The Page Turners

The deluge of rain on Wednesday did not keep any members of the Pate Turners away from our monthly book talk. One by one we ran up the drive way through the rain, and without knocking or ringing the bell, we opened the door and were met by hearth and home.

Shaking the rain off of our raincoats and umbrellas we greeted each other with the usual barrage of conversation.

Once we entered the dining room, we declared our spot, and stayed for the duration of the evening.

We decided to have dinner first as we were chilled and most were hungry. We dined on chicken and wild rice accompanied by pumpkin muffins. By the time coffee and pumpkin pie were served, we were mellow and ready to begin our book talk.
Our book, Mrs. Mike by Benedict Freedman, was our monthly read.

Mrs. Mike is the story, set in the beginning of the twentieth century, of Katherine Mary O'Fallon, a sixteen-year-old girl from Boston, who is sent to her uncle in Calgary, Alberta, because she suffers from pleurisy. Soon, she falls in love with Mike Flannigan, a tall and handsome man from the Mounted Police, marries him and follows him North, into the great wilderness. The trip, first by train and then as part of a dog-sled caravan, is almost too much for Katherine and her lungs. But as she decides to follow Mike no matter what, she also begins a relationship of love and hate with a pitiless and beautiful country...

At first glance and possibly at first read, the book seems to be an enchanting love story, but it is more. It is about adventure and passion. It is about building a life even though extenuating circumstances make it seem, at times, impossible. Drawing these themes into our own lives is the essence of our book club. Our own adventures, passions, choices, and conflict.

The discussion was bit more lackadaisical than most. We awarded the book three pages out of five.

By the time the fire had burned low and the pumpkin pie was reduced to crumbs, it was time to bid our farewells. We have chosen Chocolat by Joanna Harris for next month. Why not read along with us?

Maggie Mae for the Page Turners

Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana. When she is home at the White Picket Gardens you can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories.