The next Book Group meeting will take place on May 13, 2026, from 6:30 to 9:00 PM on Elaine Heller’s backyard patio and by Zoom. Back again in our rotation is a Non-Fiction pick; this time it’s the New York Times bestseller Thunderstruck, by Erik Larson.
Set in Edwardian London and on the stormy coasts of Cornwall, Cape Cod, and Nova Scotia, Thunderstruck evokes the dynamism of those years when great shipping companies competed to build the biggest, fastest ocean liners, scientific advances dazzled the public with visions of a world transformed, and the rich outdid one another with ostentatious displays of wealth. Against this background, Marconi races against incredible odds and relentless skepticism to perfect his invention: wireless communication, a prime catalyst for the emergence of the world we know today. Meanwhile, Crippen, “the kindest of men,” nearly commits the perfect crime.
With his superb narrative skills, Erik Larson guides these parallel narratives toward a relentlessly suspenseful meeting on the waters of the North Atlantic. Along the way, he tells of a sad and tragic love affair that was described on the front pages of newspapers around the world, a chief inspector who found himself strangely sympathetic to the killer and his lover, and a driven and compelling innovator who transformed the way we communicate.
Thunderstruck presents a vibrant portrait of the era of séances, science, and fog, inhabited by inventors, magicians, and Scotland Yard detectives, all presided over by the amiable and fun-loving Edward VII as the world slid inevitably toward the first great war of the twentieth century.
The Washington Post: An “irresistible” true story of love, murder, and the last moments of the “great hush” before wireless radio connected the world, from the renowned author of The Devil in the White City and The Demon of Unrest.
Chicago Tribune: “Of all the non-fiction writers working today, Erik Larson seems to have the most delicious fun. . . . For Thunderstruck, Larson has turned his sights on Edwardian London, a place alive with new science and seances, anonymous crowds and some stunningly peculiar personalities.”
If you are interested in participating in or learning more about the Book Group, contact Anna Flora, Elaine Heller, Norm Langseth or John Campbell. The Zoom link will be published about a week ahead of the meeting.
