Our bookclub selection for March is The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib. This People magazine pick, a debut novel by Zgheib, is a poetic, poignant, haunting portrait of a young woman’s struggle with anorexia on an intimate journey to reclaim her life.
“The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound.
Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day. Every bite causes anxiety. Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.”
If you are looking to join a bookclub, I promise you will love our group. I started Mrs. Twist Reads This Bookclub in 2017 because I wanted to spend more time reading and less time using technology. We have over 80 members, many who live around the country and just want to be a part of a community of women who read! It’s thrilling to see this for sure. The best part is that many of the authors we read have enthusiastically joined us via FaceTime or in person to chat about their books. Our group is gathering on Thursday, March 28 at 7 p.m. in Fort Worth. Even if you can’t join us in person, we’d love to have you join our bookclub community.
So, how do you join us? Go here to Book Movement and set up a free account. It gives you members-only access to our book club page to see the latest book we are reading, receive email invitations to upcoming meetings and create your own personal queue of books you want to read on your own.
Happy reading!
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
