Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

We are on for a buddy read of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Some of us need to clear some space first, so we will start in June.

I'm very excited--have heard such great things about this book!

Thanks for adding me to the group, Kathleen. I'm really excited to read this with all of you. I loved The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories and The Member of the Wedding. See you in June!

I'd like to read this one with you!

I´m in! :)

Count me in too.

Read in June or ready to discuss in june? I've had this on my list for awhile, and would love to join!

So happy to see people interested!

I think at least one person wasn't going to be able to read until June, but why doesn't everyone chime in with when they want to start discussing?

I'm open.

Kathleen wrote: "So happy to see people interested!

I think at least one person wasn't going to be able to read until June, but why doesn't everyone chime in with when they want to start discussing?

I'm open."

I don't know who the other person was, but I was excited about June because The Forsyte Saga starts in April. There are probably others, but if not, I'll try to do both.

Hi this works better for me as well. I will put it on my calendar.
(I am also participating in the Forsyte Saga)

I was hoping to read/discuss in June, too, because I'm going to participate in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and To the Lighthouse in April. If I can start the book earlier, I will, but I know I can commit to discuss it in June.

Let's definitely start reading in June then. It will be here before we know it!

Would someone please explain what a buddy read is? Is it we all just read the book and then discuss? I've had this book on my TBR list for a while so obviously I'd like to participate.

Yes, Loretta. That is the basics of a buddy read.

Buddy Reads are books that have not been chosen as a group read, but books that a smaller group of people decide to read together and then discuss.

Kathy wrote: "Yes, Loretta. That is the basics of a buddy read.

Buddy Reads are books that have not been chosen as a group read, but books that a smaller group of people decide to read together and then discuss."

Thank you so much Kathy! I've been keeping away from "buddy reads" because I wasn't really sure how it worked, silly, I know. I'm glad I asked the question because I'd like to participate as well!

Wonderful. We hope to have you join us in this buddy read.

Kathy wrote: "Wonderful. We hope to have you join us in this buddy read."

:)

Looking forward to reading this with you, Loretta!

Kathleen wrote: "Looking forward to reading this with you, Loretta!"

Thank you Kathleen! Me too!

Who ever reads this in June is in for a special treat. I read this a couple of weeks ago and its one of the best I've read. Enjoy!!

Just a reminder (since there is so much reading going on around here!) that we'll be starting this in a few weeks. Hope everyone can still fit this in.

I will definitely be joining in! I'm reading Siddhartha now, and also trying to finish Middlemarch before we start our buddy read. But, whether or not I've finished those two, I've got my copy of THIALH, and I'm ready to go in June. I'm looking forward to it.

I have the book here waiting for me, so I'm in! :)

I´m also in! Hope to finish Hunchback and Lady in White before that, but even if it doesn´t happen I´m still going to be reading this :)

I recently moved my copy of the book from my To Read Shelf to my Next Up Drawer - that's how committed I am! ;o)

now moved to Currently Reading and will read first few pages at least tonight ;o)

Yay! I started this last night. At first I thought it was really stark and dry. Then I realized it was because I just finished the lush Their Eyes Were Watching God. Once I changed gears to this style though ... wow. Wonderful!

I started and finished this over the holiday week-end. Can't wait for the discussions to start! :)

Okay, just a couple of interesting points about the author, if you don't already know:

>Carson McCullers was only 23 when she wrote this, her first novel.
>She was sick most of her life with Rheumatoid Fever, strokes and alcoholism and died at 50.
>She was friends with WH Auden, Gypsy Rose Lee, Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams.
>She planned to study piano at Julliard, but pursued writing instead after the rheumatoid fever.

I haven't read much, but I am so surprised at her insights and what she notices for someone at that young age. Definitely gifted.

Kathleen wrote: "Okay, just a couple of interesting points about the author, if you don't already know:

>Carson McCullers was only 23 when she wrote this, her first novel.
>She was sick most of her life with Rheum..."

I knew pretty much all that you posted Kathleen except for her group of friends! :)

Kathleen wrote: "Okay, just a couple of interesting points about the author, if you don't already know:

>Carson McCullers was only 23 when she wrote this, her first novel.
>She was sick most of her life with Rheum..."

Sounds so very interesting Kathleen.... just perhaps, I can find the time to squeeze it in... NO, NO, I told you NO already...... maybe... a million times no... we shall see who wins!!! ;-)

Bat-Cat wrote: "Kathleen wrote: "Okay, just a couple of interesting points about the author, if you don't already know:

>Carson McCullers was only 23 when she wrote this, her first novel.
>She was sick most of he..."

Kinda like a carrot dangling in the wind, right Bat-Cat? :)

Loretta wrote: "Bat-Cat wrote: "Kathleen wrote: "Okay, just a couple of interesting points about the author, if you don't already know:

>Carson McCullers was only 23 when she wrote this, her first novel.
>She was..."

Yes, ma'am - we cats sooooooo like dangling things!!! ;-)

Bat-Cat wrote: "Loretta wrote: "Bat-Cat wrote: "Kathleen wrote: "Okay, just a couple of interesting points about the author, if you don't already know:

>Carson McCullers was only 23 when she wrote this, her first..."

Lol!!! :)

Loretta wrote: "I started and finished this over the holiday week-end. Can't wait for the discussions to start! :)"

Wow --- it was that good? Or just really short?

I've got to find my copy so I can take it camping with me for next week.

Loretta wrote: "Kathleen wrote: "...She was friends with WH Auden, Gypsy Rose Lee, Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams."

I knew pretty much all that you posted Kathleen except for her group of friends! :)..."

And what a list of friends.

Kathy wrote: "Loretta wrote: "I started and finished this over the holiday week-end. Can't wait for the discussions to start! :)"

Wow --- it was that good? Or just really short?

I've got to find my copy so I c..."

It was that good Kathy! I didn't want to put it down. :)

Enjoy!

Kathy wrote: "Loretta wrote: "Kathleen wrote: "...She was friends with WH Auden, Gypsy Rose Lee, Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams."

I knew pretty much all that you posted Kathleen except for her group of fr..."

I'll say! :)

That was interesting Kathleen, I had just read Mick saying: "But there's one thing I would give anything for. And that's a piano. If we had a piano I'd practise every single night and learn every piece in the world."

How much Carson in Mick I wonder?

I'd like to join in after I read it. I've got it lined up from the library - looking forward to it!

"Wherever you look there's meanness and corruption. This room, this bottle of grape wine, these fruits in the basket, are all products of profit and loss. A fellow can't live without giving his passive acceptance to meanness." Jake Blount

One last beer before bed...and yes, Jake, "To freedom and piracy".

Steven wrote: "How much Carson in Mick I wonder?"

Having read some reviews of a biography of Carson McCullers, I'm starting to think there's quite a bit of Carson in Mick. (The biography I'm referring to is The Lonely Hunter: A Biography of Carson McCullers. Based on the reviews I read, it looks like a fantastic biography.)

Having finished Part I, I'm really fascinated by (and touched by) John Singer. He seems a mixture of a psychologist, father confessor, and beneficent space alien (I'm thinking of E. T. or Starman with Jeff Bridges) who gives each "lonely hunter" exactly what they need -- a nonjudgmental and sympathetic ear to listen to their anguish and fear. His power to heal through listening seems otherworldly. (That's why I started thinking of Jeff Bridges' spaceman from the film.) Of course, it poignant that Singer's listening "ear" is a deaf ear -- Singer's just as lonely in his solitude as the rest of them (Blount, Mick, Dr. Copeland). He can listen to them, but is limited in how much he can speak to them in return, since none of them know sign language. It made me think about reciprocity, and whether I fail at that more than I succeed at it. (Just a thought I had while reading.)

I'm also touched by Doctor Copeland's situation. He tried to share his education and interests with his children, presumably in the hopes he could create a small circle with whom to further discuss books and ideas, but it seems his wife thwarted his efforts. Now, as adults, his children have rejected the education he tried to pass on to them, and they instead regard him as an oddball, and as impossible to communicate with. He's left alone with his ideas and no one to share them with. My heart ached for him, as he sat alone in the darkness, reading Spinoza.

It's a very moving book. I can't wait to read more.

Steven wrote: ""Wherever you look there's meanness and corruption. This room, this bottle of grape wine, these fruits in the basket, are all products of profit and loss. A fellow can't live without giving his pas..."

Steven, I also really loved that speech by Jake Blount. That speech, and the fact that Doctor Copeland named one of his children Karl Marx, makes me think McCullers was more of a politically-minded writer than I'd imagined. (I may not have understood as many of her political references when I'd read other works by her, which I read when I was much younger.) I'm looking forward to seeing how Blount's characters develops. He seems ready to stand up for the "common man," if he can just stop drinking long enough to do it.

I'll be reading this later in the month. I'm excited about it. It's been on my shelf for a long time. Since we made this plan, I've told a few of my friends we're reading it and I've heard a lot of good reviews.

Glad you'll be able to get to this, Nathan--I think you're going to love it.

Since you and some others won't be reading it for a while, maybe we should use some spoiler tags? Maybe with a note of where we are in the book first? I'll give it a try.

MMG, I'm just at the end of Part One also, and just love your thoughts.

(view spoiler)[Yes! Beneficent space alien describes Singer perfectly! I love how in the beginning he is the one with reason to be lonely, and then he attracts all the others. And yes, I agree it is the listening, something we all need to do more of! I also think people who don't have access to one sense use the others more, and are more observant. I learned sign language long ago, and learned that just using it with other people instead of listening makes you observe differently.

I think the scene with Doctor Copeland touched me more than anything so far. I loved the detail in McCullers' description of him sitting at that table reading. And the quirkiness of all the children in town with different versions of his name. And his loneliness, as you describe so well. When Portia tells him you can't make your children into what you want them to be, that is such an important point. But here we see the other side--how sad for the parent and his dreams. (hide spoiler)]

I am blown away by the writing, and think it's genius how McCullers brings character and ideas out of the details she uncovers. I'm thrilled to be reading this book with you all!

So, hopefully this spoiler tag thing works? to MMG...(view spoiler)[ MMG I understand what you're saying about "reciprocity" but it's precisely that which concerns me at the moment: I get from chapter one that Singer feels that it was as if there: "...was something disgusting in his speech." (disgusting what a word! just imagine if you felt others perceived you as disgusting!) so he doesn't talk but listens, now in the end I'm not sure how satisfying that can be to others? we need not just to be heard but more: to be understood. Would all these others find such comfort in "our spaceman"?
I further can't quiet believe in Singer's attatchment to Antonapoulos. Singer spends five days a week during his 2 week holiday pacing a hotel room to see Antonapoulos whose sole thought concerns his belly?
I think Dr Copeland is angry as well as lonely as his hopes went far beyond his "fambly" (as Portia might say).
"I did enjoy the supper with you and the talking very much" bless her :) (hide spoiler)]

Kathleen wrote: "Glad you'll be able to get to this, Nathan--I think you're going to love it.

Since you and some others won't be reading it for a while, maybe we should use some spoiler tags? Maybe with a note of ..."

About Part I, I agree with you, Kathleen, about (view spoiler)[ how interesting it is that Doctor Copeland is surrounded by a townful of variant namesakes, yet he's so emotionally disconnected from that town. People feel connected to Doctor Copeland because he was present at the birth of their child, or provided some care in that capacity, and so they name the child after him, because he was present at such an important moment in that child's life. Yet, for what might be the important moments of Doctor Copeland's life, it seems that none of these townspeople are present, no one is his witness, save, perhaps, Portia. The assumption is that he's well known to them, yet they don't know him at all. His situation is truly sad. (hide spoiler)].

I also agree with you that the writing is beautiful. McCullers' language and sentences manage to be plain and terse, without feeling nondescript and monotonous, maybe because the narration conveys so much sympathy. She was a really compassionate writer.

Steven wrote: "So, hopefully this spoiler tag thing works? to MMG..."

Comment about Part I: Yes, Steven, as regards Singer, I agree with you that (view spoiler)[his willingness to just listen seems less due to a willingness to let others do the talking, but rather seems to be more the result of a sad self-loathing about his ability to speak as hearing people speak. McCullers suggests that Singer harbors a deep intelligence, and he must have so much he wants to share, if only he could. I also agree with you that I can imagine the others (Blount, especially), wanting more from Singer, that they might finally want (demand) a response other than his silent acceptance. In fact, I wonder (and, I guess I'll find out) if one of his new visitors will finally become angry and perhaps violent in response to his silence. I can sense a violent outburst percolating inside Blount, and wonder if he'll explode, perhaps at Singer, who offers a silent and therefore easy target.

Like you, I also wondered at Singer's attachment to Antonapoulos. Is Singer attached to him because he's the only person to whom Singer believes he can successfully communicate? How could that be, given that Singer, himself, is never wholly convinced that Antonapoulos understands his signed conversations, or his ideas? It does seem that taking care of Antonapoulos gives Singer a purpose in life. I wondered if Singer saw Blount, Mick, and Doctor Copeland in the same way, as substitutes for Antonapoulos, people in need of caretaking. (hide spoiler)]

I'm enjoying discussing the book with this group. Back to reading...

I wonder if I'm reading this passage correctly? (view spoiler)[ Firstly MMG, that's a good point about how few of those who have named their children after Dr Copeland actually understand him. I've just read the reunion scene tonight and he's m-a-d mad (i.e angry mad), a whole lot like Blount to my mind. Anyways...Here's the passage for anyone who'd care to tell me how they "see" it: "He (Biff) watched her (Mick) as she stood behind the counter and he was troubled and sad. He wanted to reach out his hand and touch her sunburned, tousled hair -- not as he had ever touched a woman. In him there was an uneasiness, and when he spoke to her his voice had a rough, strange sound."
I know how I interpret this passage but I wonder what other people read here? (/spoiler) (hide spoiler)]

Steven wrote: "I wonder if I'm reading this passage correctly? Firstly MMG, that's a good point about how few of those who have named their children after Dr Copeland actually understand him. I've just read the ..."

Steven, I'll have to get back to you at a later date with my personal take on the passage. I'm not quite that far into the book.

ok MMG, looking forward to that. I'm beginning to believe that the passage speaks (in a sense) as much about Mick as Biff but I'll explain that later (if necessary) (view spoiler)[ So, Baby hits the deck...and like, for one: something had to happen because part two was really starting to drift aimlessly for me...and for two: "I'm not having none of it", no, no, no. But, ja, maybe, ...maybe...the incident sure shakes the story up! (hide spoiler)]