Book Notes | Summer 2018
Book Notes: Willa Cather, a writer for the ages
Despite being written nearly a century ago, The Professor’s House by Willa Cather seems timeless. The main theme could easily apply today in its comparison of how much or little we value the natural world compared to materialism and scientific advancement. Herb Sherer led a discussion of the novel, published in 1925, for the Book Club’s July meeting.
The protagonist, a Midwest professor named Napoleon Godfrey St. Peter, feels without purpose after completing his magnum opus, a monumental work on the history of the American Southwest.
His book has brought him fame and sufficient wealth for his family to move to a new, larger home; but he lags behind. After completing what he feels is his life’s work, he hangs on to the past and prefers to distance himself from his family by keeping his old study and spending much time in solitude.
Cather illustrates the impact of modern society and science on members of the professor’s immediate family, in particular their relationship with the secondary character of the book, the professor’s young colleague, Tom Outland, a brilliant scientist, mathematician, and archeologist. Cather’s novel also contrasts the history of the people of the American Southwest to the modern life of the 1920s.
Through the book’s characters, Cather gives us pause to explore the impact of technology and materialism on our own lives and encourages us to engage in solitude and reflection on the natural world. To quote Cather, “Art and religion (they are the same thing, in the end, of course) have given man the only happiness he has ever had.”
—Mary Jane Towle, Book Club member
Book Notes: Praise for A Gentleman in Moscow
In 1922 Count Alexander Rostov is put under house arrest in the elegant Hotel Metropol in Moscow. He is to remain there for the rest of his life. His crime: being an aristocrat at the time of the Russian revolution.
Count Rostov’s many friends on the Metropol staff enrich his dismal situation, and through his kind, respectful interactions with both staff and guests he forges bonds that will serve him well. He befriends a young girl who leads him on adventures throughout the secret back passages of the hotel. He enters into a love affair with a beautiful actress and develops friendships with a rooftop beekeeper, an orchestra conductor, and a Kremlin official. The count’s job as a waiter enables him to spy on the Bolsheviks and provide information to an American journalist.
UMRA’s book group members loved his “glass-half-full” attitude and gentlemanly treatment of all the persons with whom he interacted during his decades-long stay at the Metropol. There are snippets of historical facts about the years after the revolution and several infamous characters appear in the pages (Lenin, Trotsky, Khrushchev). However, this is not a history lesson. It’s a book about the qualities of a gentleman who deals with dire circumstances and comes out on top.
—Stephanie Daily, Book Club member
Book Club to discuss Brother, I'm Dying in May; summer reading
Fri, May 18 2018, 2pm
The UMRA Book Club will meet on Friday, May 18, 2018, beginning at 2 p.m. to discuss Brother, I’m Dying, a memoir by Edwidge Danticat. Judy Grimes will lead the discussion. Looking further ahead, here are the club’s picks for summer reading: June, The Reminders by Val Emmich, discussion leader Paula Knutzen; July, The Professor’s House by Willa Cather, discussion leader Herb Sherer; and August, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, discussion leader Stephanie Daily. The Book Club meets on the third Friday of every month except December. Meetings are held at the 1666 Coffman Building on Larpenteur Avenue near the St. Paul Campus. Newcomers are welcome! For more information, contact Pat Tollefson, [email protected].
Upcoming Events
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.