LETSBuzz Book Club 15th August 1999
As Doreen observed at the last meeting this another travel book about an
ill-advised, ill-prepared expedition by a self-deprecating Brit. Seán did
not think most of it was that funny and thought that this was probably a
good book for the train. A semi-recommended book.
Seán
As the title suggests this is a book of interest to those of us who have
just had or are about to have a baby. Caroline found the book quite useful
and quite funny in places. She noted, however, that it was written from an
American perspective and assumed among other things that you had had your
baby in hospital.
Caroline
Caroline really enjoyed this book. She said that it was a book that really
grabbed her attention.
Caroline
Caroline noted that she had speed read this book, as she found the story
pulled her along. She also commented that it was not a good a read as the
Doris Lessing ( see above) as she felt that Mc Ewan manipulated the
characters and plot. Like everyone else in the book club, Caroline
recommended the first chapter with its description of a ballooning
accident.
However, the later chapters which described a stalking were less
convincing. Caroline was particularly critical of the girlfriend's
reactions
to the news that the main character was being followed.
Caroline
This autobiographical book started off as a letter to the author's daughter
relating the story of her family's history. Caroline noted that she was
moved when she realised that the daughter had died during the course of the
narrative. Caroline recomended the book very highly and said that it had
made her want to read IA's works of fiction.
Caroline
Andrew had wanted to read this book as it was written by a local author. He
noted that he had been warned by the person that had lent it to him that it
was a piece of trash. He commented " I wasn't surprised that I couldn't
identify with any of the characters...nor their actions or motives. My
reaction was not so extreme as Gill's, who didn't read past chapter one and
"had to restrain herself from throwing the book across the room". Andrew
described the book's tone as "Daily Mail hysterical but at the same time
1990s amoral".
Andrew
Andrew notes that the book was "lent to me by a friend at work who is a big
fan of this author and recommended it as an ideal holiday read. She wasn't
wrong in that it's a rattling good yarn and kept me fairly entertained for
several days. The characters are quite strong, though the story has the
tendency to go off at tangents that don't always work. The meeting, for
example, between Fogg (the narrator) and a character called Solomon Barber
leads to a lengthy retelling of the plot of Barber's appalling novel. He
tells you it is going to be awful and recounts it almost in every detail.
He
also does that thing where he lets the reader in on a major plot secret -
you're supposed to see it coming even though the characters can't - but to
me
it doesn't quite work. On this evidence Auster isn't the genius that the
cover blurb proclaims... but I'd read another after a reasonable break."
Andrew
Andrew commented that this was not MA's best book by a very long way. The
story of a woman who, in recuperating from a breast cancer operation, takes
an extended break on a Caribbean Island and winds up getting involved in a
political insurrection. Andrew observed that the book fell down mainly
because this woman, Rennie, is suppose to be a talented and street wise
journalist and yet she is taken in by all of the highly suspicious
characters that she meets. Andrew also made a more generalised observation
about MAs treatment of her characters. He noted "Atwood often writes...
badly about peoples' attitudes to relationships. Her women are always either
single and bitter or, if not in the first flush of romance, then completely
bored with their relationship"
Andrew
Andrew began by saying that he had been put off reading this book several
times because of the title, the cover blurb, what he had been told about
it,
and the fact that it begins with several pages of rhyming couplets which
are
intended to be rap. However when he finally got into it he was pleasantly
surprised. The book is the novelised version of the author's travels in
Egypt and India with some musings about his hallucinogenically induced
messianic complex. Andrew noted that "Winn is especially good when he
juxtaposes his divinely deluded journey against his involvement with the
supremely trivial "International Silly Straw Experience", a photographic
project concerning sculpted drinking straws. Overall, a fairly enjoyable,
if
sprawling read."
Andrew
This book takes certain episodes in the lives of several great jazz
musicians (Miles, Mingus, Chet Baker, Ben Webster etc.) and improvises on
them in a way that the musicians would have done with a familiar tune or
chord sequence. Andrew commented that the writing was very good, quite
sparce and the dialogue was very good. He is looking for to reading another
GD book.
Andrew
This is a tale of the sixties, four girl schoolfriends from Norfolk, who
are
completely swept up in the hysteria of The Beatles. The book follows the
four through the era via landmarks in The Beatles career. Andrew noted that
the book was well written and engaging. In particular he felt that it "gets
over well is how parochial and cut off from everything the girls feel up in
rural East Anglia". He added that he also thought it a "bit girlie". Gill
also read this book and found it an easy read. She particular enjoyed
portrayals of the different classes and backgrounds of the four girls, who
were drawn to resemble the characters of the Beetles.
Andrew
This book tells the story of a long weekend break taken by a disparate
group
of friends in a windmill on the North Norfolk Coast. The author uses this
situation to make a number of observations about the group dynamics ( the
fact that they do not know each other well enough to embark on such a trip,
and the fact that they are continually unsure about what to do with their
time). Andrew noted that he thought this book was better than Househunter
(see below) but has an unsatisfactory abrupt ending. Gill thought the
author
had a good sense of dialogue and recommended the book.
Andrew
This book deals with a character who is looking for a house. It provides
insights into the people who live in the houses. It also deals with a
mid-life crisis. Gill noted that she liked the small, true-to-life details
that other writers probably would not have bothered to put in. Ok.
Gill
This french-language classic deals with the life and times of a community
in 19th Century provincial France. The 1st chapter introduces no less than
32 characters. Gill noted that it is very different from Dickens and Hardy,
in that it is much more graphic and earthy (no pun intended!). Lots of sex
and it also features a bull and donkey(?). Gill described the book as "the
best book I have read."
Gill
This modern classic was less favoured by Gill. She was originally attracted
because, in part, the book dealt with the waste industry. However she found
the details of the baseball game and the mixture of real and imaginary
characters to be rather confusing and tedious. Doreen had also read the
beginning of this book and commented "after a while I really did not care."
Gill
Jean said that she had been initially excited at the prospect of reading
this book. However, in the end she was disappointed by it and felt that she
did not get all the detailed allusions. In the end , she concluded, she
really could not be bothered about it.
Jean
Jean introduced this book by saying she thought "it was wonderful...one of
those book that you read to get to next chapter, but do not want to
finish."
Set in the American Civil War it is based on two parallel stories, of a
spoilt woman and her struggle to survive the hardships of the times and her
lover coming back from the war. Jean said that she felt the story was harsh
and brutal but felt authentic. Excellent.
Jean
This is the autobiographical account of 'an optimists life in Andulucija'.
The author, a former drummer with Genesis, buys a remote farm in southern
spain and recounts the events that occur there. Jean thought that this was a
"good read, light-hearted and fascinating in places."
Jean
This collection of short stories by 'one of the best short story writers
alive' is set in Canada. Jean commented that there was "lots of sex,
adultery and thwarted lives. " The author deals with the small scenes of
life very well. Jean described the whole collection as very good. Doreen
highly recommended 'Something I've been meaning to tell you'.
Jean
This popular book (especially with this book club) is set in Greece
before,
during and after WW2. Rory read almost half of the book in one sitting on a
train ride from Colgne to Munich. He commented that he had enjoyed it very
much, though he felt the 1st half of the book was probably the best section
of the whole book. He felt there was a lot of interest in both the main
narrative and also in the anecdotes. Rory had a bone to pick with the end
however. He did not feel that Corelli would have been put off by a baby
when
he returned to find his love at the end of the war.
Rory
This book deals with the life of top-flight mathematician John Nash. The
book portrays Nash as a strange character who met and worked with everyone
who was any one in science in his time ( instein, von Neumann etc.)
However
in his private life he was a real weirdo and talk about being in touch with
aliens etc. Rory found the book was quite well written, though a bit
American.
Rory
This book is set in France during the second world war. The main character
is a scottish woman who has a passionate affair with a RAF pilot who then
disappears. She is then recruited by the SOE to work as an undercover agent
in France. The story tells of a small town in France dealing with the
transportation of Jews out of the country. Doreen recommended this book.
Doreen
The hero of these tales, Harry Potter, is a small boy who finds out that he
is a wizard. These amusing stories are essentially a re-working of the
traditional boarding school tales of the past, but with the twist that the
school is for trainee wizards. Doreen noted that she had originally bought
the books because of the hype but had then found them extrememly well
written and very entertaining. Highly recommended.
Doreen
This is a collection of almost of all of the correspendence of the poet
Philip Larkin, private as well as literary. Through the medium of the
letter
a really fascinating character is revealed. Larkin is a pompous, prigish,
right-wing misogynist who does really like much in life or literature.
However, despite his constant complaints and gross comments he comes out as
being a very vibrant and endearing personality. Gavin commented that "he
would really liked to have met PL in order to enjoy an argument with the
man."
Gavin
This story deals with a thirty something yuppy couple dealing with ( what
they think is) their young son's speech defect. This short story has a
sub-plot in which a senior German banker is experiencing ill-health. The
link between the two stories is provided by the fact that the boy is
actually speaking very good German. Gavin found the story dull, xenophobic
and with out any sympathy for its characters.
Gavin
The collection brings together a novella length piece and three short
stories. 'Proofs', which charts the demise of communism and its effects on
a
left wing group in Italy, is an exquisitely written piece of prose. The
opening 'chapter' is hypnotic and like a poem makes use of every single
word
to make its effect. The high quality of the imagery is then matched by a
very intellectual treatment of the statement of socialist thought in the
early 1990s. The short stories are extremely original and quite wacky in
places. Gavin stated that he highly recommended this collection.
Gavin
The frames have gone all funny - click to make it good.