The Fresco by Sherri S. Tepper

November 5, 2004

Location:    Françoise’s home
Members:   Virginia, Louise, Carmen, Marg, Joanne, Bea, Marvel, Wilma, Gisela

This was a combined International Dinner/Bookends meeting. Everyone brought either an appetizer or a dessert, so needless to say we all ate very well!!

The discussion of this Fantasy/Sci Fi book was very lively. I believe that all members (except for Joanne) were feeling a little trepidation about reading a book of this genre. However, we all jumped in and almost everyone thoroughly enjoyed the complete change of pace from our usual type of reading. It’s not often we get to discuss such topics as male 13 month pregnancies, genetic alteration, ugliness campaigns and bad aliens who want to prey on humans and eat them. The author had a wonderful sense of humour, my own personal favourite -- “She took him by the pincers and looked into all of his eyes” (wow I really knew I was reading a book about aliens when I read that line). It was nice to have our eyes opened to a different type of novel.

The book had some definite moral, thought provoking theories. Their philosophy was wonderful and the alien’s intelligence was amazing. The aliens start with a message of peace and an opportunity for human beings to achieve “neighbourliness” so that they can join the galactic federation. They offer the people of Earth the ability to finally end crime, poverty, famine and slavery. There were some great suggestions offered on how to use corrective measures to deal with crime (our prison system), education (our school system) and cultural problems. They were able to take a piece of the Earth that was troublesome and just get rid of it. Such current events as anti-women governments in Afghanistan, violence in Israel and Palestine are looked at.

While visiting the Pistach home Benita and her entourage of humans came to understand how the Pistach people felt about the Fresco and the importance of it to the Pistach home. In the end Benita and her emissaries were very helpful to the Pistach regarding the Fresco that turned out to be not at all what they had been led to believe.

Overall I think that the book was well received, at least until the last page where some people wanted to throw the book across the room! Or let me see maybe Chiddy really was Simon?? It’s a mystery – and one quite alien to me!! We all will take away our own thoughts on who was an alien and who was a real human being.

There were a few chapters that were written using the Pistach language. This was a little hard to read through, and some people just skipped these pages.

Some comments from the evening follow:

· In light of the US elections the survey that was given to all citizens was a great system
· Just like mission impossible
· Motherhood 101
· The aliens just wanted to be helpful, they looked at a situation and tried to fix it
· Image 10 tentacles!
· It was a struggle when the aliens came and spoke – I just put the book down
· It was intriguing but I skipped all of the journal chapters
· I looked forward to reading it each night
· It was very creative
· Loved the philosophy on how to choose a career “If you don’t like to dance then don’t be a dancer”
· When I finished reading the book I realized that there was a lot more going on than what was written and it made me laugh at the end.

Joanne suggested that if anyone would like to read another Sherri Tepper novel, “Through the Women’s Gate” is one that she really enjoyed.

Respectfully submitted by:  Marvel on November 21, 2004