Last November, St. Clementâs School had the first meeting of the 2019-2020 SCS Alumnae Book Club. Over the course of the following six months, the club convened four times, initially in person in the Lassonde Library but most recently from the digital comfort of living rooms, studies, and dining room tables on two continents.
Uniting SCS alum and former SCS staff members, this yearâs theme was âBoats against the current: Confronting the future, drawn to the past,â and included conversations on Ian McEwanâs Machines Like Me; Ann Patchettâs The Dutch House; Margaret Atwoodâs Handmaidâs Tale and The Testament; and Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson. The moderators included former SCS English teachers Ruth Griffiths, Julia Scott, Patricia Westerhof, and Joanne Thompson, all of whom kindly and generously gave their time to a noble literary cause and for their love of all things St. Clementâs.
While the first gathering may have been in SCSâs much-loved Lassonde Library with just a couple of remote attendees, global circumstances saw the book club meetings switch to an exclusively-online gathering for the final get-together on April 7. With no fewer than seventeen book club members in electronic attendance from as far away as the U.S. and Belgium, the occasion saw some lively and thought-provoking conversation.
âLast night wasn’t my first online seminar or group meeting or book club since everyone has had to stay at home,â Andrea Davidson â12 remarked from Belgium the following day, âbut it was the best. All our shared enthusiasm, intelligence, and care for each other last night reminded me that there is nothing in the world that compares with having a conversation with a group of Clementines. I still feel the enthusiasm this morning!â
Although the first round of book club meetings may have come to an end, weâre already looking ahead to next year, so stay tuned to SCS Connect!
