In Focus

Another book club meeting has come and gone. I find myself looking forward to it more and more each month. We sit around, talk about the book, talk about life, while munching on snacks and tossing back a few. It really is fun and relaxing.

And this month’s book was the best one yet. “Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons” by Lorna Landvik. The title was catchy, and the cover had women in a pool playing cards on a floating table. We saved this one specifically for summer. I’m glad we did.

The book was like reading a sitcom. In Freesia Court, located somewhere around Minneapolis, neighbors in a cul-de-sac formed a book club. The book starts out talking about Faith, the new person in the neighborhood. At one point, after putting her twins to bed, with her husband away at work, she curls up on the couch and starts to read when the power goes out. Looking outside she sees the whole neighborhood is dark. The neighboring ladies come outside and start a late night snowball fight. Faith invites them inside and they decided to start a book club...one that ends up spanning 30 years!

It made me remember back to my own introduction to Minnesota. About two days after moving here, a group of girls from my class came over to meet me. It seemed weird they knew I was new in town, where I lived and that I was in their grade, but it worked out.

Back to the book...from the 1960s through the 1990s we learn more about the characters and their different lives. Faith, a Texan, harboring a dark secret for those 30 plus years. Slip, a tiny redhead from New Jersey, is physically the strongest of the group and very acrobatic. Kari is a widow who adopts a child and there’s a secret she has to keep from her family relating to the child’s parents. Merit, the prettiest of the group, has the worst husband. And then there’s the group favorite, Audrey, with her devilish attitude and sixth sense.

Throughout the book their families grow, and grow up. There were divorces, abuse, fights, neighborhood drama, new neighbors, new love and coping with the changing times. It really was a page turner...we all enjoyed it.

The 1960s-1970s were quite detailed, and there were longer skips in time as the book hit the 1980s-1990s. That bothered us a bit, because we wanted more. This book could have easily been a longer read.

The ending was okay, but we wanted more details and to know what was going to happen next.

I can safely say this book was an emotional roller coaster, and it is book club approved and is highly recommended.

The next book on our list is “Thief River Falls” by Brian Freeman.