With the tornado sirens ringing we traveled through horizontal rain and rivers of water on I-35 to Solveig's house to discuss Let the Great World Spin, just as our world outside also threatened to spin. With the power knocked out, candle light gave the atmosphere of a small bistro in China Town with authentic cream cheese wantons, a shrimp stir fry, delicate spring rolls, and even delicious New York style cheesecake -- all masterfully prepared by Solveig and Marit.
The interwoven characters of Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin provided the basis for our discussion -- the tightrope walker we felt was selfish; the monk we felt bordered on the deranged side of extreme; the penthouse wife we felt symphathy for. We marveled at how McCann wrote about New York as if it were a character in his book, and how the themes of the book transcend to the events that transpired in the city after 9-11: grief and love, cynicism and hope, despair and resiliency.
Thank you to you all - especially our hosts - I had a wonderful time meeting all of you and look forward to many, many more good times ahead!
Cheers!
Hannah
Hannah, you are a beautiful writer. Thank you for documenting the meeting. I think I can speak for everyone when I say thank you for coming, you certainly added a lot to the conversation!! I look forward to voting on the book for your meeting.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the weather this week will be less stormy. Happy reading.
Marit
Great post! I'll add some photos soon! Can't wait for Solveig's curry shrimp recipe : )
ReplyDelete