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My very dear Bookworms,
First of all, thanks to those
of you who joined our discussion on Still Life With Bread Crumbs. Here is my take on the book and on the
meeting.
Rebecca Winters is a 60 year
old photographer, who is redefining herself: with career and finances
dwindling, still caring for aging parents, after raising a son (mostly on her
own) and now feeling forced to rent out her NYC apartment to live in a more
affordable cottage in the country.
There are many themes in this story, including spousal abuse, animal
abuse, infidelity, and mental illness.
Anna Quindlen develops her
characters well. My favorite was Jim
Bates, who was able to see things in real life better than what Rebecca saw
with her camera lens. Many of
Rebecca’s most valued photos were actually accidental. I believe the photograph
named “Still Life With Bread Crumbs”, was actually the feminist voice of Anna
Quindlen to suggest “how empty the existence of the average American woman was”
and “the bread crumbs were an allusion to Hansel and Gretel, leaving a trail so
someone can find you, rescue you…”. In the story, Jim Bates, a working class
hero, was able to really “see” and know the truth behind the characters of
Sarah, of Kevin, of Jack the Dog, and of Rebecca, and sadly also, what the
white crosses really signified.
I had no idea what this book
would be about when I decided to lead it.
I knew I wanted to get it read for when I met Anna Quindlen in
person. Which I did. And I did mention our book club. She
responded of how she’s corrected others when they comment that people are not
reading any more. She tells them
that there is such an emergence of book clubs all over the country. People are
reading! If you go on youtube.com,
you will find many videos of her talks about this book and others. I have mentioned that before you read
Anna’s fiction novels, you should take 15 minutes to read A Short Guide to a
Happy Life. At our book club
meeting, it seemed that a few Bookworms decided to definitely read other
Quindlen books. That is good. She is a smart, very impressive woman,
who values education, teachers, family life and feminism. She’s married with 3 grown children,
was the op-ed columnist for the NY Times as well as writing for Newsweek, has
won a Pulitzer prize and she chaired the Board of Trustees at Barnard for 5
years. She is asked to give commencement
speeches all over the country as she’s such a good speaker—a true inspiration
to young adults.
In the book, I also really
enjoyed Sarah and her “Tea for Two” café.
I would love to go to a place like that! So I made some scones.
I’ve had some before.
Unfortunately, with the rush, mine were partly burnt. Find the recipe below. Enjoy!
I’d like to thank all of you
who were present at our last meeting, for listening to me and your kind
responses. Membership in this
group is TRULY a BLESSING!
Have a great summer!
Love, Lourdes
Ingredients
Original recipe
makes 8 scones
2 cups all-purpose
flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
½ cup raisins (or dried currants)
½ cup sour cream
1 large egg
Directions
1.
Adjust oven rack to
lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.
In a medium bowl, mix
flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate butter into
flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in
butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in raisins.
3.
In a small bowl, whisk
sour cream and egg until smooth.
4.
Using a fork, stir sour
cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands
to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in
places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press,
the dough will come together.)
5.
Place on a lightly
floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick.
Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8
triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper),
about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5
minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.
