The Mermaid Chair

by Sue Monk Kidd | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0755307631 Global Overview for this book
Registered by Apechild of York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on 7/7/2010
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4 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by Apechild from York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Got this in the post today from a UK bookmoocher.

Journal Entry 2 by Apechild at York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, July 17, 2010
So this one is about stay-at-home wife Jessie. Her daughter has gone to uni and she's left at home with her art projects for company. Then she gets a call to tell her that her mother has lost the plot a bit and cut off one of her fingers on purpose. Jessie goes back home, to the island where she grows up. Away from herself and her husband, she starts to discover herself, get muddled, and have an affair with one of the monks at the neighbouring monastry - as you do. Family secrets are unearthed and it all works out in the end. In a way usual stuff. The sympathetic and "realistic" (to a point, because it did get a bit over sentimentalised) portrayal of a woman's affair and the fact that its only human to fall in love, even after you're married - whether short infatuations that you may never act upon or whatever - was good. The addition of this mermaid chair, a kind of religious relic at the monastry with its own folklore was also interesting. But there was maybe a bit too much "thinking", or maybe over-thinking, as well as the melodrama and sentimentalities for my tastes perhaps. And I wonder if part of Jessie's problem was that she'd never really been a person in her own right. She'd gone straight from uni into marriage as a supported wife. She'd never really lived, had to support herself or any of that. And then she can just move onto this island for months on end to think things through. I wish I had the financial independence (or dependence, - how you look at it) to just live like that for months and months and please myself.

I probably preferred Secret Life of Bees to this book, not that it's a terrible read or anything. It's a good enough little tale, although I am undecided whether this one will get permanent shelf-space in the house. I will lend it to my mum first, and then see what happens.

Released 13 yrs ago (8/21/2010 UTC) at Ye Olde Starre Inne OBCZ Bookshelf in York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

I've lent this book to my mum, who thought it was okay. I don't want to hand on to it, so it's time to move it on.

I'm taking this book as well to the York bookcrossers meet up this coming Tuesday. Hope it finds a new reader.

Journal Entry 4 by wingAnonymousFinderwing at York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Monday, September 27, 2010
A readable book, but I found the ending disappointing. It's prompted me to go on and read The Secret Life of Bees though.

Journal Entry 5 by wingNu-Kneeswing at Knaresborough, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, October 26, 2010
I brought this home from the York Meet Up tonight, my first for a while, because, although I've heard several negative comments on it, I loved The Secret Life of Bees and want to make up my own mind about this follow-up.
I'll offer it to tree-hugger after me as I think it might appeal to her as well!

Journal Entry 6 by wingNu-Kneeswing at Knaresborough, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, June 21, 2011
It's taken me a while to get around to this one and now I wish I'd got around to it sooner.
A love story featuring a middle-aged monk and a married woman isn't a common scenario. Yet, while that might seem to be the theme, that's not really what the novel's about - and I think different readers will have different ideas of what's central, relating to different aspects in different ways.
The mermaid chair of the title is beautifully described and I love that it links events on a South Carolina island with Cornwall, one of my favourite counties.
The references to mermaid tales and legends puts this book firmly within tree-hugger's orbit of interest, so it's reserved for her next!

Journal Entry 7 by wingNu-Kneeswing at York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Released 12 yrs ago (6/28/2011 UTC) at York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

To tree-hugger as promised :-)

Journal Entry 8 by tree-hugger at York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Thursday, June 30, 2011
Thanks for this Nu-Knees. I'll let you know my thoughts in due course.

Journal Entry 9 by tree-hugger at York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Friday, November 9, 2012
Mermaids & female saints are two themes which always provoke my interest, so this book was very attractive to me, thanks again for passing it my way Nu-Knees. As it turned out I quite liked it, but I didn't love it because it took itself too seriously somehow - every passage has the same weighty tone, which gets a bit over bearing. Still, I liked the setting & appreciated the exploration of different types of love.

Journal Entry 10 by tree-hugger at York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, January 12, 2013
Nu-Knees dropped by my house today and took a few of my available books with her - the ones which she thought she might be able to find good homes for. This was one of them. I'm not sure of her plans for it but I'm sure she'll let us know.

Journal Entry 11 by wingNu-Kneeswing at Knaresborough, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, January 12, 2013
Thanks, tree-hugger! Having enjoyed this when I read it about 18 months ago, I'm quite happy to pass it on again with my recommendation .... don't know where/when yet ....

Released 11 yrs ago (1/29/2013 UTC) at Library Reading Group in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire United Kingdom

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Made available at this afternoon's meeting of the Knaresborough Library Reading Group and taken home by J.

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