WRITEUPS OF BOOKS and MEETINGS: 2016, 2017, 2018
March 2016 – first meeting of FnB Club. The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood and A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
Hello readers
We had a great first book club meeting last night - thanks Barb & Cherilyn! The first book we discussed was "The Natural Way of Things". Cherilyn introduced her choice and gave us some very interesting background information on the reasons Charlotte Wood wrote this unusual and quite horrendous story. Unfortunately most of us had no idea what the book was about when we started reading. We have since learned that the author was so incensed by a true story she'd heard regarding young wayward girls/women in the 1950's who had been transported from Parramatta Girls Home to a 'prison' in the Hay district and treated appallingly, that she based her story on a modern day scenario with the characters loosely based on real life events which happened over the last few years. Perhaps the author could have used her research as a preface to the book which would have helped the reader to understand her motives for writing such a harrowing but also fascinating book. It was a very good choice for book club discussion and we awarded scores out of 10 as follows:
Cherilyn 8/10: Mog 7/10: Kathy 9/10: Chris 5/10: Barb 7/10: Marg 5/10: Cherie 8/10: Megan 7/10.
The second book was Barb's choice - "A God in Ruins". We had a reasonable discussion with most thinking it was an average read with a few good parts and some a little tedious. The story was quite slow and although the writing was quite clever with the switching backwards & forwards in time, it didn't really reach any great heights. For those who had read "Life after Life" in did seem to follow the same sort of format. There were only a few characters of real interest (some down right awful) and the ending is open to the reader's interpretation. Again, not a bad choice for book club discussion but failed to really excite!
Scores out of 10:
Barb 5/10: Mog 4.5/10: Chris 5/10: Cherie 6/10: Marg 7/10: Cherilyn 6/10: Megan 5/10
Kathy (hadn't read and probably won't after hearing the reviews!)
Moving on to future meetings - Mog is going to organise the film night for 20th April (this to be finalised a few days before hand). Next book club is scheduled for 18th May - Kathy and I will host this evening (either her house or mine) but would need the date to be changed to the 11th May (there are a number who can't make the 18th) so all agreed the 11th is OK.
My book choice is "Everything I Never Told You" by Celeste Ng. Kathy has changed her book to "This Sweet Sickness" by Patricia Highsmith. Also please note Cherie's book choice has changed to "Golden Boys" by Sonia Hartnett.
I think that's enough from me for this month Happy reading
Megan
May 2016. Everything I never told you by Celeste Ng: This sweet sickness by Patricia Highsmith.
Great to see everyone last night especially Sue & Julie - manoeuvring the wheel-chair up the steps was looking to be a bit tricky but Sue (ever resourceful) managed to hop from the lane, up one step to the next and back into the wheel-chair without raising a sweat! Well done!
Both books were of a similar vane, ie disfunctional people with serious problems. "Everything
I Never Told You" was certainly not a happy read but touched on many issues such as racism, prejudice,sexism, and a very unusual family life. Some thought this book was an OK read whilst others not so much. It was listed as one of the popular reads on Amazon and received some very good reviews but not from our book club! The ending was not quite conclusive - accident or suicide?
Scores: Barb 6, Kathy 6.5, Sue 5, Cherie 6.5, Mog 5.5, Cherilyn 7, Chris 6, Megan 6.
Kathy's choice "This Sweet Sickness" received a mixed re-action. - some thought it a great description of a delusional and obsessive character whilst others found it difficult to read. Another disturbing analysis of human frailties and definitely not a feel good book. As with the first book none of the characters were particularly appealing! Kathy reported that this book was recommended on the ABC Book Show which is usually a guide to a good read!
Scores: Megan 4, Mog 4, Sue 7, Cherilyn 7, Barb 4, Kathy 8. (Not everyone had read the book)
Our next get together is the film night scheduled for 15th June - Chris McL has volunteered to organise closer to the date. Books to be discussed next are:
Mog's choice - "Girt" by David Hunt
Cherrie's choice - "Someone I Love" and "Breaking Away" 2 novellas by Anna Gavalda
A few of us will be away around the 20th July so all agreed to bring the meeting forward to the 29th June - to be held at Mog's house.
June 2016 Girt by David Hunt: Someone I love and Breaking Away by Anna Gavalda
It was a very cold evening to be out and about but 8 of us made it to Mog's for a good and sometimes spirited discussion. David Hunt's "Girt" (as recommended by the ladies from the Queen Adelaide Club) had a somewhat mixed reaction. Cherilyn thoroughly enjoyed it (particularly the postscripts) finding it very funny and entertaining. Cherrie also thought it a reasonable read and suggested it might encourage the reader to learn more about Aust history. McLassie thought it an enjoyable read. The others of us had mixed reactions- not so keen on the satirical reporting of our history. It started out to be quite amusing but by about half way became a little annoying and we did wonder about the authenticity of the author's claims. He obviously had done a lot of research but how much license had he taken with his stories of the shortcomings etc of the main characters. It would have had more credibility if he had acknowledged his sources and where his information had come from because it was supposed to be non- fiction. The corruption, brutality, treatment of the natives etc are all well documented in other publications so his knowledge of this is not surprising. Marg P pointed out that this book only covers a very small part of our history, there is so much more to be learned (the author has a second book on the way I believe). Those of us who studied Aust history certainly didn't hear such colourful descriptions of the explorers and people in high places at that time! Sue was quite disappointed and even used the word 'disrespectful' - Australia's early beginnings would have been very similar to many other colonies with very brutal and degrading times and not just isolated to our history. A good choice for book club with a variety of opinions. Scores: Mog 6, Sue 4.5., Chris 6, Marg 6, Cherilyn 8, Barb 5, Cherrie 7, Megan 5.5.
Cherrie chose two novellas - "Someone I Loved" was discussed quite briefly as only a few had been able to access the book. Cherrie gave a very good summary of what sounds to be an unusual story of a man's relationship with his daughter-in-law and her 2 children after her husband leaves her. Might be worth having a read if a copy becomes available? "Breaking Away" - comments include: A Bohemian but feel good kind of book/Loved the family characterisations/Escapism, fun, light read/Study of quirky family relationships/Annoying, irresponsible/Trite, unbelievable/Story ending a bit obscure.
Anna Galvada is a very prolific writer and Cherrie mentioned she has a book (not a novella) called "Hunters and Gatherers" which has had good reviews. Scores: Cherrie 7, Barb 7, Sue 5, Mog 5, Marg 7, Cherilyn 7, Megan 6
Next film night to be arranged by Cherilyn - NOTE change of date - now scheduled for Wednesday 3rd August (not 17th) so MARK YOUR DIARIES!!!
Book night to be held at Marg Patteson's combining with Chris McLassie on WEDNESDAY 21st SEPTEMBER Marg's book is "Reckonings" by Magda Szubanski. Chris' choice is "The Dust That falls from Dreams" by Louis de Bernieres (Chris to advise ASAP if she is going to change her choice).
** Cherrie's daughter has just had a book launch in Melbourne - "Music and Freedom" by Zoe Morrison so keep a look out for that!
That's about it for now
Megan
SEPTEMBER 2016. The dust that falls from dreams by Louis de Bernieres; The Reckoning by Magda Szubanski
This month's book club was held at Marg Paterson's last Wednesday evening with 7 members attending. Chris' choice of "The Dust That Falls From Dreams" was quite a long read and as with other books we have read had mixed reviews - some liking it more than others. It is a story about the First World War, middle class (not quite upper class) families, relationships etc. The story revolves around one central family with 4 daughters the oldest of whom, Rose, cannot come to terms with the death of her fiancé in the war. The other siblings are of minor interest - the parents seem to have a little more impact - dad with his money making schemes and love for his daughters and golf - Mum a bit of a snob who would like to believe she is in the "King's Circle".
Perhaps the book could have been condensed a little as it was hard to maintain interest at times - having short chapters was appealing though! Apparently the storyline has been likened to the TV Series "Downtown Abbey" - in other words a bit of a 'soapy'.
Scores: Chris 7
Cherrie 6.5
Barb 7
Marg P 6
Mog 5.5
Megan 6
"The Reckoning" chosen by Marg. This is an autobiography of Magda Szubanski. Everyone enjoyed reading this book which was quite a 'gutsy' out-there story with a lot of interesting detail of Magda's parents' backgrounds and Magda's struggles with her sexuality and ultimate "coming out". Some thought that after the first few chapters it became a little self-indulgent (me, me, me!) but agreed that it was a very good first effort of writing and quite insightful.
Scores: Marg 8
Megan 8
Mog 8
Sue 7
Cherrie 7.5
Chris 7
Barb still to read
Next Book Club to be hosted by Julie & Sue on 16th November at Julie's Goodwood address. The girls suggested we might like to change things up a little and each read a book of our choice using the Theme "Food" and then each give a critique and run down of our story. We all thought this a good idea. Sue's choice was going to be "Something for the Pain" by Gerald Murnane. This could be discussed as well if anyone has already read it or intends reading it - Sue has certainly read it and could give us a review. If you refer to Sue's email of 21/9 there are a number of suggested reads using the food theme or of course you can choose your own book.
We also thought it would be a good idea to start a register of books we have been reading and that we would recommend to others. Mog mentioned:
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift?
Nut Shell by Ian McEwin
Barb mentioned "The Dry" by Jane Harper
Next film night to be organised by Barb - date 19th October.
Cheers for now
November 2016: A book about food selected individually by bookclubbers
The writeup may be found in the oven but sadly not on this blog.
December 2016: Xmas meeting
Thank you to Mog for hosting our Xmas Meeting last night - fun evening with lots of delicious food - you all did very well! The consensus seemed to be to continue book club meetings every two months - 2 people hosting with discussion about the books they have chosen. Everyone is still keen to have a film evening once in a while - nothing formalised. Suggestion being if you are aware of an interesting film coming up, choose a date and send an email out to everyone with the possibility of catching up.
Cherilyn & Barb will kick off 2017 hosting at Cherilyn's address on 8th February at 7.30pm. Their book choices (unless otherwise advised) are:
Cherilyn - "We are all completely beside ourselves" by Karen Joy Fowler
Barb. - "Christmas Tree" by Jennifer Johnstone
From there we have: Kathy & Megan April 5th
Chris & Marg June 7th
Mog & Cherrie Sept 6th
Julie & Sue Nov 1st
Rather than choose books for the rest of the year we thought it easier to do it on a meeting by meeting basis, ie at Cherilyn's meeting Kathy and I will let you know our book choices for the April meeting, then at the April meeting Marg & Chris will advise their choices for the June meeting and so on! A few reading suggestions in the meantime:-
Mog reading "Fates and Fury" by Lauren Croft
Sue "The Last Painting of Sarah de Voss" (Sue couldn't remember the author)
Barb "Good People" by Hannah Kent
So with all that Merry Christmas to everybody- see you in 2017.
FEBRUARY 2017. We are all completely beside ourselves by K Fowler: Christmas Tree by J Johnstone
Great first meeting for the year – two books with lots of discussion!
“We are all completely beside ourselves”.
Interesting choice Cherilyn! A few of us, on starting the book, were unsure whether to continue reading – all seemed a bit strange. However, with perseverance, all becomes a bit clearer and we realise what a horrible experiment has taken place and the ramifications felt by each member of the family, who rather than support each other with their grief and confusion, become very dysfunctional. You can’t help but feel very sad for Fern and all the other chimpanzees treated in this hideous way. Obviously the aim of the book was to highlight animal exploitation which has always been a part of our lives but not necessarily thought about too much.
Generally the author’s style was very readable and the story well told although a number of questions were raised as to how plausible it really was.
Consensus scores 6’s & 7’s.
The Christmas Tree
This book proved very difficult to find – Barb found, on investigation, that it is actually out of print, however, it was available electronically. Those that could only access it on their phones must be applauded for their perseverance!
We all thought the writing style was easy to read and to the point (not too much padding or frilly bits)! Constance relates her story – sometimes amusing, sometimes sad and we do wonder why she refused to have treatment for her illness, particularly after giving birth to her daughter. This would surely have been the catalyst for her to want to survive.
Not your usual story about impoverished Ireland – Constance was from a middle class family but was always the rebel – not confirming as her sister Bi Bi appeared to do and seemed to be seeking her father’s approval which wasn’t apparent very often whilst watching her mother slowly die from her cancer. This may be the reason Constance chose not to have treatment when diagnosed because her mother had opted to have all the medicines, treatments available but had died anyway - probably with not a lot of dignity!
Nice choice Barb – Jennifer Johnston has written a host of books and Barb intends to read a few more – “Old Jest” and “Railway Station Man” have been suggested – these should be readily available to read.
Scores 8’s & 9’s
Next Meeting changed from 5th April to 19th April (Megan & Kathy to host). The June date will be decided at this meeting.
My choice for April – “Eileen” by Ottessa Moshfegh (Kathy to advise her choice later)
April 2017. Eileen by Odessa Mostfegh. Jasper Jones by C Silvey
Another excellent meeting hosted by Kathy with lots of discussion and almost a full house! Sorry Barb and Julie were indisposed but both sent in comments relevant to the evening. Kathys choice of Jasper Jones was well received everyone agreed it was an enjoyable and entertaining read. Some very likeable characters and great discussions and use of language between Chuck and Geoffrey. There was also some not so pleasant characters particularly Chucks mother who was just nasty and mean spirited which was a result of never being happy having to live in Corrigan. Chucks father was certainly a disappointment ~ not wanting to rock the boat as he immersed himself in writing a novel.
Jaspers life was certainly to be pitied and the stronger elements of racism and bullying in a small town were covered very well. He himself didn’t really expect things to change and he knew he could never gain the respect of a lot of the townspeople hence his plan to run away with Laura. The storyline was perhaps not always plausible but was easy to become engaged in and to eagerly head towards the conclusion (which was very satisfactory because of Elizas act of revenge!). There were definitely some parallels with To Kill a Mockingbird in this book. Jasper Jones rated very well earning 8s and 9s.
Eileen on the other hand was difficult to read because of the main characters obvious depression, gross habits and sick outlook on life. I explained that choosing this book for bookclub was really due to a review Id read the fact that it was short listed for the Man Booker Prize. I have since done a little research on the Man Booker and the nomination doesn’t necessarily mean its going to be a choice many people will like. Rather its probably the book agent and publisher spruiking a book they hope will make them money. The author herself (Ottessa Moshfegh) is a strange character and appears to have a warped view of the world. However, there were many reviews I read which extolled her writing ability and in fact Kathy said that she did get a lot out of the book and was pleased to have read it. There were no characters to whom you could relate (in fact quite the reverse) and certainly not a feel good happy ending type of story. However as Cherilyn said, its what Book Club is all about and it is sometimes good to try something different!! I doubt we will be choosing this author again ~ scores ranged from 3 to 6 with Kathy a few points more.
Next meeting on Tuesday 6 June at Chris Macs. Books chosen Margie ~ The last painting of Sara De Vos by Dominic Smith. Chris to advise.
June 2017. The last painting of Sarah deVos by Dominic Smith. Salt Creek by Lucy Treloar.
Apologies for these notes and I appreciate Megan's efforts much more but I'll do my best. A great night at McLassies for both her book and Marg Patison's.
Discussed McLassies book initially - Salt Creek by Lucy Treloar. Unanimously enjoyed by everyone despite the strong dislike of the father. Agreed he was a fanatical, religious, hypocritical tyrant happy to use and abuse all of his family. As his various business plans failed and he borrowed money and lost the family home he moved his family to the newly opened land around the South East -where his poor wife slowly declined in the utter isolation and loneliness of the area. Likewise his children were used in various ways to repay his debts. Interesting insight from Marg P as all of this area is familiar to her having lived close by for much of her life. Marg felt the story followed closely the life of J B Hack who had lived around that time and taken a lease in the area. He had had a failed dairy farm and had worked at the whaling station near Victor Harbour. Lucy Treloar is presumably a descendant of his and after finding his various diaries, together with anecdotes from other family members, had the motivation for this book. ( hope I haven't made all of that up). Marg didn't believe it necessarily portrayed his character though. All agreed it was well written and impressive for a first novel. Also had a happy ending!
Marg P's book - The last painting by Sarah deVos Was also enjoyed by everyone. Covered three different eras. Beginning with the harsh life of Sarah deVos, a gifted painter during the golden era of Dutch painters, where women were prevented from becoming members of the guild and were restricted to painting floral works. Her only child died and her husband, also a painter, left her when he was unable to pay off debts. The story revolves around the last beautiful painting of Sarah's - of a child skating on a frozen lake - and what happened to that painting over time. The story moves to the life of a poor but brilliant young Australian artist who was tricked into copying this painting unaware that it was to be a forgery and used in the stealing of the original from a wealthy owner who tracks her down and befriends her ( somewhat ruthlessly). The final stage of the story covers the present time in Australia where both paintings are to turn up at a gallery showing and her forgery will be exposed. She meets up with the wealthy original owner from New York and we all enjoyed the resolution to this dilemma.
Both books scored an average of 7.5.
Feel I could have made up a bit of this along the way but we can discuss that at the next Bookclub to be held at Cherries Adelaide abode.
413 Gilles St Adelaide. At the back of St Andrews hospital on Corner of Gilles St and St Johns lane. Beware building works of St Andrews.
Cherries book is: The Sellout by Paul Beatty. Try and get early as many people on library waiting list.
Mog's book is : Light and Shadow. Memoirs of a Spy's Son. By Mark Colvin.
Cheers and phew
Moggie
September 2017. The Sellout by Paul Beatty. Light and Shadow: Memoirs of a Spy’s son by Mark Colvin.
Held at Cherrie's last night. "The Sellout" - Cherrie gave a very thorough and informative critique of this Man Booker Winner. A few of us hadn't read it, some had attempted but failed to finish and a few had completed it.
It was very interesting to have Cherrie talk about and explain her thoughts on this satire of racist America. Cherrie explained that she had read it once and then again as an audio book which apparently had a much greater impact. The language of the African American was difficult to follow - some said the 'hip hop' language went over their heads (almost a foreign language!) The humour on occasions quite funny but sometimes just too way out and the message from the book not totally understood!
Cherrie felt it very worthwhile challenging herself to spend time on analysing and understanding this book and after much perseverance she 'got it'! Certainly not to everybody's taste and as Cherrie says - perhaps our Book Club should only attempt such a book once a year!!
"Light & Shadow" - Mog's choice of this book from journalist Mark Colvin was considered by all who had read it, to be a worthwhile read, however, Mog was a little disappointed - was hoping for more insight and detail. Mark Colvin's life as a journalist and foreign correspondent was indeed very noteworthy- covering many world events (some particularly dangerous). The reader would remember many of these incidents which gives the book a great appeal. Colvin's life in boarding school in England was covered in detail and left you appalled at the treatment the boys received.
He obviously idolised his father John even though time spent together was quite rare because of his father's occupation (Mark only discovered that his father was a spy when he was in his twenties). There is not a lot of detail about personal relationships eg mother, sister friends etc.
Perhaps with failing health, Mark wanted to get the book finished and the priority was to make sure his foreign correspondent days were the mainstay of the book?
Hope these notes cover some of the discussion - I unfortunately did not read The Sellout and only read half of Light & Shadow so I've probably missed some important points - I'm happy for correction and further input from those more in the know!!
Next meeting at Julie's - 1 Fox Street, Goodwood on Wednesday 1st Nov.
Sue's book choice - Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
Julie's - Old Scores by David Wish-Wilson
Cheers
Megan
November 2017. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. The Adversary by Emmanuel Carrere
Very enjoyable evening hosted by the ‘twinnies’! First book discussed - Sue’s choice of “Killer of the Flower Moon”. Very disturbing documentation of the appalling treatment and murder of the Osage Indian tribe by the “white man” in America during the 1920’s. The feelings of anger and betrayal were uppermost in all our thoughts about this book - how could this have happened without much public knowledge - the shocking cruelty imposed on these native Americans who were regarded as not deserving to be treated as equals but rather as a much lower class of human to be dictated to by the white man and having all their wealth (gained through the oil rights) systematically stolen from them. Certainly a worthwhile read with conscious raising issues dealt with - perhaps not the best written book as it was just setting out lots of facts and sometimes seemed to be not quite concise but having the photos interspersed made it very interesting. Also interesting to read about the early days of the FBI and J Edgar Hoover. Good choice for Book Club discussion.
The second book - Julie’s choice of “The Adversary” also gave us much to talk about. Based on a true story the main topic of conversation was how could this man have lived a lie for so many years without anybody (family or friends) ever suspecting he was not all he claimed to be. He was a very clever and calculating fraud but more than that he was really an evil psychopath. It’s one thing to pretend to be a doctor and head of to ‘work’ every day but the way he gained access to money to support himself and family through scamming friends & family was just horrible. Obviously with the net closing in on him the easy way out was to murder his wife & children - although he wasn’t so successful in killing himself. Then to add insult to injury whilst in jail he is visited by ‘do-gooders’, finds religion and considers himself to be redeemed - clearly a very warped individual. Some of us questioned the actual truth of this story but Julie found an article which detailed the events as they happened and the book was a reasonable representation of this. An intriguing read!
Cherrie has just read “Manhattan Beach” by Jennifer Egan and recommends it to everyone.
We plan to get together again before Xmas to perhaps see the Christopher Robin movie and have dinner - Mog is going to check dates & times etc. We also briefly discussed next year’s format and those present thought the way we’ve done it this year has been good so probably no need to change unless anyone has a problem with it?
That’s all the note taking for 2017!
Megan xx
2018
March 2018. Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by G Honeyman. Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie.
Just checking in with a short summary of our first meeting for the year. Cherilyn gave a very detailed rundown of her book choice “Eleanor Oliphant .........” and was very enthusiastic and pleased that she had chosen this book. We had a lively discussion about our ‘heroine’ and her mental frailty, her depression, quirkiness, humour, intelligence and ultimately her climb out of her sorry life. What some of us thought might be a very depressing read turned out to be well worth reading and good for a discussion group.
Scores given ranged from 8, 7.5, 7 & a 6 from Mog who thought there were a few anomalies and perhaps not quite believable in parts.
Barb also gave a very good overview of “Home Fires” including interesting detail about the author (Kamila Shamsie who appeared at Writers’ week). Also lots to discuss with this book which was really set in 5 parts ie the 5 central characters (all Muslim). It was an insight into what it is like to be a Muslim in a western society (particularly if you have a father who is a known deceased Jihadist and despite the fact that you never had much to do with him, you are under constant suspicion). Also the terrifying way the recruiting of young Muslims into ISIS can be so easily done -once they have you there is no turning back! The book also explored the turning away from the Muslim faith by Karamat to become a wealthy businessman and Member of Parliament who gave no guidance or leadership to his son (Eamonn) who was just indulged and thought to have little drive or prospects. Therefore on meeting and being seduced by Akeena a devout Muslim, Eamonn became confused about his faith and started questioning his life.
A very good choice for book club - scores ranged from 8.5 to 7.5.
Next meeting hosted by Mog & Cherrie to be May 16th at Mog’s address
Book choice for Cherrie is The Last Garden by Eva Hornung (local author) and Mog’s to be advised.
That’s about it for this month
Megan x
May 2018. The last garden by Eva Hornung. Anything is possible by Elizabeth Strout.
Meeting held at Mog’s with only one apology (Margy). First book discussed was Cherrie’s choice of The Last Garden written by South Australian Eva Hornung - this author also wrote Dog Boy but under the name of Eve Sallis. Excellent summary from Cherrie who had heard the author speak and felt this book might be a good choice for book club discussion. Opinions varied - it was an unusual story - certainly demonstrated Benedict’s grief, confusion and isolation after his parents’ deaths. We are not really given the reason for the shootings but left to ponder on what it could have been - possibly disillusionment with the sect and tired of waiting for something to happen (the return of the Messiah), probably treated as an outsider by the other members of the sect or was it that life was just too hard? We all felt it was strange for the young boy to be left on his own with no apparent sympathy or interest from the community except for the Pastor who felt it his duty to keep an eye on Benedict without really doing too much other than bringing him food. The Pastor although probably well meaning was not a particularly strong character and struggled to maintain his father’s dreams and beliefs - Hannalore, the Pastor’s wife seemed to be a much stronger character and more decisive. The description of the birth of the foal was well written but the ‘conversations’ with the fox became a little tiresome!
Most agreed this book was certainly worth tackling but probably not highly recommended- how does the author come up with such a strange and slightly bazaar storyline?
Scores ranged from 7’s from Sue & Cherilyn, to 5’s and 4’s and a lowly 2 from Barb!
Mog’s choice “Anything is Possible” by Elizabeth Strout was thought to be a good entertaining read although opinions did vary a little. Some liked the concept of each chapter introducing a new character who interconnected with another character whilst others thought this was a little confusing- book probably best read in one or two sittings to reinforce who was who! The author ‘s writing style was generally appreciated. Mog explained (after doing her research) that Elizabeth Strout likes to observe people and a story starts to formulate in her imagination around one person then progresses to various other characters. She doesn’t necessarily give the reader a conclusion but rather lets you make a decision on what might happen. Elizabeth Strout has written a number of books and has become a very popular author so it won’t be surprising if more of her books are read by our book club members! Kathy particularly enjoyed it, Barb having read several other of Strout’s books thought this was maybe not her best but still enjoyable. Marks ranged from 8, 7.5, 6.5 & 6.
Next meeting at Kingsborough Lane on 18th July.
Kathy’s choice looks to be “The Reader on the 6.27” by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent unless too many have read it?
My choice is “Alternate Side” by Anna Quindlen - (for fans of Elizabeth Strout and Anne Tyler)
Cheers for now
Megan
PS - thanks Mog for the delicious cake and for the recipe.
July 2018. The rest of their lives by Jean Paul Didierlaurent. Alternate side by Anna Quindlen.
The first book discussed was “The Rest of Their Lives” - Kathy gave a detailed background of the author, Jean-Paul Didierlaurent, who has won a number of short story competitions before writing his first novel, Reader on the 6.27, and then his second novel Rest of Their Lives. This last book was only translated into English last year and we were all amazed at the very good translation.
The story was easy to read and characters generally quite charming. The plot was possibly a little ‘light weight’ and quite predictable although there was a twist at the end. Some of the more ‘hardened’ of us even ventured to say the storyline would have been better if Samuel had actually died as we could have had a debate on euthanasia!!
Sometimes it’s nice to have a short feel-good story as a change and I think everyone’s comments reflected this.
Marks ranged from 6, 6.5 & 7.
“Alternate Side”, despite the good reviews listed on Amazon and the NY Times, was a disappointing choice.
Those of us that did read it were quite underwhelmed- it was a snapshot of an affluent neighbourhood in Manhattan and the rather meaningless lives they lived. Generally the characters were unappealing and the “Alternate Side” seem to refer to several different things:
1) Alternate side of the street for resident parking (residents have to move their cars to the other side of the road every few hours to accommodate traffic flow, street cleaning etc.) unless you were lucky enough to have a parking space - hence the prestige associated with having your own spot!
2) Two sides in a neighbourhood dispute
3) Tensions in society between the ‘haves and have nots’
4) Alternate viewpoints when two people in a marriage want different things
Mog was the only one who didn’t mind this book and thought it was an interesting ‘take’ on a group of people with differing values living within a confined neighbourhood.
I’m not sure whether we actually gave out marks for this book as only a few had read it - I think maybe 5 or 6 would be a fair estimate!
Thanks Barb for your well researched and well covered notes which Kathy shared with us. I think a changing of the guard in relation to ‘secretary’ of this book club should be seriously looked at!!!
Cheers, Megan.
September 2018. The Woman in the window by AJ Finn. Warlight by Michael Ondaatje.
This months meeting held at Margies ~ one apology from Barb who was still holiday up north. Chris opened the discussion with her choice of The Woman in the Window and gave an informative background of the author, AJ Finns details and his history of mental illness which certainly gave him some insight when writing the main character. This was his first novel and became a No. 1 best seller very quickly.
Mixed reactions and reviews. Kathy really enjoyed it (she confessed to being a fan of psychological thrillers) whereas Cherrie didn’t enjoy it al all and found it hard to find anything much to say in its favour. We all thought it could have been condensed too much emphasis on the merlot and pills! The ending was a bit disappointing and rather implausible. Margie felt sure this book was written with a film script in mind. Generally a reasonable holiday read which did keep you wondering and interested. Not everyone gave a score but I think probably 5s and 6s (except Kathy who would have been more and Cherrie much less!).
Second book was Margies choice of Warlight. This is another very good book from Michael Ondaatje who has been a prolific and well researched author for many years. We all thought this was an enjoyable read expecting it to be another war book but it was set in 1945 and gave a view of post war London.
The first part of the story was, in some minds, a little laboured, setting up the events of the children being left with strangers whilst their parents head off to who knows where. These dodgy carers do become quite endearing as the story unfolds. This section could also have been described as a coming of age story. The second part of the book has an older Nathaniel researching his mothers activities during the war and discovering her role as a spy. Very well written and marks 8s and 9s. Margie thought she might read it again as she felt there was probably more to be discovered in a second reading.
Next meeting Julie & Sue Wednesday 21st November. Julies book choice Heartburn by Nora Ephron. Sue to advise.
November 2018. Heartburn by Nora Ephron. The only story by Julian Barnes.
Writeup of the evening is lurking somewhere in disguise.
