On November 6, 1983, a group of women met at the home of Beth Roberts in Alexandria. Their goal was simple—to meet once a month for food, fellowship and a discussion of a pre-selected book.
These women aren't much different than women from around the world who have found that book clubs provide so much more. The difference with this group is that they are still going strong 20 years later.
Recently, they met at the home of Charlsie Armstrong to celebrate this special anniversary. In attendance were several of the original members, including Becky Bostick, Lorraine Horbaly, Helen Gryboski, Beth Roberts, Carolyn Heasley, Joan Polson, Susan Kilpatrick and Gudrun Callahan. The other members have joined at various times throughout the years.
Meredith Wade said that there are approximately 30 members on the roster and between 12 to 15 attend most meetings. Just about all the members came to the anniversary celebration, including one former member, Jackie Vawter, who came from Charlottesville. Another former member, Cathee Marston, was there in spirit. She was the one who told the group, "Before you do anything you have to call the Gazette Packet."
Like most book clubs, this group meets once a month at somebody's home. Unlike other groups, where the hostess also serves as the presenter, this group selects a separate presenter. It is the responsibility of the presenter to lead the discussion and where necessary, suggest discussion topics and questions. Quite often, they will copy a review or critique from the Internet that can be used to stimulate conversation.
Jane Stillmar was the presenter for the November meeting; the book they were discussing was "The Last Girls," by Lee Smith.
Stilmar said, "The book we're doing, one of the themes is how much women have changed. It's about women who graduated in the 60's and how their roles and experiences have changed. Most girls of the 60's were only interested in getting their MRS. Degree. At 18, you thought you were always going to be taken care of. It's a functional story, based on real events. I suggested the book based on an interview with Lee Smith [the author]."
OVER THE YEARS, the Alexandria group has read a variety of books; they even have the schedules from all but three years. They've read such diverse titles as "Out of Africa," "Emma," "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," "Jane Eyre," "Prince of Tides," "My Brilliant Career," "All the King's Men," "The Sheltered Life," "Bridges of Madison County," "The Great Gatsby," "The Awakening," "Snow Falling on Cedars," "Liar's Club," "Corelli's Mandolin," "Angela's Ashes," "The Good Soldier" and "The Bonesetter's Daughter."
Bobbie O'Brien especially enjoyed "Corelli's Mandolin" while Helen Gryboski enjoyed "The Hurried Child." She also enjoyed "The Inn at Lake Divine," by Elinor Lipman.
"There was a lot of discussion with that one," said Gryboski
Carolyn Heasley enjoyed "The Real Dragon," a book by local author Louise Trigg. The author attended the group's September meeting to speak about the book and sign copies. Other local authors have attended their sessions, including former member Carolyn Hougan and T.C. Williams' teacher, Pat Welsh.
THERE IS A great breadth in the group and Heasley said, "We're lucky that we've had a couple of librarians."
In addition to getting together to review books, the Alexandria women sometimes take a field trip to view a movie made about a book they read or to a local museum. They enjoy their time together and plan to continue meeting as long as there's interest.
Many other groups have formed in the area, including one at The Campagna Center and several in the Mount Vernon area. One of the Mount Vernon groups has been in existence for a little over a year and consists of about 15 members. They recently met at the home of Artemis Davies to discuss "Tale of Two Cities," by Charles Dickens. While some of the members found the book hard to get through, just as many others found it very enjoyable and led to a good discussion.
In January, they will be discussing "Tender is the Night," by F. Scott Fitzgerald. While a classic is inserted into the schedule once or twice a year, most books are more topical and have included titles such as "One Thousand White Women," "Strange Fits of Passions" and "The Life of Pi."
Finding a book that lends itself to discussion is key. On the surface, the "Life of Pi" was about a boy who was stranded on a boat with a tiger and a host of other animals. Yet, there was so much that could be inferred from the story, that the group is still discussing that one.
While it is the job of the hostess/presenter to get the discussion going, some may choose to keep the group focused on the book itself, while others may find that digressions are just as well.
All that's needed to start a club is a group of 5-6 women and an interest in reading at least one book a month. Decide on a date and set up a schedule. Every member should take a turn serving as the hostess. They provide the home and usually provide some refreshments as well. Books can be decided on by the group or by the hostess.