The History Book Club discussion

Hello Everyone,

For the week of December 7th - December 13th, we are reading BOOK TWO: Section One - Pandora's Box - Chapter Two (pg. 495 - 535) ~ A Division of the Spoils -Book IV,(pg. 495 - 535).

The week's reading assignment is:

Week Fifteen- December 7th ~ PART TWO: Section One - Pandora's Box (pg. 495 - 535)

We will open up a thread for each week's reading. Please make sure to post in the particular thread dedicated to those specific chapters and page numbers to avoid spoilers. We will also open up supplemental threads as we did for other spotlighted books.

This book was kicked off on August 31st.

We look forward to your participation. Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other noted on line booksellers do have copies of the book and shipment can be expedited. The book can also be obtained easily at your local library, local bookstore or on your Kindle. Make sure to pre-order now if you haven't already. This weekly thread will be opened up on December 7th.

There is no rush and we are thrilled to have you join us. It is never too late to get started and/or to post.

Jill will be leading this discussion and back-up will be Bentley.

Welcome,

~Bentley

TO ALWAYS SEE ALL WEEKS' THREADS SELECT VIEW ALL

by Paul Scott

REMEMBER NO SPOILERS ON THE WEEKLY NON SPOILER THREADS - ON EACH WEEKLY NON SPOILER THREAD - WE ONLY DISCUSS THE PAGES ASSIGNED OR THE PAGES WHICH WERE COVERED IN PREVIOUS WEEKS. IF YOU GO AHEAD OR WANT TO ENGAGE IN MORE EXPANSIVE DISCUSSION - POST THOSE COMMENTS IN ONE OF THE SPOILER THREADS. THESE CHAPTERS HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION SO WHEN IN DOUBT CHECK WITH THE CHAPTER OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY TO RECALL WHETHER YOUR COMMENTS ARE ASSIGNMENT SPECIFIC. EXAMPLES OF SPOILER THREADS ARE THE GLOSSARY, THE BIBLIOGRAPHY, THE INTRODUCTION AND THE BOOK AS A WHOLE THREADS.

Notes:

It is always a tremendous help when you quote specifically from the book itself and reference the chapter and page numbers when responding. The text itself helps folks know what you are referencing and makes things clear.

Citations:

If an author or book is mentioned other than the book and author being discussed, citations must be included according to our guidelines. Also, when citing other sources, please provide credit where credit is due and/or the link. There is no need to re-cite the author and the book we are discussing however.

If you need help - here is a thread called the Mechanics of the Board which will show you how to cite books:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Introduction Thread:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Table of Contents and Syllabus

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Glossary

Remember there is a glossary thread where ancillary information is placed by the moderator. This is also a thread where additional information can be placed by the group members regarding the subject matter being discussed.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

Bibliography

There is a Bibliography where books cited in the text are posted with proper citations and reviews. We also post the books that the author used in his research or in his notes. Please also feel free to add to the Bibliography thread any related books, etc with proper citations. No self promotion, please.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...


Book as a Whole and Final Thoughts - SPOILER THREAD

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

by Paul Scott

Chapter Overview and Summary

Perron goes to the club and buys a temporary membership in order to spend a couple of nights in Mirat. As he looks around the club, he thinks "this is India". The Club Secretary tells him that the situation is getting rather bad and that Muslim fishermen have been found dead and the Hindus are being blamed. Trouble is brewing.

He reads the paper and discovers that Merrick has died in a riding accident. Nigel Rowan calls and Perron goes to his bungalow where he finds Sarah Layton who tells him that they no longer live in Rose Cottage and her parents are returning to England.

He visits Susan and her son at their cottage but Susan is hysterical with grief over Merrick's death. Later she recovers and sees Perron briefly. She talks about how happy and successful her marriage to Merrick was and that she hasn't told her son yet (Merrick's step-son). She also seems upset about the fact that Merrick's artificial arm is missing from his effects.

Perron has returned to his old stomping grounds in Mirat for a few days. His thoughts about "this is India" as he sits in the old club in the Cantonment show his love of the country as he knew it...a "little Britain" in the midst of darker faces. But does he realize the bloodshed and revolt that is to come with independence and partition and that is may be the reason that England is getting out faster than originally planned?

I don't know about anyone else, but when I read the words "Mrs. Rowan" in the article, I felt like cheering.

It is too bad that the marriage doesn't seem to be working out. Is Rowan one of your favorite characters?

Sarah is my favorite character, and I wanted her to be happy.

I thought that Mrs. Rowan would be Sarah too so it was a letdown when it turned out to be someone else......a character mentioned briefly in an earlier book. I think that Sarah will always be a man's friends but not a wife. I hope I am mistaken but we are running out oft time to find her a husband!!!

I have a sneaking suspicion that the death of Merrick is not what was reported in the paper......it would just be too anticlimactic for a major character who is so nasty and hated by so many. With the environment becoming more explosive, I expect that we may find out that something much more dramatic caused Merrick's death....maybe it is just wishful thinking since he is so hateful.

Sarah had once said she would never stay in India but tells Perron that she has been very happy lately and is not sure if she will return to England with her parents. I wonder what has made her happy enough to decide to remain.

Could it be that Rowan's marriage is not working out? Or has she finally fallen in love with India as has happened to many of the British?

I am not so sure about Sarah and what the author is telling us and not telling us. I think we need to keep an open mind and figure it out in the next and last book.