November 20, 2008: Page Turners 7 p.m.

Book: Hard Truth by Nevada Barr

Discussion:

Our group met early this month, on the third Thursday of the month instead of the fourth, due to the Thanksgiving holidays. We discussed one of Nevada Barr’s mysteries, Hard Truth, which is set in Rocky Mountain National Park. Most of the Page Turners seemed to like the book; six readers voted thumbs up for it, one thumbs down, and three sideways.

A few of our members had read other books in this series and really enjoyed them. Each is set in a different national park and features park ranger Anna Pigeon. We discussed how this character and her family members figure in to each book and how Anna often acquires pets on the job. In this book she found a kitten.

Barr’s description was one of the things the Page Turners liked most about the novel. They characterized it as descriptive, but not overtly so. They felt as if they were in the park with the characters but not bogged down by excessive details.

Conversely, what the readers disliked the most about the book was that its events were very graphic. One Page Turner said that of all the Nevada Barr books she has read this was the most extreme, particularly the instances of torture. Another reader remarked that she had a hard time with the book since it involved the abuse of children, which led her to vote sideways. I mentioned that I found the torturing of the mice disturbing, despite the fact that I am not a fan of that species to any extent.

We also discussed the character of Heath, a former rock climber, now a paraplegic. Several group members admired her perseverance in rescuing the girls and were relieved to see her overcome her depression and improve her outlook.

We were pleased with the ending. Anna caught her killer, and Heath was reunited with the young girl she had taken under her wing. We might have liked it more were it not so gruesome, but the bad guy got his just rewards in the end so we were satisfied.

Next month’s selection, Lucky You by Carl Hiaasen, was made available, and flyers for upcoming programs were distributed.