About the book:
When Truly Plaice's mother was pregnant, the town of Aberdeen joined together in betting how recordbreakingly huge the baby boy would ultimately be. The girl who proved to be Truly paid the price of her enormity; her father blamed her for her mother's death in childbirth, and was totally ill equipped to raise either this giant child or her polar opposite sister Serena Jane, the epitome of femine perfection. When he, too, relinquished his increasingly tenuous grip on life, Truly and Serena Jane are separated--Serena Jane to live a life of privilege as the future May Queen and Truly to live on the outskirts of town on the farm of the town sadsack, the subject of constant abuse and humiliation at the hands of her peers.
Serena Jane's beauty proves to be her greatest blessing and her biggest curse, for it makes her the obsession of classmate Bob Bob Morgan, the youngest in a line of Robert Morgans who have been doctors in Aberdeen for generations. Though they have long been the pillars of the community, the earliest Robert Morgan married the town witch, Tabitha Dyerson, and the location of her fabled shadow book--containing mysterious secrets for healing and darker powers--has been the subject of town gossip ever since. Bob Bob Morgan, one of Truly's biggest tormentors, does the unthinkable to claim the prize of Serena Jane, and changes the destiny of all Aberdeen from there on.
When Serena Jane flees town and a loveless marriage to Bob Bob, it is Truly who must become the woman of a house that she did not choose and mother to her eight-year-old nephew Bobbie. Truly's brother-in-law is relentless and brutal; he criticizes her physique and the limitations of her health as aresult, and degrades her more than any one human could bear. It is only when Truly finds her calling--the ability to heal illness with herbs and naturopathic techniques--hidden within the folds of Robert Morgan's family quilt, that she begins to regain control over her life and herself. Unearthed family secrets, however, will lead to the kind of betrayal that eventually break the Morgan family apart forever, but Truly's reckoning with her own demons allows for both an uprooting of Aberdeen County, and the possibility of love in unexpected places.
The reading guide for The Little Giant of Aberdeen County:
- Truly is the “little giant” of this book, yet her size seems to make her less, rather than more, visible to the town around her. Can you explain this phenomenon? What do you think the author is trying to say about her outsider status?
- Serena Jane and Truly are as physically different as sisters can be, yet Truly sees that this difference is crucial, explaining “the reason the two of us were as opposite as sewage and spring water, I thought, was that pretty can’t exist without ugly.” (pp. 97-98) How would you describe Truly and Serena’s connection? How is it different from Truly’s relationship with Amelia Dyerson? Which seems the more genuine sisterhood to you?
- As the successor to a long line of old-fashioned, small-town doctors, Robert Morgan is traditional, strict, and often cruel. I the end, however, the legacy terminates with him and he becomes Aberdeen’s last Dr. Morgan. How do he and Bobbie stray from the family paradigm? What Morgan characteristics stayed with each of them? Is the town “more modern” without a Dr. Morgan, and with Bobbie and Salvatore’s restaurant instead? Is the replacement of nurturing through nourishment rather than doctoring a symbolic replacement?
- Death haunts Truly and all of Aberdeen, sometimes in unexpected ways. As a gardener, Marcus’s aim is to “make things live,” but, as Truly realizes, “wasn’t it also true that gardeners were always wrestling with death, whether in the form of drought, or blight, or hungry insects? In a garden, Marcus always said, death was the first, last and only fact of life.” What other parallels do you see in the ways Marcus and Truly court life and death?
- Truly’s size marks her as an outcast, but throughout the novel, other characters have trouble “fitting in” in a more figurative way. Examine how this manifests in Bobbie, Marcus, Amelia, even Serena Jane. What larger point do you this the author might be trying to make about the importance of conforming?
- What role does Aberdeen County play in the novel? Could the story or these characters exist elsewhere? Do the effects of the 60s and the Vietnam War seem to touch Aberdeen in the same way they touched the rest of the country? What is unique and what is not about Aberdeen as a setting?
- When Amelia discovers how Priscilla Sparrow and Robert Morgan died, she asks Truly whether it was mercy or murder that killed them. What do you think? How do you feel about Truly’s actions? What in Truly’s character draws her to “collect souls” as she comes to call it?
- When Marcus and Truly finally come together, Marcus says “We’re not exactly a match made in heaven, you and I, but I figure we’re good enough for here on earth” (p. 334) What does he mean by this? Do you agree?
- Why doesn’t Robert Morgan “care” that his son runs away? What does it say about what he thinks of himself? How does this connect to Serena Jane’s leaving and his reaction to that event?
- After Robert Morgan’s death, Truly gradually takes on some of his responsibilities as town doctor by using the knowledge she’s gained from Tabitha’s quilt. How is this a fitting purpose for Truly, and a fitting counterpoint to the legacy of Morgan doctors?
- What about this story is larger than life or possesses elements of a tall tale or folklore? How are these details woven into the story? How is the book similar to or different from other works in this tradition?
Read an excerpt:
Giveaway!
Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I have up to three copies of The Little Giant of Aberdeen County for you...
Rules:
-- Contest is open to US & Canada residents, no PO Boxes please!
-- To enter, comment & tell me--do you belong to a book club?
-- Follow for 1 extra entry.
-- Share for 2 extra entries (let me know what & where, please).
-- Every 10 people entered gets another copy in the hat.
-- Do it all before 6:00 pm CST January 10th. Good luck!
84 comments:
Hi Drey!
I would love to win a copy of this! Thanks for hosting the giveaway! I do belong to a reading group... it's called Chicks with Books! :D (It's why I'm the Chick with books!)
*I Follow! (of course who wouldn't!)
*I retweeted your tweet! (@chickwithbooks)
Suzanne
quzy at mac dot com
No, I don't belong to a book club.
I follow.
simplystacieblog at gmail dot com
i went in and started reading the first chapter ...after reading what you had written...i am intrigued and hope my name is drawn.
i don't belong to a book club unless you consider following and discussing books with other book bloggers a massive book club.
i (sandra vaughan) facebooked the posting.
http://twitter.com/spvaughan/status/7129258380
i am a follower as HODGEPODGESPV
spvaughan@yahoo.com
I lead the book club here at the library which I started 11 years ago. I love my book club. I recently recieved a promotion here at work, and I'm taking my book club duties with me into my new position. I could never leave my book club.
Thanks for this giveaway. I don't belong to abookclub except for the meetings at the library. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
Sounds like a great book.
At this time, I do not belong to a book club.
dorcontest at gmail dot com
I follow on google friend...dor
HAPPY HOLIDAYS...EVERYONE
dorcontest at gmail dot com
I do not belong to a book club.
I would like to win this book.
I follow by email.
I follow by google reader.
cenya2 at hotmail dot com
I do however, review books from
a publisher.
I've had my eye on this book for quite some time!
I don't belong to a book club. I guess I like to pick out my own books.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com
-I follow
I belong to a brand new online book club- we meet on Facebook! This is our first month :) Please enter me to win this one!
jonitathebookchick(at)gmail(dot)com
+1 I already follow
+2 I have added your contest to my blog's sidebar at http://book-chic.blogspot.com
I'm not a member of a book club but that doesn't stop me from discussing what I read. :-)
winterset AT peoplepc.com
I'm a follower.
winterset AT peoplepc.com
I would love, love, love to win this Drey! I do belong to a book club, kind of the ring leader one might say.
joannelong74 AT gmail DOT com
I'm also a follower.
joannelong74 AT gmail DOT com
Hi :)
I used to subscribe to the SF Book Club but I found it better to order from Book Depository.
Little Giant sounds interesting with intriguing characters and a unique story line.
:)
Happy Holidays,
RKCharron
No, I do not belong to a Book Club.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net
I follow on google.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net
+1 I wish i belonged to a book group but no
+1 i follow you
wheresmyrain at yahoo dot com
This book has been on my radar for quite awhile. I would love to be entered.
No, I don't belong to a book club. I guess you could say I'm a one person book club (my own)
+1 I'm a follower on Google Reader, and Google Friends Connect.
Happy New Year!!
sharon54220@gmail.com
I do not belong to a book club, but would love to find one to join.
I am a new follower
alongtheway(at)telus(dot)net
I do not belong to a book club.
I'm a follower on google friends and google reader.
mitzihinkey at sbcglobal dot net
Happy New Year!!!
No, I don't belong to a book club. My daughters and myself are thinking about starting one
copperllama at yahoo dot com
follower
copperllama at yahoo dot com
I've been wanting to read this book for a while now. I'm very excited to see you offer it as a giveaway!
I do belong to a book club. 10 years ago, some of the women that I worked with started one and even though we no longer all work together, many of us continue to meet once a month. It's certainly one of my favourite evenings!
+ I follow you.
melacan at hotmail dot com
Yes! We're the Loquacious Compendium meeting in Tatamagouche NS
tatamagouche AT netbundle DOT ca
I follow your blog
tatamagouche AT netbundle DOT ca
Please enter me in this giveaway!
No, I don't belong to a book club.
saemmerson at yahoo dot com
Sarah Emmerson
I follow via Google Friend Connect.
saemmerson at yahoo dot com
Sarah Emmerson
I tweeted:
https://twitter.com/saemmerson/status/7162711572
saemmerson at yahoo dot com
Sarah Emmerson
Hey Drey,
I'd love to win this book. I am in fact in a book club, sponsored by our local bookstore. Dan's Thursday Reading Group lol.. I think we need to petition for a new name!
I am a follower.
Would love to win... I've been wanting to read this one!
And I'm a follower on Google Reader!
I don't belong to a book group and I'm a follower!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Rachelhwallen@gmail.com
I'm not in an actual book club, but I am part of the Barnes and Noble First Look Club, and join in the discussions!
nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com
I follow
Blogged:
http://cerebralgirl.blogspot.com/2009/12/book-giveaways-in-blogworld-12-26-09.html
nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com
This seems like such a good book! I don't belong to a book club. I just read my books and pass them on to another grateful avid reader. Thank you so much for this nice giveaway and please count me in.
chinook92 at gmail dot com
I follow via Google Friends.
chinook92 at gmail dot com
I shared your giveaway on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/chinook92/status/7241085107
chinook92 at gmail dot com
Hi Drey,
Thanks for the opportunity to read this fabulous book ;)
karenk
kmkuka(at)yahoo(dot)Com
I'm a subscriber ;)
karenk
kmkuka(at)yahoo(dot)Com
I have been hearing alot about this book and would love to read it. I don't belong to a book club.
I already follow.
I also follow you on twitter and I tweeted: http://twitter.com/lag32583/status/7252165470
I don't belong to a book club.
southrngal(at)gmail(dot)com
I follow Drey's Library.
southrngal(at)gmail(dot)com
I am not a member of a book club.
This book sounds really good. Please enter me in the drawing.
kkhaas at bellsouth dot net
+1 I am a Google Friends follower
kkhaas at bellsouth dot net
Please include me in your giveaway
I do not belong to any book clubs
bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
I follow your blog
bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
I do not belong to one but would really like to find a book club with a good fit! aitmama {{at}} gmail {{tod}} com
http://twitter.com/aitmama/status/7320229198
I belong to a book club with my local mom's group. I love it.
follower
Yes, I belong to a book club.
dsandyboy@gmail.com
I follow you.
dsandyboy@gmail.com
No I do not belong to a book club. Please enter me. Thanks for having this giveaway.
ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net
I am a follower!
ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net
This looks like a great book!!! Can't wait to read it. I belong to a book swap club in my city.
+1 for following
+2 for sharing at http://twitter.com/htxastrosfan
Thanks for the chance!!
Lacey914@sbcglobal.net
I'd love to win this book. I belonged to a library book club last year, but not this year. I am a follower.
bostonredsoxfever AT gmail DOT com
thanks
I do not belong to a book club, but I would like to.
amandarwest at gmaildotcom
I follow your blog.
amandarwest at gmaildotcom
I tweeted. http://twitter.com/amandawk/status/7459812919
amandarwest at gmaildotcom
Hi, I don't belong to a book club, but I'd like to enter.
I also added the giveaway to my blog. Thanks!
kristinemarie7 at gmail.com
I do not belong to a book club.
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
Follower
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
Tweet! Tweet!
http://twitter.com/NancyeDavis/status/7468191234
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
I would love to enter!
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
I follow - janetfaye
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
1. Tweet:
http://twitter.com/Janetfaye/status/7474619840
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
2. Tweet:
http://twitter.com/Janetfaye/status/7474619840
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
I used to belong to a book club... but the "drama" was too much. I would love to join a new one. Thanks!
Aliya D.
aliyadaya(at)shaw(dot)ca
I do belong to a book club. This looks like a good book for our group to read. Thanks!
I shared on Facebook
#1
http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdreyslibrary.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fgiveaway-little-giant-of-aberdeen.html#/CherylS22?v=feed&story_fbid=243595998947&ref=share
I shared on Facebook
#2
http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdreyslibrary.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fgiveaway-little-giant-of-aberdeen.html#/CherylS22?v=feed&story_fbid=243595998947&ref=share
Nope, no book clubs for me. I do share with my mom and we talk about them later.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
yes I belong to a book club
dlsmith44@msn.com
I am following with google
dlsmith44@msn.com
I don't belong to a book club. I would if my small town had a book club.
rhoneygtn at yahoo dot com
Sounds great.
I do not belong to a book club.
follow on google friends connect
I would really like to win this book.
+1 No I do not belong to a book club
+1 I follow your blog via google friend connect (cherdon)
+2 Tweet
http://twitter.com/iamcherdon/status/7597605622
No I don't belong to a book club but maybe I should because I love to read!
I follow via google friend connect.
I shared your giveaway on twitter
http://twitter.com/carolp8/status/7606336134...#1
I tweeted your giveaway #2
I'm not officially in a book club but at least one of my friends is usually reading the book I am at the same time and we always chat about it. :)
misusedinnocence@aol.com
+1 I follow!
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