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The retired teacher at my Tuesday book club who said my favorite novel was 'just fine'
At our Tuesday night meeting at the Bend library, a retired English teacher named Harold listened to me go on for ten minutes about why East of Eden was a masterpiece, and when I finished he just said, 'It's fine, but fine isn't the same as good.' I sat there a little stunned while everyone else nodded along like he'd said something wise. Later he explained that he'd read it three times over thirty years and each time it felt thinner, while the books that stayed with him were messier and less perfect. Now I keep wondering if the books I love most are just the ones I read at the right age, and whether that makes the love less real. Has anyone else had a book club member completely deflate a favorite of yours with one quiet sentence?
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