Rendezvous in Black

Rendezvous in Black by Cornell Woolrich

Location: Lucky's Lounge in Boston
Date: July 2, 2007

After a bit of a delay due to the passing of Wendy’s grandmother, we finally got to meet at Lucky’s Lounge (Jen, we reminisced fondly about your party there!) to discuss Rendezvous in Black—where else BUT Lucky’s would you want to meet to discuss a dark, noir murder mystery that explores what might happen when a man’s heart is completely shattered…

The reviews were mixed. Let’s start with the strongest. Beth Hated it (definitely w/ a capital H, perhaps requiring all caps). In fact, she declared that it was the most despised book ever! Ouch! Sorry Beth! You know that my Catholic Guilt Complex feels very badly about that! She thought it was completely misogynistic, what with the hunting down and killing of innocent women. I admitted that at times I was rooting for the killer, at which point Beth declared, “What is wrong with you?!” Hopefully this won’t have a lasting negative effect on our friendship!

On a more positive note, everyone else seemed to enjoy it on some level, though Donna, Manda, Rachel, and Cynthia all commented on the clunkiness/cheesiness/hackiness/corniness of the writing. I thought it was very much in the style of much of the noir detective stories of the time – which I love – which is admittedly a bit of an acquired taste. Anne thought it got better as it went along, though the ending was anticlimactic. In contrast, Donna actually liked it better at the beginning. Finally, Paula did not read it—she thought it would be too dark for her and she is staying focused on happy, positive thoughts.

Other talk included some updates from Anne about her neighbors, including the infamous Danielle. There was also some interesting talk about a new show called, "Confessions of a Matchmaker," which is—you guessed it—about a straight-talking matchmaker. Ah, new things to add to my cable-watching repertoire! And Donna shared her lovely photos from her vacation in paradise...beautiful!

Before we adjourned, Book Club experienced a first: Cynthia gave us a choice about our next book selection. Beth happened to already be reading Omnivore’s Dilemma and said that it was changing her life…high praise! OD won out in a 5/8 vote, with Donna abstaining from casting her vote because she was unable to make an informed decision.

As for Lucky’s, we had some tasty treats: lots of shared entrees, yummy appetizers, and some not-so-mini mini-burgers. We also sampled their very tasty cocktails (I was feeling more than a little buzzed from my one) and there were rumors…unconfirmed…that Rachel had five, count ‘em, 5!! Since our meeting was on the eve of a holiday (July 3), there was even talk of moving the party to another watering hole. Book Club gone wild! Perhaps if Wendy – Book Club’s newest convert to the drink – hadn’t had to rush home to meet with her neighbors about her porch rebuilding project, this plan might have come to fruition. Alas, after Lucky’s, everyone went their separate ways...at least that's what they told me...

~Wendy