The Big Read at Kansas City Public Library

Over on the East side of Kansas City, where Ernest Hemingway never went (at least that we know of), the Big Readers are sinking their teeth into A Farewell to Arms, particularly into the characters of Catherine and Henry.

After lengthy discussion regarding Hemingway’s prose style, his Kansas City connections and the general activities of his children and grandchildren, someone slapped the table and said, “Okay, let’s get to this Catherine person. I think she’s a crazy, whiny floozy!”

And we were off to the races. Another reader countered the above statement by drawing attention to what we knew of Catherine’s background–her British roots, her time spent away from her family, the death of her fiance in France–and remarked that Catherine very likely transferred her emotions to Henry,  and Henry didn’t care since he was looking for a good time with a pretty nurse. This reader also went on to say that she believed that the two lovers probably didn’t like each other very much upon their initial meeting but did come to love each other.

The group continued to discuss these ideas and some held onto their initial belief that Henry was always in control and Catherine was scattered. However, there were other readers who felt that Catherine was manipulative of Henry while she was mourning a lost love, even though the two eventually fell in love with one another.

Watching the group profess one opinion and then walk themselves to another was a fascinating exercise in how and why book discusions enhance a readers’ appreciation for a title.