Lynn,
So sorry that this is coming the next day but Melissa and Sharon took me to The Hideout, a seedy little bar near Home Depot after book club last night. The three of us were drinking, reading the book selection for next month, and keeping an eye out for Mr. Goodbar. I remember we were approached by Three Musketeers and after that everything is a bit muddled… and I woke up with such a taste for chocolate…
But before that everything was great! Lynn had a lovely selection of wine on hand but she also had a special drink, an alternate version of the Stoli Doli using Skyy vodka that was quite terrific — the fruity goodness makes you forget what might happen later. There was a great selection of cheeses and a cheese spread with salmon. And on the bar there were nuts and mini Mr. Goodbars! Dinner was a lovely summer meal — a cold paella salad with mussels, shrimp and sausage (which I will also be enjoying for lunch today because of the natural abundance and the late cancellations) and a zucchini pizza which Melissa “almost wants the recipe for.” I’m going to make that official and request the recipe. Dessert was a Banana Split Cake which was better than a trip to the Dairy Queen (and if you know me you know what a compliment that is.) I’ll be enjoying that later today as well.
Big, big thanks for a lovely evening and delicious fare!
(Book #88) Regarding our discussion of the book, we all agreed it just screams the 70’s. Most of us were in high school or college and while we probably didn’t spend as much time in bars as Theresa, most of us had at least one experience where something frightening could have happened if things went another way. We decided that the format of the book is far more intriguing than the movie. Right after I finished reading the book, I watched the movie and there is just so much to be said for the structure of the book — the fact that we know from the start what will happen and we have to watch it unfold. The Theresa Dunn written by Judith Rossner is so complex — your mind whirs throughout her story looking for evidence of how her attitudes were shaped, what key moments, if changed, could have created a different psyche and how she is able to navigate the intense contradictions in her existence. Then I had to go and spoil it all by giving the horrible quiz:
Looking for Mr. Goodbar QUIZ (worth a possible 15 points!!)
1. In the movie, Theresa tells Martin (the English professor) that she came home from the hospital in a body cast after her surgery and was in a bed in the front room for all to see for a year. Is that true of the book?
Yes or No
2. In the movie, Theresa is a teacher of deaf children. Is this also true in the book?
Yes or No in the book she teaches ___________________________________________
3. In the movie, there is an Aunt Maureen who had congenital scoliosis. Is this true in the book?
Yes or No
4. In the movie James, (the traditional suitor) is a social worker. Is this true in the book?
Yes or No, in the book he is a/an ____________________________________________
5. In the movie, she goes to a doctor to get birth control. Is this true in the book?
Yes or No
6. In the movie, Theresa tells Tony (the Italian stallion) that her name is Sonya Irini Katerina Henikoff. Is this true in the book?
Yes or No
7. In the movie, Theresa bumps into Martin in the bar. He has a beard, has quit teaching, is writing a novel, and getting divorced. She kicks him to the curb. Is this true of the book?
Yes or No
8. In the movie, Tony asks to share Theresa’s apartment. She says NO – ask your mother. He says he already did and she said No. Then he says that Theresa and his mother are the two biggest cunts in the world. Is this how it happened in the book?
Yes or No, in the book he makes this remark _______________________________
9. In the movie, James is at the bar on NYE and Theresa starts a conversation with her killer to get rid of James. Is this what happened in the book?
Yes or No
10. In the movie, James gives Theresa a strobe light for Christmas which is used heavily in the murder scene. Is that the Christmas present he gives her in the book??
Yes or No, in the book he gives her a _________________________________________
A favorite quote: “Sexually, he was like a dose of anethetic, he made her go dead all over, but he was so nice.“
Answers: 1. No, she was in the hospital for a year. 2. No, in the book she teaches first grade. 3. No. 4. No, in the book he is an attorney. 5. No, she just doesn’t believe she can get pregnant. 6. Yes. 7. No. 8. No, in the book he makes the remark at his mother’s birthday party. 9. No. 10. No, in the book he gives her a ring.