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Good Reading : November 2008
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reading group a cold war Looking for a book for your reading group to discuss? Consider Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian. Synopsis In the chaotic months before the final collapse of the Third Reich, the Germans living in the eastern part of Hitler’s empire fled their homes to escape the onslaught of the Soviet Army. A Prussian aristocrat struggles west with her beautiful daughter, her young son, and a Scottish prisoner of war. Meanwhile, a female Jewish prisoner endures first the horrors of a concentration camp and then a forced march west in the ice and snow of a German winter. And a Jewish man who has leapt from a train bound for a death camp learns to do whatever he must to survive. Reading Group Notes 1. Both of Anna’s parents are members of the Nazi Party – though it is clear that they are not true believers. As Germans, do you think they share responsibility for the Nazis’ actions even if they didn’t know the full extent of what was happening? Why did they join the party? Did they have a choice? Consider Helmut’s teacher who questions the boy about his father’s loyalty to Hitler and the consequences of resisting. If failure to join meant death for you, what would you have done? 2. We meet Uri on the train to Auschwitz. What kind of man is he? How does he behave on the train? Imagine yourself in those deplorable conditions. Do you think you would seize the opportunity for freedom, leaving behind your family to an uncertain future? 3. While arguing with Anna about what is really happening to Jews, Callum says, ‘Suppose my government in England just decided to “resettle” the Catholics – to take away their homes, their animals, their possessions, and just send them away?’ What if this was happening where you live? What actions would you be willing to take to protect your friends and neighbours? At what point would the risks have been too great? 4. Although the world is collapsing around them, Anna and Callum fall in love, Theo cries over leaving his beloved horse behind, and Mutti carefully drapes the furniture in sheets to protect it before they flee their home ahead of the Russians. What do these simple, ordinary actions reveal about them as people? About the human capacity for hope? 5. Theo is only a child but he feels lacking in comparison to his older brothers Werner and Helmut, both off fighting in the war. What kind of child is he? Does he fit in with his peers? Why doesn’t Theo tell his mother about his foot? What does this reveal about him? Does Theo change over the course of the novel? 6. In Chapter 8, Helmut and his father, Rolf, try to convince Uncle Karl to leave his home. He refuses, keeping his family with him in spite of the danger. Why won’t he evacuate? Why won’t he let the women and the child leave? He refers to them and their way of life as ‘skeletons at the feast’. What does he mean by this? 7. Given the odds of success, would you have been brave enough to attempt to escape with Cecile and her friends? 8. Describe Mutti. What was she like at the beginning of the war? At the end? What does she view as her primary responsibility? On pages 291–293, she remembers burying the young German pilot whose plane crashed in her park. Why was burying him – and the enemy Russian soldiers – important to her? 9. How does Anna change as the novel progresses? Why does she feel the need for personal forgiveness at the end? Is she right to feel guilty? 10. Discuss the importance of hope in survival. Which character is the most hopeful? Who is the most defeated? What moments at the end of the novel symbolise hope most poignantly? Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian is published by Simon & Schuster Australia, rrp $29.95. gr new book guide Goldengrove: A Novel Francine Prose From the New York Times bestselling author, Francine Prose, comes an emotionally powerful new novel about love and loss. Truly absorbing and incredibly touching, Goldengrove takes its place among the great novels of adolescence. $27.99 HarperCollins Fiction 9780061711343 The Hour I First Believed: A Novel Wally Lamb This extraordinary new work of fiction is from the Number 1 New York Times bestselling author of the Oprah’s Bookclub pick I Know This Much is True. Wally Lamb is a virtuoso storyteller, and he has given us a profound and compelling novel. HarperCollins Fiction $35.00 9780732288693 Robert Helpmann: A Servant of Art Anna Bemrose This magnificently illustrated account of one of our greatest performers contains personal and professional images brought together for the first time and assesses the nature and value of Helpmann’s contribution to the performing arts. UQP $49.95 9780702236785 Leisureville: Adventures in a World without Children Andrew D. Blechman Wildly entertaining and full of laughs, Leisureville is a first-hand look at the growing phenomenon of gated retirement communities where children are not permitted. Hilarious, engaging reportage. UQP $32.95 9780702237096 JUNE 2008 i goodreading 33 gr promotion
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