Jane Austen Book Club - Karen Joy Fowler

Among Jane Austen's books, Bernadette's favorite was Pride and Prejudice, so she told Gosselin that it might be everyone's favorite book, and she recommended starting with it. However, Sylvia's husband Daniel, one of our club members, had recently requested a divorce after a marriage of thirty-two years, so Gosselin preferred to expose Sylvia to feelings that might be stirred by the attractive Mr. Darcy character. I decided that we would start with Emma, and I justified to Bernadette: no one has read it before and wished to be married. Gosselin met Sylvia when they were eleven years old, and now they are in their early fifties. Austen, which means Sylvia, is the daughter, sister, and aunt who wrote her books in a crowded sitting room, and read them aloud in front of her family. Yet, that did not prevent her from being an insightful, intelligent observer and objective with the people around her. Sylvia's Austen can love and be loved, without that affecting her perspective and reducing her sharp judgment. Perhaps Sylvia is the main reason behind the book club; Gosselin just wanted to keep herself distracted from the difficult circumstances of her marriage. And that is Gosselin's nature, as Sylvia was one of her oldest friends and closest to her heart. Wasn't the English writer Kipling the one who said: "No one surpasses the influence of Jane when you find yourself in a predicament," or something like that? Bernadette then suggested: I think the club members should all be women, because the meeting's dynamic changes with men. They boast with words instead of communicating, and they exceed the allotted time for speaking. Jane Austen Book Club - Karen Joy Fowler