deeper and deeper until heâs eaten enough to make an island out of the middle.â
âWhat does he do with the middle?â Connie continued, still looking puzzled.
âOh, he eventually gets around to that, too. Another time, he chips away from the edges until the island has completely disappeared. The point is, he consumes thousands of extra calories at one standing. Iâve informed him of the existence of bowls, but he wonât use them because he knows they would make him commit to a finite amount.â
Sensing that she was losing control of the meeting again, Maura Beth stepped in and abruptly switched subjects. âLadies, this is all very fascinating, but I wanted to get your opinions on when to schedule the next meeting. We need to decide how long it will take us to read our first selection.â
âExactly what is our first selection, by the way?â Miss Voncille wanted to know.
âI planned to go into that, too,â Maura Beth explained. âI had one particular classic in mind but thought weâd discuss it first. We might as well do that right now and then worry about the scheduling later. So, to cut to the chase, what does everybody think about getting our feet wet with the very dependable Gone with the Wind ?â
âIâve waded in that pool before with The Music City Page Turners,â Connie explained. âItâs been a few years, though.â
âSo youâre less than enthusiastic?â Maura Beth said, sounding slightly disappointed.
Connie shrugged while patting her hair. âIâll go along with the majority, of course, but itâs just such familiar territory to me.â
âWeâll branch out, I assure you,â Maura Beth explained. âHarper Lee, Eudora Welty, Ellen Douglas, and Ellen Gilchrist wonât be far behind.â
âGetting back to Gone with the Wind, though,â Miss Voncille began. âIâd like to know what could possibly be said about Margaret Mitchellâs only contribution to literature after all these decades? Hasnât it been done to death and then some? Because the truth is, I donât know if I can get through all those dialects again. I read the book way back in high school and never deciphered a word Mammy said. Did slaves really talk like that? Lord knows, I donât want to get into that can of worms called political correctness, but I am a student of history, and it seemed so exaggerated.â
Instead of being discouraged by the negative comments, however, Maura Beth was actually pleased. âBut thatâs exactly the sort of observation Iâd like for us to be discussing in the club. We donât have to stick to the same tired angles, as if all criticism has been chiseled in stone. We can explore new and original concepts.â
Miss Voncille looked pensive but sounded placated. âWe can bring up anything we want? No matter how outside the box?â
âAbsolutely. You can be as revisionist as you like. All writers should be open to interpretation forever, even if we tend to bronze and retire them.â
âOn the other hand, you can always rehash the movie,â Councilman Sparks quipped unexpectedly. He was sitting back in his chair with his arms folded and a supreme smirk on his face. âWhich would seem to lead to the obvious next question: Will your members fall back on watching Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh instead of taking the time to actually read the book? And how can you prove they didnât take that DVD shortcut?â
Maura Beth quickly realized that her fears about Councilman Sparks attending the meeting were not groundless. Clearly, he was there to make trouble with his subtle digs, but she was not going to give him the satisfaction of showing her irritation. âIf members would like to view the film in addition to reading the book, I would certainly have no objections. That would make an excellent point of comparison for
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