Meeting Recap from Deb:

Ever a special evening together, Bookies! —and Jessica, your hosting, deck & home, offered sweetly conclusive summer unanimity. The dinner was scrumptious—and beautiful, consistent with the broader view—and nice the way the pieces always tend to fit to make a tasty meal combo. Unlike some books.  Perfect to pair all the upbeat (seeking balance!) with the less positive reception to BEAR, which clearly did not draw a rousing round of approval—tho’ I really appreciate being in a group that reads closely + feels deeply, and that we can disagree— + fully promote our various perspectives.  

BEAR did sometimes lag & repeat, as was noted, and maybe the main characters didn’t seem to advance much [tho didn’t Danny and Ben help?], but I sure was prime for a book that kept at heart the animal within us, the secrets we humans keep even among our loved ones—and our varied ways of seeing and not seeing (clawing and growling), + the mother/child sis-to-sis dynamics—caring for + getting in the way—relevant stuff to me, for which I’m grateful to Julia Phillips for bringing us this wedding of person & bear —head chomp (Bear turning to Elena for comfort: “It [He!] bit into her to be close, closest, made one.  …wed” . . . The intimacy of it.  The ecstasy.).  Together. Transformed—fairy tale brought to life just up the valley in the San Juans.