The Mermaid Chair
13 journalers for this copy...
The story is about Jessie Sullivan, a 42 year old woman who has become discontent in her marriage. She says it is not as if she and her husband have grown apart, but that they have "grown too much together". She returns back home to take care of her mother. There she becomes involved with a monk at the monastery. Through the months spent at home she is able to rediscover herself.
Book was sent to aberpeter on June 26, 2006
arrived in the mail today, thank you dabercro
My maiden name is in the book... so of course it is a good book :D
But seriously, I enjoyed following Jessie through her journey of self-realization, although it is unfortunate she had to have an affair to discover who she really is (but the book wouldn't have had the same impact without the affair, so I'll forgive the betrayal of marriage).
I'm going to start my first bookring with this book. The regular rules apply:
1. Journal the book as soon as you receive it.
2. Please try to keep the book for only one month. If it is going to take you longer than four weeks to read the book, PM me so I will know the book has not vanished into a bookcrossing wormhole.
3. Journal the book as soon as you are done reading it.
4. PM the next person on the list to get their address - plan a trip to the post office soon so the book can be mailed in a timely fashion.
5. If you are next to get the book and don't think you will have time for the book (too many bookrings at one time, work contraints, life in general, etc), PM me and I can move you somewhere else in the ring, based on shipping preferences of others in the ring.
Shipping Order:
MyaStone (NY)
sweetybeans (OR)
ScarlettWannaB (OR)
Enidq (CA)
CynthiaA (Toronto)
beekeeper40 (UK)
Eilan86 (Italy)
Annodyne (UK)
JudeK (UK)
travelernnn (UK)
cat207 (Australia)
rubyjules (VT)
back to me (ND)
But seriously, I enjoyed following Jessie through her journey of self-realization, although it is unfortunate she had to have an affair to discover who she really is (but the book wouldn't have had the same impact without the affair, so I'll forgive the betrayal of marriage).
I'm going to start my first bookring with this book. The regular rules apply:
1. Journal the book as soon as you receive it.
2. Please try to keep the book for only one month. If it is going to take you longer than four weeks to read the book, PM me so I will know the book has not vanished into a bookcrossing wormhole.
3. Journal the book as soon as you are done reading it.
4. PM the next person on the list to get their address - plan a trip to the post office soon so the book can be mailed in a timely fashion.
5. If you are next to get the book and don't think you will have time for the book (too many bookrings at one time, work contraints, life in general, etc), PM me and I can move you somewhere else in the ring, based on shipping preferences of others in the ring.
Shipping Order:
MyaStone (NY)
sweetybeans (OR)
ScarlettWannaB (OR)
Enidq (CA)
CynthiaA (Toronto)
beekeeper40 (UK)
Eilan86 (Italy)
Annodyne (UK)
JudeK (UK)
travelernnn (UK)
cat207 (Australia)
rubyjules (VT)
back to me (ND)
arrived in the mail today from Aberpeter. and with a very sweet note welcoming me to my first bookring. thanks, glad to be here!
i am surprised by how much i liked this book. normally coming-of-age or finding-yourself stories are not my type, but i give the author credit bec i liked both this and her previous book (secret life of bees). the characters and were really well written, locales were well described, i was interested in the plot and i was 3/4 satisfied with the ending.. a nice, interesting, quick read.
sent to sweetybeans on 1 august.
sent to sweetybeans on 1 august.
just received this book. Will read and send along ;)
i rated this book an 8 b/c i am not sure still how i feel about it. i finished late last night and was left with mixed feelings. i don't think it was quite as good as the secret life of bees. still i couldn't put it down yesterday and her writing was excellent. very vivid and colorful, as i write i realize i think i liked the book more than i thought. the characters were good and the plot twist wasn't what i had expected ;) sending off to ScarlettWannaB as soon as i get her address
Just got the book yesterday and will start reading today.
Great book just finished last night. I will be mailing it on tomorrow assuming I get the next address.
P.S. I loved the ending.
P.S. I loved the ending.
Sent book on to CynthiaA as EnidQ said she wanted to be skipped as she got her hands on another copy first. Book was mailed from Salem, Oregon on August 30th and should be in Canada within a couple days.
Arrived safe and sound today. Can't wait to get at it!
What touched me most about this book was how believable it seemed to me. So much of this could really happen to me, I think. Except a different time and place. Oh -- and no monk. I can't imagine having an affair with a monk. Actually, I can't imagine having an affair with anyone... but neither could have Jessie had you asked her a few weeks before she left to stay with her mother.
I see parts of me in Jessie, I guess is what I'm trying to say. I too feel that aloneness sometimes -- that solitude of being. For me, the most touching part of this book was when Jessie made the marriage vows to herself. That was so powerful!
Thank you, Aberpeter, for setting up the ring. I will be mailing this off to beekeeper either Tuesday or Wednesday.
I see parts of me in Jessie, I guess is what I'm trying to say. I too feel that aloneness sometimes -- that solitude of being. For me, the most touching part of this book was when Jessie made the marriage vows to herself. That was so powerful!
Thank you, Aberpeter, for setting up the ring. I will be mailing this off to beekeeper either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Received safely today.
I quite liked this book but didn't enjoy it as much as The Secret Life of Bees. I thought the main character was a little too sickly sweet, if you know what I mean. I did enjoy the descriptions of the environs though..
Pming next person on the list.
Pming next person on the list.
Journal Entry 16 by beekeeper40 at to a fellow bookcrosser in book ring/ray, By Mail/Post/Courier -- Controlled Releases on Saturday, December 16, 2006
Released 17 yrs ago (12/18/2006 UTC) at to a fellow bookcrosser in book ring/ray, By Mail/Post/Courier -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
Mailing to Eilan86 in Itlay.
Mailing to Eilan86 in Itlay.
The book is here. thanks beekeeper for the beutiful postcard....I'll read the book soon!!!
I've finished the book and I'm going to send it to Annodyne today. I've liked it more than The secret life of bees. It was a very powerful reading and I could fully relate to Jessie in her self-discovery journey.
Thank you to Eilan86 for sending this on; it arrived here on Friday. I'm looking forward to reading it, and should be able to make a start in a couple of days.
Hmm...I have mixed feelings about this book, and not sure whether I liked it or not. Sue Monk Kidd writes like a dream when she is describing the flight of birds, the look and feel of the landscape, but I feel she doesn't always get it right when dealing with her characters.
There is something that is ascribed to Hugh in the tiny section of the book that is his, and maybe gives an insight into Kidd's ideas for this story -
p 279 "Over and over he'd come across the same idea - not the least bit unfamiliar to him- that when a person was in need of cataclysmic change, of a whole new center in the personality, for instance, his or her psyche would induce an infatuation, an erotic attachment, an intense falling-in-love."
Interesting. Thank you for offering this as a bookring dabercro. I'm looking forward to reading The Secret Life Of Bees shortly!
There is something that is ascribed to Hugh in the tiny section of the book that is his, and maybe gives an insight into Kidd's ideas for this story -
p 279 "Over and over he'd come across the same idea - not the least bit unfamiliar to him- that when a person was in need of cataclysmic change, of a whole new center in the personality, for instance, his or her psyche would induce an infatuation, an erotic attachment, an intense falling-in-love."
Interesting. Thank you for offering this as a bookring dabercro. I'm looking forward to reading The Secret Life Of Bees shortly!
Posted and on its way to JudeK today.
Journal Entry 22 by JudeK from Scarborough, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, March 3, 2007
received, will read asap
Journal Entry 23 by JudeK from Scarborough, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Friday, March 16, 2007
Have now started this book, should be finished by next week. Will pm next on list now.
Journal Entry 24 by JudeK from Scarborough, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Thursday, March 29, 2007
Really good book just like secret life of bees was too. In post tomorrow.
Sue Monk Kidd fills her novel with imagery that brings you to the little island and captures the state of mind of her main character. I thought it was an interesting novel, though I thought she minimized the consequences of Jessie's actions. In general I can see why it wasn't well received.
Arrived in today's mail. Thank you travelernnn and Aberpeter for sharing.
I enjoyed this book. I found it realistic in that we mostly do what we think is right at the time, and are all capable of making mistakes. What we can't often do is forgive and learn from these indiscretions.
Have PMed rubyjules for an address.
Have PMed rubyjules for an address.
I received this in yesterday's mail. Thanks so much for sharing. I just finished my last book, so this is next on my list.
First I have to say that I liked this book so much better then The Secret Life of Bees. And I think that is because I could relate to this better. I'm going through my own divorce and I see many similarities in how Jessie realizes herself to how I have learned more about myself and opened up as my own person. I see her growth reflected in my own growth. Although I won't have the happy reconciliation that she had, I am happy with where my life is going, and happy too, that I have been able to discover my "true" self. Thank you so much for sharing. I'll get this mailed out as soon as I can.
Journal Entry 31 by rubyjules at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Sunday, August 5, 2007
Released 16 yrs ago (8/4/2007 UTC) at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
I apologize for taking so long to mail this book, but I did finally send it on its way!! Thank you so much for sharing. It was very interesting and good. :)
I apologize for taking so long to mail this book, but I did finally send it on its way!! Thank you so much for sharing. It was very interesting and good. :)
the book has made it home. Thank you to everyone who participated in the ring and all your thoughts about the book.
I tried to start another ray with the book and only hshah was interested, so I mailed it today as a RABCK
