Divonne Book Club : An International Reading Salon

2015

December

Words in my Hand

Guinevere Glasfurd

Both history and guide, this fascinating book tells the stories of the noble clans who built the piazzas, palazzos and fountains we see today ... >>

Burmese Days

George Orwell

Set in the days of the Empire, with the British ruling in Burma, this book describes corruption and imperial bigotry. Flory, a white timber merchant,... >>

Baudolino

Umberto Eco

It is April 1204, and Constantinople, the splendid capital of the Byzantine Empire, is being sacked and burned by the knights of the Fourth Crusade. Amid the carnage and confusion, one Baudolino saves a historian and high court official from certain death ... >>

July's People

Nadine Gordimer

For years, it had been what is called a “deteriorating situation.” Now all over South Africa the cities are battlegrounds. The members of the Smales family—liberal whites—are rescued from the terror by their servant, July, who leads them to ... >>

The Corpse Washer

Sinan Antoon (original Arabic)

Young Jawad, born to a traditional Shi'ite family of corpse washers and shrouders in Baghdad, decides to abandon the family tradition, choosing instead to become a sculptor, to celebrate life rather than tend to death.... >>

We read from a book "The Disciple" by Oscar Wilde.

Clip Viewed

We viewed a clip from the Indian film "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" (This life won't be back).

November

David Nicholls

Douglas Petersen may be mild-mannered, but behind his reserve lies a sense of humor that, against all odds, seduces beautiful Connie into a second date and eventually into marriage. Now, almost three decades after their relationship .... >>

Swiss Watching: The land of milk and money

Diccon Bewes

Swiss Watching is a fascinating journey around Europe's most individual and misunderstood country. From seeking Heidi and finding the best chocolate to reliving a bloody past and exploring an uncertain future, ... >>

We read from a book "On Gratitude and Joy" by Jack Kornfeld and "Du Bonheur" by Frédéric Lenoir

October

Telling the Bees

Peggy Hesketh

Young Albert Honig spends much of his time in solitude, his daily routine shaped by the almost mystical attention he quietly lavishes on his .... >>

The Hungry Tide

Amitav Ghosh

Off the easternmost corner of India, in the Bay of Bengal, lies the immense labyrinth of tiny islands known as the Sundarbans, where settlers live in fear of drowning tides and man-eating.... >>

Blinded by Humanity

Martin Barber

How to respond effectively to humanitarian crises is one of the most pressing and seemingly intractable problems facing the United Nations. Martin Barber, a senior UN official and with decades .. >>

The History of White People

Nell Irvin Painter

Eminent historian Nell Irvin Painter tells perhaps the most important forgotten story in American history. Beginning at the roots of Western civilization, she traces the invention of the idea of a white race often .. >>

We also read from "A Love Supreme" by John Coltrane; and, "The Story of Lydéric" by Alexandre Dumas.

September

The Story of the Lost Child

Elena Ferrante

Here is the dazzling saga of two women, the brilliant, bookish Elena and the fiery, uncontainable Lila. Both are now adults; life’s great discoveries have been made, its vagaries and losses ... >>

Lucknow Boy

Vinod Mehta

The book contains several interesting accounts, starting from incidents in his younger days to his interactions with celebrities from different spheres like business, politics, the entertainment industry and the media... >>

Snowball Oranges

Peter Kerr

When the Kerr family leave Scotland to grow oranges in a secluded valley on the island of Mallorca, they are surprised to be greeted by the same freezing weather they have left . .. >>