Ok, so I finished the book yesterday and...I liked it I guess. I got a little tired of the way the culture treated women. I know, that's just the way it was, but I just wanted to yell at some of these characters toward the end. Like Snow Flower's whole family pretty much. I was thinking about what Kim said about the culture being the antagonist in the book and I agree. I do think that Lily was not a very supportive friend to Snow Flower when she was going through terrible times, but were those really her sentiments? Or was she just regurgitating the sentiments of an ancient culture? Lily thought she was comforting her friend by saying she needed to have sons. She was trying to be her best self.
This book also made me very grateful to live in a culture and during a time when I can be whoever I want to be. But, is our culture that much different? We still view women in terms of how they look, how talented they are, what they can accomplish. To be honest, I think we are bombarded with pressure in every part of our culture. As women, we are expected to be beautiful and thin. As a mother we are expected to always be smiling and loving every second of the ride. As an LDS woman, we are expected to be crafty and talented and be able to be everything to everyone. Are we stretched just as thin as the women in this book? In some respects I think we are.
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Ok, so here is the book for April
The Persian Pickle Club
by Sandra Dallas
My sister-in-law really enjoyed it and I pretty much get all of my recommendations from her. Here is a brief synopsis of the book:
It is the 1930s, and hard times have hit Harveyville, Kansas, where the crops are burning up and there’s not a job to be found. For Queenie Bean, a young farm wife, a highlight of each week is the gathering of the Persian Pickle Club, a group of local ladies dedicated to improving their minds, exchanging gossip, and putting their quilting skills to good use. When a new member of the club stirs up a dark secret, the women must band together to support and protect one another. In her magical, memorable novel, Sandra Dallas explores the ties that unite women through good times and bad.
2 comments:
What's with these random club names? Maybe we should think about the name of our book club...just kidding. Randi, I'm excited!
In response to your comments, I think a lot of this pressure comes from Satan. My friend and I were just talking about this. Her roommate is suffering from depression and feels a lot of guilt in her life. The more we spoke, the more I realized this guilt and unrealistic expectation women feel does not come from the Lord. When He shows us our weaknesses, He also gives us the ability to move forward. Satan, on the other hand makes us feel like we can't do it.
Maybe in all these cultures, through all these generations, Satan has managed to minimize the importance of women because we are his greatest threat. We are daughters of God, with innate desires to serve and love others. We are the ones who influence societies through our children. Yet, if we focus more on ourselves than on the good we can do; or if society reduces our sphere to practically nothing, then our influence is not as great as it could be.
Amen to everything Kim said. There are a lot of expectations for women, especially in the church. One thing I've found to be helpful is to constantly think "simplify". I know I can't do it all and there are certain things I have committed myself to NOT do. Like scrapbooking and running a marathon. I'm never going to do them and I'm never going to let myself feel guilty about it. But shout out to those who do it!
I'm excited for the new book! It sounds really interesting.
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