Welcome to Book 7 of Middlemarch, by George Eliot. In this episode, Rhea and Shari discuss character arcs, compassion and pity, fate and freewill, duty and desire. They consider the way Eliot developed each character and how this has affected our personal feelings of different characters. And they wonder what the “two temptations” really are, both at the story level and meta level.

Only one more book to go!

Here is the show outline with questions for discussion:

If you’re interested in learning more about R&W’s new subscription options beginning in September, read the beginning of this essay:

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Welcome to our last episode of A History of the Island. In this episode, Rhea and Shari consider questions like: What is the final significance of the Publisher’s Note at the beginning of the novel? Is this novel an allegory for Ecclesiastes? Can we ever fully understand the past on this side of eternity? What do we make of Jean-Marie’s shift in his design for his film? What role does fate and freewill each play in the making of history? And more.

Below you will find our outline for this final episode. If you love having outlines to the books we discuss, we will be making these available every week behind a paywall beginning in September. (They will be available for all during the month of August for your perusal.) Outlines are great for reading with others, or as a study guide if using for self-study or in a class setting.

If you’d like to learn more about our paid subscription options, read the beginning of this post:

Our next close read is The Constant Nymph, by Margaret Kennedy. This is R&W’s second Kennedy novel. We read (and loved!) The Feast in 2025.

Here is the reading schedule:

* Episode 1 | Aug 11: Chapters 1-8

* Episode 2 | Aug 18: Chapters 9-16

* Episode 3 | Aug 25: Chapters 17-24

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Welcome back to A History of the Island! In this episode, Shari and Rhea discuss the growing cast of characters in the story, and how the French film-makers seem to be playing a larger role in the story; Parfeny’s and Ksenia’s story, in particular. They ask questions about history and reality, who’s telling the story, and who gets to decide? They revisit again the question of the medieval v. the modern ways of looking at history. They talk about the island’s story as an allegory and the ways the Island’s history maps on to any number of countries, to include our (the United States) own. They consider A History of the Island as an allegory, and particularly as a work of satire. And, they talk about bees.

Don’t forget to look through Rhea’s reading guide page for A History of the Island:

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Welcome back to A History of the Island by Eugene Vodolazkin. In this episode, Shari and Rhea discuss the move of the chronicle from the medieval to the modern eras. They talk about what is lost when the comet is no more seen as a dragon, how beauty and mystery are intricately connected, and whether or not they think Vodolazkin is criticizing modernity’s view of how history ought to be chronicled. They talk about the curious change to the title of the book in the English translation, and what all the factors are that go into book titles in general. They discuss the difference between recording history as a recording of “Good v. Evil” and recording it as a simple chain of cause and effect, and where the human is placed (or places himself) in the recording of each one. They talk about the marriage of Parfeny and Ksenia. They consider the play on the word and idea of “progress,” and how with this thread, A History enters into conversation with Hannah Coulter, and Wendell Berry’s body of work in its entirety.

Below is a link to Rhea’s reading guide for A History of the Island. Be sure to check out her running list of name meanings.

If you want a deep dive into a Tolstoy’s take on history and the ancient v. modern view of how it gets told, you might enjoy my 12-day journey chronicling his long essay on the matter at the end of War & Peace:

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“The reason for circumstance, says Agafon, is people, not God.”

“…long life has convinced me that people themselves create their own circumstances.”

—Parfeny (p. 7)

Welcome to A History of the Island by Eugene Vodolazkin. In this episode, Rhea and Shari spend a fair amount of time trying to situate themselves in this highly unusual novel where the book itself is also the subject of the story; that is, the chronicle of the Island (that has no name). They talk about wild narrative style of the novel, wonder who the main characters are, and if there even are any (at least, human characters). They talk about the clear satire style of the novel, and the motifs they see so far: time, history, prophesy, and the absurdity of the tales within the chronicle itself. They wonder whether Parfeny and Ksenia will have a story arc on their own. They consider all the clues in the strange “From the Publisher” note to start the tale. They talk about how much this novel seems to be in conversation with Tolstoy’s last 12 chapters of War and Peace. They note how they each can feel all the hints being dropped throughout the novel they know they are stepping all over, before recognizing them to pick up and put the pieces together. And, they both agree that though there is much they don’t yet understand, they are enjoying the wildness of the ride along the way.

Look for Rhea’s reading guide for A History of the Island to release soon. She will be sharing a character list to help you keep track of everyone, and add to it as the story moves along.

If you liked this episode, you might also appreciate my notes on the final twelve chapters of War & Peace in which Tolstoy writes essays about histories, historians, and the question of fate and free will. The first one is pasted below. You can follow along each day afterwards (I wrote one per day for the first 12 days in January)

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Welcome to Middlemarch, Book Six. It’s hard to believe there’s only two books left! We’re definitely going to make the most of them. In this episode, Shari and Rhea discuss all the unsaid saying that is happening throughout this section, and all the gossip, too. They talk about how Eliot uses these communication gaffs to her narrative power, to develop and reveal characters, and express themes she’s been developing through the story. They talk about the plight and power of women in Middlemarch—how the various characters wield or are wielded by both—and how thie plight and power leaves them feeling about the various male characters of the novel. They compare relationships, decide what they think of Dorthea’s passivity (is she being passive??) and Rosamond’s horribleness (oh how horrible she is!). They talk about Bulstrode’s dirty little secret and whether or not Will should have taken him up on his offer to “make amends”. They riff on themes and big ideas from Hannah Coulter and how they see these play out in Middlemarch in very different ways. They wonder if Rosamond’s redeemable (I bet you can’t guess what Rhea thinks—ha!). Oh, they even through in a little Flannery O’Connor comparison for fun.

We have two episodes of Middlemarch left. Expect these to release on the second Friday of each of the following months: August 14th; and September 11th.

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Welcome to our final episode of Hannah Coulter, by Wendell Berry. In this episode Rhea and Shari explore questions surrounding expectations versus hope, what we owe our children, what the culture tells us we owe our children, and what the price is for leaving the Membership. They talk about “failed love,” eternity happening now, and the experience of “waking up dead.” They talk about the prodigal son, the great room of love, living a “futureless” life, and Hannah’s movement toward living in the ever-present of eternal time. They talk about the end: whether or not Hannah, herself, wakes up on the other side with Nathan. Shari reads a Wendell Berry poem at the end. And, of course, they can’t make it through any of this episode without crying.

Thank you for reading Hannah Coulter along with us. It has been a true joy to share it with you. Our next deep read is A History of the Island, by Eugene Vodolazkin. We hope you will join us!

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But you may have a long journey to travel to meet somebody in the innermost inwardness and sweetness of that room. You can’t get there just by wanting to, or just because the night falls. The meeting is prepared in the long day, in the work of years, in the keeping of faith, in kindness. (p. 110, on the room of love)

Welcome back to Hannah Coulter, by Wendell Berry. In this 2nd episode, Rhea and Shari discuss the ways Hannah’s story echoes deeply Genesis 2:15-24: the making of man and woman: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall be one flesh.” (v. 24) They discuss grief, membership, a place on earth, work, and love. They discuss how Wendell Berry is insistent that all of these things are intertwined in such a way that one cannot truly flourish without the other. All are needed for a whole life. They talk about the musicality embedded in Hannah’s story; which leads to a lengthy discussion about the power and beauty of music and poetry to express truths and realities not reachable by words alone. They talk about the ways this section is embedded with all Wendell’s theses: on life, on work kindly done, on marriage as “one flesh.” Indeed, it all rises and falls on marriage.

Resources Mentioned on podcast:

* Jeremy Begbie on music and the arts

* Rhea’s Hannah Coulter Reading Guide (scroll down for the bookmarks pdf)

* R&W’s Substack page (for full access to essays, links, discussions):

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Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer. If you liked what you heard, please ❤️ it and share it with others.

The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our literary work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.