Author Topic: People of the Book ~ Geraldine Brooks ~ July 15 ~ Book Club Online (Read 131728 times)

Babi · « **Reply #320 on:** August 10, 2009, 08:59:39 AM »

The Book Club Online is the oldest book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone. We offer cordial discussions of one book a month, 24/7 and enjoy the company of readers from all over the world. everyone is welcome to join in.

People of the Book - by Geraldine Brooks

You'll fall in love with Hanna Heath, Geraldine Brooks' edgy Aussie rare book expert with an attitude, a loner with a real passion for her work. How could she refuse this opportunity of a lifetime, the conservation of the beautifully illustrated Sarajevo Haggadah, the mysterious Hebrew manuscript, created in Spain in the 14th century?

The invitation will bring Hanna into war-torn Bosnia in the spring of 1996 and then, into the world of fine art forgers and international fanatics. Her intuitive investigation of the manuscript will put her in a time capsule to medieval Spain and then back to Northern Australia again with a number of stops along the way. This is based on the travels of an actual manuscript, which has surfaced over the centuries since its creation in Spain.

Discussion Schedule:

July 15-19 ~ Hanna, 1996; Insect's Wing;
   Sarajevo, 1940
July 20-24 ~ Hanna, Vienna, 1996; Feathers and a Rose;
Hanna, Vienna, Spring '96
July 25-July 31 ~ ~ Wine Stains, Venice 1609;
   Hanna, Boston, 1996
August 1 - August 5 ~ Saltwater, Tarragona, 1492;
   Hanna, London, Spring, 1996
August 6-August 10 ~ White Hair, Seville, 1480;
   Hanna, Sarajevo, Spring, 1996
August 11-15 Lola, Jerusalem, 2002;
   Hanna, Gunumeleng, 2002
August 16-August 20 Afterword & Conclusions

(click twice to really enlarge)

Topics for Discussion
August 11-August 15 ~ "Lola" ~ Jerusalem, 2000

1. Why do you think the author included this chapter on Lola's life in 2000?

2. Do you think Lola represents her generation of Jews who managed to survive World War II?

3. Where had she spent the war years? Where does she work now?

4. How did Lola come upon the "miracle"? Was it too much of a coincidence that she would be the one to discover the book as she did?

Hanna ~ Gunumeleng, 2002

1. What is Hanna doing in Gunumeleng? Where is this place of twisted gum trees and Mimi paintings?

2. Were you shocked that the Sharanskys had asked Hanna to take over her mother's role in Aaron Sharansky's foundation? Did she take it?

3. Did you feel any sympathy at all for Sarah Heath?

4. Had you any doubt that Dr. Werner Heinrich and Ozren knew that Hanna was right about the authenticity of the folio on display at the museum?
Were you satisfied with Amitai's explanation of what happened?

5. Do you believe that the Sarajevo Haggadah belongs in Sarajevo, or that it belongs to the Jews in Israel, as Werner believed?

6. How did Australia's Dept. of Foreign Affairs become involved in the affair? Why was this whole interlude necessary for Brooks' plot?

7. The tiny lines Zahra had written on the saffron robe with the single cat hair left on her brush - another miracle? Are there actually scratches visible on the real Haggadah?

8. What became of Werner's facsimile? Did you find yourself rooting against another book burning? ?

Relevant Links:
Geraldine Brooks - Background information; Sarajevo Haggadah; Early Haggadah Manuscripts; Illuminated Manuscripts; Brief History of Illuminating Manuscripts; Around Sevlle Image Gallery;

Discussion Leaders: JoanP, Ann , JoanK, & Traudee

Babi:Who knows, FRYBABE,..maybe they did have a magnifier 'of some kind'. Did
you check the link I posted above? That site has some other rice paintings as
well.

PatH · « **Reply #321 on:** August 10, 2009, 09:25:02 AM »

I think you would need a magnifying glass even to look at a polo match painted on a grain of rice, much less paint it.

But evidently people still paint with cat hair brushes. Here's a course that was given in June, where you could buy the brushes.

Iranian miniature painting workshop

so P bubble · « **Reply #322 on:** August 10, 2009, 09:32:17 AM »

I have seen a grain of rice with a blessing written on it.

My daughter received one with her name written on it. 6 letters. Of course I need a magnifier to read it but it is all there. I have no idea what hair they used for that.
Our cats here have very coarse hair on their back, not on their bellies so I don't find it hard to believe. Tweezers were probably used to hold it for precise work.

JoanP · « **Reply #323 on:** August 10, 2009, 09:45:41 AM »

PatH, thanks! So they did actually use cat hair brushes to paint the miniatures in the illuminated manuscripts. Probably more than a single hair though. For Zahra to have signed her painting so that it was hidden within the miniature - she must have needed to use the single hair to get it that fine and faint. I got the impression that the brush had more than one hair on it to start with, but that's all she had left at the end...so she used it to sign her work. I wonder if one can see scratch marks or anything on the painting now...even with a super microscope. Hanna didn't mention seeing anything during the conservation in Sarajevo...

Funny how the mystery of the cut, white hair Hanna found gets answered here! Remember how she thought it was from a "dyed" cat? Now we knowthat was from a paint brush - from Zahra's saffron paint!
I came up with another site where the use of cat hair brushes on illuminated manuscript miniatures was discussed - unfortunately it wouldn't open -

Quote

JAIC 1978, Volume 18, Number 1, Article 4 (pp. 19 to 32)... contained goose-quill pens, and brushes made of the hair of the domestic cat ... The third paint box examined was made by ... FrancesLichten, The Illuminated Manuscripts of the ...
aic.stanford.edu/jaic/articles/jaic18-01-004.html · Cached page

Other sites spoke of the use of ermine fur brushes too...soft too, right? I'm really enjoying the mix of the historical and Geraldine Brooks' fiction here.

Bubble, I don't know that I would even notice there was something painted on a tiny piece of rice these days!

so P bubble · « **Reply #324 on:** August 10, 2009, 09:56:33 AM »

Joan, the single rice is kept in a tiny corked glass bubble that can be worn on a chain as a pendant.

A few years ago I received from India the red seed of some plant. It could be unplugged and inside were 21 tiny sculpted ivory elephants each the size of a sesame seed. It was so small that I misplaced it. I have no idea where it can be, or I would have taken a picture to show you.

Zahra could very credibly sign her name like that.

PatH · « **Reply #325 on:** August 10, 2009, 10:44:10 AM »

They're bigger than a sesame seed, but many years ago JoanK gave me this herd of elephants for my birthday.

so P bubble · « **Reply #326 on:** August 10, 2009, 10:59:34 AM »

Only 5 and not 21? lol then yours are bigger ha ha ha but yes, that is what I meant.

PatH · « **Reply #327 on:** August 10, 2009, 01:04:35 PM »

The one-hair brushes were made that way deliberately: "A few contained just a single hair, for the making of the very finest of lines." (p 286)

JoanK · « **Reply #328 on:** August 10, 2009, 01:20:34 PM »

"JoanK gave me this herd of elephants for my birthday".

I'd forgotten all about that. And you kept them all these years!

I hope you give them plenty of space to run free. It's hard to find a cage big enough for five elephants.

JoanK · « **Reply #329 on:** August 10, 2009, 01:23:17 PM »

Yes, wasn't that a delicious puzzle that GB gave us! Ill bet we were all dying to know (no pun intended

) the story of the cat hair.

JoanP · « **Reply #330 on:** August 10, 2009, 06:09:11 PM »

Tomorrow we move into the future - perhaps to understand better why Ozren of all people is agreeing with Hanna's former teacher that Hanna is wrong to question the authenticity of the book about to be presented to the world with great fanfare. What's going on here? Did you believe Hanna? Did Hanna ever doubt herself? If so, why didn't she press the issue? I think it was Ozren who puzzled me most. Why would he of all people accept what to Hanna is an obvious fake?

How did you feel about this added bit of intrigue introduced at the 11th hour?? We know the book won't end like this. There are sure to be surprises in these final chapters.

JoanK · « **Reply #331 on:** August 10, 2009, 08:23:08 PM »

JOANP: don't go too fast-- we don't know if it's a fake or not til we read the next section. I see you're betting on our Hanna; those who have read it, don't tell!!

OK, guys! Notice who narrates the section we start tomorrow. Remember Lola?

JoanP · « **Reply #332 on:** August 10, 2009, 08:57:10 PM »

Oh yes, I'm betting on Hanna. I wonder what I would do in this situation. I think I'd holler - well, at least I think I'd register my objection somewhere! But this is Ozren telling her she is mistaken! Maybe I'd start second guessing myself.

PatH · « **Reply #333 on:** August 10, 2009, 10:01:10 PM »

It's not just Ozren telling her she's mistaken, it's Werner Heinrich, who is not only the world expert on such manuscripts, but is the man who taught her everything she knew. It's expertise learned from him that she is now using to say the book is a fake, and he says she's wrong. No wonder she's confused.

ChazzW · « **Reply #334 on:** August 10, 2009, 10:02:29 PM »

Here's my main problem with this book: It seems to scream "look at all the research I've done!" Some times interesting? Sure. Always necessary, or really relevant to the story? Not for me.

Quote

State-of-the-art sensors scribbled out lines that tracked temperature and humidity. I checked the graphs: 18 degrees Celsius, perfect, plus or minus 1 degree. Humidity, 53 percent. Right where it should be.

That being said, the "A White Hair" section had heart. It was a good story, well written and reminded me a bit of Hari Kunzru's The Impressionist. Zahra's story itself is compelling, plus we get a wholly reasonable explanation as to how/why the illuminated pages came to be made (whether true or not). They make sense.

Quote

But as I considered Benjamin, in his silence, shut out of understanding the beautiful and moving ceremonies of his faith, I remembered Isabella’s prayer book, and the figures in it, and how she said it helped her to pray. The idea came to me that such drawings would be of like help to Benjamin. I cannot think the doctor or his God will be offended by my pictures.

JoanK · « **Reply #335 on:** August 10, 2009, 10:37:02 PM »

CHAZZ: that's interesting. You're right, of course. But for people like me, who always like to learn details of occupations and ways of life not my own, it's perfect. Many of these details are woven into the story, although as you said, some are not.

Yes, Zahra's story is very touching. The success of her stories is shown by how much we want to find out what happened to these people.

Gumtree · « **Reply #336 on:** August 11, 2009, 06:07:18 AM »

Artists' brushes are made from all kinds of animal hair apart from cat including: camel, pony, hog, mongoose, squirrel, raccoon, sheep, fox and the ultra expensive sable -and there are the synthetic varieties as well. They all have different qualities and resiliences and are used for different purposes - shape and size also determine how and where a certain brush will be used. I don't own a cat hair brush but I do have some very, very fine sables which are lovely to use -so soft.

The Japanese still make and use cat hair brushes in their art. The very fine 'one hair' is used as a 'liner' to create a very fine line though liners can be made of other hair and come in several other sizes as well. The Japanese will also use human baby hair for brushes - the first cut of a 6 to 12 month baby is used - very fine and soft.

In India it is illegal to manufacture and sell brushes made from the mongoose. They are available here as Chinese Brush Painting brushes - and are sometimes used by watercolourists. I have a few myself for when I fancy attempting something in the Chinese style.

Gumtree · « **Reply #337 on:** August 11, 2009, 06:53:18 AM »

The particular piece ChazzW chose to quote about the humidity sensors brought a smile to my face when I read it as I have been present during many a conversation in art galleries and museums about those very sensors - their make-up, placement and operation.

Temperature/humidity sensors have been commonplace since about the 1930s - possibly even before that and are very simple pieces of equipment - the original Thermo-Hygro Graph had human hair as the humidity sensing element and a bi-metal strip in the shape of an arc for the temperature. The curvature of the bi-metal strip changes with the temperature and the length of the human hair element under tension changes with the relative humidity. Variations in readings are recorded on graph paper by a pen in contact with the vertical rotating drum.

The temperature/humidity sensor is an important piece of equipment when one is handling priceless artifacts. Atmosphere control and measurement is generally stock-standard practice in these situations -Research or not, wasn't GB simply pointing out that all precautions necessary were in place.

Babi · « **Reply #338 on:** August 11, 2009, 08:27:46 AM »

Why would Ozren accept the opinion of Hanna's prestigious teacher over hers?
Perhaps because of his high standing and expertise. Perhaps because the book
was about "to be presented to the world with great fanfare", and he didn't
want to mess that up. Which still leaves open the question of whether Hanna
was right.

CHAZZ, the technical details not only interest me, they add to the sense of
authenticity re. the scientific aspect. Of course, in other subjects, I would
probably find technical details boring. A matter of taste and preference, I
suppose.

ANNIE · « **Reply #339 on:** August 11, 2009, 09:13:01 AM »

Here's another link to rice paintings:
http://www.dailypainters.com/paintings/keyword/rice

so P bubble · « **Reply #340 on:** August 11, 2009, 10:11:54 AM »

I think these are paintings on rice paper.

Gumtree · « **Reply #341 on:** August 11, 2009, 10:36:05 AM »

I'd say you're right Soapie. some of those paintings appear to be executed in the traditional Chinese Brush painting technique which often uses rice paper or sugar paper.

ANNIE · « **Reply #342 on:** August 11, 2009, 10:39:28 AM »

Thanks for clearing that up, Bubble and Gum. I wondered when "google" brought up that link.

JoanP · « **Reply #343 on:** August 11, 2009, 03:22:16 PM »

Before we move on, hopefully leaving Zahra making her way back to her Moorish roots, Annie, I'd like to comment on your post describing your black skinned Moorish great grandfather's skin -

Quote

This part which is about Iberia is very interesting for me as I have a drop or two of Moorish blood in me, handed down from my Portuguese great grandfather who was born in Lisbon and put on a ship by his parents to come to American in 1854. He was referred to in the Irish family, that he married into in Indiana, as that little black man... His wonderful skin was passed along to my mother and her brothers. I inherited none of that color, only my father's German/Irish light and freckled coloring.

I found that fascinating...especially that your mother had the dark skin herself - and you, the light freckled coloring. I don't know why but I thought the dark coloring was always dominant, especially since your mother had inherited the gene...

This reminded me of Hooman's description of the Zahra's skin - he tried to capture it in his paints as he stared at her forearm. I thought it a wonderful example of GB's writing. I think she knows about paint and color...

Quote

It is the color of blue smoke...no...it is like a ripening plum, with the pale down still dusting it. I must paint this color."

JoanK · « **Reply #344 on:** August 11, 2009, 03:24:38 PM »

The prints are worthworth looking at anyway, rice or no rice. As a birdwastcher, I like the bird watching one.

Gum, that's fascinating. Human hair to measure humidity! I always wondered if the changes in hair many women feel on humid days were real.

JoanP · « **Reply #345 on:** August 11, 2009, 03:35:22 PM »

Babi, I'd be interested to hear what you thought - was Hanna mistaken? Did you believe that when you heard both Ozren and her teacher - who taught her everything she knew - dismiss her objections as if she were a difficult child, who didn't know what she was talking about? I was so disappointed in Ozren, though had no idea what Werner's motive might have been. I didn't trust him, but I did trust Ozren.

Quote

Here's my main problem with this book: It seems to scream "look at all the research I've done!" Some times interesting? Sure. Always necessary, or really relevant to the story? Not for me.

Chazz - yes, I agree, tons of research went into the book - to make it believable, I thought. The author didn't want the authenticity of the book questioned...hence the attention to detail. Whenever I caught myself getting lost in the trees, I kept remembering the forest - remembering what I thought was the purpose of the book. And then it worked for me - details and all. Let's save the question of what Geraldine Brooks was attempting to do here - her purpose in writing the book - for a few more days after we finish the final chapters of the book.

Lola returns! We thought we said goodbye to Lola at the start of WWII when the Kamals took her to the mountains of Sarajevo. Babi, was it you who expressed the hope we'd see her again? Were you puzzled at the start of this chapter as to where she was in 2000...and where she was dusting and came across the book? Where did she spend the war years? I found that time line confusing...

so P bubble · « **Reply #346 on:** August 11, 2009, 03:40:20 PM »

Very real JoanK. On humid days like today there is no point in combing my hair: it goes every which way it wants and is much curlier than usual.

I am readding as fast as I can to catch up, this book is so tantalizing! I'll have to reread slower again to taste all the small details.

PatH · « **Reply #347 on:** August 11, 2009, 05:02:40 PM »

I want to say something about this question:

"When Hanna looks at the exhibit surrounding the Haggadah, she says (p.320) “the point- that diverse cultures influence and enrich one another –was made with silent eloquence.” Has GB made this point with “eloquence”? What are some of the ways she has (or hasn’t) done so?"

Surely this point is one of the main themes of the book--that even in the middle of national conflicts, diverse cultures can enrich each other on an individual level. Zahra, African, a Muslim, and a slave is befriended, helped and taught by the Christian Emira and the Jewish doctor Netanel ha-Levi. In Venice, Father Vistorini and Rabbi Judah Aryeh are friends, though it's sort of an armed truce. In Sarajevo during WWII, the Muslim Serif Kamal risks his life to save the Haggadah, and also to hide and save the Jewish Lola (and others, too). And the Muslim Ozren also risks his life for the book.

Hanna's mother, presumably a non-practicing Christian, falls in love with a Jew, and Hanna herself has a passionate interlude with a Muslim.

PatH · « **Reply #348 on:** August 11, 2009, 05:14:05 PM »

Yes, Joan, dark color tends to be dominant. That's why a dark mother can have a pale daughter. The pale genes were there, but masked by the dark, but if the daughter gets only the pale genes, she will be light. In our family we occasionally have redheads after several generations of dark hair. The red genes are there all along, but hiding.

JoanP · « **Reply #349 on:** August 11, 2009, 11:24:46 PM »

We have two red headed grandsons...everyone wonders about where the red hair came from. It seems DIL's grandmother had the red, but DIL only remembered when it was white. Her Dad told her that he had memories of reddish brown - nothing like these grandsons.

Quote

Surely this point is one of the main themes of the book--that even in the middle of national conflicts, diverse cultures can enrich each other on an individual level.

I agree, PatH - do you think this was what motivated GBrooks to write her fiction, the story of this book's survival?
Perhaps it was back in 1996 when she witnessed the conservator handling this book that she was stirred by the memory of all the people who had contributed to the book's survival.

Why do you think the author included this chapter on Lola's life in 2000 - in Jerusalem?

ANNIE · « **Reply #350 on:** August 12, 2009, 09:05:50 AM »

JoanP,
The fact of dark skinned syblings in my mom's generation is why I mentioned that the Moors also invaded Ireland. Maybe my ggrandfather's genes plus my Irish grandfather's both contributed to the dark skinned children. My mother and both of her brothers were all dark skinned.

Babi · « **Reply #351 on:** August 12, 2009, 09:12:23 AM »

I've always understood that a child may be lighter than either parent,but
not darker than both. I don't know for certain if that is accurate; I haven't
researched it. So two light-skinned parents would not have a dark-skinned
child, but if one parent is dark the children could be either. Genes often skip
a generation. In my Dad's family, twins appeared every other generation.
On the color of Zahra's skin, I found myself trying to visualize that 'ripening plum' color with reference to the 'blue smoke'. I don't know how successful I was; wish I could seen it.

No, JOANP, I didn't believe Hanna was mistaken. For one thing, it simply
wouldn't be good story-telling. What puzzled me is why Werner Heinrich is
dismissing her claim without looking into it? He seemed like such a fine
old man, and very fond of Hanna. Something is just not right here.
Yes, I was thinking we might see Lola again. The section focusing on her,
despite her minimal involvement with the book, just didn't make much sense
otherwise. I wasn't surprised at where she was when she emerged again. Isn't
that where..I forget his name; the young man she admired and respected...that
where he was going and where he urged them all to go?

I hadn't thought of that, PATH, but you are right. GB has featured a mingling
of the different cultures throughout the book. I had overlooked it as a
feature of the locales and the times, but it isn't really. Most people, then
as now, probably live most of their lives in communities with others like
themselves, with only superficial contact with other cultures.

Gumtree · « **Reply #352 on:** August 12, 2009, 10:53:31 AM »

Hanna Gunumeleng 2002 :

Hanna is actually working in Kakadu National Park located in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. Kakadu is a World Heritage Site. The ancient rock paintings Hanna is working on to document and preserve are the oldest in the world and are under constant threat from mining interests and natural forces.

Gunumeleng is not a place - it is a season - the pre-monsoon season in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. The Australian Aboriginals break the year in to six seasons. Gunumeleng usually runs from about mid October to late December or what in southern Australia is high spring to early summer.

the description below of Gunumeleng comes from http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/kakadu/nature-science/seasons.html

This site also shows some of the country, the rock art, flora and fauna. If you click on 'Kakadu National Park' on the sidebar a menu will appear - click on Culture History and World Heritage which has lots of info about Kakadu where Hanna is working including the rock art

Quote

Gunumeleng, from mid October to late December, may in fact last from a few weeks to several months. It is the pre-monsoon season of hot weather, that becomes more and more humid. Thunderstorms build in the afternoons and scattered showers bring a tinge of green to the dry land. As the streams begin to run, acidic water that washes from the flood plains can cause fish to die in billabongs with low oxygen levels. Waterbirds spread out as surface water and new growth become more widespread. Barramundi move from the waterholes downstream to the estuaries to breed. This was when Biniji/Mungguy moved camp from the floodplains to the stone country to shelter from the violent storms of the coming wet season.

The link also gives a run down on the other seasons - Gudjewgg(the monsoon or 'The Wet'), Banggerreng (around April), Yegge (cooler but still humid), Wurrgeng (cold weather), and Gurrung (Hot and dry).

straudetwo · « **Reply #353 on:** August 12, 2009, 11:18:28 AM »

JoanP
You asked, why did GB add the Lola chapter?
After all, the haggadah was back home in Sarajewo, given a prominent place in the museum, kept under guard at the optimum temperature befitting invaluable artifacts.

My thoughts: Is it possible that GB saw a parallel home-coming for Lola - who was by no means the first but surely among the forerrunner of thousands of Jews in search of a Palestine homeland? Showing the hardships any immigrant faces anywhere, even now?

Perhaps we could ask GB whether that was one of her considerations or objectives.

Similarly, Hanna's story would not have been complete without the last chapter, we NEEDED to know WHO betrayed
WHOM. Alas, the WHY offered is not convincing IMHO.

In the last Hanna chapter, she is vindicated.
Cheers!!
But was it really necessary to have Hanna surrender/submit to Ozren's charms, again? How logical was this just after the revelation of such a sickening betrayal?
So much for the crediibiity women's competence. Grrrr.
Was a romantic ending really necessary?

I don't know what to say about Werner Heinrich. No question, he is a villain in the end. He had not displayed signs of fanaticism before. Why this now? I'm not sure I believe the character, beginning with Liebchen, which is hopelessly outdated.

I'm looking forward to the discussion od the Afterword and hope we'll have a chance to freely express our thoughts about the book as a whole.

Gumtree · « **Reply #354 on:** August 12, 2009, 11:36:12 AM »

I found the whole character of Werner Heinrich stretched things too far with descriptions of his demeanour, clothing and behaviour etc. more in keeping with 1920s or even earlier - as you say Traudee hopelessly outdated.

And as for Hanna falling into Ozren's arms again... just too much to take IMO.

Mippy · « **Reply #355 on:** August 12, 2009, 12:12:00 PM »

Gumtree ~ I agree. The ending was not a complement to the rest of the book.

JoanK · « **Reply #356 on:** August 12, 2009, 02:21:23 PM »

I like the fact that the Book returned to Israel, at least briefly. It has a rightness to it. After all, this is not just a history of the wandering of the book, but symbolically of the wandering of the Jewish people, ending in the Jewish homeland.

And it also seems right that it should be in Yad ve Shem, the Holocaust memorial in Israel. The journey started with the book's and Lola's escape from the Holocaust: again it seems fitting that it should end there.

I'm ashamed to admit that I was never in Yad ve Shem when I lived in Israel. But I met many Holocaust survivors, someof which were generous enough to share their stories with me. I will never forget them and we shouldn't either. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

I am ashamed to admit that I did not visit that when

JoanP · « **Reply #357 on:** August 12, 2009, 06:05:54 PM »

Let's talk about the ending, Mippy.
I did like the way GB began with Lola, an old woman - slowly revealing how she came to Jerusalem, and then how she later discovered the book while dusting in the museum. I wasn't sure where she was at that point - I thought she had spent the war in the mountains outside of Sarajevo. But she married that awful Branko - who left her to die at the beginning of the war? Will you ever understand that?
Gradually we learn that she is working in the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem - and it isn't until we come to the very last chapter that we get the story of how that came about. I do like the way things unfolded in small doses.

JoanK - did you visit the Holocaust museum in Washington when you lived in the area? That too is a draining, sobering experience.

Like you, Gum, I thought Werner's story was full of holes. Can we talk about it? He did express his own personal reason for wanting to save this book...in 1996 - I'm not sure it was enough of a reason to go through the charade of creating a facsimile - trying to paint it himself -
Even less sure of why Ozren went along with him. And then the both of them leaving Hanna to doubt her own abilities. Had Lola never found the book, would they ever have told Hanna of the deception? I don't think so.

Hanna would have remained out in the northern territory - preserving the rock art. She does seem happy - getting to know her own country. Gunumeleng, a season. Now we have learned something from someone in the know! Thanks, Gum! Did you notice the "twisted gum trees"?
I am curious to see pictures of this rock art...

Quote

Is it possible that GB saw a parallel home-coming for Lola - who was by no means the first but surely among the forerrunner of thousands of Jews in search of a Palestine homeland? Showing the hardships any immigrant faces anywhere, even now?

I am seeing that parallel too, Traudee.

Traudee, yes indeed, we will have a frank discussion of the book as soon as we finish our discussion of the last two sections chapters.

JoanK · « **Reply #358 on:** August 12, 2009, 08:53:02 PM »

GUM: thanks for the link. The one picture shown of the art (under culture and history) was stunning -- I wish there had been more.

Have you had a chance to see the place yourself? Australia is so big, and I don't know how close you are to it, or how accessible it is.

What do you all think of Hanna's reaction to her colleague's lack of support? She doubts HERSELF, not the others, and abandons her restoring, the most important thing in her life. Do you think you would have reacted that way? Or would you have had more faith in yourself?

JoanP · « **Reply #359 on:** August 12, 2009, 10:28:17 PM »

On my way to bed when I saw your question JoanK, which reminded me that I had intended to look up more of Australia's rock art Gum's been telling us about - found this site - feast your eyes!
Aboriginal rock art from Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory

This is the Mimi spirit I think Hanna may have been working on. What do you think? Would she have been happy working out here in the wilderness had she never been brought back to hear the reasons for the deception?

I'd like to see a picture of a twisted gum tree, Gum!

News:

Author Topic: People of the Book ~ Geraldine Brooks ~ July 15 ~ Book Club Online (Read 131728 times)