AWC Going Dutch Nov Dec 2021

Book Lovers
Book Clubs
The AWC Book Clubs are FREE and open
to all readers. New Members are especially
welcome! There are no requirements that
you must attend every meeting or lead a
discussion. Snacks are provided by a different
Member each month. We have a
daytime and an evening group. Questions?
Teresa Mahoney organizes the daytime
group: bookclubday@awcthehague.org.
Dena Haggerty handles the evening meetings:
bookclubevening@awcthehague.org.
Happy reading!
Daytime Book Club
November Selection: The Netanyahus by
Joshua Cohen
There should be plenty to
discuss after reading this
snarky academic satire
about Benzion Netanyahu
(Professor of History
at Cornell University
and father of Benjamin
Netanyahu, the former
Prime Minister of Israel)
working at the fictional Corbin College in
western New York during the winter of 1959.
Thursday, November 18
10 a.m.
December Selection: Intimacies by Katie
Kitamura
Taking place in our own
backyard, this novel tells
the tale of an interpreter
for the International
Criminal Court who is
asked to interpret for a former
president accused of
war crimes. She confronts
power, love and violence
Daytime Book Club Reading List:
Thursday, January 27: Small Pleasures
by Clare Chambers
20 GOING DUTCH
as cracks widen in both her personal and
professional lives.
Christmas Potluck
Thursday, December 16
11 a.m.
Georgia Regnault’s Home
FREE
Evening Book Club
November Selection: In Praise of the
Bees by Kristin Gleeson
Blending fiction and legend,
this literary historical
novel takes place in
Ireland in 590 A.D. Inspired
by real women, it features
complex female characters
who strain against the crippling
prejudices of a society
where no woman has power.
Wednesday, November 10
7:30 p.m.
December Selection: Inland by Tea
Obreht
Another historical fiction
choice, this novel
takes place in the Arizona
Territory in 1893, telling
the separate but eventually
intertwined stories of an
unflinching frontierswoman
and a former outlaw with
some magical realism thrown in.
Wednesday, December 8
7:30 p.m.
Daytime Book Club Recaps
The Weekend by Charlotte Wood
This novel centers around three women in
their 70s who gather to clear out the beach
house of their recently deceased friend
Evening Book Club Reading List:
Wednesday, January 12: The Appeal
by Janice Hallett
Sylvie. Jude is a type-A perfectionist who
used to work as a restaurant manager, but
is now a “kept woman.” Wendy is a writer,
who in her heyday resembled Susan Sontag
and is now becoming increasingly forgetful.
And Adele is a struggling actor in a perilous
financial situation whose partner has
just kicked her out. As they perform a Marie
Kondo-style purge of what Sylvie has left
behind, some of their long-buried grievances
towards each other are released and it
appears that their beloved fourth friend may
just have been the glue that held the quartet
together. The themes of aging and friendship
are intertwined within the novel, contemplating
if it is possible for friendships to
truly adapt and endure for many decades,
and remain as rich as when they began. One
of the things that it does so well is examine
the various characters’ separate attitudes toward
aging, both their acceptance and resistance,
something which many of us present
could relate to. Whilst it may not be the best
book you read in 2021, there was a general
consensus around the table that this was an
excellent book club pick as it certainly led to
a lively, wide ranging and poignant discussion.
A readable and relatable book choice!
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
This selection was perhaps a lesson in not
choosing a book solely based on the brief
summary given on Amazon. We were promised
a “book about women’s appetites and
desires and how men frustrate and warp
them.” Upon reading the book, many of us
felt we were misled! It tells the true stories
of Maggie, Lina and Sloane. Maggie’s
story, the most engaging, tells of her affair
with her married English teacher at 17, her
decision to report it at the age of 23 and
the subsequent trial. Lina is a stay-at-home
mom in a passionless marriage who reconnects
with an ex-boyfriend and embarks on
an all-consuming affair. Sloane, a beautiful
and sophisticated restauranteur, has sex with
other people that her husband selects for her.
The author spent eight years researching and
certainly goes into minute detail particularly
when retelling sexual encounters. We all
agreed that the book would have been more
successful if more women with different
stories had been featured. Many of us were
frustrated by the choices made, particularly
by Lina and Sloane. We found it hard to feel
much empathy, but accepted this could be
due to the relatability of their stories. One
member appreciated the thought process behind
the book and said it has made her stop
and think more about comprehending rather
than condemning others in similar situations
to these women. The book certainly gave us
lots to talk about; the way people modify
their behavior to fit the needs and desires
of their partners, who holds the power in a
relationship and why, how women discuss
and act on their desires, and how women
can at times feel threatened by other woman’s
happiness and success. However, there
was general agreement that this was one of
the weaker book selections we have had in
a long time.
Evening Book Club Recap
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
The 2020 Booker Prize winner was definitely
well-written and heart wrenching, but for
several of our group, it was just too depressing
to finish. Despite being written as a novel,
the author’s biography of his early life
seemed to match Shuggie’s pretty closely,
leading us to assume that much of the book
was autobiographical and hence even more
heartbreaking. One Member shared that she
had struggled growing up with an alcoholic
parent and praised the book for being so relatable.
AWC Guest Policy
Guests are welcome to participate in
AWC activities and tours on a limited
basis. As a non-member, a guest is
limited to attend two functions per
calendar year and will be charged an
additional non-member fee.
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021 21