The Library in October

by Anne Newins and Debbie Adler

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

            Leo Tolstoy, in Anna Karenina

Bibliographer Janice Williams discovered that the RVM library has many, many, many books where families play an integral role, no doubt because they are such vitally important parts of our lives.  The books can be dramatic, humorous, critical, or affectionate–any emotion that an author might want to employ.

Lacking the strength to look at all of our books incorporating families, I predict that many of them will not fall into the “all happy families” category, mainly because that does not result in riveting reading.

A brief sampling of the offerings includes:

The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion, by Fannie Flagg

This novel includes the popular family secrets device.  Described as a “riveting, fun story of two families,” the book takes place both in the present and during World War II.  Flagg is known for her sense of humor and charming story telling.

Commonwealth, by Ann Patchett

Patchett is one of the country’s most popular and respected writers.  This book covers the lives of four parents and six children over a fifty year period as family structures dissolve, but new bonds are created.

Barkskins, by Annie Proulx

Described as “perhaps the greatest environmental novel ever written,” and a “magnificent marriage of history and imagination,” the book begins with two young Frenchman who arrive in New France, and gradually form an empire based on trapping and fur trading.  The stories of their descendants, who settle across the world, are recounted as they exploit finite natural and cultural resources.

Angela’s Ashes, by Frank McCourt (Non-fiction autobiography)

McCourt’s memoir describes his impoverished youth. His mother, Angela, is a woman of strength while his irresponsible father enchants McCourt with stories.  Despite desperate conditions, McCourt “lives to tell his tale with eloquence, exuberance, and remarkable forgiveness.”

Pictured:  Volunteer Debbie Adler, incoming table display organizer.