The Last Reunion by Kayte Nunn
TW: SA & Graphic Content
LLBC RATING: 9/10
BOOK SYNOPSIS:
While working a dead-end internship for a renowned art dealer, Olivia receives an unexpected call regarding the infamous Fox Girl, a netsuke stolen decades ago out of a locked exhibit. Presented with the opportunity of a lifetime, Olivia travels across Europe to meet the reclusive war veteran, Beatrice, who claims to be in possession of the missing netsuke. In hopes of authenticating and securing the sale of the piece, Olivia is swept into an adventure of mystery, love, and friendship as Bea reveals the connection between the Fox Girl and her time serving with the WASBs, a women's military unit in Burma. As the story unravels, the truth about past and present is revealed.
We absolutely adored this book and the style in which Kayte Nunn writes. We do want our review to advise that some readers should take our content warnings into consideration before reading. The content was crucial to the plot and led to an empowering conversation, but it may not be suitable for all readers. We also wished we could have known more about Olivia, but wanting a book to be longer is a pretty good problem to have.
THE FIRST MEETING:
March was a highly anticipated month for us. We could hardly wait to share one of our favorite authors with our remote members, and see your reactions to the March Book Club Box!
We kicked off the March meeting by announcing the theme of the month. March's theme was the impact women have on history, particularly when supported by fellow women. Our theme centered on the power of female friendships.
Next, we went around our group and discussed some women in history who inspire us. Of course, we did not have nearly enough time to discuss every woman who has made an impact in history, but these are the women we chose to highlight:
Jane Austen: A female English novelist who expressed her critique on 18th century British Society in a time where women writing more than letters was not widely accepted. All of her novels show the dependence women in society placed on marriage, largely out of necessity for survival and security. She continued writing despite the social assumption that woman who published were "degrading their femininity".
Harriet Tubman: Considered the first African American woman to serve in the military. She was a spy and a guerrilla soldier in the Civil War who helped many people escape from slavery.
Frida Khalo: Mexican American artist remembered for her self-portraits filled with pain, passion, and vibrant colors. After being paralyzed in a train accident, Khalo had a mirror installed above her bed so she could continue painting self-portraits. Though she faced many obstacles in her life, she refused to be anyone but herself.
Rachel Louise Carson: A marine biologist and conservationist from the 1960's. She wrote Silent Spring in 1964 and is credited with advancing global environmental movements.
Amelia Earhart: American aviator who set multiple flying records including being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the United States Mainland.
Marsha P Johnson: Transgender activist known for throwing the first brick at the Stonewall uprising. Founder of S.T.A.R., along with Sylvia Rivera, Marsha worked to create a safe space where the queer community could feel safe and fight for their rights.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The second woman and first Jewish woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Ginsburg advocated for gender equality as she viewed law as gender-blind and fought to give all groups equal rights. She also co-founded the Women's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union widely recognized as "the spokesperson for women's interests," and was sometimes the only legal advocate for women in the 70's.
Joan Trumpauer Mullholland: American Civil Rights activist from the 1960's, by the age of 19 Mulholland had participated in over 3 dozen sit-ins and protests, earning her a spot on the KKK's most wanted list. She was among the Freedom Riders arrested in Jackson, MS in 1961, and sent to a maximum security prison for two months. After getting permission from the school, Mulholland attended Tougaloo College, an all-black college in Mississippi where she met civil rights leaders she would work with in the years. that followed.
Once we were inspired by all of these powerful women, it was time to distribute the books and begin reading together. As always, we read the first couple chapters of our March read, The Last Reunion.
Next, we discussed the writing prompt. This month, we were to create letters 'authored' by different characters. As the theme centers around history, and the book around a piece of stolen artwork, the following prompts were suggested:
Write a letter between pen pals or strangers connected by a historical event.
Write between someone drafted in the war, and someone who was not.
Write between friends involving a famous art piece (a heist perhaps).
Document a reconnection between old friends as a result of a historical event.
Write a letter left in a time capsule, and a response years later.
One of our favorite parts of book club each month is seeing how everyone puts their personality into their writing piece and even abandon the prompts all together to create something surprising, so feel free to develop one of the above or come up with a scenario of your own!
OUTING:
In the spirit of female friendship, we spent a Saturday making our own candles. We had so much fun helping each other create pick a candle holder, scent combination, colors, and admiring the unique finished products together!
We wanted to plan a creative space for our members to meet outside of book club, where we could learn more about one another. Our typical book club meetings follow an agenda, focusing on the read of the month and related literary topics. The hours spent waiting for the candles to set left us with downtime that was filled by warm conversation, laughs, and a stronger sense of community,
Spending this time together allowed us to experience the power of friendship and what this club stands for (besides chatting about our favorite characters). It demonstrated how important it is to surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed and are willing to help you along the way. We found a group of like-minded women through our club, and encourage you to join us in growing our community!
SECOND MEETING:
We began our second meeting by recapping the outing and discussing the theme. It was so fun to hear how everyone's homemade candles were burning. Thank you, Maggie, for the warning that though the flower decor on top may be beautiful, it is also highly flammable! Oops! Nobody was harmed in the burning of these candles.
When it was time to start talking about our review of The Last Reunion, we could not praise it highly enough. This book perfectly captures the enduring impact of female friendship. Within March's Book Club in a Box, we included a print with a quote from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, about how books are similar to friends in the ways they allow us to connect. Though we initially wanted the quote to come from The Last Reunion, we could not find one that summed up the meaning of friendship. After finishing the novel, we realized why. These characters do not have to say some cheesy line about the importance of their relationships, because they prove it to each other on every page.
As this story covers two timelines from two different perspectives, it is fun to see how these friendships change overtime and new ones form. Multiple point of view stories are not always everyone's cup of tea, but nobody does it like Kayte Nunn. She creates a perfect back-and-forth between the character perspectives and timelines. Beyond this, Nunn gives away crumbs of information that prompt more questions, the answers to which are only revealed in the last few chapters. It creates pace that makes The Last Reunion so difficult to put down.
Regardless of the time period, we found the experience that Bea and her friends shared over the course of the war relatable to us. As we read Bea's point of view, we see her feeling like a liability, something women experience often, particularly around men. As the only women stationed in Burma, many of the men, regardless of rank, remind them over and over again that, "this is no place for a woman."
The story of these characters gave us a greater appreciation for the women and friendships in our own lives. Nunn delivered what she promised: A love story of friendship and an example of what women are capable of when they support each other.
We next moved on to writing presentations. We had some excellent concepts presented and some great out of the box letters. Some took the historical aspect and ran with it all the way back to the Black Plague and the rule of Edward II of France. Another made a more modern, eerie piece of email correspondence between new friends while quarantining during the pandemic. Every month I am so awestruck and inspired by the writing pieces our club creates - Make sure to share your writing with us on the forum!
And just like that, we completed another installment of the Lady Literacy Book Club. We are so happy for all of you who joined us in reading The Last Reunion by Kayte Nunn. It will definitely not be the last time we read something by her and hope everyone enjoyed it as much as us!
April is well under way and we hope you decide to follow along with us as we learn about the Climate Crisis and celebrate Earth Day. All We Can Save is an inspiring collection of poems and essays that discuss the climate crisis and provide us with hope for the future. Follow us on Instagram and check out our Facebook as we make changes to our every day life to make the world a better place!
Instagram: @ladyliteracybc
Facebook: @ladyliteracybookclub
Comments