North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

"Let's watch that last part again."

"Frannie! We've watched the ending six times already." I get up and turn the telly off. "Enough is enough."

Rachel sighs and looks crest fallen at her empty wine glass. "It's worth it. The whole film-- the drab colours, the blah greyness of  Milton-- it's all worth it once you get to the end."

"Indeed," I say, picking up Mr. Tumnus, my cat, and scratching behind his ears. "The book ended well too, don't you think? I laughed out loud. I thought the last line was particularly brilliant!"

"Oh, I did too!" Rachel leans forward on her chair. "It was absolutely smart. However, here is one thing that the movie does better than Mrs. Gaskell's book--Henry's dismissal as a contender for Margaret's affection."

"Agreed," I say. "The book really took the coward's way out on getting rid of Henry. But the odd tension that Margaret and John have to endure while they wait for him in the book is well used. Wouldn't you agree, Frannie?"

"Frannie! For shame!" Rachel reaches over and retrieves the DVD case from Frannie's hands. She is cuddling with it.

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"I just love this movie. It's gorgeous, really." Frannie says, with a smile.

"You mean Richard Armitage is gorgeous," I say.

"That too." Frannie nods. "I like him better in this role than in Spooks. That was a real disappointment to me. Season Nine. You think you know a person, and then you realize.... that you never did."

"It's a program, Frannie. Not real life. Don't get so attached," I chide.

"I can't help it. Once you've seen him in North and South, you can't help but root for him in everything he acts in. It's a real downer when he plays a bad guy. You just know he'll die and then where does that leave you? Eating biscuits and crying into your tea. It's a  bloody waste of time at my age."

I ask Rachel if Frannie had any of the wine, she says no.
No matter, back to the task at hand.
"What did you think of the novel when you read it, Frannie?"

"Oh, I didn't read it, love."

I sigh and put Mr. Tumnus back on the floor. "Frannie, you promised."

"Well, I haven't read it but I listened to it. Youtube has an audiobook version of it. And all I have to say is that some of the bits where the cotton mill are described put me to sleep."

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"No," Rachel remarks quickly, "I thought Mrs. Gaskell did an excellent job of describing it all rather simply. It left nothing to the imagination."

"Exactly. Boring," Frannie huffs.

"Not boring." Rachel insists.

"Quite boring," Frannie assures.

I redirect them with a question. "What did you think of the mother?"

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"Mr. Thornton's mum?  Quite a stick in the mud," Frannie offers. "I mean, I suppose every story needs a bad guy. Not that she was quite bad, she was just..."

"Harsh," Rachel supplies.

"I was going to say cold, but I suppose that both  words describe a barren wilderness during winter, so the term suits, doesn't it?" Frannie directs her question to my cat. She picks up Mr. Tumnus and coos, "You aren't harsh, are you Tum-Tums?"

Mr. Tumnus jumps down from Frannie's lap and offers her a view of his backside, tail up. Mr. Tumnus is particularly fond of his real name. He doesn't believe in nicknames.

"Well, that was harsh." Frannie says.

"I was going to say cold, but either word will suffice." Rachel smiles at me, and winks at Frannie. Frannie rolls her eyes and shifts in her chair.

Rachel gets up for another glass of wine. "It is fascinating to see how Mrs. Gaskell managed to show two seperate culture clashes. She really does a great job of showing society and their unwillingness to accept modern times and change, and all that."

"How do you mean?" I ask.

"Well, obviously she means the clash of the Northern way and the Southern way of English life." Frannie touches her nose like she were Father Christmas keeping a secret to himself.

"No, not at all." Rachel gasps. "I meant the rich and the poor. The owner and the worker. She captured the reality of their struggle remarkably well. I actually had compassion for the predicament the mill owners found themselves in."

"Soft spot," Frannie huffs then murmurs Saunders style, "can't read a book to save her life."

"Battle axe with poor clothing choices," Rachel mutters into her glass.

My head is going back and forth watching the two of them fight as though it were a tennis match. I utterly despise tennis. And so, there's only one way to solve a battle like this.

"Who's up for another look at the ending of the film?"

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Both women stare at me for a moment before my words register with them.

"Shall we?" I ask, pointing to the telly.

And, of course, we watch the ending to North and South once more. And the evening ends on a friendly note. Rachel having had the whole bottle of wine, Mr. Tumnus asleep on my lap and Frannie hugging the frozen image of Richard Armitage on the telly screen.

Always Something There To Remind Me by Beth Harbison

Frannie has shown up wearing spandex and a neon shirt.
 "A tribute to the '80's in honour of tonight's book," she says, while setting her purse down on top of Mr. Tumnus.

"That's my cat, Frannie. Not the ottoman," I say.

"Right. Sorry." She retireves her purse."I'm ready for our discussion tonight. Although, I must say, you are very tricky, Ella."

"Me?" I ask as I pour Rachel's wine. "Why is that?""

Frannie shrugs and sits down on the chair in front of the telly. "Because you picked a book that isn't a movie yet. You tricked me."

Rachel and I laugh and exchange a look.

Frannie smiles, and gestures for some tea. "But I won't be stopped, Ella. Youtube proved useful once again and I listened and watched the videos for all the songs mentioned in the book. And I have to say that INXS is better the second time around."

Rachel nearly spits her wine out as she tries to stop from laughing. "Frannie! You are..."

"Incorrigible, I know. That's what my yoga instructor says.  And my chiropractor."

As I wave my hand in the air to bring order, Mr. Tumnus jumps on my lap to keep me company. "All right, darlings, let's talk shop. The book. What did you think of it?"

"Steamy stuff," Rachel giggles, "which is why I have to agree with the comments made on Amazon. There isn't any real story going on that is beyond the scope of a grown woman trapped in her sex-crazed, self absorbed body. This is a good book to show why teenagers should practice abstinence. The craziness that was birthed from this out-of-control relationship is a visceral undoing of a person's sanity. "

Frannie sniffs. "I quite liked that part."

"You would," I point out. "Rachel, I have to disagree with the idea that the whole book is complete shizzle. It's not as one-dimensional as it seems. It's chick-lit, so   keep that in mind, it's not deep dish here.  What I really liked was the use of past and present. I thought it was quite marvellous the way the past showed us why Erin was  making the choices she made in the present. It made for a unique way to let the story unfold. The back and forth brought was a great way to create layers. Although, yes, way too much sex."

"And what about the plot twist half way through the book when she meets Nate again?" Rachel asks. "Was it a shocker?"

"Abominable! I didn't see it coming. When it became obvious what was really going on, I instantly disliked Nate." Frannie says.

"You didn't see it coming?" I ask. "Come on, Frannie. The story is about them...of course, she'd meet him again. It was leading up to that, we all knew that."

"Well, I didn't," Frannie sniffs again.

Mr. Tumnus hops down from my lap and snuggles up against Frannie's leg. I always say that there is nothing like a cat for damage control.

"If Erin were someone I knew personally, I would have given her knickers a good twist and set her straight on a few things." Rachel smiles and rises to get a second glass of wine. " I do so prefer the stories that have a greater lesson or personal discovery. Let's do another classic next week."

I look at Frannie.

She winks at me. "Let's do Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South. I just adore Richard Armitage in that film."

I look at Rachel who nods her head in approval.

"Fine. Tell you what, let's read the book and we'll watch part four of the film here at my house next week."

"Deal!" Both women agree and even Mr. Tumnus purrs his approval.

June 14 2012

When building something that you hope will last a very long time, it is a sound idea to start with a solid foundation.
Hence, the choice to start my Book Club reading list with a Jane Austen classic.

"I am just glad that you didn't make us read Pride and Prejudice, Ella." Rachel says. She is almost done her first glass of wine. "It became hyper famous again and I am  fed up to the back teeth about it."

"I blame Meg Ryan for starting it," Frannie says, while eating a cheddar cheese cube. I think it's the fourth one she's had tonight.

Mr. Tumnus meows and Frannie continues her philosophical rant. "I do, you know. Meg Ryan started the whole Jane Austen frenzy again when her character mentions that Pride and Prejudice is her favourite book in "You've Got Mail." Next thing you know, there are movies about Jane Austen,documentaries, fan clubs and that horrible film "The Jane Austen Book Club."


"I didn't think it was half-bad, actually. Emily Blunt was quite charming. I really liked her," I say.

Frannie nails me with one of her looks. "The point, Ella, is that Meg Ryan has not made a film worth watching in a long time."

How is that the point, I wonder. "Let's talk about Persuasion. Rachel, what did you think of it?"

Rachel finishes swallowing more wine before speaking. "At first, I hated it. I thought, 'blah,blah,blah' this character annoys me. Just one more person I am supposed to feel sorry for."

Mr. Tumnus plays at my feet. I know he is eyeing the saucer of milk that I have set out for the tea. He can be quite cheeky when he wants. Rachel is still prattling on about how she finally came to like the character, Anne.

"...and so, when she stayed home with her nephew who broke his leg because her ridiculous sister wouldn't stay home, I thought, "there's a girl I can cheer for." And I immediately kept reading."

"What did you think of chapter 11 in volume two?" I ask.

"Divine!" Rachel answers. "I read it several times."

"What do you mean volume two?" Frannie asks. "I only watched one movie. You mean there's a sequel? I don't know that you can really extend the story beyond what it is. I mean,  I suppose we could watch the Wentworth's having children and putting up with that pernicious family of Anne's, but it'd be a bit of a bore, wouldn't it?"

"What are you talking about, Frannie? We didn't watch the film,  we read the book."

"Ella, I am seventy years old. I don't have time to read the book. Youtube has the 2007 version in ten parts. Although, I do have to say that they prolonged the lead up to the kiss a bit too long at the end. The actress had spittle in the corner of her mouth. It rather killed the mood for a fantastic kiss, I thought."

"I saw the exact same film, Frannie." Rachel nods her head, as she gives her viewpoint, " And you know they cast the part of Wentworth absolutely perfectly. Although, it all felt a bit rushed to me in the end. All that running around. I just can't see Jane Austen having a sensible girl running around at top speed, when in those days, girls didn't run at top speed or any speed, really."

I debate whether or not to pull us back on topic, but it's obvious that Frannie hasn't read the book and there isn't much point. Best bet is to join them, I suppose.

"Yes, I agree, all that running around is quite unbelievable, but the words of the letter from Captain Wentworth  are endearing." I sigh, " Jane Austen knows how to write a love letter."

"Yes, Jane knows how to write a love letter." Frannie adjusts her glasses and pats Mr. Tumnus on his head.

"Yes, Jane knows how to write a bloody good novel." Rachel finishes her wine and we conclude our book club for the night.