May 26, 2011: Page Turners 7 p.m.

Book: Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

Discussion:

This month’s Page Turners meeting was a pleasant change from last month for two reasons. First, we reconvened at the Central Library for the first time this year; and second, everyone liked this month’s selection, Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. We had twelve members attending the meeting, and they all gave the novel a thumbs up vote.

The Page Turners liked the book because they found it a quick and easy read. They viewed it as a survival story that was true to the era and enjoyed reminiscing about the time period. It was also the story of a teacher, a subject that resounded well with many in the group, including a few former teachers.

The subjects of teaching and education were popular at this meeting. We discussed many aspects of Lily Casey’s teaching career, particularly how she supplemented it with gambling, horse racing, bootlegging, and her hearse taxi service. The former teachers remarked that this type of behavior would not have been tolerated in their day, and likely would not be today either. We decided that Lily was able to get her jobs due to the demand and isolation of the areas she lived in.

Lily’s ability to keep her jobs was a separate discussion and led to a conversation on working women in the 1940s. Some of our group members were in the workforce at that time and recall that many women were let go from their jobs when they got married. Many of these women wed soldiers home on weekend leave and consequently would lose their jobs on Monday.

We also commented on Lily’s marriage to Jim. One Page Turner said the book mentioned that Lily and her daughter Rosemary shared a room, while her husband Jim and son Little Jim shared another, a situation she thought seemed a bit strange. I personally thought the more stereotypical roles of man and woman were switched in Lily’s marriage. Lily seemed more domineering and masculine, and Jim seemed laidback with an "it will all work itself out" attitude.
Another group member brought up the subject of economizing and said that the activities the author described as economic measures would have been normal practice. She thought these measures were probably customary during that time period, but seemed strange to the novel’s young author.

The author, Jeannette Walls, was the granddaughter of Lily Casey. She wrote the book as a "true to life" novel. She also authored a memoir entitled The Glass Castle, which chronicles the marriage of Rosemary and Rex. Four Page Turners had read that book, and one remarked that she liked it even better than Half Broke Horses. Many of the group members said they enjoyed Half Broke Horses because it was a family story. Considering The Glass Castle, which is also a family story, occupied a spot on the bestseller list for several weeks, this seems to be the type of story Walls excels at.

Next month we will once again meet at the Central Library, at which time our selection will be The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. Group members are encouraged to bring their suggestions for next year’s reading list to both the June and July meetings.