11 Mar LOL & 419
I look so forward to every LOL meeting. Each month I await our get-togethers, when we will share in delectable food and sumptuous sips of wine and of course, engage in much discussion about work, kids, travels, houses, art, shoes…and our current novel.
Our lovely resident physician and future fashion designer (perhaps an upcoming topic), Gail hosted 419 in her spectacular lakeside home. Claiming she isn’t very good at “those little appetizers”, Gail opted to whip up an entire meal for the ladies. Her seafood curry was sweet and spicy and so delicious! Accompanied by a fresh salad and finished off with a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cake, it took some time to get to the book, we were so busy oohing and ahhing over Gail’s culinary skills.
How amazing does this cake look? Trust me it tasted every bit as great. And you, dear readers, can look for the recipe…right here on the LOL blog, coming your way soon.
To wrap up 419, here’s some comments about the book from two LOL members who couldn’t attend. Warning: there are a couple of small spoiler alerts here! Stay tuned for Wednesday, when I will announce our next novel. Until then, let us eat cake…and drink wine…and read many books.
Courtesy of Laura, who sadly couldn’t attend because she was in Mexico, but who always contributes…a lot…to our meetings. We could hear her laughter, even via email:
I did get an opportunity to read 419 and here are my 2 pesos worth:
I liked it – didn’t love it – but certainly liked it. I would give it
a rating of a strong 3 on the Cheers Scale. I thought the premise of
dissecting the 419 scheme was quite brilliant. Like Kathy, I too have
received those emails and wondered how the hell the whole thing
worked. Of the 4 subplots, I liked the one set in Calgary the most.
For some reason, Ferguson’s writing was much tighter when he was
dealing with the less exotic setting – my apologies to Kathy. I know
she used to live there. I did a little internet surfing and I read
somewhere that Ferguson had never been to Nigeria. Is that correct,
Gail? If so, perhaps that could explain why the 3 plots set there were
slower and the stories seemed to drag a bit – particularly the one
about the nameless girl wandering down dusty roads with a gas can on
her head for days on end in the Nigerian heat. I think Ferguson could
have compressed these and ended up with a much better novel. What the
Nigerian side of the story did for me though, was explained the
background of these scammers and their schemes and in doing so, I
became somewhat more compassionate about their lot in life compliments
of the big oil companies. For me, I found a similarity between this
book and Indian Horse. Two sets of completely different indigenous
peoples, both of which have lost their means of livelihood and way of
life because of western civilization. I loved it when the subplots
began to intersect and the daughter went to Nigerian. Ferguson’s
writing there I think was quite masterful, keeping the suspense and
conflict high. I couldn’t put the book down at that point. I gotta
admit, I wasn’t keen on the ending. I guess I wanted a more
satisfactory resolution. Interestingly enough: like father; like
daughter! They both fell victim to the 419. So….there you have it!
My take on this months book…for what it’s worth (2 pesos converted
is about 16 cents Canadian)!
And from Kathy, also absent, but happy to send some thoughts from DC:
I loved the book. Certainly I learned something about those annoyingly poorly written but emotionally laden emails I have received myself in the past. 419 was a fascinating book and the Calgary references were fun for me as I grew up there. I can’t wait to go back to Northill mall and check out the hidden plaques!
And so how did this novel fare on the Cheers! rating scale? It came in at a strong 4/5 Cheers! Worth the read, it’s an impeccably well researched book, enlightening, and sad….no one wins…no matter what corner of the globe…when touched by the dark corruption of 419. It’s something we should all be educated about and for that I thank Will Ferguson for his work.
Until Wednesday,
Cheers!
Shannon