What we’re about
This is a book club for anyone interested in reading the old "Classics". Ever hear of such titles as: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, A Tale of Two Cities, The Great Gatsby, Madame Bovary, Treasure Island, The Arabian Nights? You get the idea. We will read these timeless classics and then meet to discuss our thoughts and impressions. Of course, discussions are always a little more fun with a few refreshments/food thrown into the mix.
So, if you've ever wanted to read these types of books thinking it will be more fun to do so with a group, then this is the place for you.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- My AntoniaLink visible for attendees
Summary from LitCharts:
In the late 1880s, recently orphaned Jim Burden leaves his home in Virginia to live with his grandparents in rural Nebraska. On the same train is 13-year-old Ántonia Shimerda, an immigrant from Bohemia, whose family is buying the land next to the Burdens. Ten-year-old Jim feels immediately at home on the prairie. He quickly settles into his new life with Jake Marpole and Otto Fuchs, the farm hands, and his loving grandparents.
The Burdens soon befriend the Shimerda family, and Jim and Ántonia bond over their love of the land. Ántonia learns English eagerly under Jim’s tutelage, although her parents are more hesitant to adapt to American life. Mr. Shimerda, frail and homesick, finds the adjustment to farm life especially difficult. His one solace is his friendship with Pavel and Peter, Russian farmers whose language is similar to the Shimerdas’. But when Pavel dies suddenly, Peter leaves to find a job in railway construction. Mr. Shimerda, having lost his one outside connection to his native culture, sinks into loneliness and depression. He is unable to provide properly for his family. When winter arrives, Jim’s grandparents discover that the Shimerdas do not have enough clothing or food to survive the winter. They do their best to help, but when Christmas snow traps them in their homes, the Shimerdas are trapped without hearty food or gifts. When the snow melts, Jim’s grandparents invite the Shimerdas to their home, but the visit goes poorly. Mrs. Shimerda is angry and envious, and Mr. Shimerda is saddened, reminded of his cozy village in Bohemia.To encourage participation from group members, discussion questions will be posted the week before the event. Zoom link posted the morning of the event
