LETSBuzz Book Club 21st June 1998

Journey to the Gods by John Hillaby

A travel book which appropriately enough had been left on a train before he finished it. Whilst Seán had enjoyed the writing about Greece and classical mythology he had found the author's tone about the locals patronising (ref A Short Walk in The Hindu Kush by Eric Newby from the first bookclub meeting), so he didn't recommend it unless one enjoyed 'Boy's Own stuff'
Seán

Lemprière's Dictionary by Lawrence Norfolk

Seán had finished this since the last meeting. The ending was different to what he had expected and exciting. Although it was a hefty read Seán thoroughly recommended it
Seán

Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby

Seán had also managed to finish this book which he had not enjoyed, as he thought that Nick Hornby was a complete 'pillock'. It had not persuaded Seán that there was any merit in being a football fan and he had found it irritating that it painted the picture of a reasonably intelligent man who lost all sense of judgement when it came to football.
Seán

Promised Lands by Jane Rogers

As recommended by Caroline. The novel has two narratives; one set in Australia with the establishment of the colony which was well written and had elements of tension and morality.Running alongside was a modern narrative set in the 1980s/1990s which was about a handicapped child. As far as Gavin could tell there were only tenuous links between the two and he posed the question "What are sub-plots for?"

There was general agreement that sub-plots worked only if they added to or informed the main plot in some way and not if they simply provided two narratives in the one book.
Gavin

The Matter of Wales by Jan Morris

A historical and travel book which examined Wales as an intellectual concept. The first part of the book consisted of twelve brilliant essays on what Welshness means. It was however more of a book to dip for the kaleidoscope of detail than to read straight through from cover to cover.
Gavin

Skin and Bone by Gareth Greer

Gritty Northern realism set in a town which was probably Leeds - the main character is a guy who runs a wet fish shop and who uncovers a plot to close down the parade of shops. Andrew described it as a well written book which was reasonably easy to read. He said that he did not like it as the main character gets involved in a vendetta and he felt that it subscribed too readily to the 'revenge culture'.
Andrew

The Wishbones by Tom Perrota

This book is all about playing in a wedding band in New jersey in the 1990s - a must for anyone who has ever played in a band as it is a very accurate portrayal. It was a fun book and managed to avoid all the pitfalls of being crass about weddings etc. Seán and Doreen would both like to borrow this one.
Andrew

Exit Orange and Red by Martyn Bedford

The second novel by this author (the first was Acts of Revision) - much more ambitious and far less successful. It tries to inter-weave a contemporary story of a woman journalist reporting on Sheffield's Meadowhall with a nineteenth century account of the steelworks which were on teh site of Meadowhall. Andrew got bored with the historical stuff - much of which felt inauthentic. The two plots did come together at the end but the ending was an anticlimax.
Andrew