BuzzSugar

Buzz Book Club: The End of The Wishbones

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:00:48 PDT

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! We've finally come to the end of Tom Perrotta's The Wishbones and unfortunately the main character, Dave, just might be one of the least appealing protagonists I've come across. But that's how it goes sometimes. Mostly I'm still scratching my head at the fact that someone's going to make a movie out of this. The folks in charge of bringing this to the screen will hopefully (maybe?) make Dave a little less awful.

Anyway, here's how the Book Club goes if you're new: Every week I've suggested chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, was every Friday in August). In these weekly Book Club posts, I posited a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Stay tuned for the announcement of the September selection for the Buzz Book Club!

To discuss the final section of The Wishbones, in which we read from the beginning of the chapter titled "Karma House" through the end of the book,

read more. The ending left me so appalled by Dave's actions that in lieu of the usual questions, I thought this time around I'd compose a bullet point list of the crappy stuff Dave does and how it made me feel (well, OK, you kinda already know that):

He let his brother read his ex-lover's poem at his wedding! Who does that? Then Julie asks, "Where'd he dig that up?" And Dave seems to see nothing even remotely twisted about it! Does the fact that Dave could stomach that (and even encourage it!) make him morally depraved?
Toward the end, when Dave and Julie have sex before the wedding, it's like Dave's attitude changes to "Well, I don't love her, but we had really hot sex, so I guess Julie's OK." He's just so infuriating!
And then at the reception he pleads with her, like the whiny 5-year-old he is, to let him have "just one more song." Why did he marry this woman if he seems to think she's such a drag?! Argh!
I do have this question: Who could you see ~~saddled with the burden of~~ playing Dave in the movie?
And finally, out of curiosity, do you think there's any merit (at all) to Dave not telling Julie about Gretchen? Is ignorance bliss in this case? Or is there never a case when honesty is not the best policy?

Buzz Book Club: The Wishbones, Section Three

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:00:14 PDT

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! Last week I was peeved at the main character in the The Wishbones and this week I'd say I'm at about a DEFCON 1 level of frustration. Dave is making some cruel choices and I find myself steaming out the ears.

More on that after the jump. Here's how the Book Club goes if you're new: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in August). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments!

After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Read from the beginning of the chapter titled "Karma House" through the end of the book! We'll chat about this section next Friday, Aug. 29.

To discuss the third section of The Wishbones, in which we read from "This Sad Gift" through "War Pigs,"

Buzz Book Club: The Wishbones, Section Two

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:30:04 PDT

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! OK, now I'm getting pretty peeved at the main character in the The Wishbones by Tom Perrotta. Dave is annoying me, but at least things have gotten really interesting and we're not just reading about a bunch of Jersey guys in band rehearsal anymore. Plus, I like Perrotta as a writer. He's got a point of view and his prose is brisk and to the point.

Here's a recap of how the Book Club goes if you're new: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in August). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Read from the beginning of the chapter titled "This Sad Gift" through the chapter called "War Pigs." We'll chat about this second section next Friday, Aug. 22.

To discuss the second section of The Wishbones, in which we read from "It's Your Wedding" through "Carlos and Stevie Ray,"

Buzz Book Club: The Wishbones, Section One

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:00:48 PDT

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! I hope you're enjoying the The Wishbones by Tom Perrotta so far. It's definitely Nick Hornsby-esque already and even though our protagonist is the kind of guy I'd tell my girlfriends to get over, I still can't help but find him somewhat sympathetic.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Read from the beginning of the "June" section ("It's Your Wedding") through the chapter called "Carlos and Stevie Ray." We'll chat about this second section next Friday, Aug. 15.

To discuss the first section of The Wishbones, in which we read from the start of the story until the end of the chapter titled "You've Got a Friend" in the section titled "May,"

Buzz Book Club: The Wishbones

BuzzSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:32:28 PDT

Hello Buzz Book Club readers! Welcome to August! We finished the July book club selection a week ago, and while the breather was kind of nice, it's time to get back to reading. After last month's detour to personal essay-ville, we're returning to fiction-land for August, as I've chosen Tom Perrotta's book The Wishbones as this month's selection.

This book was the author's first novel and came before his more famous works, like Election and Little Children. The story seems like The Wedding Singer meets High Fidelity, and it piqued my interest because - like his other books - it will also become a movie soon.

For those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works: I'll announce a new book each month. Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in August). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.

To find out what The Wishbones is all about and to get the first assignment,

read more. The synopsis for The Wishbones reads: "Tom Perrotta's first novel, The Wishbones, is all about that much-maligned class of 30-ish men who still live at home with their parents, guys who make furtive love to their girlfriends - if they have them at all - in the basement rec room or the back seat of a car. But Dave Raymond, the protagonist of The Wishbones, doesn't waste his time on Star Trek reruns or computer games; he spends his weekends playing in a wedding band called The Wishbones, using the rapidly receding dream of rock stardom as an excuse to put off growing up. The sudden death of a fellow musician sends Dave into something of a tailspin, however, and in a moment of weakness, he proposes to his longtime girlfriend, Julie. The engagement has hardly been announced when Dave meets Gretchen, a bridesmaid at one of the weddings at which The Wishbones play, and before long he's having serious doubts about his own marital plans." The first assignment: Read from the start of the story until the end of the chapter titled "You've Got a Friend" in the section titled "May." We'll chat about this first section a week from today, Aug. 8. Source

Book Review: Little Children by Tom Perrotta

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:35:05 PST

Little Children didn't win the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay; that honor went to The Departed, which was merely adapted from another film script. But translating Tom Perrotta's novel to the screen is almost as much of a no-brainer: This book was just made to be made into a movie.

Now a critically acclaimed film starring Kate Winslet (who earned an Oscar nod for the role), Little Children pays homage to the adult suburban dystopias imagined by authors like John Cheever and The Ice Storm author Rick Moody. But here, the story is told entirely with an eye toward children, from toddler play dates threatened by a child molester to grown-ups behaving like children.

Fittingly, the storytelling style leans more toward parable than novel, which is precisely why it's better suited to film, so

Essentially the story of two adults indulging in a youthful summer romance, Little Children centers on Sarah (played by Winslet in the film), a recovering radical poseur turned suburban mom who can't stomach the vapidness of her playground peers. That is, until she meets Todd, a hunky dad the moms call "the Prom King," and the two start a convenient love affair.

Meanwhile, a convicted child molester moves to town, and Todd and his football-team buddies rally to protect the local kids and end up looking rather foolish in the process. At a meeting of concerned parents, Todd is described as "plagued by the self-consciousness of the imposter, an adult playing dress-up."

And therein lies the book's central conflict, as both Todd and Sarah feel thrust into adult responsibility before their time. Both they and the other characters feel extraordinarily one-dimensional, and - parable-style aside - I found myself getting angry at their whininess. Meanwhile, the simple, conversational prose reads so much like a script treatment I found myself wondering why I didn't just put down the book and go see the movie, where capable actors might add some depth to the characters.

Now, I just need to see Little Children; if you've seen the movie (or, better yet, also read the book), tell me what you think.