I just finished this book. Before leaving Minneapolis Dave saw the play. Didn't know how they could make a play from this book because it's complicated and spans most of a century. But then I remembered they did it with one of my favorite books and plays, Ragtime.
And like Ragtime, The Master Butchers Singing Club is a raw story about families, with our changing country as a backdrop.
What goes on in these families? Death, alcoholism, homosexuality, love, betrayal, loss. In other words, real life.
Here's a quote that reminded me about how our country has many times encountered hard times and came out stronger. It takes place in the butcher's shop during World War II:
At the same time as business boomed, shortages plagued them. Although Fidelis possessed a much coveted C sticker for the delivery truck, they were always low on gasoline. Coffee disappeared. The government requisitioned butter from the dairies so she sold blocks of oleomargarine with little pats of yellow dye. Her distributor could supply only the lowest grade of canned goods, then none. No eggs.
Here's a quote that reminded me of me:
That mother loss had made Delphine strong, but also caused her to live as a damaged person, a searcher with a hopeless quest, a practical-minded woman with a streak of dismay. Even now that she could count herself close to middle age, she missed her mother.
***
