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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
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Our Comments:
Opening section very tedious and made it overlong
I think the first chapter is masterly.
Desperately needed a good editing! |
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Our Comments:
Good idea for a plot
I liked this book, despite its uncomfortable theme. Have not been brave
enough to read Lucky though!
Have read twice and enjoyed (and cried) both times. |
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Our Comments: Several
people had got about a third of the way into this book and then given up.
Of the ones that had persevered, all enjoyed the book. We thought that
this book would have helped us with our school studies of Shakespeare's
plays - it made more sense in context. The information about the
Irish/English conflict was very interesting. Not an easy read. We thought
it was possibly too scholarly for the general reader as it was fairly
difficult to get into. Some of the details were fascinating - the
dismantling of the theatre and the details of Elizabeth's dress (did she
really expose so much flesh?). |
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Our Comments: This
book provoked a good discussion. People's attitudes to the book were
different - some who had experienced a loss recently had different
opinions to others. A poll taken before the meeting revealed that
75% of the group believed in a God (8% didn't and 17% were not
sure), 58% believed in a heaven (8% didn't and 33% were not sure)
and 58% believed in spirits or ghosts (with 8% not believing and 33%
not sure). Here are some of our comments:
'Annoying, twee, syrupy, obvious it was going to end happily -
ending predictable'
'Fantastic to start with but started to question whole plot
part way through'
'light read - similar to film 'Ghost', made you think about what
happens to people after death'
'Got bored when realised plot twist, not much depth, easy read'
'Wasn't sure about the half-way house for spirits, Fireman was a
disappointment'
'Disappointing, unsatisfactory, wishy-washy, predictable'
'Therapeutic book, found it a positive influence, comforting, had a
positive and comforting effect for someone who had suffered a
bereavement'
'Quick read, reminiscent of 'Lovely Bones'
and 'Five people you meet in heaven'. Confused by talk of heaven but
no mention of God. Liked concept of in between time after death but
didn't believe it was real. Thought Charlie was a good character and
thought his love for his brother was well portrayed. Happy ending
tied up with a big bow!'
'Easy book to read, doesn't need to be overanalysed. Predictable
ending.'
'A frothy, syrupy fairy tale. Were some poignant moments, if book
affects people it is a good thing - we are all on our own journey
through life'
'Enjoyable, light, twee at end. Reading this after a bereavement,
concepts were comforting. Didn't like the idea that spirits could
get into your dreams. Freaky but comforting idea that there might be
spirits watching over you and affecting your life.'
'Flat read, lots of technical bits on sailing!, not surprised at
end. Charlie and Sam were both selfish. Book did give a lesson in
letting go - but grief lasts a lifetime.
'Easy to read, twist on a love story, good idea, not very well
crafted.'
Our rating: the group was split - some
thought 2/3, others 4/5. |
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Our Comments:
Easy to read, twist of plot a bit contrived
A good read
Tale of bereavement with a detective story combined |
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Our Comments: Well,
we certainly needed to talk about Kevin! This book promoted one of
the best discussions in our group for a while. Everyone at the
meeting seemed to have got to the end of the book, despite it being,
at times, a very painful and disturbing read. For one member, it
raised a taboo question that she had dealt with in her child rearing
- you love you children - but do you have to like them? There is
also a myth about motherhood - if you have a child, you will love
it. We all seemed to have been hooked by the book and found it an
absorbing and an intelligent read. We discussed whether a child
could be born evil or whether Kevin was shaped by his parents (is it
always the easy way out to blame the parents?).
We all thought that it would be unlikely that such a disturbed child
would not have come to the attention of a child psychologist or
similar - we hoped that, in real life, some intervention might take
place with such a child.
We debated whether Eva (and Franklin) were 'accessories' to the
events of Thursday. We thought that Eva had to take some
responsibility - there were so many opportunities for her to change
things. We thought that both parents had lost any idea of the
priorities of parenting - why did they ever let Kevin babysit?
However, we had also experienced the blinkered views of other
parents when they were presented with the failings of their
children.
We thought that Eva was 'a self-centered nasty woman' who liked to
talk about herself. We wondered if she experienced post-traumatic
stress and/or post-natal depression after the birth of Kevin which
led to her failure to bond with him. However, we did also have
some sympathy for her as Kevin deliberately destroyed everything
that she loved or held dear. We thought that Kevin and Eva had
similar personality traits.
The book was very interesting as we only saw events from one
perspective, Eva's. We wondered what the book would have been like
if it had included another viewpoint (Franklin's?). Our perceptions
and understanding of events were based on Eva's telling of the
story.
We found this book very thought provoking. After all, we don't have
to have children any more and it is interesting what happens to us
when we do become parents. It is a scary ride.
We wanted to know what a childless person or a man felt about the
book. We also wanted to know what might happen next.
Generally, an excellent book for promoting discussion. Our rating
ranged from 3.5/5 to 5/5.
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Our Comments: Most
of the group had read this book. Several had been to see Billy
Connolly in concert. Our main discussion centred on the format of
this book. We decided that it was a hotch-potch of different things
- it was not really a biography and not really 'their story' - it
certainly wasn't a psychoanalytical study of Billy either. This
annoyed us, as did Stephenson's continual name-dropping. We didn't
feel that this book got 'under his skin' and should have had more
about Billy and less about Stephenson. We thought the best bits of
the book were when we heard Billy's voice - for example in the
desiderata at the end. Several of us wanted to know how Billy had
managed to form relationships with his own children - something that
was lacking in his own childhood and something that can be difficult
for children from abusive backgrounds. The description of this route
to fame was interesting. Overall, we thought that Billy should have
written this book. We didn't think we'd recommend it to others.
Rating: a guarded 1-3.
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Our Comments:
Fairly surreal but enjoyable
Brilliant…but wouldn’t want to be alone in a lift with the author
Did not see the point of this book!
First pages made me feel physically sick such was power of description and
evocation of smells - great book
We had an outing to see the film adaptation in January 2007. |
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Our Comments:
OK but did not set me on fire!
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Our Comments: Generally
we felt that this book was easy to read and enjoyable. The complex
mother and daughter relationships involved lots of manipulation and
secrets. Ruth's character was described as 'irritating' by some and
we wondered why she couldn't make up her mind about her relationship
with Art. Lots of us were disappointed in the way the book seemed to
peter out at the end and thought it could have come to a better
conclusion.
Other comments: "One of my favourite authors",
"Descriptions of life in old China were fascinating and more
interesting than the parts of the book set in the USA",
"Felt manipulated by Ruth in the first half of the story",
"Confusing", "Characters were tools for the plot and
not developed enough", "Wouldn't inspire me to read
another of her books", "Very similar to some of her other
books but not plotted as cleverly as some".
Overall rating: 3.5 - 4 out of 5
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Our Comments: Those
that had got to the end of this book had enjoyed it. The pace of the
story was very variable. We thought the characters were well drawn. We wanted to know how much was fact and how
much fiction. The book seemed to be very well researched. The
S&M sections brought a few blushes to one of the book club who
took it on a train journey with work colleagues!
Overall rating: 2.5-3 out of 5. |
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Our Comments:
This book seemed to split the group - some loved it - others wanted to
throw it across the room. Several of us found that we felt incredibly
cheated when we found that the last 50 or so pages of our edition were
actually the first chapters of the author's new book. Some really liked
the start of the book but then were disappointed as not very much
happened and a promising story did not unfold. Others found it more
difficult to get started, but were gripped by the story. One reader,
reading the book for the second time, enjoyed it even more second time
round. We were not sure if your attitude to this book depended on your
religious outlook and belief in angels. We found the main character
fairly unsympathetic although we did recognise the changes that had
taken place. If only she had worn the sexy underwear...... Some were not
sure if Miss Garnet had died at the end, others rather hoped the old bat
had finally snuffed it! Since this book split us, our rating is 1/5 for
the ones who really disliked it, rising to 4/5 for the ones who really
enjoyed it. This is probably one of the few books that we have read that
has provoked such opposing views. |
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Our Comments:
A good read
Doesn’t stand up to the hype of the TV but still v interesting and great
descriptions of London underworld life. Fingersmith much better!
Style reminded me of Dickens with descriptions of London and range of
characters
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Our Comments:
A story for kids or adults? If kids, the theme of manic depression is too
uncomfortable, if for adults, it does not have enough substance
Good evocation of a child's perspective on strange events |
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Our Comments:
A good look at how the dictionary came into being
I liked this book and particularly the history of the OED. Fascinating.
Amazing to find out how the dictionary was put together and the
relationships formed between the contributors |
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Our Comments: (with
The
Hours) 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.
Votes for Mrs Dalloway ranged from 5 to 1; for The Hours we thought
2-3. |
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Our Comments:
Very slow – improved towards to the end
Loved this book - how did she get away with it all? A sad end though |
 
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