by Katherine Winton (’25) and Smriti Vijay (’25)

On the Same Page is a collaboration with Saint Francis’s Book Club. For each issue, we will write a review of Book Club’s book of the month and ask Book Club members for their opinions on the book. Here, we will spark a much-needed discussion between book lovers on the good, bad, and problematic aspects of books.

On the Same Page: feminism and dystopia in The Handmaid’s Tale

by Smriti Vijay (’25) and Katherine Winton (’25) | March 31, 2023 The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood holds a significant place in literature as a feminist criticism. The widely acclaimed novel resides in the genres of dystopia, science fiction, fantasy, and feminist literature, chronicling the fictional takeover of the United States by the Republic…

On the Same Page: depth, detail, and emotion in “Before the Coffee Gets Cold”

by Katherine Winton (’25) and Smriti Vijay (’25) | March 10, 2023 Traditionally, novels involving time travel exist squarely in the science fiction genre. The general premise of these stories consists of someone or something changing history, and a subsequent rushed sequence of problems that the main character races to remedy before time is altered…

Did we “fall in love with hope”? Signs point to no.

by Smriti Vijay (’25) and Katherine Winton (’25) | February 3, 2023 The world of literature has undoubtedly been altered by the rise of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, influencing the reading choices of a new generation of young readers belonging to virtual subcommunities like “BookTok.”  I Fell in Love with Hope, a…

On the Same Page: description and dread in “Bunny”

by Katherine Winton (’25) and Smriti Vijay (’25) | November 18, 2022 In light of Halloween, Saint Francis’s Book Club picked Bunny by Mona Awad to read and discuss in October. Bunny is narrated by college student Samantha Mackey, who believes herself to be the classic outsider amidst her fellow classmates. These classmates are a…

On the Same Page: retellings and tragedy in “Song of Achilles”

by Katherine Winton (’25) and Smriti Vijay (’25) | October 7, 2022 This month, Saint Francis’s Book Club chose to read Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, which follows Patroclus, a young prince in Ancient Greece. Exiled from his kingdom after causing the death of another boy, he meets a handsome demigod prince named Achilles.…