Very many thanks for last night’s marathon – and indeed for the last few months guidance through the intricacies and bewilderment of Ulysses. I know I would never have undertaken the journey by myself and your company and constant enthusiasm and insights (as well as those of the rest of my fellow ‘trekkers’) made the journey, which would have been unbearably lonely, not exactly easy but certainly worth continuing!
I cannot fathom that we are done. I think I will need to reread this final section to get a fuller appreciation; I need to check my own expectations at the door and let the language and the rhythm wash over me fully. …And it goes without saying a hundred thank yous to you for all that you do. I cannot tell you what it means to me being a part of the salon…
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I never would have read Ulysses but am very glad that I have. It was frustrating, moving, enigmatic, and uplifting — and that was just the first page. It — and the salon — were also a gift for me this year. Life has been challenging, to say the least, and the Salon was a pocket of time when everything else went away. It was a rare moment in which I was truly immersed in the here and now. And that doesn’t seem to happen much these days. You led the group with a deft hand — guiding but never directing. It’s a rare gift and one that you have in spades.
My experience of the Ulysses sessions is very positive. I would not have got this from reading it alone. (I had already tried and given up.) I appreciated the small size of the group and felt comfortable with the other members. We were all focused, it seemed to me, in much the same way, even if our views often differed – which, of course, was what was so challenging and stimulating. You, Toby, created a supportive environment for ideas to be exchanged and developed – it was a creative time, and I would often leave your house with a feeling of elation.
I liked the structure of the sessions. Fees? At first it seemed a lot to pay out – considering how many sessions there would be – but now I think that it was worth every penny!
What matters is that I have read, and hugely enjoyed reading, Ulysses. And I look forward to reading it again …
The Salon is a place for the meeting of minds- to connect, to agree and disagree and to use books as a means through which to ponder the various aspects of human existence and experience in all of its messy glory.
It’s the cornerstone of my intellectual world and it’s terrific fun as well!
