Geneva International Book Club

Set in a fantastical version of medieval Estonia, The Man Who Spoke Snakish follows a young boy, Leemet, who lives with his hunter-gatherer family in the forest and is the last speaker of the ancient tongue of snakish, a language that allows its speakers to command all animals. But the forest is gradually emptying as more and more people leave to settle in villages, where they break their backs tilling the land to grow wheat for their “bread” (which Leemet has been told tastes horrible) and where they pray to a god very different from the spirits worshipped in the forest’s sacred grove. With lothario bears who wordlessly seduce women, a giant louse with a penchant for swimming, a legendary flying frog, and a young charismatic viper named Ints, The Man Who Spoke Snakish is a totally inventive novel for readers of David Mitchell, Sjón, and Terry Pratchett.

LOCATION: Maison Internationale des Associations, salle Albert Jacquard
Presenter: Bert
Starting time: 19:15 sharp
Format:

• Members introduction (5-10 minutes)
• Book presentation (20-30 minutes)

A brief history of the author’s life
A short summary of the book
Main ideas/themes

• Group discussion (45-60 minutes), members' personal views on the book, opposing ideas, etc.
• Announcement/info on next meeting (5 minutes)

The Art of Joy centers on Modesta, a Sicilian woman born on January 1, 1900, whose strength and character are an affront to conventional morality. Impoverished as a child, Modesta believes she is destined for a better life. She is able, through grace and intelligence, to secure marriage to an aristocrat—without compromising her own deeply felt values. Friend, mother, lover—Modesta revels in upsetting the rules of her fascist, patriarchal society.

This is the history of the twentieth century, transfigured by the perspective of one extraordinary woman. Sapienza, an intriguing figure in her own right—her father homeschooled her so she wouldn’t be exposed to fascist influences—was a respected actress and writer who drew on her own struggles to craft this powerful epic. A fictionalized memoir, a book of romance and adventure, a feminist text, a bildungsroman—this novel is ultimately undefinable but deeply necessary.

LOCATION: Maison Internationale des Associations, salle Albert Jacquard
Presenter: VOLUNTEER WANTED
Starting time: 19:15 sharp
Format:

• Members introduction (5-10 minutes)
• Book presentation (20-30 minutes)

A brief history of the author’s life
A short summary of the book
Main ideas/themes

• Group discussion (45-60 minutes), members' personal views on the book, opposing ideas, etc.
• Announcement/info on next meeting (5 minutes)