The Ladies' Lending Library

by Janice Kulyk Keefer

It is August of 1963, the year of the Taylor-Burton epic film Cleopatra, showcasing a passion too grand to be contained on the movie screen. The women of the Kalyna Beach cottage community gather for gossip, trading the current racy bestsellers among them as an escape from the rhythms of children and chores. Dramatic change is coming this summer as desire reaches a boiling point, threatening to disrupt the warm, sweet, heady days and lives of parents and children, family and friends.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Canada, Chick Lit, Books About Books, Unfinished, Adult Fiction

296 pages, Hardcover

First published April 26, 2007

About the author

She is a Canadian novelist and poet.

Born in Toronto, she studied literature at universities in England and France. She teaches literature and theatre in the graduate studies department at the University Of Guelph.

Of Ukrainian heritage, Janice often writes about the experiences of first-generation Canadian children of immigrants. Her sister is the Canadian artist, Karen Kulyk.

Reviews

[Gaia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess this book is what they are referring to when they say, "don't judge a book by it's cover." That's what I did and I find myself regretting it.

I'm only 70 pages into the book and it's been a long, slow and unenjoyable read. First of all, it really doesn't have much to do with a "ladies lending library." There is some mention of the mother's exchanging naughty books, but that's it. No discussion. Perhaps that changes? So far the plot has not been revealed. If this is meant to be a character study instead then it completely fails. So far there have been A LOT of characters introduced, each with some small subplot that doesn't really connect with the other in a way that makes you actually care or stay interested. I'm having a hard time staying focused on the "story." I find myself getting to the bottom of a page and then having to go back up and re-read the page again.

The author has an awful habit of overflourishing (I made that word up, please send me royalties if you use it) everything. She describes almost every single detail to the 9th annoying level. Sometimes, it's okay to just say, "she sat down on the yellow chair." But it takes this author about 10 minutes to say just that because she feels the need to "poetically" describe every.single.little.thing.

We'll see. I'm hoping it will get better. I'm stubborn and hate shelving a book before I'm done reading it, but I may make an exception here.

Updated - no, it didn't get better and I didn't get much further. I let this one die. It was due back at the library and I wasn't about to pay overdue fines for it. The last straw was going 4 pages and reading Sonia as Sasha or vice versa - I just couldn't keep a grasp on those characters and keep them straight. I'd get them confused.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tumultuous 60's have not yet touched the women of Kalyna Beach. As first generation Ukrainian Canadians, they are enjoying advantages their parents never were able to provide. While their husbands work in the city, the women and their children are able to summer at their cottages. Each Friday, the husbands join them for the weekend; it doesn't get better than this.

Women cannot leave their work behind; the daily schedule still requires all the attendant duties. Instilled are the cultural rules and mores that not only bind them, but unconsciously pit woman against woman on a daily basis.

Friday afternoon gin and book discussions provide their respite before the men return. On Sasha's porch, they gather to discuss their books; books hidden in secret places in each cottage; what a disgrace it would be for a child or husband to find a copy of FANNIE HILL. Relaxed and amiable, the discussions eventually digress to gossip.

With the release of the movie Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor provides a provocative twist to previous discussions. Richard Burton is rebuked, but given this group's mindset; Elizabeth Taylor as woman has taken the low moral ground and cannot be forgiven.

Each woman carries her secret burden: Sonia, a mother with four daughters drifts to thoughts of her previous life as a model. She and Laura, her oldest clash as Sonia struggles to regain her lost self while Laura begins the journey to find herself.

Sasha asserts herself as the group leader, intent upon keeping the ladies in line, while she struggles with her own ideology. Nadia, wife of the most successful man among them, flits in and out, a butterfly searching for the most fragrant flower.

The end-of-season party at Nadia and Jack's villa approaches and all that was will never be the same. Secrets are discovered, and promises are broken. Will summer at Kaylna Beach ever be the same?

I didn't want this book to end; it was a fantastic read. A different culture, but similar to mine as an immigrant of Polish descent. This book gave me a better understanding of my mother; especially as I read about Chucha Marta's past.

I read Caramelo recently, and was amazed how different cultures adapt to their new environment. Some flourish, some remain forever imbedded in the Old Country.

[Ro · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really get what this book had anything to do with a lending library - they should have just called it the Cleopatra Summer or something. This one isn't worth the time.

[Leslie Johnson]

Oh my .... this book claimed such excellence and it failed miserably in my opinion. I didn't feel like I really got to know or understand any of the characters, the author kept things on the surface, perhaps mistakenly believing that a little mystery is good. On the odd occasion when she dared to dip her pen a little deeper it was a flash, a moment and we were back the surface. There wasn't a great deal of character interaction either except that which told us a little about who these people were to each other. Going deeper and offering well thought out deep and meaningful character interactions would have added some juicy meat to an otherwise bone dry book. I don't know if there were just too many people - that she felt she couldn't get deep into any one - I don't know. I was disappointed.

[JoAnn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was probably one of the worse written books I have ever read. There was no plot, no clear storyline and entirely too many characters to keep them all straight.

[Pattie O'Donnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good, enjoyed the insight into Ukranian culture.

It's not really about the "lending library" book group, it's about the entire community of Ukranian-Canadians summering at a small lake resort.

Also enjoyed the wide variety of characters of all ages; children, teens, young mothers, older folks.

I should add the warning, though, that I'm a fan of sprawling Southern gothics such as "A Short History of a Small Place", so I have a lot of patience for a meandering story that has more time for characters than it does for plot.

[jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picked this one up, hoping for a bit of escapism and lighter reading than some other stuff I'm currently into... I could only make it to page 86. I kept thinking it would get better. There is no focus... too many lengthy descriptions of characters and no real substance. In fact, there are so many characters that you don't even end up getting who is who, and why they're important to the storyline. If there is, in fact, some semblance of a storyline beyond page 86. In short, don't bother with this one.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a real lightweight of a book. It's John Updike for me instead of this silly thing. And, there is a Reader's Guide in the back of the thing, which leads me to believe that someone took the book seriously enough to think a book club might read it. Forget it. NOt worth the powder to blow it up, as my father would say.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Up for discussion today is The Ladies' Lending Library, by Janice Kulyk Keefer. I have to tell you guys, this book was a pleasant surprise!

I say it was a surprise because a lot of the reviews I read about it were fairly indifferent or described the book as "slow", and because the description on the back of the book makes it sound a little lame. In actuality, though, it was neither slow nor lame. I'd have given it 3 1/2 stars if that were an option on goodreads, actually.

The book is about a group of women of Ukrainian descent who spend their summer of 1963 with their children in a beach community somewhere in Canada while their husbands work in the city and come to the beach on weekends. Some of the women are friends, some are not. Some of the kids are friends, some are not. To combat the boredom, the women form a bit of a book club and borrow "risque" books from each other, while sitting around and drinking gin. From the title, you'd think that was the gist of the book, but it really isn't. It's an exploration of the different characters more than anything, offering glimpses into what life was like for these '60's-era housewives who mostly married because that was what they were supposed to do and whose kids are straddling the Canadian and Ukrainian cultures.

(As I write this, I realize this book was really quite delightful and I am now giving it four stars instead of three. )

Of course, there is a plot as well. Underlying all of this character exploration are the story lines of two sisters at war with each other, the friend's teenage daughter who is staying with one of the families and causing all the mothers to "tsk tsk", the visiting pain-in-the-ass sister-in-law, the tweeners expirementing with their independence and their loyalties, and the possible illicit love affair between the wife from one family and the husband from another.

In short, it's a lovely book and you should read it.

[Mindi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I purchased this book because it was recommended by Anderson's Bookshop at their "Book Gossip" session at the Illinois Reading Council Conference. I must say that I was disappointed. The book was hard to get into and had a VERY slow moving plot. It was told from so many perspectives that I had a hard time caring about any of them. And then, it just ended! I would not recommend this book to my friends.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a little slow and the characters were too distant from the reader, even though it was written from a number of perspectives. I finished it, but it took a while.

[Elaine Rumboll · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Brought me great joy to return it to my library. These women were not borrowing books.

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not familiar with this Canadian writer from Toronto but she has several awards to her name including the Marian Engel Award for lifetime Achievement (1999), two nominations for the Governor General Award (1987 and 1996) and the Kobzar Literary Award (2008). I am not sure how I missed her, but I am glad I found her. This volume published in 2007 is her fifth novel.

Like others who picked it up and looked at the title, I thought it would be about woman sharing books and what followed from that experience, and it was, but in a different way than I initially imagined. As both the young and the old read about various characters, they begin to think about their own lives and how different they are from the characters they read about. It naturally leads them to examine some of the decisions they made in the past that have affected the lives they lead now and sometimes creates a desire for change.

At Kalyna Beach in northern Ontario, a small group of Ukrainian immigrants including several close-knit family members, is gathering for another summer away from the heat of the city. They live in simple cottages close to the water and the women look after the children while the men work in the city and take the long drive on weekends to spend it with their families.

Keefer’s story is set in 1963, before the sexual revolution, the birth control pill and the writing of Betty Friedan. At the time, the movie “Cleopatra” was in production and everyone was captivated by the torrid romance of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton which had been splashed across the media while Burton’s wife Sybil and Elizabeth’s husband Eddie Fisher sat on the sidelines watching it all unfold. As Cleopatra and Mark Antony played out their romance on the screen, the two stars played out that same romance behind the scenes. It seemed everyone from society ladies to housemaids had an opinion about the scandal.

The women at Kalyna Breach enjoy gossip sessions on Friday afternoons when they sip gin, trade some of the risqué books they read and await the arrival of their husbands later in the evening. They know such racy material should not be in the hands of good Ukrainian wives and mothers, so they hide the books at the back of their drawers and under their beds. They have also been captivated by the Taylor/Burton scandal and this summer it is the main topic of discussion. As first-generation immigrant women, they have come from countries with strictly defined roles expected to be supportive wives, nurturing mothers and caretakers of their homes. But they are now living in a country and within a society which is very different from the old country and they often struggle to adapt and fit into this new world where so much more is open to them. They wonder at a Hollywood star like Elizabeth Taylor who can do exactly what she wants, when she wants, with anyone she chooses and who doesn’t have to wash a dish, iron a dress, slice an onion, take out the garbage or rinse a dirty diaper.

The women all have memories of the old country, where life was hard and horrible things happened during and after the war. They escaped to Canada but the transition was difficult, with a new language to learn, a new culture to adapt to and a society with different expectations about life. These women had all married quickly, forgoing an education and a career to do what they were expected to do, create a home and bear children -- the most prized being sons.

Most of the men are successful, but there is one millionaire and one who is stumbling through his career. Most live in simple cabins where their wives struggle to care for the children without the modern conveniences available in the city. So although the women have time away from the heat in the city, in many ways it is not a vacation. They have the children to care for, dishes to wash, laundry to do and the daily loads of sand the children bring into the house to sweep out of the house. They break the predictable rhythms of child care and household chores by reading racy books by authors like Harold Robbins and Jacqueline Susann, books that describe a very different life than the one they are experiencing.

I must admit to stumbling through the first chapters trying to sort out the various families, their children and the relationships between them. There are several characters and the unfamiliar foreign names added to my confusion. I am just more accustomed to names like Marilyn, Sam and Harry than Olya, Andriy and Teyko and keeping it all sorted proved frustrating. At one point I even considered abandoning the book, which is not at all my usual practice. However, once I was over this hump the narrative flowed more smoothly and I really enjoyed it.

The main family Keefer focuses on is the Martyns. Sonia, thirty-nine and beautiful, gave up a promising modeling career to marry Max, a professional. Sonia is grieving the recent loss of her mother, her heart so bound up with the ghosts of her parents there is little room for that of her children or her husband. The couple have four girls. Laura is fourteen, chubby, near-sighted and clumsy; a girl who is stubborn, has a foul temper and is often moody. Katia is twelve, pretty, has a flair for mischief and can be meanspirited. Bonnie is the prettiest of the girls, dotes on her father and tries to keep the peace in the family. Alix the youngest is a three year old toddler who is not yet speaking. Max’s older sister Marta is a spinster, a sour abrasive woman who had a difficult childhood in the old country. She has never learned to speak proper English, always wears black and constantly demands attention. She bullies her younger brother Max, continually criticizes Sonia and creates discord in the household. Max never stands up to her, allows himself to be bullied and bows to her every wish. He brings Marta to the beach for a week every year to escape the city, a week that is always difficult for everyone.

Sonia has invited Darka, the sixteen-year-old daughter of her best friend Olya to visit for the summer and help her with the children. Olya is anxious to get Darka out of the city and away from her boyfriend Jamie. Darka has a haughty attitude and a simmering sexuality with a body that her mother knows will lead her to trouble if she is not closely supervised.

There are several other families in the group. Nadia is a loner, mysterious, aloof, reclusive and educated. She is married to Jack Senchenko, the stocky, balding millionaire wheeler-dealer and business man. They live in a huge house on the hill. Peter is Sonia’s brother, a charming, handsome man who has no real head for business and has been bailed out by Kack, his wealthy brother-in-law several times. Peter is married to Jack’s sister Zirka, a chunky woman viewed as a good housewife, mother and keeper of the old traditions. The couple have two boys, Yuri aged twelve who is wild, rough, always getting into mischief and loves the company of boys with all the pushing, shoving and daring to do dangerous things. His brother Andriy age eleven, is plump with blonde hair and curls. He spends a lot of time at home with his mother and is viewed by the others as a “mamma’s boy”. Sasha is a bohemian with a Russian background, a woman known for her slapdash housekeeping and cooking skills and the one who often leads the gossip group. She is married to Ivan, a moderately successful man in the advertising world. They have two children, Tania, who is best friends with Katia, and Nick. Annie Vesiuk a former nurse with eight boys and her mother-in-law in residence is married to a physician and they are also part of the group. There are even two women without husbands. Lesia Baziuk is a widow with a son Billy who suffers from seizures and is mentally slow. She has a “special friend” Frank Kozak, who visits from the city. Nettie Sakura, has a daughter Anastasia (Nastia), a fragile, nervous child who is often sick and frequently stays home. Nastia is friends with Laura Martyn.

The girls, born in the new country are contemptuous of their mothers, always ready to test their supervision and their traditional values. They are determined to live their lives differently and take a much different path. They too are fascinated by the Taylor/Burton affair and dream of what their lives could be like with travel to exotic places and the adventures it would bring. Now on the cusp of adolescence they are obsessed with bosoms and training bras, anxious to explore their budding sexuality but somewhat bewildered by it. They spy on their mothers, hide to overhear their conversations and struggle to understand what it means. They sneak into their mothers’ bedrooms to read the books they know their mothers have hidden and sometimes, bored with the beach, they take small change from their parents to buy candy, steal from the local store, damage the pastries when no one is looking and generally create mischief.

The boys are all about proving themselves, pushing each other to the limits and claiming the coveted role of leading the other boys on risky adventures. It is all about bravado and proving themselves to their mates.

Some of these characters have a past history and many have secrets. As the story unfolds, there is also a strong sense that the group is doing its best to stay together, although with the strains of this particular summer, those bonds will be stretched to a breaking point. The novel moves between the events affecting the adults and the world of the children and in both those worlds, events will shatter the relative calm these families have experienced over the years.

The novel has a slow meandering pace, mimicking the atmosphere of the warm, lazy days of summer. There is a large cast of characters to keep track of which initially may prove a challenge but eventually sorts itself out. So although it has a slow start with a confusing cast of characters, if readers accept that it takes a while to get into, it proves well worth the wait, giving readers a description of a summer when the world of this close-knit community shifted, when a desire for change reached a boiling point, spilled over and changed everything.

[Samantha Isom · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's rare that I don't enjoy a book. It's also rare that I write reviews. This book was so slow. I didn't become engaged at all until halfway through, and even then I wasn't that engaged. A lot of characters to keep straight and the storyline goes all over the place. Plus the fact that the lending library is barely even mentioned in the entire book. Pretty much non-existent. A different title would have been more appropriate. By the end, I did find myself interested in some of the characters and wishing I could find out more about what happened to them. I wanted to quit about 30% of the way through but forced myself to finish.

[Adrienne Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every summer I pick up some cool Canadian fiction to counter the rising mercury. This practice has introduced me to some of my favorite books (Latitudes of Melt) and authors (Jane Urquhart).

This summer's selection just didn't stand up to the shimmering brilliance of previous Canadian authors.

The Ladies' Lending Library had too many dangling narratives and blind alleys to be satisfying. The rich atmosphere I anticipated was bland to the point of drab. The characters were (unintentionally) too similar to differentiate and wandered in and off stage randomly.

The story wanted to contain a coming of age story a la To Kill a Mockingbird, a Gatsby reprise in which a defeated Jay eventually wins the girl, a Ibsen-drawn wife fighting the oppression of her social role, and two different Holocaust narratives plus a bit of Sister Carrie. The book's multitude of directions and voices turned quickly to noise.

With some editorial guidance and careful decision-making, Kulyk Keefer might become an author to follow, but this book is simply to muddled to know.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book by accident at a second hand store. When I got home and saw that I had actually brought this book home I was a little annoyed as I thought it was going to be stupid and then when I saw that it only had 2.5 stars on GoodReads, I was really annoyed.

However, since it's the end of the year, and I had one more book to read to reach my goal of 50 book for the year, I decided to trudge through it as it would most likely be a quick read.

I couldn't put it down. I've decided that it's getting bad reviews because the title suggests that it's about a book club which it is not. It's about Ukrainian immigrants in the 60's that all have summer cottages in Ontario. It's a story about the pressures of being immigrants, trying to fit in, the hardships and rewards of parenting, the stress and pressure of marriage. About children growing up, learning tough lessons and stark realities. It's a story about love and loss, hopes and dreams and chasing after happiness. I was totally immersed in the lives of these characters.
I have given it 4 stars in hopes to boost it’s overall rating. I would give 3.5 if I could. I would definitely read more books by this author.

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

We picked this book as our final book club read before the summer break. From the title and the synopsis, we believed this was about a book club at a lake during summer holidays - Perfect.
So, as many reviewers have already stated, this story has nothing to do with reading or discussing books.
However, I did enjoy the story of a group of first generation Ukrainian Canadians in the summer of 1963. It seemed a quiet story, everyone keeping up appearances, adults and children enjoying the beach and the lake. But, just like in real life, nothing is ever as it seems. Behind closed doors secrets lurk, and even though one particular secret was hinted at, I completely missed those hints until that secret was revealed.
I loved how Sonia supported her brother, even knowing the chaos and heartbreak it would cause,telling him "Take your happiness Peter - don't just keep reaching out for it - take it."

[Tracie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Truthfully, I picked this book up because of its' seeming affiliation with a book club--I'm a fan! However, it was simply classic, kitschy beach reading with the usual angst, gin, and adultery. The best part of the book was this internal quote from Sasha, the only true reader of the bunch.

"Sasha tells herself that the only heaven she wants to get to is a heaven that’s a library, with endless shelves of all the books she’s never read but always meant to or never had the time or chance to discover. A library where all the chairs are filled with other people reading as intently as you are, all of them having a conversation together, talking through their eyes and the ink on the page and worlds spilling out of words, as many worlds as there are words in every language under the sun—and the stars, as well, for good measure.”

And to this, I say, Amen!

[Connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This sounded like my kind of book--set in 1963, group of women who summer at the lake (a Canadian Great Lake, I assume). They are all somewhat dissatisfied with their situations in life--ho hum life as mothers and wifes. They form a book club and begin chatting about some somewhat "naughty" books that they have been passing around...and that is where I just got bored. I can't figure out what they are reading about, since the author isn't really sharing much about this 1/3 into the book. They all have opinions about a teenage girl who is assisting one of the mothers over the summer--suspect she may end up being a tempation to their husbands, but the husbands are seldom around,so hard to understand their worries. Sounded like a perfect summer read, but I couldn't get into it....may give it another try later.

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This would have been a great book if the author didn't spend so time describing every little detail. She would spend a page or two just describing things in too much detail.

But I kept reading because I thought it would get better. The title did not fit the story. Sure the summer cottage neighbors got together to discuss and share books, but only two times that I can recall and it seemed those discussions were skipped over and the author again described too much detail about things that had nothing to do with the book discussions.

It was overboard so much that made each character a bit boring.

I feel if you take out all the unnecessary descriptions, the actual story would be about 30 pages long. I would have loved more about the actual summer of the moms, their kids and what was happening on a day to day basis.

Was a great idea, but this author failed :(

[Glynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

so far a rather boggling cast of characters. I'm kind of liking the well-packed prose. (by p. 30)

(later).I'm liking this a LOT. The flow-y prose reminds me a bit of To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. (by p. 77)

(having finished) I really read this one a tiny bit at a time, and it was suited well for that. It certainly took me to the time and place.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

for my friends who are reading high-minded stuff, my apologies - I'm in summer reading mode. This is perfect reading for lifeguarding duty - not so absorbing that I can't look up every 45 secs. or so to check on the kids, but well written, with interesting characters.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had hopes for this book. The Ukranian/Canadian culture aspects were interesting but the characters were less than compelling. The ladies library of the title consisted of discussions of the Taylor/Burton affair and a few allusions to semi dirty books.

[Margaret · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book because of the title. It wasn't what I thought. There were too many characters and it focused more on the kids than the ladies and their books. I didn't finish it.

[Lucille · Rating 2 out of 5]

Title misleading..story focused more on the teenage characters in the book...the author had a reason for this but I was disappointed...wanted to know more about the adult women lending the books

[Felicia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blech! The best thing about this book was the cover photo. I couldn't get more than 1/4 the way through it, before abandoning it.

[Martha Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I initially found the book a little slow; but, the more I read the more I got to it. I ended up really this book.

[Vka129 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Painfully dull - Kept waiting for a plot to reveal itself, and then it just ended.

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review to come

[Debbie Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A step back in time to the summer of 1963..."The Ladies' Lending Library" depicts the often mundane lives of six or seven stay-at-home moms and the challenges these first generation Ukrainian-Canadians faced on a daily basis.

For example, "And then, without taking another step, she crosses the line the ladies have drawn so carefully around their reading and gossip and the lives they lead from day to day in the confines of Kalyna Beach." (p. 74)

Initially it appears that nothing is happening, but the author Kulyk Keeler cleverly weaves in past and present secrets. Her depiction of the immigrant experience is authentic.

"Sonia has always been frightened...the way all of us who weren't born here are frightened - that we could be picked up and shipped back, without so much as a word of warning." (p. 34)

For those who love the richness of foreign language, poetic expressions, and literary devices, there are plenty of layers to study and analyze.

I especially marvelled at the author's descriptions. Visualize this character: she "has vinegar in her veins and stuffs her bra with leftover communion" (p. 2) or this character, her "voice is like the reek of an opened bottle of nail polish." (p. 41) Visualize this setting: "Outside, the air is misty, as if someone's poured cream into the sky, though the sun's already scraping at the edges." (p. 10)

I also enjoyed the thread of Ukrainian words woven into the conversations and the use of the Cleopatra motif.

What I struggled with was the long list of characters. I had to write notes to keep all the family members straight in my head and even then I sometimes got confused. Many of the characters had nicknames, maiden names, Ukrainian names, and English names. The characters' family trees printed as a table at the end of the book would have been appreciated. Even having a map to illustrate the locations of all of the cottages would have been helpful.

Also, at times, some of the characters felt one-sided and flat without having enough space to fully develop. And perhaps that is what the author had intended to reinforce: for many of the characters, their lives were indeed flat, stereotypical, and foreign especially for those readers unfamiliar with the culture of the 1960s.

Overall, a breezy yet thought-provoking novel set in a fictional summer cottage area. I will definitely read more of Kulyk Keefer's work as Canadian books with Ukrainian characters seem to be in short supply.