Great Book Guru III

Dear Great Book Guru, What is your Books and Bagels group discussing this week? Curious

Dear Curious, Our latest selection is Being Mrs. Alcott by Nancy Geary. I heard Geary speak many years ago at a Mystery Writers Brunch in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard. She was young, first time writer and very nervous but strangely compelling. I bought her book Misfortune and liked it very much. It was set in the Hamptons and had an odd assortment of characters with puzzling family connections. I'll write in more detail about this book in a future column. Back to Being Mrs. Alcott.... This is her latest and is not in the mystery genre. It is a disturbing look at a woman marrying in the 1960's and living through and up to the present time. Her acquiescence to father, brother, sons, and husband is painful almost to the point of disbelief, but her voice rings true. Any book that traces a life from early optimism to its tragic unfolding is heartbreaking and this one certainly is. While one can certainly question her choices, her basic goodness is apparent throughout, making it all the more difficult to read. Highly recommended!