November December 2021 Book Choice

 Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner was our pre Holiday read

Here is part of the NYT book review July 2019:

“Mrs. Everything” tells the story of two sisters, Jo and Bethie Kaufman, who grow up in Detroit in the 1950s and find their way to Ann Arbor in its hippie heyday, then to stifling suburban Connecticut and finally to a feminist collective in Atlanta. Balancing her signature sense of humor with a new (to her novels) political voice, Weiner tells the story of the women’s rights movement and the sexual awakening of a woman coming of age at a time when being attracted to women would keep her at the fringes of the world she was raised to join. She opts for the safe route, making unimaginable sacrifices along the way, especially on behalf of her sister, who finds the freedom to live the life they both wanted.

Weiner has always been a gifted novelist and a powerful essayist. In “Mrs. Everything,” she brings the best of both worlds to the page, holding up the prism of choice and letting the light shine through from every angle."

Betsy hosted our Holiday Celebration and Cookie exchange at her lovely home and we all celebrated being together in person!

 Cheers to A New Year!

November December 2018 Book Choice and Cookie Exchange

We wrapped up the Beehive year with the fiction based on fact book:
Before we were yours by Lisa Wingate
Here is part of the Huffington Post 2017 book review:

The book is written from two viewpoints, The first takes place in the present and centers on Avery Stafford. She is the daughter of a politician and has been raised to be obedient to the family’s needs and wishes. Her father is embroiled in a re-election campaign and so she has headed home to South Carolina to work with him. She is also there to be groomed as his successor. 


While there she meets a woman named May Crandall, an elderly lady who somehow has a link to Avery’s grandmother Judy. Her curiosity is piqued so she asks her grandmother about the relationship. Judy however is suffering from Alzheimer’s and can’t respond clearly to the questions. Therefore Avery decides to look into her grandmother’s past and when she does secrets become unlocked. They lead to a murky situation concerning orphans and their adoptive parents. 


The other viewpoint belongs to a twelve year old girl named Rill. The time is 1939 and the place is Memphis, Tennessee. Rill lives in a boat on the river and helps take care of her four younger siblings. Her parents do the best they can for their children but life is hard. When Rill’s mother and father are at the hospital awaiting the birth of a new baby, Rill and her sisters and brother are gathered up by the “authorities” and taken to an orphanage of sorts. 

It is a rarity for an author to create a book with two central stories told side by side and not have one overshadow the other. Lisa Wingate has the talent to present this brutal tale tenderly. She is able to get readers into the heads of both Avery and Rill and make their goals crystal clear. Lisa Wingate has the talent to present this brutal tale tenderly. She is able to get readers into the heads of both Avery and Rill and make their goals crystal clear. 

Betsy hosted the dinner and sweet treat exchange at her lovely vila.