jarrett was able to figure out what Lexington needed or wanted.  They had their own way of communicating and loved each other.
  • How sad was it that Theo is shot dead by the police when he tries to help a woman who had fallen in Rock Creek Park?  This engendered a discussion of the Black man who was attacked by a dog on the policeman’s order.  
  • What can a person do to help if they see some injustice being committed?  All agreed that “not much” is the answer, perhaps just filming it on your phone.  It’s dangerous to intervene individually since you likely wouldn’t know what happened before.
  • Sad that Jess’s first reaction to Theo is fear that he was stealing her bike.
  • What did you think of Jackson Pollack’s entrance into the story?  Barbara asked it directly of Steve. His clever answer, “Not sure.  I’ll just throw something against the wall.”  
  • The presence of art in the book was strong, starting with the painting that the old woman threw out.  In one painting, you can see the beautiful structure of the horse.  Is he looking at the viewer or away?
  • There were two artists and how many pictures?  Both artists were able to capture the emotions of the horse.  
  • How does an artist convey emotion, especially if he’s painting animals?  The face?
  • The book educated us on many fronts: horseracing in the 1800s, art dealing in 20th century New York, the art of being able to recreate an animal’s body from his bones.  

Sharon spoiled us with the olive oil cake/whipped cream/Amarena cherries dessert plus lemon-orange ricotta cookies.  Gilding the lily were biscotti for all to take home.  Janice made sure we had salty and sweet treats to nibble on while the coffee was brewing.  

Next Meetings:     Thursday, September 7, starting at 1:30, at Marilyn’s.  

Next Book:              Meta chose Loyalty, by Lisa Scottoline.  Sharon will choose for October, Barbara for November, and Tina for December.

Submitted by Tina

August 4, 2023

Discussion Questions (Spoiler Alert!! – Read after you’ve finished reading the book.)

1. Sicily’s rugged landscape plays a central role in the novel. How do you think various characters — such as Lucia, Franco, Alfredo, and Gaetano — were shaped by their surroundings? In what way does the landscape serve as a metaphor for the often-brutal conditions of life in Sicily in the 1800s?

2. There is a wide range of marital relationships in LOYALTY. How would you compare the marriages of Mafalda and Turi, Roberto and Bruna, Gaetano and Maria? Do any of these marital dynamics shed light on the others?

3. What do you think was the biggest turning point for Franco in his journey toward becoming a mafioso? Was there a crucial scene that, if it had progressed slightly differently, could have changed his path? Did you sympathize with him at any point? If so, did you stop sympathizing with him as the novel progressed? Is he a hero or a villain?

4. Why do you think the novel is titled LOYALTY? What role does loyalty play in the lives of each of the main characters, and how effectively does it govern their actions? Which characters are more loyal than others? Which are less loyal? How does loyalty in the context of a domestic family relate to loyalty as it is expected within a Mafia family? Is loyalty different from blind faith, and when does it become pernicious?

5. The lives of Franco, Lucia, Gaetano, Alfredo and Dante have separate starts in this novel, but over time they intertwine and inform one another. Which meetings between characters do you think were the most important? How do you think these characters would have developed if they had never met one another?

6. Gaetano leads a double life for much of this novel, torn between his duty to justice and his duty to his family. Which types of duty clash most in your daily life, and how do you navigate your priorities? Do you agree with the way Gaetano navigated his own conflict?

7. If you read the Author’s Note, you learned that many scenes in the novel were based on real-life settings. Which of these locations would you most want to visit, and why?

8. Lisa Scottoline’s Fiorvanti family is fictional, but the origins of the Mafia are depicted accurately in this book, reflecting “legal, social, political, and even agricultural factors,” as mentioned in the Author’s Note. How did the depictions of the rise of the Mafia in LOYALTY affect your understanding of that criminal organization? How did it change your perspective on more current depictions of the Mafia in popular culture, such as in The Godfather movies? What did you learn that most surprised you?

9. As a former lawyer, Scottoline is interested in exploring in all her novels where the law comes into conflict with justice and how law can even thwart justice, which seems paradoxical. Where did you see law and justice conflicting in this book, and what did you think of the various characters’ decisions when they were forced to choose between one or the other?

10. Franco vows to buy Violetta’serbanettievery month for the rest of his life and does so. What does this tell you about him? What have been the longest-standing promises in your life, and what do they mean to you? What kind of sacrifices do they take to maintain?

11. The novel spans many years, most notably with a 15-year break in the middle. How did the main characters — Franco, Lucia, Dante, Alfredo, and Gaetano — change during this time? Did any of them change in ways you didn’t expect?

12. The book closes by stating that the most precious of all things is “a loving family.” To what extent did the central characters in LOYALTY have loving families? How might their development have been altered if they had had different families? What did you think about how they created their families?

13. The novel ends on a happy scene, with the birth of Lucia and Dante’s baby. But in the previous chapter, we learn that the Mafia in Sicily has only just begun its reign. What do you think will happen to each of the novel’s remaining central characters after the book ends? How do you think the Mafia will continue to affect their lives, and how can love forge hope in troubled times?