Ist Book was Transcription by Kate Atkinson (Cherilyn)
I think we were all really excited to read this book after reading, A God in Ruins and Life After Life.
This book Transcription tells the story of Juliet Armstrong's work for MI5 during WW2 and its consequences 40 odd years on. In 1940 Juliet is recruited by MI5 into the world of espionage, plucked from the BBC typing pool to transcribe the comings and goings of British Fascist sympathisers. This leads her into bigger and more exciting missions. The story is told in three different time periods. It starts in 1981 where Juliet is hit by a car and has an uncertain future. The book then really begins in 1950 at the BBC. It then swaps between 1940 and 1950 before returning to 1981. The plot was very messy at times getting bogged down with seemingly unnecessary detail. It is difficult to work out who is an MI5 spy and who is a double agent. While the story has intrigue and danger, to me Atkinson failed to get this across to the reader. Unfortunately this book didn't real live up to her others. All a bit disappointing. 4/10
2nd book Educated by Tara Westover (Barb)
This is a memoir of Tara Westover. She was brought up in a small farming village in Clifton, Idaho (pop 234) by her Mormon Fundamentalists family. The parents were very sceptical of the federal government, public schooling, doctors and hospitals and refused any medical intervention. This memoir tells of Tara's struggle to survive the cruelty and abuse by her father and one brother, with limited support from her mother. At a very young age she recognises her need to be educated and we follow her story as she reconciles her desire for education and autonomy with her family's rigid ideology. Extraordinarily she goes on to educate herself at Bingham University, then Cambridge and Harvard, earning a Doctorate in Intellectual History in 2014.
There are many disturbing stories through this book, but she finally was able to move on and write this memoir. She is still only 32 years old. Her closing sentence says it all.
'You could call this selfhood many things. Transformation, Metamorphosis, Falsity, Betrayal. I call it education.' Sadly it sounds to me like she still doubts herself. 8-9/10
We had our usual lively conversation yet again. I just love the fact that 10 girls can read the same book and have so many different opinions. (especially one whose name starts with S.)!!!!! Xxx
More about these books from:
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/tara-westover/9697204
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/04/transcription-kate-atkinson-review
Our next book club is on 15/5/2019
At Cherry's 413 Gilles St Adelaide (enter from St John's Lane)
The Children's House by Alice Nelson (Cherry)
Everywhere I Look by Helen Garner (Moggy)
Everywhere I Look by Helen Garner (Moggy)
