Debbie Harpham
The Rivers Edge Book Club is open to residents of the Rivers Edge Community in Shallotte, North Carolina. They enjoy a healthy membership of 46 members who meet monthly and especially enjoy reading historical fiction.
This group’s organization and attention to detail and theme is impressive, as evidenced by the testimony of book club manager Heidi, who shared this with us regarding her group’s recent visit with USA Today bestselling author and book club favorite Susan Meissner:
“On April 19, 2022, 21 members of the Rivers Edge Book Club in Shallotte, NC had the pleasure of a Zoom appearance by author Susan Meissner. The RE Book Club was discussing Susan’s 2014 novel A Fall of Marigolds. Co-hosts Heidi and Sandy asked the ladies to wear a scarf that had history or significance when attending the meeting. Many shared their stories including buying them on a wonderful vacation, a gift from a friend or one that was handed down from a special relative. Some were handmade by a beloved sister or mother. It was wonderful to hear these personal stories inspired by Susan’s book and the silk scarf that is practically a character of its own-changing hands twenty times during the course of the novel!
Prior to hearing from Susan, we talked about the similarities between the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911 and the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, as well as the history of quarantining immigrants on Ellis Island. Many pictures of these events were displayed on a slideshow. Susan was a joy to listen to as she took us through the process of writing A Fall of Marigolds. She shared many stories about how she was inspired to write this book about love, grief, hope and history. Her enthusiasm was evident and likely sparked an interest in other books she has written. We are so grateful Susan took the time to attend our Book Club meeting.
Each attendee was given a packet of marigold seeds with a meaningful quote from Susan’s book attached. We hope the neighborhood blooms with these hardy and resilient flowers to remind us of all of the power of hope and love.”
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