Ellsworth has been so hot, busy and crowded this week, I wouldn’t mind escaping to the solitude of Gone-Away Lake–the fictional secluded village in Elizabeth Enright’s classic book. Gone-Away Lake is the story of two cousins who only get to see each other during the summer. The book takes place in the late 1950s and recounts Julian and Portia’s carefree months exploring the woods and catching rare butterflies. Their summer changes when they stumble across the abandoned village of Gone-Away Lake. It’s not completely abandoned because there are two people still living there “in hermitude” as one character put it. The children form a bond with these older, grandparent-like figures and discover the history behind Gone-Away Lake.
We discussed what it would be like to live at Gone-Away. What would it be like to live with only one other person for company (and a bunch of chickens and goats)? What would we miss the most about living in society?
Some book club members said they would appreciate the quiet atmosphere. Most would miss technology (especially video games).
We ate our snack (“homemade bread”-from the bakery at Hannaford with homemade raspberry jam and watermelon) and played Uno. The older couple in the book plays cribbage to pass the time, but I didn’t have enough time to teach the kids how to play. Uno was fun although I forgot what a long game it can be!
In closing, I just wanted to mention that Maine St. Andrews did a wonderful job last night at the library. Here’s a picture of Kate (one of our Reading Pros!) playing alongside her mom, Susan.
The Lupine Librarian 