Book Of Speculations Reader's Guide.
Simon Watson, a young librarian, lives alone on the Long Island Sound in his family home, a house perched on the edge of a cliff that is slowly crumbling into the sea. His parents are long dead, his mother having drowned in the water his house overlooks.
One day, Simon receives a mysterious book from an antiquarian bookseller; it has been sent to him because it is inscribed with the name Verona Bonn, Simon's grandmother. Simon must unlock the mysteries of the book, and decode his family history, before fate deals its next deadly hand.
The Book of Speculation is Erika Swyler's gorgeous and moving debut, a wondrous novel about the power of books, family, and magic.
My Review:
4 Platypires of The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler Book of Speculation was my book club's pick for November. I think the cover is what really drew me in. A book about books. What book lover wouldn't like that? lol. The story goes back and forth between past and present from a traveling carnival to a librarian trying to find out the mystery about his family. The women in his family keep drowning on the same day even though they have the unnatural ability to hold their breath underwater for long periods of time. I liked the writing style and thought the author did a good job engaging her readers. I did find the past part more interesting than the present part. Something about it reminded me of "Water for Elephant" minus the elephant. I guess because it had a lot more interesting characters. Amos the mute, wild man/tarot card reader was a very fascinating innocent character. Simon, the librarian on the other hand was not that interesting. He was good character but wasn't that appealing. Overall this was a good book and I would recommend for other book clubs to read.
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