Necessary Lies By Diane Chamberlain (Jan. 2020)

Oh my! Her father perhaps?? What a can of worms. I almost feel like I have to go back and reread it with an eye open for clues!! I must have been totally oblivious... it would seem to be a possibility.

Yes I suspected him. The gifts of food, living there... that is part of why I thought adoption. She wouldn't have been the first one.
I thought he may also be her dad and why baby has issues. Her mom attacked his wife. So I think a lot more going on in background which would not have been unusual in that day. Men could do whatever. Still can but to a much lesser extent.

Edited by: DMILLER33 at: 1/24/2020 (07:26)

JPISME, I could not find any suggestion of the adoption idea in the Reading Group Guide. Perhaps your take on it is an original possibility. It did not occur to me, I admit, but it does sort of seem plausible in retrospect. Funny how you woke up with the idea. The brain at work while we sleep!

SPOILER AHEAD. STOP READING THIS MESSAGE IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THE BOOK!

The very first question in the Reading Group guide is Were you surprised to learn about Mr. Gardiner’s involvement with Mary Ella? Was I ever! I was not expecting that at all! But then once the author disclosed it, I was also not surprised at all...

I wish I had looked for discussion questions before starting to read the book. I do like having questions to ponder as I go along, even tho sometimes, as in this case, they give away key information about what is to come.

CDCSMITH, I probably will not read the .5 story, even though I enjoyed Necessary Lies greatly.

Has anyone (or is anyone planning to) read the .5 story in the series? I wonder if there is anything there about it.

The adoption thing came to my mind right away too. i thought it would be explained.
My mom doesn't remember delivery either --drugs were what they gave back then

It's definitely a thought worth considering. I hadn't really thought that, but back then, many adoptions were secrets. I didn't question the labor and delivery because I know my grandmother told us frequently how she just went to the hospital when she felt pains and when she got there, they brought her to a bed, sent my grandfather to the lounge, and sometime later she awoke to news that she had a baby. When they brought them to her, they were clean and fed. She couldn't grasp why anyone would want to be awake for childbirth.

I just woke up with an idea on my head I couldn't put together throughout the book.

What if Teresa and / or Jane were adopted. Like as me and Ivy were related. I think I started to put it together when she described Teresa and was shocked by how much Teresa and MaryEllen looked alike. I also won der if she was young like the baby when she was removed and that was how she related so quickly to that particular family. Like she didn't remember but she somehow knew.

That would also help explain why her mother didn't know about birth process.

I'm sorry if I'm not following etiquette, please have me delete this post if needed.

Edited by: JPISME at: 1/16/2020 (07:47)

We can do either - discuss the questions or how we feel. If you want to post the questions, that would be great. I think early in the month, a lot of us don't want to give away spoilers so we tend not to discuss details. We're a pretty laid back group. :)

https://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews
/necessary-lies/guide

I listened to the book on download from my library.
I found a list of questions. Do we discuss them or just tell how we felt.

I just finished it. I found held my interest, especially compared to other books I've been reading for other book clubs. It was a good story and look into history.

I finished last night. I have mixed feelings.

Started last night. Interesting.

I'm struggling with this one. I'm really having to push through it. It's not the writing so much as again, the time and place makes me very uncomfortable. I'm hoping that I'll feel better about it when I've finished it, but right now, I feel like there is just enough to make me clench my jaw, but not enough of a victory anywhere.

I just finished the book, and I will be interested to hear what you all thought of the way it ended. But I won’t post on that for a few days to give others a chance to finish it before I give it all away!

Finished this book last night. I won't get into the discussion yet as some are still reading it but I can say a few tears were shed (and that rarely happens for me) and a lot of thought was given to the time period. Like Joanne said, it gives a lot of insight to how women were viewed in those days.

I am over halfway through the book, and am really enjoying it. I think it is a good window into how far women’s rights have moved forward, not in a protest-march, lobby-your-govt, let’s demonstrate kind of way, but just reading about the everyday restrictions and expectations women were expected to abide by in society. You cannot help, while reading this book, but compare our current status. We still have a long way to go, but WE’VE COME A LONG WAY BABY.
I am finding I can relate to several of the female characters all at once, and I can’t help but feel that some very heartbreaking events are about to unfold...

I enjoyed the book, good choice! The author is new to me, I can't believe I haven't read any of her other novels, but will definitely be reading more. Looking forward to the discussion as others finish reading.

Doris, I am about half way through and I agree. Easy read and learning a little history.

Finished-easy read. I truly enjoyed this book on so many .levels. Won't comment anymore while others are reading. I learned something I didn't realize had happened in US.

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