LETSBuzz Book Club 1st February 2004
The best part is the introduction, about why the book nearly never got published. The rest is a rant about power politics in the USA: the writer goes for leaders of all colours and backgrounds. You learn a lot about US politics.
Andrew
Andrew had had enough by page 100, but persevered to the end, although it was a chore.
Andrew
This is the writer's first book. It is a collection of short pieces, including some stories. There is some really good writing, but overall it is a mixed lot, with some rather flashy prose.
Andrew
This author is back on form with this book after the disappointing Blind Assassin. It is set in the near future, when the world has gone wrong, although the narrator has escaped the catastrophe. It is very well written in a series of flashbacks - highly recommended.
Andrew
This book is about the spice saffron and its history - or that's what it says it's about. In this American writer assumes you know about her, and are interested, and tells you lost about herself. There's not much about saffron. Irritating.
Seán
A fascinating account of chocolate around the world. Researched, travelled, highly recommended.
Seán
It felt like a lot of short stories, all overlapping. Although the end was moving, the book was overall not enjoyed.
Seán
Sean loved this book. It is the story of the boy Pi and how he survives on a lifeboat with a tiger and other animals. Great ingenuity is shown by the main character in order to survive. Recommended.
Seán
A collection of short stories. Jean couldn't get into them.
Jean
This is a silly story about a 50-year old pregnant woman and it did not engage. It should have been printed in condensed form in a women's magazine.
Jean
It is a bizarre and very entertaining book about a 10-year old girl called Dorothy with inadequate parents. It is laugh-out-loud funny, although some of the dialogue is unconvincing and inappropriate for a young girl.
Jean
This was a rather annoying novel because Jean had read much of it in a previous book - it appears to be largely autobiographical. The story is not exciting - an unlikely love story. The characters are just not interesting.
Jean
This is a girls' book - men are irrelevant here. It is about a group of American women whose husbands are stationed in the UK during the Cold War. The women are believable and interesting - one is very funny.
Doreen
This is a non-fiction best seller. Anyone interested in language will love it. It advocates direct action to correct public notices containing mistakes, particularly in relation to apostrophes. It is also a serious book and can be used as a manual. Recommended you buy your own copy because you'll be constantly referring to it.
Doreen
This is the most enjoyable biography that Doreen had ever read. She doesn't like Sam Pepys, but he is an interesting man living in very interesting times. It contains a mixture of the public and private, showing a great deal of research, in addition to a careful reading of the diary.
Doreen
This is set in England just after the end of the Second World War. It is terribly serious and has an old-fashioned feel. The dialogue was unconvincing and it didn't seem realistic. Doreen didn't like it at all.
Doreen
Christine liked this book and thought it a convincing portrayal of men. She thought the sentences flowed well and showed good use of language.
Christine
Not good writing, but very readable, gripping and believable.
Christine
Contains fourteen extremely good short stories.
Christine
Christine thought that the author writes like Jane Austen - a compliment.
Christine
An interesting book containing accounts of his travels to India, Ghana, Russia, etc. He is a fascinating man and his book is highly recommended. (Note: no question mark in the book title, q.v. Eats, Shoots and Leaves.)
Christine
This is the story of the end of an era in Sicily. The Leopard is the Prince. The power of the church declines in the 1860s, to be replaced by what became the Mafia. It is badly translated from the original Italian and it misses the issues. Not recommended.
Christine
Very good, not depressing, and a happy ending. This is the most autobiographical of Hardy's novels. It concerns the choir and musicians of a church where an organ is to be installed, thus putting the musicians out of a job. There are lots of references to music and dancing.
Gill
This is about the pair's travels together through Chile and is written in alternating author style. The two men are quite different. It seemed that, if they had not been hostages together, they would not have become friends. Gill preferred Brian Keenan's style, although he seemed not to want to be there at times, e.g. at the house of Pablo Neruda. Recommended, however.
Gill
This is his first book. It is weird but fantastic. There is an old detective and his young, female colleague, plus some nasty characters. There is not much narrative, more a succession of scenes. Crimes are solved in a rural setting. It is modern and covers lots of issues - folklore, paganism, reincarnation and, of course, corruption. Recommended, even though it's a bit too long.
Bob
This is an award-winning children's book. A boy finds a strange man in old garage: he appears to be an angel. The boy is linked with the girl next door, who doesn't go to school. The boy's mother gives birth to a girl who may not survive and this affects him deeply. The angel seems to get involved. A lovely story.
Rory
The frames have gone all funny - click to make it good.