The meeting was held at the home of Helen Abramowicz. The meeting was convened at 1:00 pm. Attending were Susan Gordon, Reggie Mead, Lynda & guest Fred Doery, Laurel Cohen and guest, Helen Abramowicz, Stevie Coppin, Percy Angelo, Gayle Brookfield, Mercedita O’Connor and Kim Albright.
In accordance with decisions made in January, the discussion leader will write up the notes and forward them to the Board of the Club. Members of the book group will take turns representing the group at Board meetings.
The book under discussion was Grey Bees by Andrey Kurkov. Kim Albright led the discussion. The book is a novel set in 2017 in the ‘grey zone,’ the Donbas region of Ukraine where there has been intermittent fighting between ‘separatist’ (i.e. Russian-backed) troops and Ukrainian forces since 2014. It tells the story of a gentle beekeeper stranded in a small village in this war zone. As winter gives way to spring, the beekeeper decides to take his bees on a journey into the supposedly peaceful part of Ukraine, and then on to Russian-annexed Crimea.
The group discussed the complexities of the current political situation in Ukraine and the fraught history which has preceded it. We talked about the ethnic mixture in Ukraine, particularly the tensions between Ukrainian speakers and Russian speakers, and the endemic corruption in Ukraine which exacerbates all the other problems. We discussed the symbolism of the novel (bees vs ants vs people and how the society of each is structured; grey standing for Sergeyich’s ambivalent identity and relationships with other people, his health status, the uncertain allegiances of the people he meets). Several people commented on how cinematic the novel is, how strong the descriptions are, how the author’s depictions of silence are so evocative, as well as his appeal to the other senses – smells, tastes and sounds. We also agreed that the translation was outstanding – lyrical yet colloquial at the same time. There was general agreement that this novel is a masterpiece, as well as a discovery for all of us. Several people read it twice they liked it so much.
The next gathering of the book group will be
Tuesday, March 7 at 1 pm at the home of Mercedita O’Connor, Bay Plaza, 1276 N Palm, Sarasota Apartment 608. This is a change from previously announced location.
The book will be Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. This is a NYTimes bestseller described as ‘almost chick lit but with a twist.’ Discussion leader will be Helen Abramowicz.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:15 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Kim Albright