<p>Its time to travel to another time and place! Our August CC Book Club selection is The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann:</p>
<p>Life is close to perfect for Emil Larsson, a self-satisfied bureaucrat in the Office of Customs and Excise in 1791 Stockholm. He is a true man of the Towna drinker, card player, and contented bacheloruntil one evening when Mrs. Sofia Sparrow, a fortune-teller and proprietor of an exclusive gaming parlor, shares with him a vision she has had: a golden path that will lead him to love and connection. She lays an Octavo for him, a spread of eight cards that augur the eight individuals who can help him realize this visionif he can find them.</p>
<p>From Booklist: Mysterious, suspenseful, and, at times, action-packed, Engelmanns masterful tale brings to mind the work of Katherine Neville (The Fire, 2008), Elizabeth Kostova (The Historian, 2005), and Félix J. Palma (The Map of Time, 2011).</p>
<p>From Library Journal: This rollicking adventure story reads at times like a fairy tale, with Good Guys and Bad Guys and obstacles to be recognized and overcome. It’s all quite fun. As either historical novel or adventure story, this clever first novel should appeal to a broad range of readers.</p>
<p>Discussion begins August 1st. Please join us!</p>
<p>I picked up my copy today. A first glance detected a timeline and a list of characters and … other stuff. It looks fun and fun fits my mood and the hot summer weather. Fingers crossed.</p>
<p>I ran across this on the author’s website and thought I’d post it:</p>
<p>I’m about 85 pages into it. So far, it is a light, enjoyable read…rather charming.</p>
<p>A lot of the names in the book are in English, like “Gray Friars Alley.” Nice to see the real Swedish names displayed in the link you sent, Ignatius. </p>
<p>There is a character called Mrs Sparrow, and I’m not sure it is ever explained why she is called that. Makes me think of Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean…or Edith Piaf. :)</p>
<p>I just thought I’d bump this up to remind anyone who would like to join us that discussion begins on August 1st. I am about halfway through the book. I find it intriguing–can’t quite place the genre. It’s neither comedy nor drama, neither adventure nor romance–although there are elements of all of those. Sort of a Drawing Room Dramedy of Manners. Looking forward to discussion!</p>
<p>I am making progress with this book and loving it! I have to say I enjoyed it much more after I stopped halfway through and read up on King Gustav III and the general history of Sweden at the time. It pulled a lot of things together for me. I am enjoying all the different characters a lot.</p>
<p>I am about halfway into the book and enjoying it as well…fascinating combination of mystical and historical elements! Mary, I like your classification ;)</p>
<p>NJTheatreMom, Mrs. Sparrow’s name is explained! </p>
<p>PATheatreMom, I also want to read about King Gustav for more background.</p>
<p>I’m a little more than halfway through. At one point, the plethora of descriptions of fancy clothing, etc, got to be a bit much for me, but now the story is heating up.</p>
<p>Wish we could view this award winning tv series -
The marriage of gustav 3 </p>
<p>Sweden released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: Swedish ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Subtitles ), Swedish ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: The Marriage of Gustav III is an award-winning a TV-drama from Sweden, which won Prix Europa in 2002. Moreover won Jonas Karlsson was awarded the best actor for his portrayal of King Gustav III in this film. …The Marriage of Gustav III ( Gustav III:s </p>
<p>It’s August and time for our discussion of The Stockholm Octavo! ignatius, did you finish the book in 6 days? I have to admit it took me a long time to read it – political intrigue and cartomancy are generally not my best subjects. However, I did enjoy the book and I appreciated how different it was from our previous selections. </p>
<p>
[quote] Discussion Questions </p>
<ol>
<li><p>THE OCTAVO The Octavo indicates that much of life is pre-determined but the Seeker has the opportunity to influence outcomes. Which characters in the book embraced this philosophy and took charge of their destiny—with or without the Octavo? Which didn’t, and let fate takes its course? How does the OCTAVO help to advance the story? Did you find yourself wondering about your own Octavo? </p></li>
<li><p>DIVINATION Mrs. Sparrow claims to have the gift (and burden) of the Sight. Have you ever had an experience with divination? Were the predictions relevant and accurate? Do you believe in fate, free will, or (like the Octavo) a combination of both? </p></li>
<li><p>STOCKHOLM The entire novel (aside from backstory and some exposition) takes place in the Town. How does the setting enrich the story? What smells, tastes, and other details bring the setting to life? Do you think the city of Stockholm acts as a character in the novel? If yes, what affect does it have on the other characters? </p></li>
<li><p>FOLDING FANS Possession of the fan Cassiopeia is a major motivation of the novel. What power and symbolism does the fan have and why? What other tools did women have at their disposal in this period? What did you think about the way fans are used by the Uzanne? Do you think the handling of the fan could be taught and used in the way that The Uzanne proposes? Why do you think the fan disappeared from use? Is there a modern equivalent of this must-have 18th century accessory? </p></li>
<li><p>THE EIGHT Once the Seeker identifies the eight and their role in the Octavo, they have the opportunity to influence their significant event. Did you know who Emil’s eight were before he did? Who are your favorite characters among Emil’s eight? What are their flaws and strengths? Which of their actions reveal the most about them? What event do you believe comes as a turning point for that character? Could you identify the eight from a significant event in your own life? Has a person with only a peripheral connection to you ever played a part in a significant event? </p></li>
<li><p>HISTORY Do the historical facts enhance your enjoyment of the story? After reading this book, are you more interested in the history of Sweden and the events of this period? What did you think about King Gustav III? Do you read historical fiction to be informed or entertained? Do you expect a work in this genre to be 100% accurate? Did the book change the history or did the history change the story? </p></li>
<li><p>MAGIC In the 18th century, magic was broadly accepted as a part of life—astrology alchemy, divination, s</p></li>
</ol>
<p>For me, historical context is always a good place to start:</p>
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<p>The historical facts did not enhance my enjoyment of the story because I didn’t know any historical facts! I was completely unfamiliar with the history of Sweden and decided not to do any research beforehand, so as to maintain the element of surprise. Afterward, it was fun to learn about what really happened. </p>
<p>As for the question about accuracy, no, of course I don’t think a work of historical fiction needs to be 100% accurate (then it wouldn’t be fiction anymore, would it?) But it does need to be accurate enough to allow the reader imagine that such characters could have existed alongside the “real” ones and that the events just might have played out differently than the history books tell us.</p>
<p>The historical element that was most interesting to me was Sweden’s connection to France. </p>
<p>I was intrigued by the plot to rescue the French royal family. I had not recalled that Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were held for some time before they were executed.</p>
<p>I enjoyed the historical setting, though like Mary I didn’t know much - a little more perhaps since I was a big fan of the French Revolution (and persuade my American History teacher to let me study it instead of our revolution!) and my son was a big fan of Gustavus Adolophus King of Sweden great military commander during the 30 years war in the early 1600s and I also loved Desiree which takes place in Sweden when one of Napoleon’s marshalls’ Bernadotte gets named heir to the throne because the kind is childless. Particularly when there’s a bit of a fantasy element I don’t expect absolute turth, but it’s certainly nice if it’s plausible. I do always like a nice author’s note to explain what liberties he or she may or may not have taken.</p>
<p>I thought it was quite interesting the way this really skirted the boundaries between fantasy and not. I think it’s perfectly possible to read the whole thing as Mrs. Sparrow has no actual powers, she just thinks she does. Like most fortunetellers, you make your predictions vague enough they can be interpreted many ways. I actually found the whole Octavo thing rather unsatisfying that way. I felt like the Octavo was whoever you decided it was.</p>
Looking forward to discussion!</p>