LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL BOOK DISCUSSION

It's me, Archimedes!  Baron and I are back "on the grid."  As Baron alluded to the last couple of months have been CRAZY!  The book club meeting was a welcome respite from our hectic routine of late.  

I have to give a big shout out to Indy, who really carried the meeting this time.  Also shout out to Deuce, who was basically Indy's only support.  This book was written by Thomas Wolfe, a native of lovely Asheville, North Carolina, who has been called "one of America's foremost Southern writers." LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL has gotten rave reviews and has been called a "stunning, classic coming of age novel" and "rich with lyrical prose and vivid characterizations."  

Perhaps this lofty praise contributed to several members' frustration and discouragement with this particular group.  I have to confess, as I did during the discussion, that I really didn't know where the book was going for quite some time and found it hard to follow.  

Indy stepped in with some back story that really helped our feelings.  As most of you probably realized, LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL was based upon Thomas Wolfe's life, and the book reflected his horrible childhood, his father's mental illness, his mother's obsession with money, and his experience with being bullied.  Thomas Wolfe was 6'6" tall, which is RIDICULOUS, especially for the time period.  Indy shared that he used his refrigerator as a desk.  Indy also shared, and I was astonished to learn, that Mr. Wolfe's publisher actually cut out much of the material Mr. Wolfe wrote.  Indy also shared that Mr. Wolfe wrote his books by hand, in pencil!  All I can say is that Thomas Wolfe's publisher must have qualified for sainthood.

The highlight of the book discussion for me was the Forward by Pat Conroy to OF TIME & THE RIVER by Thomas Wolfe, the sequel to LOOK HOMEWARD ANGEL, in which Mr. Conroy discussed his discovery of LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL and the impact it had on him.  Like Thomas Wolfe, Pat Conroy had a difficult childhood, so we discussed the possibility that Mr. Conroy was able to relate to LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL because of the similar circumstances in which they were raised.  We also discussed the possibility that Mr. Wolfe experienced some type of mental illness and may have been bipolar.  Mr. Wolfe died at 37 of "brain tuberculosis."

The perspective gained from the information Indy shared has inspired me to give LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL another go, but I fear that it may still be over my head.