the book that matters most by Ann Hood (which certainly reads better than The Little Paris Bookshop)

Here we have another book from another book discussion group I’m in, but the book that matters most is far superior to The Little Paris Bookshop. While both of them speak to the love of literature, and Paris, the novel by Ann Hood lacks the gagging treacle effect that Nina George is so adept at creating. There are no platitudes here, just an interesting story which is well written.

The premise is that each member of Cate’s book club must choose a book that mattered most to them; each month one of the books from their list will be discussed. The titles listed brought back marvelous memories for me, from Anna Karenina (my personal favorite) to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I loved remembering each one and longed to reread it as one does with favorite books.

But, there is a secondary story here involving Ava and her daughter Maggie, who is supposed to be studying abroad. Instead, Maggie is in Paris involved with drugs, and all the wrong kinds of choices that accompany them. Ava has troubles of her own, as her husband of 20 years has just left her. To top it off, she is still struggling to cope with the death of her sister, and then subsequently her mother, when Ava was still a child.

Rather than sounding trite, or artificially crafted for the sake of telling a story, the novel’s issues seemed pertinent and real. I was fully engrossed in this book, connecting to the members of the book club as well as Ava’s trials with a less than cautious child.

Plus, my yearning to reread Anna Karenina grows with every passing day.

The books listed within:

• Pride and Prejudice
• Like Water for Chocolate
• The Great Gatsby
• Anna Karenina
• One Hundred Years of Solitude
• To Kill A Mockingbird
• The Lord of The Rings
• The Golden Notebook
• Dinner at The Homesick Restaurant
• The Unbearable Lightness of Being
• Thr Leopard
• Dr. Zhivago
• The House of Mirth
• Slaughterhouse-Five
• As You Like It