Thoughts before we begin

[Houston]

You voted and our top pick is Anton DiSclafani's The After Party. Considering the novel take place in Houston's posh ends of town in the 1950s, this is a great book for us to start with.

Have you read DiSclafani's debut book The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls? Have you read any reviews about The After Party? What are your thoughts before getting started?

[HPL Dan]

I'm going in pretty blind. I've not read anything by DiSclafani before and what little I know about this book is what's on the Amazon summary of the novel. I am excited about the fact that it takes place in our town, featuring River Oaks, one of the tony neighborhoods where the other half lives. I'm also intrigued about the tension between Cece, who has married and is raising a small family, as was expected of her, and Joan, who instead has a different plan for her life. As the first few pages seems to imply, the novel will explore the tension that could ultimately test their friendship.

[[deleted user]]

I have a feeling this book is going to give me lots of ups and downs as a reader and as a woman. H-town pride will be present, as Dan says, but this time period was such a turbulent one; I predict tears. The New York Times has a pretty thorough examination, without giving away too much.

http://nyti.ms/2aQPwjh

[Jessica]

I have never a book from this author before, but I am definitely looking forward to it. This isn't something I would normally pick on my own, of course, that's why I joined a book club: to step out of my comfort zone and discover new great reads!

[[deleted user]]

So I've finished the first couple of chapters, and it's pretty awesome so far. I really dig the tone DiSclafani has created, and hearing the description of 1950s Houston immediately made me flash back to the scenes in Titanic when Rose was describing the ship.

So fancy! :0)

[HPL Dan]

I found a couple of pictures on the Houston Area Digital Archives of River Oaks Country Club Estates, The Edan Room, and The Cork Club dining room at The Shamrock Hotel that I thought could help us set the stage for the early chapters of our novel.

[Carolina]

Ooh, thanks for the pictures, Dan! Some enclaves of Houston, such as the River Oaks Country Club, don't seem to have changed since the 50's. ... May I suggest the book club meet there or in the Ideson courtyard for cocktails and a chat at the end of September?

[Carolina]

As for DiSclafani, what is her connection to Houston? She grew up in Florida. She says she has researched the setting and period extensively, yet even in Chapter One I was put off by an offhand comment of comparable rich neigborhoods:

"There were other nice neighborhoods in Houston, sure, but West University wasn’t quite rich enough and Shadyside wasn’t quite big enough, more like a collection of houses than a neighborhood. River Oaks was another world."

I'll give her a pass on saying that the City of West University Place is a neighborhood in Houston, since it was adjacent and is now surrounded. But in the 50's it was a humble neighborhood. West U. had an overnight change in the 80's to the cluster of manses you see today.

A better comparison would have been Riverside Terrace, where the Sakowitzes and the Weingartens lived at the time. http://swamplot.com/tour-the-decaying...

[[deleted user]]

Great insights, Carolina! I personally grew up North of here (Kingwood area) and only came into Houston for special events and zoo visits, so my perspective is one of ignorance I suppose. It works out for me; much more fun!

I found this interview with DiSclafani where she talks about her research and connections to the Houston area.

http://www.star-telegram.com/entertai...

[HPL Dan]

An extra link for you guys, Exploring the Shamrock Hotel Coloring Book from the Houston Area Digital Archives. Feel free to download a page, color it and get into the period.

[Carolina]

We're going to need another boatload of green markers.

[Carolina]

HPL Lauren wrote: "Great insights, Carolina! I personally grew up North of here (Kingwood area) and only came into Houston for special events and zoo visits, so my perspective is one of ignorance I suppose. It works ..."

Thanks for sharing the article, Lauren. It helped to flesh out her draw to this region. She has visited several parts of Texas often and seems to understand some of the driving forces of the city. Houston really is all about the future.