Books

I finished two books this week. The first is a novella, A River Runs Through It, that our church read for Lent. Many of my friends had read it earlier, but it was a new read for me, and I loved it. The language is beautiful, the metaphors thought-provoking, and the story was compelling. We met with a group on Tuesday night to discuss it, and after the allotted hour could have continued well on into the evening.

Yesterday, the church rented the neighborhood cinema, and I saw the movie which I think I did see when it came out in the 90’s. Brad Pitt was so young! I really enjoyed the movie as well, but the book (as usual) was so much richer.

I also read Unfinished Desires by Gail Godwin. I’ve read several of her earlier novels; Father Melancholy’s Daughter was my favorite. Although it took me awhile to get into it, I ended up enjoying it. The story is set in a girls’ parochial school in the mountains of North Carolina and goes back and forth between action set in the 1950’s and reflections of the headmistress looking back from the early twenty-first century. It’s a book about friendship, memories, tangled relationships between classmates as well as mothers and daughters, forgiveness, and guilt. It would also make for good discussion, although not in my book group which is a couples’ group. I don’t think it’s a book that would appeal to most men.

Next on the list is The Help as soon as I finish my book for Lent.