by Katie,
The Family Orchard is the tale of six generations
of family set mostly Israel. Considering the time frame and location,
we should be hearing about many significant historical events. There
are family trees listed throughout the novel to help us keep track of
our characters.
The summaries say that this novel is a memoir of
the author’s family fictionalized. My mother’s side of the family is
pretty loud and tells family stories all the time. I grew up knowing my
family history (at least on her side). I like to think that I will try
and continue sharing these family stories with my children and
grandchildren. Maybe Ms. Eve’s family stories will make us think of
some of our own family legends. In addition to our remembering our own
family histories here are a few book club questions I found that we may
like to answer.
“The Family Orchard is
filled with extraordinary people, particularly the female characters.
What qualities make the women in the novel so memorable? In what unique
ways do Esther, Miriam, Avra, the narrator, and others express their
creativity, their sensuality, and their spiritual selves?”
“What does the
novel as a whole say about the value of family and family history? Why
is knowing her family’s history and connecting herself to it so
important for the narrator? To what extent has she imagined or invented
this history? Does this creative approach to the "facts" of family
history diminish or enhance its value?”
Hello Ladies
ReplyDeleteHow are you and you families? Jay and I are blooming and going away for a week to Suffolk, which I’m assured is both interesting and beautiful. I’ll let you know. We spent much of last weekend at Hull’s annual Freedom Festival – great acts, amazing food, and the Marina, where much of the festival takes place, is looking terrific. The city’s status as Britain’s City of Culture, 2017, has really done wonders for its appearance and resources.
Turning to family history, it was my Dad who brought us to Hull. A merchant seaman, he sailed into and out of Hull. This meant my Mum was very much on her own here, renting rooms in strangers’ houses. Badly bombed in the war, housing in Hull was in short supply, and anyway my parents had no money. For a while, Mum rented rooms in a female taxi-driver’s home. Very unusual, then, a woman driving a taxi. More so because her customers were trawler men, who often rented a taxi for the three days they had at home between trips. For many, it seems to have been three days of drinking. Mum used to take the booking calls, and try to keep me occupied. I have a kleptomaniac great grandmother and a whole bevy of female shopkeepers in my ancestry – soldiers and sailors by the barrel load, a man who was hanged for protesting, and a South African farmer. The now 80+ family historian sends me his research. Goes back to medieval times. Fascinating.
Every family has so many stories. Clearly, Nomi Eve’s had lots. I admire the women enormously - so independent in such difficult times. Theft as a creative enterprise is a wonderful story. Extra-marital affairs, craftwork, cooking are all presented to reflect the creativity in Ms. Eve’s ladies. I think the author herself has to be creative or the account would simply be a straightforward factual narrative, like the family historian sends me. So, I think the history has been enhanced. And she does try to keep it grounded in her father’s writings and statements. Having both, I think, enhances the value of the family history.
Family history seems to be more important to us as we get older, at least that's my experience. Recent knowledge of much of mine has been most instructive – I’m just part of a pattern. Much of what I have done – travel, study - is merely par for the course. Relatives on my father’s side lived where Jay comes from. I begin to feel I’m not an independent being at all. I wonder if that’s what Ms. Eve felt?
Much love to you both, ladies
Sue
ReplyDeleteHello Ladies,
As I sat down to write this review I noticed you had just posted yours Sue, how funny to think we were both doing the same thing at the same time on different sides of the world !!
I enjoyed our story for the most part but found my attention wandering at times when I found events becoming too fanciful. I was lost with the story of the Golem and really had a difficult time not picturing everything about that with a heavy Hobbit vibe but I also guess it is an intricate way of explaining how events can get out of hand when we take religious texts too literally.
I think creating stories around family history is a wonderful idea, It is after all how heroes and legends began. Ms Eve’s account of her family history was much more entertaining than her fathers, which as you say Sue, was a factual narrative and unless It is your family can get tedious and boring.
I don’t know if I have mentioned it before but I was adopted at birth with no knowledge of my birth family so I often say my history starts with me. I have wonderful stories of my immediate family and my amazing grandparents who all accepted me as one of them, but I really have no interest to delve back beyond those I knew. My gorgeous late father has already gained legend status in our family for all his bad boy hijinks.
I think it is nearly impossible for us to retell our family stories without enhancing them, because the good stories can never be told without emotion, whether with love, hilarity,jealousy or revenge. That’s why we retell them because they’re interesting or fun or hurtful and that’s what families are all about.
We have some really funny stories the kids and I often recount to each other about Ivars, mainly because he is the one that’s always doing something hilarious and we love the retelling and we laugh every time, we share stories about Nan and Pop often and we all have our own way of telling these from our own perspectives which of course then makes a kind of tapestry of experiences. Anyway I guess my point is, I love family histories told like this and not tedious factual accounts with no emotion, if it’s family it’s emotional.
Speaking of family !! My son Sam is 25 yrs old today !! He and his partner Michelle are on their way home from Brisbane right now to spend the weekend with us and as the weather is fantastic here, we have some fun in the sun planned and maybe a tipple or two, can’t wait.
Sue, it sounds like you and Jay are having some fun times as well. Your family history sounds so colourful and having met your Dad I am sure he can spin a good yarn or two as well.
Hey Katie, how’s it going for you ? I have been following the news reports and it seems like the US is suffering on all fronts at the moment. Those devastating storms and also the wildfires so much destruction, it is so sad. I’m also sad about the political climate over there at the moment but I’m sure you don’t need me to remind you of that.
I hope you, Franklin and those absolutely beautiful children of yours are all well, you look amazing in the FB pics I’ve seen.
love to all, Nancy
What a wonderful review, Nancy. I think that might be twice we've been writing at the same time. Agree absolutely regarding the Golem. In my horribly judgmental way, I thought the poor man was temporarily insane as a result of family disturbance and felt this is how religious fanaticism starts. (Never one for shades of grey.) Thank you for sharing your family history, and you're so right - once it's family's emotional. Hope you had a wonderful time with Sam and Michelle in glorious sunshine. Thank you, Katie, for recommending a book which has generated such interesting thought.
ReplyDeleteHello to you both! It is so nice to hear about your lovely plans! Happy Birthday to Sam! The environmental situations here in the states are terrifying but thankfully not close to home. Our political situation is dreadful and embarrassing. I have to say it is giving me more anxiety than I have ever had in my whole life. I feel that it derails me from many of my other obligations (such as getting my posts written in a timely fashion). I take as much solace in my family as I physically can. Benjamin starts school next week and Lillian has really learned how to use the word "no". Franklin is well; tinkering around the yard before the weather gets bad.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you both were able to read my choice of novel without too much difficulty. I'm afraid I did not enjoy it much; finishing it felt more like a requirement than a happy activity. After Moshe was killed, I had to put the book down for a whole day. The idea of losing a brother, especially a twin, was unbearable to me. Silly, I know but again I think I am overly sensitive right now.
Both of your personal family histories are very interesting. I understand a bit how your poor mum felt Sue. My father was in the military and traveled frequently. My mother raised four kids mostly alone for the first several years of our lives. She did many odds and ends to make ends meet including babysitting, working in a pizzeria at night while we slept, entertaining as a clown at birthday parties, and baking/decorating cakes. One of my book questions focuses mainly on strong women which makes me think of the strongest woman in my life: my mom.
I find it interesting that Ms. Eve focuses mainly on her father's history and much less on her mother's. My father's side of the family is German. I don't know many personal stories about this side of my family. I have a copy of the family tree but other than the pretty black and white “who begot whom” there isn't much other detail. I think this predominately is related to how Germans were preserved during World War II. Couldn't imagine that being proud of your German heritage around that time was taken well by other Americans. So on a whole, my father's side has always felt "American" to me. My grandmother has never cooked particularly German meals. They've never performed or mentioned any German rituals, beliefs or legends. It's like their history started whenever my great grandparents came to America, which honestly I'm not even sure if my grandparents are first, second or even third generation American!
Despite my lack of enjoyment in this month's novel, family history holds a great deal of value to me as it seems to for Ms. Eve. I should really push harder to learn what I can from my father's parents before they are gone. I agree with both your sentiments about Ms. Eve's fictionalization kept her tale from being too drab. And in answer to my own question, no I do not think the fictionalization diminished the value of her tale.
Are either of you having a difficult time finding September’s book? I keep getting told it hasn’t been released yet. Any thoughts?
Very interesting comments about German ancestry and the preservation of records around WW2, Katie. And lovely assessment of your Mum. So sorry about your difficulties obtaining the book. It's definitely published as I've got a hardback copy from my local library. It is a recent publication, and I'm wondering whether it has been released as a paperback. If availability is going to be a problem, should we move on to my next choice? Is that the Pat Barker one currently scheduled for November? What do we think, ladies?
ReplyDeleteHi, I've received my copy in paperback from Book depository this week, maybe try them Katie, I also have pat Barkers book so I'm good with either. xx
ReplyDelete