Pleasant Valley Library Online Book Group discussion

Post your thoughts and comments about Euphoria here!

"Inspired by the true story of a woman who changed the way we understand our world.

"In 1933 three young, gifted anthropologists are thrown together in the jungle of New Guinea. They are Nell Stone, fascinating, magnetic and famous for her controversial work studying South Pacific tribes, her intelligent and aggressive husband Fen, and Andrew Bankson, who stumbles into the lives of this strange couple and becomes totally enthralled. Within months the trio are producing their best ever work, but soon a firestorm of fierce love and jealousy begins to burn out of control, threatening their bonds, their careers, and, ultimately, their lives..."

Hi Everyone,

Has anyone been reading - or finished - Euphoria? If so, what do you think of it?

I finished it this weekend - I thought it was an interesting read. It took me awhile to get through it, though, because I kept going online to find out more about the real-life anthropologists that Lily King based her characters on. (I did the same thing when we read The Invention of Wings in March!) It seems that I can't help it when reading historical fiction that's based on real people and events.

Whenever I read historical fiction with period settings but completely original characters and storylines, I usually read all the way through before looking further into learning more about the time and place of the setting. But I've picked up the habit of learning while reading about real people, places and events.

Margaret Mead (the basis for Lily King's Nell Stone) died when I was in high school, so I knew about her as being a famous female anthropologist and feminist. But I didn't know anything about her second and third husbands, Reo Fortune (Fen) and Gregory Bateson (Andrew Bankson). So I was curious to find out what was based in reality and what was fictionalized in the book. And that definitely added to my enjoyment of the story.

I haven't read any of Lily King's other books, but it seems that Euphoria was a departure of sorts for her. I am interested in checking out her other novels, though.

What about you? Did you know about the real-life anthropologists before reading the book? Did you like the blending of facts and fiction in this story? Have you read any of Lily King's other work?

Looking forward to your comments!

This is the first book I have read by Lily King.

Blending fact and fiction is a balancing act. As a work of fiction, Lily King did a good job. That said, the story is loosely based on Margaret Mead, but the fictionalized character, Nell, didn't fit with what I knew about Maragret Mead. I think if it wasn't promoted as a story "based on" the life of Margaret Mead, it would have connected better with me. I have since read interviews with Lily King and she is very honest about using Margaret Mead's story as an "idea" for this book, but the characters and the tribes are pure fiction.

In the beginning, the narrative voice was confusing, but then I got used to the style alternating between the voice of Bankson and Nell's journal entries. Chapter 26 is where the story picked up for me, when the three of them went to Sydney.

The kiss between Fen and Bankson was never mentioned again. Did anyone else wonder about this?

D.J. wrote: "This is the first book I have read by Lily King.

Blending fact and fiction is a balancing act. As a work of fiction, Lily King did a good job. That said, the story is loosely based on Margaret Mea..."

Yes, I wondered about that scene, too. Maybe Lily King wrote in the kiss to give a bit more weight to the love triangle aspect of the story? At one point Nell says (in her journal, if I remember correctly) that she and Fen are both a little in love with Bankson. But that didn't seem true to me. Fen was drunk and jealous of Nell and Bankson's connection, and I think he may have kissed Bankson as a way of exerting some control over the situation, or to put his "mark" on Bankson in a way - like, if Nell had Bankson, he could have him too.

I would have liked if more of the story were told from Nell's point of view. I thought she was more interesting, and seemed much more accomplished, than either of the two men. I would have liked to know more of her backstory, especially of her relationship with Helen, and how she fell in love with Fen. (He wasn't lovable or even likeable to me!) Even the end of Nell's story happens off the page. So, she seemed more of an object, of Fen's envy and competition, and of Bankson's fascination and admiration. I think if the characterizations of Nell and Fen were more developed, it would have given the story more balance. As it is, it's definitely Bankson's story.

I'll keep this discussion thread open, in case anyone else would like to add to the discussion of Euphoria.

Yes, I agree with you. If the story were told from Nell's point of view, I think it would have resonated better for me. I prefer character driven stories and this was a lot of narrative.