As we begin LTGWS...

Let the Great World Spin is such an incredible book and I'm glad we've chosen it for our next meeting! I finished up what I had left the other night and I loved it. Colum McCann has an amazing attention to detail, background, and an overall sense of the characters. As you read through the book you discover how each person's story is interwoven with the others. Every character is so diverse, and yet there's still a powerful sense of universal community.

In case anyone is interested in learning more about the tightrope walker in the story (Philippe Petit, who walked between the World Trade Center towers in August 1974), he wrote his own book called "To Reach the Clouds", detailing the adventure. In addition, there's a documentary based on that memoir called "Man on Wire."

Depending on the version of the book you get, see if there is a section added on at the end (after the Author's Note and the Acknowledgments) called "Walking an Inch Off the Ground." It's just four pages or so, written by McCann, and offers a great introduction to the book and what inspired him to write it. If you want a little background before reading, without discovering any "secrets" or spoilers, it's very touching. (That said, I wouldn't read the following section "A Conversation with Colum McCann and Nathan Englander" before actually reading the book.)

Lastly, I will leave you with a quote that I absolutely loved! From page 314: "Everything falls into the hands of music eventually."