Mon dieu! Former Republican legislator discovers philistines have infiltrated New Canaan. Where, oh where, are the houses with libraries?
Friends, dark times have descended on lower Fairfield County. Former state Representative Gail Lavielle (R-Versailles) announced Thursday in a rare Facebook post that her move to New Canaan from Wilton has been marred by the discovery that her new town’s stately homes include no libraries.
The Texas native and dual American and French citizen decried having to put bookshelves up in her new house. “I am not very pleased by this,” Lavielle moans. Adding to her burdens, “The painters are STILL here, but that will soon be over.”
It gets worse, Lavielle and her husband Jean-Pierre own two houses, their new one in New Canaan and they one they left in Wilton. This is July, so property taxes are due on both homes. Such troubles.
The former public relations professional has taken the measure of her neighbors and found them wanting. That lack of libraries has driven Lavielle to an inescapable conclusion. “I seriously don’t think people here read.”
Not to be disputatious but this may be an ill-considered pronouncement by Lavielle. You would think a town that spends $25,000 a year per public school pupil and boasts a 98% graduation rate would boast some readers within its boundaries. The town library’s summer writing program for children must be a trial for the instructors explaining a sentence to the les miserables moppets. No Proust for them.
National treasure Fran Lebowitz is said to have long owned a home in New Canaan. She not only writes but also reads books. The social commentator has spoken at amusing length about the expense she bears to move her beloved books.
New Canaanites, wonderful discoveries are daily features at your local library. Here’s how a library was celebrated on Broadway. (Broadway is busy area on the West Side of Manhattan that is home to dozens of theaters where eight times a week productions of all sorts delight audiences.) Jane Karkowski explains in less that two minutes.
Won’t someone in the tony town invite Lavielle into their book club? She would no doubt be an unforgettable addition.
Published July 20, 2023.