|
| |
On the next few pages there is information on the books we have read so far.
We are in the process of adding our comments and a rating for each book.
Books are arranged alphabetically by author's surname.
Ali-Evaristo
Faulks-Grenville
Harris-Quinn
Rowling-Zola
Tip: If you hold your 'shift' button when you click on a link, it will open a
new window which might make it easier to keep track of where you are
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Our Comments: This
book provoked much discussion! In general, we didn't think that this
book was really an autobiography. Most of us had high hopes for the
book but were disappointed by the badly written text, long chapters
and the narrative that jumped around endlessly. We felt we didn't
learn much about Kate Adie - more about the internal politics of the
BBC. We all thought that she was a good reporter and that she must
have been personable in order to get her stories but there was no
warmth in her story. We thought the book contained lots of mini news
reports rather than a joined up story. Ms Adie came over as driven
and intrepid but not very likeable and very resistant to the changes
that have taken place at the BBC. Not many of the group had made it
to the end of the book. Those that had felt that the second half of
the book was perhaps better than the beginning. Other comments: too
many BBC in jokes; she didn't appreciate how lucky she was; could
tell she was not formally trained in journalism; bitterly
disappointed, coudn't believe how rubbish it was. Overall score -
2/5. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our Comments: 'A
very difficult book for modern children - complex sentence structure
and very unusual vocabulary. Thought the wolves would feature more
in the story. Disappointed in story structure'; 'Predictable story -
very dated'; 'Not suitable for today's generation - too predictable
and very dated'; 'Enjoyed revisiting this book but would not
recommend to a child now'; 'Enjoyable but expected more from the
wolves'; 'Was one of my favourite books as a child - could not
remember plot. Wolves were frightening at the time. Was exciting in
comparison to rest of the reading material of the time. Wanted to
slap Bonnie - Couldn't see modern children enjoying it'; 'Black and
white story, very nostalgic. Seems very old-fashioned even for
1962'; 'Loved the book, lots of fun, loved names and good/bad
characters. Want a doctor who prescribes champagne!'; 'Captured the
powerlessness of children'. Overall score 4/5. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Our Comments: Not
many members of the group managed to read this. Those that did found
it funny, well translated, silly and a very daft romp of a detective
story. One member had read it before and had hated it - she enjoyed
it more the second time round but still would not read another book
by this author. We thought there was a funny mix of characters which
made for a fun read. The ending was shocking and surprising. One
reader, who had not read a crime novel before, found it
entertaining, different and good fun. We thought it was good to try
a book we would not otherwise have picked up. Our rating between 3/5
and 4/5. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Our Comments: This
was one of the books that has provoked the longest discussion in the
book circle. We found this book interesting, funny and tragic all at
the same time. Although it was a world not many of us knew about, we
were able to relate to the characters and enjoy the story. We were
not sure why so much of the story was told via the letters of the
main character's sister in the middle section. We wondered if the
huge scope of the book might have been too much and thought the
structure of the book was affected by the author's inexperience. The
description of Nazneen's sister's life in Bangladesh was well
contrasted with Nazneen's life in London. We were able to sympathize
with the young girls in the story as we have friends/neighbours who
have been trying to escape old traditions and adapt a more Western
attitude. We were disgusted by the descriptions of nose hair and
corn trimming by Nazneen's for her husband and glad that we
were not expected to perform similar duties for our own! Although he
was fairly useless in some respects, we did recognise that he
probably loved Nazneen. The description of the loss of their baby
was very well done. We were interested to speculate whether Nazneen
and her husband would ever be together again. The idea of rebelling
against leaving everything to fate was also fascinating and we were
all hoping that Nazneen would do well at the end. Our rating was
3.5-4/5 |
|
|
|
 |
|
Our Comments:
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Our Comments:
Sad and thought provoking |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our Comments: 'Raced
through it, lots of twists and turns, loved it!'; 'Very dull story,
no emotion, author showed off with language. Didn't finish'; 'Loved
this book - didn't mind switching from past to present, great plot
twists'; 'First book to make me cry for years. Got frustrated that
couldn't follow very complex plot. Liked language and author's
attempt to show that things can happen unexpectedly. Got cross with
court room scenes. Well written book'; 'Can tell it is a first novel
- good book but needed a better editor. Modern characters are less
real than historical ones. Made me think about collaboration and the
role of the Catholic church in WW2'; 'Complicated, multi-layered
book. Weaving of stories is clever - neat ending.'; 'Too many
characters but very good story and made me want to find out more';
'Somewhere in this book was a good story, but I couldn't find it -
too confusing and too many subplots.' We had both the paper
back and hard back editions in our group and it was interesting that
the paper back version had a list of characters - something that
someone reading the hard back had suggested would have helped
understand this complex plot. Reminded us of Robert Goddard and John
Le Carre. Good read and 4/5 overall score (but some gave only
1/5).. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Our Comments: This
turned out to be a very popular book within our group despite the
fairly gory and sad content. Not everyone had realised that it was
based on a true story. We thought it had been very well researched
and was well written without being a 'showing off' exercise. The
language was very poetic. We enjoyed the use of old words. The
ignorance and savagery of the times was well portrayed. The
characters were well formed but some of us found that we wanted to
slap Elinor at times. We speculated about the relationship between
the main female characters. Although we found this book fascinating,
a page turner and easy to read, some were disappointed with the
'Hollywood' ending. We would certainly like to read more by this
author. Our rating was 3.5-4.5. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our Comments: Some
of the group had read this book and others by the same author but
some had read this book for the first time. General comments: 'A
cliffhanger - the story led from one chapter to another - couldn't
put it down'. 'Fantastic story that made me go back and look at Da
Vinci's paintings'.' Disappointed by ending. Good read'. 'What's all
the fuss about - its only a story!' 'Too much research - author
seemed to show off with how much he know and was determined to put
in every last fact he'd found out'. 'Last half could have been
shorter'. 'Not a great literary work but a good read'. 'Downgrades
readers' intelligence - let us work some of it out for ourselves'.
'Has increased reading in adults which can't be a bad thing'. 'A
good page turner'. 'Leave some things to our imagination - too much
product placement!'. Some people who had read it before found it
more interesting spotting clues on the second reading. The complex
plot meant that many had forgotten key aspects between readings.
Overall, most had enjoyed the book but didn't think it merited the
reaction from the church over the plot ideas. Most would read
another book by this author but those who had already tackled
another one said that the plots (and characters) were very similar
in his other books. |
|
|
|
|
|
Our Comments:
Wry but patronising. Interesting insights into town planning –
something we Brits take for granted.
Great
Very positive views on being British by an American
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our Comments:
Mad as a fish. Who awards prizes?
Very peculiar with lots of references to fairy tales - had to carry
on reading just to see how weird it could get
Strange
|
Elizabeth Burton-Phillips
|
|
|
|
Our Comments:
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Our Comments: Did
anyone rate this book? It has our lowest rating ever! Here are a
selection of our comments: 'Stupid, stupid book'. 'Utter crap'.
'Pretentious drivel'. 'Waste of trees - certainly a waste of any
precious luggage space if you followed Richard and Judy's holiday
read advice'. 'Very predictable'. 'The number of descriptions of
food made us feel sick'. 'Story was predictable and silly'.'Female
characters were not well written'. 'Did Capella really want to write
a recipe book instead?' 'Book failed on every front - didn't even
make you hungry'. 'Light weight froth'. 'Worst book I've ever read'.
But, on the plus side, 'easy to read'.
Our rating: 1/5. |
|
|
|
|
|
Our Comments:
Beautiful, elegiac but lacking in substance
Beautiful, sensitive
Captures a moment in time perfectly
A bit bland
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our Comments:
Funny and sad – a book for the middle aged woman. Unlikely ending.
Amusing
Some very funny moments though did find the story unlikely. Went on
to read several others of hers but seem very similar.
Amusing and fairly unpredictable
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our Comments:
Riveting, subtle
I loved this book and the film!
An insight into the painter's world and into Dutch society at the
time - good book
Absorbing
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our Comments:
Autobiographies are tricky to judge but this provided a effective
testament to the ‘60’s and life up north!
Boring
I was more interested in his life than his relationship with his
mother
Interesting but irritating in parts
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our
Comments: (with Mrs
Dalloway ) Lots of people had tried several times to get
started on Mrs Dalloway - it was felt it was hard to get into with
its rambling, floating style. Several members liked the floating
style of Mrs Dalloway, the way it flips from idea to idea and from
person to person, but some found this very difficult to read and
confusing to follow. More people had got to the end of The Hours
than had completed Mrs Dalloway and, in general, The Hours was
viewed as an easier read. Some found the character of Mrs Dalloway
irritating and we couldn't relate to the kind of life where the
success of a dinner party was your main worry - it seemed very far
removed from our lives. One of the messages from the book - live for
the moment and learn to recognise and appreciate moments of
happiness as they happen rather than seeking perfection - was
discussed. We also discussed the books in relation to Virginia
Woolf's life (and death). The advantages of reading the books as a
pair were considered. We were not sure if The Hours was more of an
academic exercise and a bit of 'showing off' by the author rather
than a homage to Virginia Woolf. The style of The Hours was thought
to be much more heavy handed than Mrs Dalloway. We were not sure if
The Hours would stand alone as a book in its own right - you
probably could read it on its own but you get much more depth if you
read the two books together. The Hours was more accessible. Our
leader for the evening said that she had only got to grips with Mrs
Dalloway after several readings.
Rating: Votes for Mrs Dalloway ranged from 5 to 1; for The Hours we
thought 2-3. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Our
Comments: We were amazed at how much the author could
remember about his childhood. Lots of it was brutal - particularly
the tales of boarding school canings and the fag system. A
description of a very privileged upbringing from a moneyed family.
We felt that you could see how his children's stories had evolved
from his experiences. There was not much information about his
family. The descriptions of the operations were gruesome. Some
readers enjoyed this more than they expected (it was very short). He
writes very well and descriptions were good - some very funny bits
like the mouse in the sweet shop. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Our
Comments: What was this book about? Did we
care? Did anything happen? We were confused about what era this book
was set in. It was an easy read and well written, but we all thought
the characters were unlikeable and we had no empathy with them. As
we talked about the book, some more interesting points emerged as we
compared the fasting and feasting ideas in the book. The group split
into two camps - some thought it was OK, some wondered why they
had bothered with the book. Votes for the book were 1-2 with 1
group and 3-4 with the other. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Our
Comments: One of the things we discussed after
reading this book was does it matter if the story isn't true? We
wondered what was true and what was imaginary and whether it
mattered to how we viewed the book. Lots of us didn't enjoy the
ending but we thought it was an unusual story. We wondered why all
the men in the story were so awful - even those who were sympathetic
at the beginning were not by the end. We thought there was little
depth in the portrayal of the male characters. We got an insight
into the life of women in biblical times - always working - and an
idea of the importance of a midwife to such societies. We've lost
touch with how dangerous child birth can be. We also thought the
struggles and logistics of a nomadic life were well portrayed. We
thought that the author seemed to had to work hard at her heritage
rather than just absorbing it. One member had tried to read this
book and failed again after about 4 pages. Most thought that it was
a good yarn, that it made a change from other books and was set at
an interesting time. We envied the women their 3 days exclusion from
life in the red tent and thought we might start our own tradition.
Some had looked up the various references in the bible. Some
commented that it did not follow the path of the 12 sons forming the
tribes of Israel but that this could be because the book focuses on
the lives of the women. Overall score was 4. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our Comments: Of the 8
members at the meeting, only 4 had made it to the end of the book.
We wouldn't recommend this as a reading group book but did think it
might make a good doorstop! We only had 4 weeks to read the book -
perhaps if we'd had longer, more might have finished it (but the
incentive to finish might have gone too!). It is certainly not a
'Can't put down book'. Those that had made it to the end of the book
thought it was worthwhile persevering but it is very slow and hard
to read. One member pointed out a paragraph that lasted over one and
a half pages. We all realised how badly educated we were in
comparison to upper class women of Eliot's day as the introductory
quotes to each chapter - in French, German and Latin - had been
impenetrable to most. We were, however, better educated about other
religions and perhaps a lot of the information about Jewish life and
culture was more familiar to us than women of Eliot's generation.
There were interesting parallels between the treatment of European
Jews in the book and later events to follow in Germany in the late
1930s. Not many of us had much sympathy for Gwendoline but we did
appreciate that she had matured towards the end of the book. Overall
rating 3/5. |
|
|
|
|
|
Our Comments:
Easy to read plus makes you think about power of the edit in TV!
Unnecessary book – I also hate Big Brother!
Clever plotting, clever dialogue but stereotypical characters
Novel idea – but stretched credibility
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our Comments:
I loved this book but then read his others and realised how alike
they are. This is still my favourite
Good reading but a little light
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our Comments:
Interesting but trying too hard to be clever
Liked it on first reading. Disliked it on second reading.
Interesting format that was not as difficult to read as it first looked.
Some very funny and very shocking moments.
Clever idea but fairly difficult to read
|
 
|
