The Scarlet Letter

I had book club tonight. It was fantastic - and can I send a great big thank-you! to my sweet sister, who would come over to my house and sit with a sleeping baby and two hairy dogs so I could go. I'm so lucky to have Jenny!

Anyway, the book - The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Now, I read this book in high school, and I'm certain that I hated every minute of it. It is written in 1850 wording, so it takes a little time to get the brain in the right mode. However, reading it this time (as a much more mature adult) was different - I actually enjoyed it!
I'm still an idiot and miss out on a lot of the symbolism that English teachers love to point out, but at least this time I liked reading it! I have never been good at picking up on symbolism. And I have to admit that as a teen I would get so annoyed 1) for not getting it, and 2) for having to pick books apart, instead of just enjoying them. I remember just wanting to argue that we have no idea what the author was intending, so why did we have to figure it out? Good thing I've matured a little....
The lady who hosted this month's book club, is in fact, an English teacher. She did a great job of pointing out important themes and symbols throughout the book. And I guess since I didn't have to write an essay on it, I was less intimidated (and less irritated) by all the theories and symbolism that it has. In fact, I enjoyed it and it really made the book much more interesting to me.

A quick synopsis (courtesy of Wikipedia):
"The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850 is an American novel Set in Puritan Boston in the seventeenth century, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who gives birth after committing adultery, refuses to name the father, and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne explores the issues of grace, legalism, sin, and guilt.

I would recommend this book to those who like to read the classics. But if you are looking for a thriller, this is not the book for you!

Pope Joan

Okay, so I realize that I am the ultimate blog-slacker! I just haven't been able to squeeze everything into my days... my sweet little Braxton who has figured out how to get into EVERYTHING, my need for cleanliness, and of course, my need for sleep keeps me pretty busy!

However, I did go to book club in May, and it was a really good book. We read Pope Joan, by Donna Woolfolk Cross. It is a historical fiction, and is based on controversial history. It is a great combination of history, heroes, love, violence and secrets.

Here is the synopsis (courtesy of the Pope Joan website):

"As its title reveals, the novel is based on the life of one of the most fascinating, extraordinary women in Western history--Pope Joan, a controversial figure of historical record who, disguised as a man, rose to rule Christianity in the 9th century as the first and only woman to sit on the throne of St. Peter.
Brilliant and talented, young Joan rebels against the medieval social strictures forbidding women to learn to read and write. When her older brother is killed during a Viking attack, Joan takes up his cloak and identity, goes to the monastery of Fulda, and is initiated into the brotherhood in his place. As Brother John Anglicus, Joan distinguishes herself as a great Christian scholar. Eventually she is drawn to Rome, where she becomes enmeshed in a dangerous web of love, passion, and politics. Triumphing over appalling odds, she finally attains the highest throne in Christendom.
Pope Joan is a sweeping historical drama set against the turbulent events of the 9th century -- the Saracen sack of St. Peter's, the famous fire in the Borgo that destroyed over three-quarters of the Vatican, the Battle of Fontenoy, arguably the bloodiest and most terrible of medieval conflicts. The novel is a fascinating vivid record of what life was really like during the so-called Dark Ages, as masterwork of suspense and passion that has as its center an unforgettable woman, reminiscent of Jean Auel's Ayla, Jane Austen's Emma, and other heroines who struggle against restrictions their souls will not accept."

This book made me realize how blessed I am to be living now, instead of then! The poor women of that time (the Dark Ages) were so repressed! The women were treated as perpetual minors, with no legal or property rights. By law, they could be beaten by their husbands - the only rule being the size of the club they could be beaten with! They were not allowed to learn (it was believed that a woman's brain and her uterus were connected - so if a woman were to be educated, her uterus would shrink, thus resulting in her being barren. Of course, if this were true, I should be super smart! :)