What does the novel's title mean to you? How do you think it speaks to the other characters in the novel?

What does the novel's title mean to you? How do you think it speaks to the other characters in the novel?

So many of the characters were trying to get things that, with their traditional values and upbringing, they thought they should keep, but when they opened their mind to new possibilities, found they could capture new ideas and people (Cait: solid Scotch burger vs. Parisian engineer; Emile's mother: son in family business vs. son in profession of the future; Alice: con men and seducers vs. solid husband material).

For me, the title means life is fleeting, nothing stays the same, even that which we think we cannot lose--family, spouses, children--and yet, we don't want change--it frightens us--the future is exciting but scary at the same time. But, no matter how hard we try--we can't make time stand still--our children grow up, we grow old, social attitudes change, technology makes things totally unfamiliar and difficult to maneuver, people and pets die, the seasons turn--capture them while they are here, we cannot keep them. If the characters are living human beings, all of this holds true for them, too. Didn't it?

Alice sure wanted that Duke--got him--didn't keep him--just one example.

Time, love, knowledge are all changing. We grow, we learn, we love, we change time continues. We try to hold on to all of these. We yearn to keep "time in a bottle". Though nothing is truly permanent we still try. Message - enjoy now.

I agree with Katherine - Alice wanted Duke - got him - he left - found he wasn't worth it.

Cait afraid of change, life meets Emile - they change each other - did capture the uncatchable.

To Capture What We Cannot Keep is a beautifully written story with rich characters, an interesting storyline and, of course, outstanding scenery. Cait and Emile captured a new way of looking at their lives. Cait changed radically, considering her place in society as a middle class widow, by the end of the book; Emile did "capture" the freedom to look at his love for Cait in a different light and follow her to West Africa.

To Capture What We Cannot Keep makes me think of photographs. Photography was relatively new at the time, and was a somewhat complicated process. It was a "big deal". It could capture a moment of emotion: fun, sadness, adventure, love that one could relive, it in a manner of speaking; but could not really relive the actual moment or keep the people in the photo with you.

Thank you, pamelah, for mentioning photographs. It reminded me of the photo that Émile took of Cait when they were in the balloon. And suddenly I felt less optimistic about the novel’s ending. I’m not so certain that Cait and Émile lived happily ever after. It’s interesting point of view that hadn’t occurred to me before. That the title actually reveals how the story plays out after the last page.