These are the Real Housewives of Waukee, Iowa. What a wonderful group! We met February 13th at my daughter’s home to discuss Marcello’s Promise. It was frigid outside but laughter, wine and sharing ideas warmed the evening for all of us.
Some of the impressions:
“I wouldn’t have lasted a minute in steerage–just the smell alone!”
“Leaving your family forever. I don’t know how they did that.”
“I felt like I was on the ship with Luisa.”
“We are such wimps. Our life is so easy.”
“I can’t imagine being a miner, or the life of their families.”
“Did your grandfather get black lung disease?”
“Did your grandmother lose a baby?”
“Did the revenuers really lift the house off its foundation?”
“I can understand how hard it would be for Luisa to write to Marcello about her miscarriage. It’s so sad and he’s so far away–it took weeks to send word.”
“I could identify with Luisa’s panic in the train station, not understanding the language. We lived overseas in a country where the language was foreign to us. Every day was stressful.”
One of the book club members asked me to read aloud the passage where Marcello is looking at the starry heavens, contemplating their finding little lost Sophia. I later learned this woman was adopted as a two year old, just like Sophia, and remembered what it was like to become part of a family.
I passed around two old family photos so the book club could see what the real Marcello, Luisa, Tony and Lucas looked like. (Family photo 1918)
That’s me and my daughter Janet in the upper right next to some of the desserts. Lisa in the lower left corner brought her book for signing.
Cinnamon was a flurry of fur all day, setting out wine glasses, food trays and extra chairs. She even mopped up her paw prints off the floor. By the time the guests arrived, she did what cats do best and disappeared. Later that night as we relaxed after the guests left, Cinnamon magically reappeared and climbed on my lap. She didn’t seem to mind that she had missed the book club discussion and gave her approval of the evening with a sleepy blink. Don’t ask me how I know she approved. I just do.
Looks like a wonderful night, Jane. It was so cold but you still had a nice turn out.
I spread the good word about Carmello’s Promise on my recent visit to Englewood, Florida. My dear friend, Ginny Goeppinger, formerly of Boone lives there and is looking for new books for her Book Club. I gave her my very positive review and all of your information.
Hope you are doing well.
Love,
Rick
Oh I love this!! Cinnamon did it again. And thanks for publishing all the comments, they do give a great feel for what the best ok is about. Hope to share with my book club.
Thanks Carol. I was wondering how a group of 40-something women would view my book vs women our age. Surprisingly their comments didn’t seem much different than what I’d expect from someone my age. One comment made I forgot to include was the how they remembered the catalog as a wish-book when they were little, choosing their Christmas and birthday gifts and what an impression that made on them.
Cinnamon has been fun to play with 🙂 One friend said I should write this as a child’s book with Cinnamon as the narrator!