Playground Book Club!

[justasimplegirl]

Here's a couple simple questions to get the discussion started on book one of The Painter this week. We'll be posting more, and feel free to add your own!

Share a favorite quote from book one. Why did this quote stand out?

I've enjoyed and would also have picked the quotes y'all have mentioned. I like this, too ...

"Strange. That’s one thing, I murmured. One thing we are
learning to be sure of: life does not get less strange."

Do the characters seem believable to you? Do they remind you of anyone?

So far, I'm finding Jim believable. His middle of the night fishing incident (being vague for those who haven't finished their homework yet) was a surprise to me, so I struggled a bit there. I thought I had a pretty good handle on who he is until that incident. Before that, he could have been any of a number of men I know. Given the right circumstance, many of the men in my life would take action, even to the point of murder.

My guess is that Sophia could say the same. To hear him admit he's a violent felon and "I shot a man in a bar" ... and still agree to pose for him? I can only assume she knows men who would fight to the death for a worthy cause or that she herself would. For someone with that mentality, it's easy to assume "I shot a man in a bar" is shorthand for "I shot a bad man that needed to be shot." A very simple rationalization for those with an overprotective personality.

Off topic but ... is anyone else struggling with the name Alce? Before the writer gave the pronunciation, I was reading it as Al-See without a problem. After being corrected, well, I just can't read it as Al-Say. I keep tripping over it. I also can't read it as Al-See anymore because I try to correct myself.

I'm reading it as Alice now.

 

[Dribble]

Off topic but ... is anyone else struggling with the name Alce? Before the writer gave the pronunciation, I was reading it as Al-See without a problem. After being corrected, well, I just can't read it as Al-Say. I keep tripping over it. I also can't read it as Al-See anymore because I try to correct myself.

I'm reading it as Alice now.

There is a bay on the oregon coast...the Alsea. One way of knowing a tourist is they say "al-sea". Chat w the indigenous groups and they say. "Al-say". I thought i recognized several oregon references even though that isnt where the book is placed?

 

[Karabare]

Jim is from the Oregon area. Humble beginnings but he's an artist. A snotty, uptight world. I really feel i understand him, i have a fiery but not violent temper and do not always think things through. I don't like losing people from my life, it rarely happens. This quote has deep meaning;

"It is okay for people you love to leave. For them to come and go. She taught it to me over and over."

I also like Sophia, she's no non-sense and very much her own person.

 

[Dribble]

;

Are there things in your life that are things that you would not have any way of not doing?

Do you feel that in book 1 that this theme recurs? Do you feel Jim's choices and decisions are inevitable based on who he is at his core?

Other than being a dad? No.

I have done things that i can justify. That made sense. And still be wrong. Choices...are by definition...never inevitable. They are choices. Just because my intent was pure, just because motives were honest, just because i can justify my actions....does not make my actions right.

Jim was upset w his agent...and his agent was doing what he gets paid to do. Jim saw a man...beating a horse...and he responded inappropriately. The horse was going to the fucking glue factory. He could have bought it for a hundred bucks. The guy would have made double what he would have made. And if a hundred wouldnt work, then two hundred. Choices. Jim lets emotions blind him. Just because a guy beats a horse...does not justify killing him...nor does it justify killing a pedophile even if he said your daughter looks good.

Guns....and alcohol...should never be allowed together...ever.

 

[lakesailer_mi]

Here's a couple simple questions to get the discussion started on book one of The Painter this week. We'll be posting more, and feel free to add your own!

Share a favorite quote from book one. Why did this quote stand out?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I liked the discussion of the sailboats from Willy:

"I liked small sailing boats. How they were built, how everything fit
together tight like a puzzle, a place for everything.”

Do the characters seem believable to you? Do they remind you of anyone?

Yes and no. I really don't know too many "artsy" types, so I can't really say.
So far, they live a life that is different from mine. Less attached. Less planned. Less organized.

And yet, I feel like they may live a life closer to what many people live than mine.

"As a child, you imagine your life sometimes, how it will be. I never thought I would be a painter. That I might make a world and walk into it and forget myself. That art would be something I would not have any way of not doing."

I personally always suspected what I would be when I grew up. It was the years I was not working in art that stand out to be as the aberration, yet I always created.

Are there things in your life that are things that you would not have any way of not doing?

Do you feel that in book 1 that this theme recurs? Do you feel Jim's choices and decisions are inevitable based on who he is at his core?

I liked that quote too. I will say that as a child and even a young man, I imagined my life certain ways. In many ways, I have exactly that life, but also, very different. I'm not living where I thought I would.

Things in my life that I would not have any way of "not doing." I guess for me that would be talking. LMAO. Being gregarious, outgoing, loud even. I get that all the time.

I guess too, "thinking." I know that sounds arrogant, but I have always been that kind of person. Who thinks about things. Who asks why? How? How come? And then seeks the answer. Whether it be philosophy, religion, politics, physics, chemistry, or whatever. I love discussing the big questions with people.

The last question is interesting. The idea of "destiny" and "inevitability." It brings up interesting questions of free choice. I believe that we do indeed have free choice, but the way you've phrased the question is interesting: is there something at our core that is immutable and leads us to make the choices we do. If that's the case, do we really have free choice?

And maybe the real question is, can we change? Are we immutable, or can we change ourselves and make new different better choices?

I think we can. I think we can grow. Indeed, I think when we stop seeking growth is when we truly get old. If you think of the old people you know, the ones who are the most vibrant and exciting are people who continue to choose to learn and grow.

 

[LostGirlTink]

Are you familiar with this author’s work?
Did you have any expectations going into the book?
Were those expectations met?
Why or why not?

 

[snexxer]

Are you familiar with this author’s work?
Not at all, as ive said to Tinks, this isn't my usual genre of book.

Did you have any expectations going into the book?
Honestly I thought I would be bored quickly. (Not enough sci-fi or fantasy)

Were those expectations met?
Not in the slightest, other than being distracted by something I'm on a timescale for I've enjoyed the read very much.

Why or why not?
I can see the truth in the writing, it's very much real. I can see many people in the characters.

 

[LostGirlTink]

Where is everyone in the book? I don't want to inadvertently post any spoilers.
We'll be moving on with the discussion next week!

 

[Knitting1]

I have read up to book two now . I feel I am missing some of the background being British. I have resorted to googling to understand some of the Americanisms.

I don't find Sofia believable, my experience of small town America is that it is very
strait laced and everyone knows everyone's business (rather like living in a small British village) . Forgive me if this is incorrect.
For Sofia to pose nude for some stranger in a bar even after hearing he shot a man seems unlikely and her visits appear to not have caused talk amongst the town folk.

Jim's interaction with Dell and saving the horse suggests to me that he is projecting his failure to save his daughter on to saving the horse .
Favourite quote so far-nothing ever happens just how you want it to.

 

[barefootgirl69]

Are you familiar with this author’s work?
Did you have any expectations going into the book?
Were those expectations met?
Why or why not?

No, I had never heard of this author.
My expectations were pretty high as I had read a few of the posts while I waited for the local library to get the book in for me, and they've been met. I find it a good read as he struggles with who he is and the guilt he feels for not being a better man, a better dad for his daughter... struggles with the loss of her. Which brings me to...

Where is everyone in the book? I don't want to inadvertently post any spoilers.
We'll be moving on with the discussion next week!

I'm starting book three tonight. I had to put it down when the story of her loss and his broken heart became too much like my own this week. I really wasn't sure I'd finish it, to be fair. But I need to try.

 

[LostGirlTink]

I have read up to book two now . I feel I am missing some of the background being British. I have resorted to googling to understand some of the Americanisms.

I don't find Sofia believable, my experience of small town America is that it is very
strait laced and everyone knows everyone's business (rather like living in a small British village) . Forgive me if this is incorrect.
For Sofia to pose nude for some stranger in a bar even after hearing he shot a man seems unlikely and her visits appear to not have caused talk amongst the town folk.

Jim's interaction with Dell and saving the horse suggests to me that he is projecting his failure to save his daughter on to saving the horse .
Favourite quote so far-nothing ever happens just how you want it to.

Interesting. I find Sofia super believable. I’d do it if it seemed the thing to do.
Then again I tend to assume that people can do bad things and still be decent people

 

[Karabare]

Hey guys! How are we doing? Have you finished the book yet?

I'm going to throw out some questions again for this week's discussion.

Are there any quotes, passages, or scenes you found particularly compelling in Book 2?

Were there parts of Book 1 or 2 you thought were incredibly unique, out of place, thought-provoking, or disturbing?

"He grinned and suddenly he looked like a kid. He held the painting out in front of him with both hands and trotted back along his load of hay."

So, Jason kind of came out of no where. I found the scene when Jim was leaving town but stopped to fish and we met Jason to be very compelling. He was like one of the ravens that Jim paints. Always there, waiting.

I found nothing out of place. But there is much disturbing. The high end art world and the roughness of what is going on in Jim's life. The way his daughter died. Irmina is very interesting. I wonder if we could get a book just about her? The rhythm of the book is life like and imperfect. Really have enjoyed it.

 

[LostGirlTink]

Book 2 was pretty dark. I myself am feeling super dark.
Honestly, I'm kind of disappointed that this book didn't include pictures. I'd love to see the actual paintings. I have visions in my head of what they should look like and I'd love to see how closely my version matches up with what Peter Heller had in mind.

I want to know what the obsession with chickens is.

 

[barefootgirl69]

I think Jim is a beautiful caring soul. He feels deeply, he hurts deeply. He's not a violent man, everything he's done has been to protect someone... and it kills him that he didn't protect Alce. The one time he didn't listen... and he feels that deep inside him.

His compassion and the way he sees things around him is why he paints so well; he pours everything into it.

I've finished the book, but don't want to spoil it for others.

 

[Karabare]

Book 2 was pretty dark. I myself am feeling super dark.
Honestly, I'm kind of disappointed that this book didn't include pictures. I'd love to see the actual paintings. I have visions in my head of what they should look like and I'd love to see how closely my version matches up with what Peter Heller had in mind.

I want to know what the obsession with chickens is.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I was assuming it was because i was reading the digital version that there were no pictures. But also, how and who could be Jim (in our world) and paint as him. Just have to picture them in our heads.

 

[Icy1]

I’m not sure why but I wasn’t able to easily get The Painter here in Australia.

 

[tnman03]

I think Jim is a beautiful caring soul. He feels deeply, he hurts deeply. He's not a violent man, everything he's done has been to protect someone... and it kills him that he didn't protect Alce. The one time he didn't listen... and he feels that deep inside him.

His compassion and the way he sees things around him is why he paints so well; he pours everything into it.

I've finished the book, but don't want to spoil it for others.

I'm going to disagree with you on Jim's proclivity towards violence and protection of others BFG. He's got an unstable personality with exceptionally poor self control when he's emotionally triggered. But at face value I can see where your coming from in your observations.
I've visualized him as something of a more contemporary rendition of Vincent Willem Van Gogh because of his self destructive tendencies. I don't know if this is the authors intent but its my feel of it all.

I agree that book 2 is dark and disturbing. Overall this has been a good book but my reading time with it's been limited, I should have gone with an audible.

 

[barefootgirl69]

I'm going to disagree with you on Jim's proclivity towards violence and protection of others BFG. He's got an unstable personality with exceptionally poor self control when he's emotionally triggered. But at face value I can see where your coming from in your observations.
I've visualized him as something of a more contemporary rendition of Vincent Willem Van Gogh because of his self destructive tendencies. I don't know if this is the authors intent but its my feel of it all.

I agree that book 2 is dark and disturbing. Overall this has been a good book but my reading time with it's been limited, I should have gone with an audible.

Do you think you see him as Van Gogh because the author has written that in the book?

I hope you're able to finish the book. I'm still pondering what the ending says to me, and don't want to give it away for others still reading.

 

[LostGirlTink]

Do you think you see him as Van Gogh because the author has written that in the book?

I hope you're able to finish the book. I'm still pondering what the ending says to me, and don't want to give it away for others still reading.

I finished it and I'm pondering as well.

 

[snexxer]

<Hangs head in shame>

I haven't started Book 3 yet. That sounds like a good Memorial Day activity.

I haven't heard anyone say whether that want to participate next month with the reading of Home Fire. Anyone?

Don't worry, I gave up this week and went back to my sci-fi books.

 

[LostGirlTink]

Don't worry, I gave up this week and went back to my sci-fi books.

That's disappointing. I can honestly say I have never not finished a book I started.

 

[Karabare]

Don't worry, I gave up this week and went back to my sci-fi books.

That's disappointing. I can honestly say I have never not finished a book I started.

Oh! Keep going. I agree that maybe the ending could have gone further but it was a good book. I'm looking forward to the next choice.

 

[barefootgirl69]

<Hangs head in shame>

I haven't started Book 3 yet. That sounds like a good Memorial Day activity.

I haven't heard anyone say whether that want to participate next month with the reading of Home Fire. Anyone?

I already picked it up from the library, but I'm reading another book at the moment... then I'm ready a classic (Tom Sawyer) with E. I'll start after that.

 

[snexxer]

That's disappointing. I can honestly say I have never not finished a book I started.

Oh! Keep going. I agree that maybe the ending could have gone further but it was a good book. I'm looking forward to the next choice.

Ok I'll jump back in.

Just had a shit week and needed to feel comfortable with something I knew.

 

[LostGirlTink]

Ok so questions!!!

An Ocean of Women is a painting born out of a comment made by Irmina. What was your interpretation of this painting?
Do you think this relates to Jim's treatment of women?