Two things were quite evident today: Our hostess, Valerie has awakened Aqua Grill in Ponte Vedra Beach with an explosion of color, and "Spring has Sprung" as we prepared to discuss Susan Crandall's novel, Whistling Past The Graveyard!
Flowers, ribbons and colorful attire (complete with Valerie wearing a metaphoric yellow
dress) welcomed U.S. G.I.R.L.S. and guests as we entered the venue and were seated at the prestigious "Chef's Table" for an afternoon sure to be filled with friends, good food, intellectual discussions, and surprises!
The first surprise that EVERYONE noticed was the beautifully placed "gifted" cookbooks from Valerie in each of our chairs. No..., not just any cookbook, but Oprah Winfrey's Food, Health and Happiness Cookbook. Many of us were so excited, we wanted to unwrap our generous gifts right away, go into the Chef's kitchen and "test" some of the recipes. But, back to the task at hand...discussing, Eula, Starla and the cast of colorful characters that made this book so captivating and enjoyable to read.
Val asked our newest member, Dianne to bless our meeting and our meals, after which we placed our orders from the large and diverse menu selections.
Once everyone placed their orders, Val asked if everyone enjoyed the book and the response was an overwhelming and resounding..."YES!'
Val then opened up with the following surprise trivia question: Which characters wore "yellow" dresses in the book? Although it took a minute (which surprised me); Dee and Celestial answered correctly. As a prize for their correct answers, each won an autographed copy of Avery Washington's book, "Letters To My Daughters". Mr. Washington follows U.S. G.I.R.L.S. on Twitter and volunteered to send autographed copies of his book for Val to discern how to award as door prizes during her meeting (what an awesome gesture!!)
Starla and Mamie's characterizations were the first subjects up for discussion. Was Starla's character realistic and did Mamie love or tolerate Starla?
Before Roz responded, she began with a short story about her recent visit to "The Happiest Place on Earth..., Disney World" where she captured a photo (with parental permission, of course) of a 9 year old girl on vacation with "fiery" red hair that looked as if she stepped out of the pages of the novel. We were all so tickled and amazed that Roz "stumbled" upon "The Real Starla James" right in our own backyard.
The love, disdain or toleration of Starla exhibited by Mamie was a "hot topic." Roz and guest, Kim talked much about the love or lack thereof that was displayed. JayBee mentioned that with Mamie having been 42, that she may have felt "trapped" into a life that she did not choose. After all, she'd raised her son. Also,it was mentioned that we don't know Mamie's back story; was she abandoned...was she the product of a broken home...was there resentment...was it a moral issue? Everyone in the meeting had some input into that question. Celestial, Jackie, Bonnie, Dianne and Katherin all brought up valid arguments as well.
Once again, we had the elements of family secrets and lies with the non-disclosure of "LuLu's" authentic self which broached the question: When is the right age to tell a child a family secret? Roz and guest, Shali disclosed personal stories of disclosure that validated that there is no "right" age, but it depends upon the family and maturity of the child.
The Carnival's symbolism was brought up by Val and she asked JayBee to elaborate on a conversation they had prior to the meeting. JayBee mentioned that there were several events of pain/suffering expressed in the book that had a direct correlation to Carnivals, thereby resulting in a dual meaning. Also, the term "Whistling Past The Graveyard" is an idiom with a dual meaning as well as the phrase, "Truth Be Told" which Starla used OVER 22 TIMES!! These idioms appeared to be placed in the novel strategically to express the unpredictability of the characters and the prose. If intentional...simply amazing writing technique which captivated us!
After the questions were discussed, Valerie surprised us by Skyping in author, Avery Washington to discuss his book that Dee and Celestial won earlier. He explained that his award winning book was "penned" to express his love of his 4, yes FOUR daughters and how being raised by a single mother also played a major role in his life.
After our delicious meal, and engaging discussion, it is now time to relax with dessert,
coffee and tea!! As we were "basking" in the after glow, it was evident that our meeting was a HUGE success and that everyone had a good time.
Thank you so much Valerie, for our spring meeting filled with surprises. "Truth Be Told" we will not soon forget how you encouraged us to "Whistle Past The Graveyard".
