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Do you want to try new authors and get more out of your reading? Come and join our friendly group to discuss our book of the month. You don't have to be an intellectual, just be willing to share your opinions, good or bad. Meeting dates and book list for the coming year. More details about the next meeting. Reviewed: January 2012 ‘Room’ by Emma Donoghue    TopEasy to read: An easy style but difficult subject matter. (Abduction and abuse). Content / style: A disturbing subject made less harrowing by being told through the voice of a 5 year old. Thought provoking: Plausible plot and characters’ reactions. Book Club Discussion: Lead to an interesting discussion of other high profile cases and the medias effect. Like / Dislike: An equaly mixed response. Recommend: Half of us would recommend the book but with caution to the subject matter. Reviewed: December 2011 Sarah's Key' by Tatiana de Rosnay TopEasy to read: Nicely written, a quick read, short chapters flit between World War II and modern day Content / style:: Chick lit meets Holocaust, serious topic but not heavy Thought provoking: Gripping story of the Jewish round-up in Paris during World War II Good Book Club Discussion: No arguments but great World War II discussion Like / Dislike: We all loved it Recommend: Yes Reviewed: November 2011 ‘Life and Death in Shanghai’ by Nien Cheng TopAs we met to discuss this book we learned that the author had passed away at the age of 94 on the 2nd November in the United States where she had become a citizen. Her story is of her life in Shanghai during the cultural revolution when she was attacked by the red guards for her privileged background and accused of being an enemy of the state. What followed was years of imprisonment and torture which she managed to endure with incredible strength of character. This book provoked mixed reactions some describing the book as being devoid of emotion and not gripping while others enjoyed the personal account of this devasating period of history in the city in which we live. With a range of scores from 2.5 to 4 the average score was 3.5. Reviewed: October 2011 ‘We need to talk about Kevin’ by Lionel Shriver TopThis story is told in the form of letters written by Eva to her absent husband Franklin and the subject is their teenage son Kevin. Through the course of the letters we discover that she is no longer living with Franklin and that Kevin did something very bad “that Thursday”. The book asks questions such as, “was Eva responsible for her son‟s actions”? If she had been a better mother would the deaths have been prevented? This book has engendered a lot of discussion in book clubs around the world and even a fight in one club! Thankfully we had no fights but a very interesting discussion and exchange of ideas. One of the main reasons being that the subject covers an area not widely discussed, i.e., that some mothers are not maternal. There were flaws in the plot possibly caused by the author‟s lack of personal experience as a mother but it was none the less a gripping read. We concluded that although there were significant errors of judgement in Eva‟s handling of Kevin, his personality was such that his actions were inevitable. Reviewed: September 2011 ‘Atlas Shrugged’ by Ayn Rand Top“Who is John Galt?” A question frequently asked by characters in the book as a means of expressing their feelings of futility. After reading all 1168 pages of this huge novel we come to learn who John Galt is and what is his purpose. Published in 1957, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rands fourth and last novel. The book is set in a United States which is in the process of economic collapse. Dagney Taggart, the main character, struggles to keep her family’s railroad business running as the government introduce increasingly restrictive controls. But mysteriously other successful industrialists and artists disappear from society following visits from a stranger Dagny nickames “the destroyer”. Through the vehicle of this vast novel, Ayn Rand informs us of her philosophy “Objectivism”. “My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute”. We discussed many aspects of this complex book. The target audience, we felt was predominantly male but that the actual audience was probably mostly female. One of the flaws of the the book we thought was that although the main character was female, she was virtually alone in a book full of white, male, adult characters. In presenting a view of a future society the author fails to show where children, the future members of society, and vulnerable members of society fit in. While some of us thought there was some merit in her philosophy which celebrates creative individualism and drive, we all thought that it was expressed in an extreme way. Characters were either of the highest moral standards or the lowest, heroes or villans. We also did not agree with her view that those individuals following this way of living would be inherently “moral”. Some expressed the view that this was an anti communist thesis pretending to be a novel. Ayn Rand may not have everyone agreeing with her philosophy but it certainly has provoked lively debate over the last 54 years. Finally many thanks to Claire Lechatelier of A Pleines Mains who invited us to hold our meeting at their second hand book store. They have a small but cheap selection of English and French books and the proceeds go towards a number of charities. http://apleinesmains.e-monsite.com/ Reviewed: June 2011 ‘Love in a Headscarf’ by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed TopThis is the story of a British Muslim woman‟s journey to find "The One" “At the age of thirteen I knew I was destined to marry John Travolta. One day he would arrive on my North London doorstep, fall madly in love with me, and ask me to marry him. Then he would convert to Islam and become a devoted Muslim.” The book chronicles not only Shelina‟s, at times somewhat amusing dating escapades over a ten year period, but also the rites of passage she undertakes to find out who she really is, negotiating between her faith, culture and upbringing to establish how she fits as a Muslim woman into today‟s modern world. “The different cultures, histories, religions and heritages of being a British Muslim woman had made me who I was. Those different strands were not burdens, but instead gave me a unique perspective so that I could see things from many different angles. I could bring together my cultures, my faith and the clear vision that Islam offered to start building a more hopeful future.” This book engendered a lively discussion on our perceptions, as a group of western women with differing religious beliefs, of Muslim women and the wearing of the hijab, something Shelina does with pride and passion. Although her narrative, to a certain degree, gave an enlightening and entertaining view into life behind the veil, we felt that Shelina did not endear herself to the reader. Her often self-aggrandising account alienated us and led to a lack of sympathy and empathy for her situation, which is why we gave the book a rather disappointing score. Reviewed: May 2011 ‘How to talk to a widower’ by Jonathan Tropper TopThe story is about Doug. His wife Hailey has died in a plane accident. Hailey had a son, Rus, from a previous relationship. Rus is a teenager who is constantly in trouble and needs a father figure. His birth father is remarried and Rus doesn't like his stepmother. He prefers to live with Doug, who technically is his stepfather. There was a big age difference between Doug and Hailey, she was 17 years his senior. They had an idealized relationship. Doug cannot pull himself together after Hailey's death. the book is about grief and loss in life for all the characters. The story is more a sitcom drama, lightweight, enjoyable to read and possibly written with a screen adaptation in mind. We thought it was a good subject, but the author also tried to bring in humor and a dysfunctional family, in our view he was not very successful at doing so. Doug, the main character, seemed a little imbalanced in his personal development. Attitude should matter, not looks as far as the age difference between the two main characters goes, but Doug seemed a little pre-occupied with his wife's looks. Doug seems able to analyze his feelings but unable to address them. He worked as a freelance writer and became hugely successfull when writing about his grief. Writing as therapy: does it work? For him it does. We had a surprisingly good discussion about the issues raised in this book. It is a nice holiday read. Reviewed: April 2011 ‘The Piano Teacher’ by Janice Y K Lee TopA fictional narrative of two love affairs set in mid-20th century Hong Kong. The story illustrates colonial pretences besmirched by the realities of life during wartime occupation. Will Truesdale, a ‘handsome bachelor’ newly arrived in Hong Kong from Britain in 1941 becomes rather quickly enamoured and impassioned by Trudy Liang the alluring, seductive Eurasian daughter of a Chinese millionaire. They spend their time enjoying the self-indulgent lifestyle of the wealthy expats. However, once the Japanese invade, Will along with other expats, is interned and Trudy spirals downwards into immorality in order to survive. Ten years later, Claire Pendleton, the ingenuous and somewhat immature wife of a British engineer disembarks. She begins giving piano lessons to the daughter of a rich Chinese couple which leads to a heady affair with their driver, the enigmatic and scarred Will Truesdale. The past and the present are juxtaposed and entwined alongside a mystery of missing artefacts to reach the somewhat anticlimactic conclusion. We felt this was undoubtedly a cinematic tale recounting the aftermath of decisions that have been made under duress and the issues of morality that arise as a consequence. However, as Lee herself states ‘With this book I really started with the characters… and that’s really where the story came from.’ Unfortunately, we considered that this has led to a rather weak ending and a plot that at times has confusing inferences. Certainly, the question of morality prevalent throughout the narrative led to an interesting discussion on survival in times of war, what we would be prepared to do, how far would we go? However, the slightly disappointing score of 3 appears to indicate that although Lee’s characters had depth, the lack of a sympathetic protagonist and an unsatisfactory conclusion inevitably leaves the reader dissatisfied. Reviewed: March 2011 ‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’ by Haruki Murakami TopImagine the tale of a hero who loses his fair maiden and then, guided by a series of mystical characters, completes a set of obscure tasks on an epic quest to win her back. It’s fairly standard fantasy novel fodder isn’t it? But now imagine that the tale is set in the urban alienation of 1980’s Tokyo and the hero goes no further than the local dry cleaners to get his girl back. How on earth can those elements be combined into a satisfactory read? Well you’ll find the answer if you make your way through all 600 pages of ‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’ by Haruki Murakami; the complex, confounding and thought-provoking novel that the book club tackled this month. From the very beginning the book skilfully plays with the reader’s expectation of what the story will be. The main character, Toru Okada, is passive, unemotional and directionless, so why should we care that his wife has left him? The skill of the book is that we do come to care as Toru finds his way towards his wife by listening to the stories of the unusual people that he meets. The stories, which often centre on the Japanese occupation of China during WW2 are disturbing, but bring pace and direction to the narrative. This is not a conventional novel and it takes time, patience and persistence to get through it. But most of us agreed that it is a worthwhile read and a great book to discuss with other people. We would recommend it to people who enjoy a challenging and unusual read. ‘Wolf Hall’ by Hilary Mantel TopThis month we were reading ‘Wolf Hall’ the Man Booker prize winner for 2009. This is the story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn told from the viewpoint of Thomas Cromwell. Thomas was the son of a London blacksmith who ran away from his abusive father to become a mercenary in Italy before being employed by a powerful Venetian merchant banking family. On returning to England he worked for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Chief Minister to Henry VIII. Thomas Cromwell is best known in English history for his role in presiding over the dissolution of the monasteries. History buffs will love this book for great detail it gives of life in Tudor times. The author does a great job of making a famously vilified man seem very human and indeed a loving and inspirational man. However we all had a real problem with the prose style which is written in a confusing mixture of the first and third person. This and the large cast of characters were responsible for some of us giving up before the end. Reviewed: February 2011 ‘The Vagrants’ by Li Yiyun TopThe story begins when the residents of Muddy River gather early one day in 1979 to witness the execution of former Red Guard and convicted counter-revolutionary Gu Shan. As the crowds drift away from the criticism ceremony, we follow a disparate group of characters with loosely interwoven lives, whose actions create a situation that ultimately brings the entire village to its knees. All of the characters that we follow are looking for a better life, and their pursuit of this goal has tragic consequences. Part of the tragedy is that many of their desires are simple; enough food to eat, a kiss from a girl or respect from other villagers. But, in a time when how you conduct your personal life could be seen as a political act, the characters find that the authorities are not as ready for change, justice or freedom as they are. Our book group all agreed that this was a powerful and disturbing novel, beautifully written and full of well-drawn and interesting characters. It is packed with details that stun and appall the reader, and have the ring of truth that comes from the writer living through a similar experience. Unfortunately, it was a bad choice for reading over the festive season, partly because it is a novel that deserves to be read with close attention and partly because it is a very gritty tale. Even so, we would recommend it to others to read - just be prepared for a very unhappy ending. Reviewed: January 2011 ‘Oranges are not the only fruit’ by Jeanette Winterson TopJeanette Winterson’s semi-autobiographical tale of growing up in a close-knit and fanatical religious community in 1960s Lancashire. Few books have provoked as much discussion of what the book was actually about among our group of avid readers as this one achieved. The book tells the story of Jeanette, a clever, imaginative and devout young girl who wants to be a preacher in her adoptive mother’s church. But as she grows up Jeanette finds herself cast out of the church by her monstrous mother and other congregation members, who deplore her lesbian sexuality more than they admire her religious zeal. The story of Jeanette’s childhood is vividly written and bounces along comically as Jeanette learns that her intense religiosity sets her apart from other children. But as Jeanette outgrows her mother’s influence the narrative becomes interspersed with tracts of fairytales and a quest for the Holy Grail. Although Winterson claims that they will make the reader think deep thoughts about fiction, truth and the author’s motive for writing, the fairytale elements confused most of our readers and reduced our enjoyment of the novel. Readers who’ve never experienced provincial English life did not find the book humorous but others found it very wry. We praised its spirited portrayal of religious bigotry and debated quite heatedly whether it was a tale of serious child abuse or an over-exaggerated and yet nostalgic account of a difficult upbringing. Overall British members of our group found more to enjoy than our North American cousins. Reviewed: September 2010 ‘Not My Daughter’ by Barbara Delinsky Top‘Not my daughter’ provoked a lively debate at this month’s book club meeting. The novel charts the lives of four women who discover that their daughters have entered into a pact to get pregnant while still in high school. The impact of this irresponsible act is particularly strong on Susan, Principal of the local school, who was also a single mother at the age of 17. Her success encourages the girls to believe that they ‘can have it all’, without a thought for the effect it will have on the lives of their parents and siblings. As the pregnancies progress, Susan finds herself fighting for her job as she fights to come to terms with the girl’s decisions. Despite its compelling premise this book provoked groans of frustration at how the author, Barbara Delinsky, introduced interesting moral dilemmas to her tale of small town American life, but failed to explore any to their full potential. Themes of personal and parental responsibility, small town conservatism, bigotry, teenage naivety and personal sacrifice were thrown into the pot, jiggled about to bit to engage the reader’s interest and ire, and then jettisoned in favour of a completely unbelievable fairytale ending. Some readers went easy on the poor writing style and characterisation because the novel was so thought provoking and led to a good discussion – once again revealing the subtle cultural differences of our mixed nationality book group. However we agreed that the book was a disappointing read. Reviewed: July 2010 ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows TopThis thought-provoking novel was a great example of why joining a book club expands your reading horizons – we unanimously agreed that its title was so stupid that we wouldn’t normally give it a second look! Luckily its inclusion on our reading list introduced us to a charming cast of eccentric island folk, as well as the more shocking subject of the German occupation of Guernsey during World War 2. Our lively discussion explored many of the book’s minor faults, such as the odd literary device employed to get London gal-about-town Juliet to Guernsey in the first place, the believability of the two major love stories and the fact that all the islanders are so wilfully whimsical that they stretch credibility. The uneven tone and shoehorning in of too many issues came in for criticism and led us to wonder how brilliant this book could have been if its author hadn’t died while it was being edited. We admired the way that the author had turned potentially dismal material into a sprightly and uplifting read. There’s no doubt that the tales of the hardships encountered by islanders and occupiers opened most of our eyes to a new aspect of the war in Europe and made many of us eager to learn more. We enjoyed the snappy pace created by the novel being written as a series of letters, which also made it very easy to read. Overall we were glad to have read this book. We also agreed that it was a little bit sad that it wasn’t longer. Reviewed: June 2010 ‘The Shadow of the Wind’ by Carlos Ruiz Zafon TopThis month‟s book failed to live up to its early promise. This gothic tale of obsessive love and revenge in post-civil war Spain starts promisingly when Barcelonan schoolboy, Daniel, begins researching the mysterious life of Julian Carax, the author of a wonderful book he discovers in the creepy „Cemetery of Lost Books‟. Daniel tries to uncover who is burning all of Carax‟s books, but soon finds himself threatened by a hideously scarred stranger and an evil secret policeman. We enjoyed some of the colourful characters and village atmosphere of the book, but felt that its mix of supernatural thriller, coming-of age drama and unrequited love epic was too overblown to provide a great read. Reviewed: May 2010 ‘Aberystwyth Mon Amour’ by Malcolm Pryce TopThis book is a black comedy written in the style of a Raymond Chandler detective story but set in the Welsh town of Aberystwyth. Throughout the town schoolboys are disappearing without trace and Louie Knight, the town’s only private detective, is visited by a femme fatale, Myfanwy Mortez, who asks for his help. It soon becomes clear that the Aberystwyth in this book is not the mundane seaside town some of us may have visited as children but exists in a sort of parallel universe where the town is run by a mafia like group of Druids who wear sharp suits from Swansea and aviator shades. The book is filled with odd characters such as Herod Jenkins, the evil games master and is Mrs Llantrisant really just a nosy cleaner with an obsession with the weather? The group found this a very quirky book and some of the references were unfamiliar to the non-Brits amongst us. We agreed that the wit was very British and might not be appreciated by everyone. Reviewed: April 2010 ‘The Book Thief’ by Markus Zusak TopThis month the book club discussed a book in which a tragic tale is played out against a backdrop of dangerous and repressive societies. In The Book Thief we followed the adventures of feisty orphan Liesel, growing up with a foster family in war-ridden Germany and coping with the strain of falling bombs, starvation, learning to read and hiding a Jewish refugee in her cellar. Artfully written to appeal to a young audience, the book, which is compassionately narrated by Death himself, explores the way that ordinary Germans were charmed, intimidated, persecuted and starved into standing by, while the worst excesses of the Holocaust went on around them. The book club enjoyed the different perspective on the war presented by this horrific and sorrowful tale. Reviewed: February 2010 ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ by Stieg Larsson TopThis month the book club enjoyed the international publishing phenomenon ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’, the first book of a trilogy by Swedish author Stieg Larsson. It follows the adventures of disgraced publisher Mikael Blomkvist as he embarks on a private assignment to uncover the facts behind the disappearance of teenager Harriet Vanger, many years before. Despite a slow start, its vast cast of confusingly named characters and a heavy emphasis on the process of investigative journalism, we found it a bit of a page-turner. The themes of the book gave us plenty to talk about – violence against women, cyber-crime and whether there is such a thing as a ‘national character’, particularly one that is discernable from the way that the characters in a book behave. We thought Larsson sometimes got bogged down in domestic detail and had been a bit clumsy with some of his (pickled) red herrings – particularly by overwriting some very minor characters and leaving a plethora of loose ends. The book’s real strength, and the reason that many of us plan to read the whole trilogy, is the character Lisbeth Salander, a talented but deeply troubled young woman who becomes involved in Mikael’s investigation. This highly original character and her complicated relationships kept us gripped until the pleasingly understated climax of the novel. Finding much to enjoy in this convoluted tale of family secrets and financial crime, we gave this book a mark of 4 out of 5. Reviewed: January 2010 ‘The Thirteenth Tale’ by Diane Setterfield TopThe first book club meeting of 2010 discussed “The Thirteenth Tale”. This book introduces us to Margaret Lee. Margaret works in her father’s antiquarian bookshop where her fascination for the biographies of the long-dead has led her to write them herself. She gets a letter from one of the most famous authors of the day, the mysterious and reclusive Vida Winter. Until now, Vida has toyed with journalists who interview her, creating outlandish life histories for herself; all of them invention. Now she is dying and wants to tell the truth. Her letter to Margaret is a summons. Margaret travels to Yorkshire to meet her subject. Vida’s strange gothic tale features the Angelfield family: fascinating, manipulative Isabelle, Charlie, her brutal and dangerous brother, and the wild untamed twins, Emmeline and Adeline. Margaret is captivated by the power of Vida’s storytelling, but does not entirely trust Vida’s account. She goes to check up on the family, visiting their old home and piecing together their story in her own way. What she discovers on her journey to the truth is, for Margaret, a chilling and transforming experience. Mostly the group found this a compelling story although a little lacking in credibility. Reviewed: December 2009 ‘Maps for Lost Lovers’ by Nadeem Aslam TopMembers of the book club were united in their praise for ‘Maps for Lost Lovers’, a richly written and thought provoking novel that depicts the conflicts between different generations of Pakistani immigrants, as they struggle to integrate and preserve their cultural heritage in a bleak northern English city. It follows the lives of social worker Shamas and his wife Kaukab, first generation immigrants to England from Pakistan, after Shamas’ brother and his girlfriend go missing. They are presumably victims of an honour killing because they broke Islamic law by living together. This difficult subject matter is just one of the stories of lost lovers described in the book – others outline tales of sexual and physical abuse, arranged marriage, forced divorce and illicit affairs across religious divides. As such, the novel is a bleak portrayal of the difficulties faced by women in a heavily religious society, where the two sexes do not enjoy equal freedom or protection from abuse. As readers, we were shocked by the stories that unfolded and uncomfortable with the somewhat heavy handed portrayal of the dark side of an insular expat Pakistani community. But it also raised interesting questions about our own attitudes, as westernised expats, to integration. The novel is vivid in its evocation of the sub-continent and although beautifully written, we did find the layers of imagery a bit overpowering at times. No doubt worth reading. Reviewed: November 2009 ‘No time for Goodbye’ by Linwood Barclay TopThrillers play on our basic fears. In 'No Time for Goodbye' Cynthia Bigge wakes up to find that her mother, father and brother have left without a trace. No signs of violence, no signs of a struggle, no goodbye note. In the end the police even start suspecting her of having something to do with this as she is the only one left. When she grows up and has a family of her own she is over protective of her daughter. She never feels safe. After Cynthia appears on a television show that looks into the 25 year old disappearance of her family, strange things start to happen. People who might have been able to give information on the case get killed. Somebody breaks into her home, or so it seems. Cynthia and her husband don't even know whether they can trust each other. Then two bodies are found in a car that looks like her mother's at the bottom of a lake. Are these Cynthia's parents? Has her brother killed them both? Will Cynthia and her family be safe? We wouldn't call this book literature, but it is a good holiday read. Some things are a little bit unlikely, like the fact that the police investigation 25 years ago did not reveal that Cynthia's father wasn't registered anywhere. Nevertheless, most of us thought it was a 'thrilling' story. |