Star Historical Settings to Talk About

The Frozen River

by Ariel Lawhon

From the Jacket

From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who investigates a shocking murder that unhinges her small community.

From the Discussion

"I loved the book, could not put it down. The character development, the plot, the information about midwifery, the murder mystery, the drive for justice...This is a book club gem — soooo much to discuss!" —Susan_W

"I totally enjoyed the story and most important, I was very fond of the main character Martha Ballard. The writing proved enjoyable and the novel reminded me somewhat of Cold Mountain." —Mary_H1

See what people are saying in response to this question: "Martha and her daughters spend much of the novel immersed in everyday household labor such as making candles, baking bread, weaving, and killing chickens. Were there any 1780s tasks you've tried or would be interested to try for yourself?"

The Bluest Eye

by Toni Morrison

From the Jacket

The Bluest Eye, published in 1970, is the first novel written by Toni Morrison, winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature. It is the story of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove—a black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others—who prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different.

From the Discussion

"The book is multi-layered and can be reread for historical reference, for its descriptive language or for its humanity." —Lynne_Zolli

"The Bluest Eye is one of the best books I've ever read and I have recommended it to my book club. I haven't read other Toni Morrison books prior to this, as they were difficult for me to get into. I'm looking forward to reading more of them in the future." —Amy_A

See what people are saying in response to this question: "The narrator states that romantic love and physical beauty are 'probably the most destructive ideas in the history of human thought.' What did you think of this statement?"

Wandering Stars

by Tommy Orange

From the Jacket

The Pulitzer Prize-finalist and author of the breakout bestseller There There delivers a masterful follow-up to his already classic first novel. Extending his constellation of narratives into the past and future, Tommy Orange traces the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School through three generations of a family in a story that is by turns shattering and wondrous.

From the Discussion

"I’ve been a big fan of Tommy Orange since reading There There. Being a California local, it also feels so familiar to see hometown landmarks portrayed in writing. I thought this was a nice follow-up to There There and liked seeing some returning characters as well." —Pei_C

"Tommy Orange is so very thoughtful about what it means to be indigenous in America in the 21st century." —Reid_B

"I’d recommend this to anyone—especially anyone who cares about our history, about understanding our present, anyone who cares about justice or children…or anyone who loves poetry, as Orange is so poetic in his musical and suggestive use of language."

—JLPen77

Can you talk a little bit about the real glassworks that inspired you to write the novel?

Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka were a father-and-son team of Czech glass artisans who worked in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, making costume jewelry, laboratory equipment, glass eyes, and (most famously) incredibly detailed botanical and marine invertebrate models. You're just as likely to run across the Blaschkas in a science museum as in an art museum—the best-known collection of their work is the Glass Flowers exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. There's a persistent caginess to any explanation of the Blaschkas' techniques, how exactly these models came to be. When asked about the source of their skill, Leopold's advice was to "get a good great-grandfather who loved glass"—a glib aside, minimizing their mythic talent as well as five generations of family legacy. Though I can't relate to the particular circumstances, in general this impulse resonated with me: some things feel too important to address in any form but a joke. Glassworks ended up being a fictional biography not of the Blaschkas but of the glass models themselves, which felt so alive and compelling and winkingly mysterious that they suggested entire worlds. But it's the Blaschkas who set everything in motion. ... continued

Whether you're looking for something funny, serious, or both, we have your March reading covered.

We bring you an intriguing family drama from a Nobel laureate, a humorous character-driven debut set in a South Dakota town, a call to action on book bans from YA authors, and a new translation of a darkly comedic novel featuring a disabled woman's exploration of pleasure that won Japan's prestigious Akutagawa Prize.

Watch out for coverage of these books in upcoming issues of our digital magazine. ... continued

Discussions are open to all, so please join us! If you would like to receive a message when a particular discussion opens, you can sign up for a one-time notification. You can also find inspiration for your book club among our more than 200 past discussions.

Currently, our members are discussing Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, Ariel Lawhon's The Frozen River, Tommy Orange's Wandering Stars, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Dream Count, among other books. We feature Chris Bohjalian's The Jackal's Mistress starting March 6.