Book Club Reviews >
Review 12th July
We met to discuss The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill. Eight of us gathered for lunch beforehand, and, many thanks to the chefs, we all enjoyed an excellent meal.
Thanks to Yvonne for her review of the book, which follows. It was not her choice, but no one admitted to choosing it:
The book was generally well accepted by those who attended. Most felt it was well constructed keeping the main plot and subsidiaries going throughout. There was a comment that with so many characters being introduced it was somewhat confusing, but then, the object of a story like this is to keep the reader guessing right to the end. This was the first Simon Serrailler book. An unusual combination of Detective Chief Inspector and an artist. We are introduced to his family, all medical doctors apart from him. Detective Sergeant Freya Graffham plays a major part in the majority of the book. Her demise came as a shock to those who thought she may well have become part of the series. There are several cases of women going missing in the same area and the story is based around the search for whoever is taking the women. The perpetrator turns out to be a man who was thwarted in earlier life when he was dismissed from medical school. On the surface he practises as a highly respected member of the alternative treatments community. Unfortunately one of his sidelines is carrying out autopsies, but as he was not qualified he had to supply his own corpses which he was doing in a scientific manner, each one being a different body type.
Several of us were already Simon Serrailler fans and those who were not were keen to read more of the series.
Definitely a good choice even though no one could remember recommending it!"
Review 18th June
We had an excellent meeting last Friday. We all enjoyed some really good food before the meeting, prepared by new chefs Andrew and Darren. Service was good too, which was a great prelude to our discussions on this month's book choice: The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.
This was Liz's choice, and her review follows:
"Don't read this book unless you've got the patience, stamina and requisite taste for a quintessential mid-Victorian novel. If you don't, you'll think The Woman in White is terribly overwrought and 500 pages too long!
It is a classic book, and they're always pretty long, but I chose it because I had interrupted reading it to read one of the Book Club books that I wasn't really enjoying. Even though it was fairly long-winded, I was enjoying it more than the Book Club book, and said so at a meeting. It was suggested that we add it to our reading list!
One of our favourite characters was Mr. Fairlie, heroine Laura's hypochondriac uncle. His scenes were written so humorously. Walter Hartwright was a sleuthing superstar. The team of Count Fosco and Percival Glyde were deeply written and their greed, bombast, and evil were delectable to the last.
The Woman in White is a great mystery that kept us turning pages."
Liz read us a comprehensive summary of the plot, which we all appreciated. Most of us really enjoyed the book, although one person had given up and found it rather verbose. But mostly we thought the characters well drawn, the descriptions fantastic and the plot compelling. If you haven't read it, or haven't done so for many years, we can certainly recommend it.
Review 10th May
"On Goodreads it received 4.16 out of 5 stars and is described as a “contemporary fantasy”. It was nominated for Best Fantasy Book 2021 and gained second place behind “A Court of Silver Flames” by Sarah J. Maas.
A Short Summary:
“Wallace is an unpleasant and selfish man who dies. He is brought to a tea house where the ferryman, Hugo, is there to help Wallace process his life and enter the doorway to the afterlife when he’s ready. At the tea house, Wallace befriends the others there and learns to care for and sacrifice for others. He also develops romantic feelings for Hugo. When Wallace overstays his time, the Manager (a god-like entity) gives Wallace a hard 7-day limit before he needs to move on. During this time, Wallace makes amends with his ex-wife (he’s bisexual) and helps a grieving mother find closure. He also helps to rescue Cameron, who was a “Husk” (a ghost who had lost his humanity), which were previously thought to be hopeless cases. When it’s time to leave, the Manager agrees to let Hugo continue to work on rescuing other Husks, and he decides to bring Wallace back to life so he can work as a Reaper (herding ghosts to the tea house) alongside Hugo.”
Not unexpectedly, this book received mixed reviews from the members of the
Bookclub and proved to be a “marmite” book.
Some of the negative comments included:
• I don’t enjoy fantasy books
• It had a slow beginning and I stopped reading
• Perhaps I should have read it when I was younger - this might really happen and the thought isn’t comforting
• I dipped in and out of the book
• The end was a little contrived and depressing
• It was disturbing and repetitious
More positive comments included:
• The characters were interesting and well drawn
• I enjoy fantasy novels
• The book was very well written
• The book engaged me from the start
• The book was very funny and uplifting
As can be seen, it received a very mixed reception. Fantasy books are not to everyone’s taste, and the subject matter “death” was controversial. It was generally agreed, even by the member who had enjoyed the book, that “The House on the Cerulean Sea”, the previous book we had read by T. J. Klune, had been more enjoyable. This was probably due to the subject matter.
Review 5th April
"Our book this month was ‘The Dictionary of Lost Words’ by Pip Williams. This novel is based on a true story about the compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary. Volunteers from all over the world sent words to the Scriptorium together with an example of the way in which the word was used. The book focuses on a small girl who collects ‘lost words’: words which don’t make inclusion in the dictionary. It follows her life growing up in a difficult household without a mother against the backdrop of the late Victorian/ Edwardian period, Suffragettes and the First World War. The author states that the book is her attempt ‘to understand how the way we define language, might define us’ (:406). Some of our readers did not feel that the book had much of a plot although they were pleased to learn about how the dictionary was put together and how long it took to do it (71 years after it was proposed). Readers felt although the book was well written and contained beautiful passages of letter writing, it was ‘wordy’. The plot illustrated the lack in status of women, especially those from a working-class background, pregnancy outside wedlock and becoming a war widow. It could be thought as a feminist book as some words which were referred to as ‘women’s words’ were excluded from the dictionary. These words are more accepted and part of language today. Some of our readers really enjoyed the book whilst others felt the book in some parts was quite slow. We all agreed that it was an emotional book even bringing some readers to tears. The main character Esme was an interesting character and the author managed to merge truth and fiction in a seamless way. Overall it was a good book for the Book Club as it generated lots of discussion."
Review 1st March
On Friday we discussed The House on the Strand, by Daphne du Maurier. Many thanks to Liz for choosing this book and leading our discussion; her review follows:
"I chose this book because of the location it was written about, mostly in Tywardreath and Par, all really local to Fowey.
The writer wrote this book, published in 1969, whilst based at Kilmarth, the house she moved to after being forced to leave her beloved Menabilly (Manderlay, in her book Rebecca). Her husband (Boy Browning) had died, leaving her depressed, not helped by having to leave Menabilly. Prior to moving in, and looking around, she found a cellar in which there were several vials and bottles containing ghoulish exhibits; the house had previously been occupied by a professor of Science. She had become very interested in the history of the area around Fowey, especially in the 14th century, and of the family of Champernounes, Carminowes and Bodrugans and their connections. These two things gave her the idea to write quite a different book, where the narrator of the story is a man, Dick Young, who holidays at Kilmarth, courtesy of an old university friend. The friend is a professor who has invented a drug, still very much in its experimental stages, but that takes them back to the 14th century, where they get involved with the local families, and their intrigues, adulteries and even murder.
The ending is not very happy, but one realises through the book, that Dick’s life was not very happy, and the end, although abrupt, is very fitting!
We had a very lively meeting at the Fowey Harbour Hotel, who kindly allowed us to discuss our book after lunch. Several had read the book many years ago, but enjoyed visiting it again, especially as so many knew the area of the book’s setting so well. Some enjoyed the read but not so much the story, and the storyline wasn’t to everyone’s taste, but everyone did have opinions about the book, and with 13 present, we had a very pleasant afternoon, with plenty of discussion from all! Exactly how a book club should be!"
Review 2nd February
The Beacon by Susan Hill
"This book tells the story of a family which lives on a remote farm called Beacon. There were four children, Colin, Frank, May and six years later Berenice.
Their adult lives took some interesting paths. May, the bright one, could not cope with life away from home. Colin remains in farming but not at the Beacon. Berenice knew what she wanted and left home while still young to achieve it. Frank had spent his childhood as “the quiet one” then he left home and surprisingly made a career in journalism. His decisions in later life come as a shock to the rest of the family.
Those decisions had huge repercussions for the entire family who found themselves in the limelight for all the wrong reasons.
It was described by members of the group as interesting, unsettling, haunting, boring or sad.
This is definitely a book you need to read for yourself to decide whether you would consider it a “good read”. It provoked some interesting discussions and that is what Book Groups are all about".
Review 5th January
This was one of Ann's earlier books whilst she was still working as a Probation Officer, this connection was referred to in her main character Lizzie Bartholomew.
Lizzie was an orphan child, brought up in the care system Later qualifying as a Social worker, she had previously worked in a young offender team when through extreme stress committed an assault on one of its clients.
At the beginning of the book Lizzie is on holiday in Morocco where she meets Phillip Sansom who dies shortly after. Lizzie is contacted by the family solicitor who invites her to the funeral and pays her a significant amount of money to find his long lost son. Lizzie then begins to attempt to fulfil the task.
The story is a tangled web of characters who are a mixed bunch full of twists and turns of deception, corruption and family drama.
Some of our members really loved the book. Others were disappointed and found the lists of characters a bit confusing; some members found the book a light read, not as enjoyable as her more popular books.
Because I read a lot of Ann Cleeves I would recommend this book, however with a warning that it is her first book and is different to her later books. This is a book that has to be read to the end before the true plot is uncovered."
Review 1st December
Haven by Emma Donoghue. Emma Donoghue is also the author of Room, another unusual book which has been made into an acclaimed film.
Haven is certainly different. It is set in 7th century Ireland.
Three monks set out to start a monastery where no one else lives, away from worldly temptations. They find an island off Ireland and settle there. Artt, the leader, and Cormac, the second monk, are men of faith. Trian is young. He was given by his parents to the monastery. Once they find their island, they begin to test their ability to obey Artt and to trust God to provide all that they need beyond the minuscule cache of supplies they brought with them in their boat.
Skellig Michael is a jagged outcrop off the coast of County Kerry. Tradition holds that human habitation on the island dates from AD600, when ascetic Irish monks began retreating to ever-more remote spots. Emma Donoghue’s brooding, dreamlike novel imagines who those first souls might have been and how they might have survived. Suffice to say, the refuge they imagine – somewhere far from temptation and worldly chatter – soon becomes a very different kind of place as their faith in God and one another is tested to extremes. It all begins with a dream. In the monastery of Cluain Mhic Nóis, a celebrated visitor – a “living saint”, Brother Artt – awakens in the night convinced that he’s experienced a vision. Its meaning is clear: he must establish a new monastery on an island untainted by human existence, taking with him the two monks who featured in his dream.
Brother Artt, is revealed to be insufferably sanctimonious, but his mismatched travelling companions are complicated, appealing creations. Gangly, red-haired Trian is a young piper whose family gave him to the monastery when he was 13. He’s a ciotóg – a left-hander – and profoundly awkward with it, but he carries about him a deeper mystery that will be disclosed only as the novel nears its wave-lashed denouement. Cormac, meanwhile, is a late convert to Christianity and old enough to have lived an entire other life before entering holy orders. He has the scars to prove it, some more visible than others: part of his skull has been lost to a battle injury, and the plague claimed his wife and all three of their young children. Despite close shaves with catapult-firing slavers and nights ragged with the howling of wolves, this is a character-driven narrative. Inevitably, tensions surface between the far from equal trio once their “sacred wandering” ends and they reach Skellig Michael. Artt’s insistence that “God will provide” sounds ever more delusional. He forbids his companions to seek others to trade. After 6 months on the island, supplies are running out, but he will not waver in his beliefs. Cormac, on the other hand, is all about practical matters, sowing seeds in the scant inch of soil the island offers and using stories to ease tensions. As for Trian, along with copying out psalters, he has the task of keeping the brethren in fish and fowl, and he finds himself more and more appalled by how easy it is to plunder the island’s innocent wildlife, flightless auks included.Though this is a text replete with religious fable, it’s in descriptions of the physical world that the prose soars. There is just one tree on the island, a Rowan. When Artt cuts it down, this seems like sacrilege rather than God’s will as he claims.
When he becomes seriously ill from eating mussels (forbidden by Brother Artt but poor Trian is always hungry), it is revealed that Trian is not wholly male. Artt is appalled by this but Cormac is sympathetic. When Artt decrees that Trian must live separately due to his physical issues, this finally gives Cormac and Trian the incentive to rebel. They set off in the abandoned boat, and we all hoped that they managed to row to safety. One of our number had actually visited Skellig Michael and thought this might be possible. Artt was left alone on the island, but we thought he would warmly welcome martydom.
The book was considered a good choice for our Book Club as it is so different. The descriptions of the living conditions of the three men and the wildlife they decimated to survive were vivid and must have been researched in depth. We wanted to murder Artt, but really hoped the other two managed to escape safely.
Review 3rd November
The Bullet that missed by Richard Osman. The group had previously read and enjoyed the first two books in the series.
The Thursday Murder Club – Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim – is back. This time round, Richard Osman’s “four harmless pensioners” are investigating the case of Bethany Waites, a television reporter who was looking into a huge VAT fraud when her car was driven off a cliff in the middle of the night and whose body was never found. Joyce lures Bethany’s former colleague, South East Tonight presenter Mike Waghorn (“I play squash, I moisturise and nature takes care of the rest”) to a meeting with the club. They want to pick his brains about Bethany’s last few days. Before he knows it, Mike and his makeup artist, Pauline, are drawn into a mystery that will range from the wilds of Staffordshire to the Sussex coast, taking in money launderers, bitcoin (Joyce is particularly fascinated by this one) and a former KGB hitman (a very pleasant chap and a former lover of Elizabeth’s, it turns out).
Elizabeth, Osman’s retired spy, has other problems to deal with. Not only is her beloved Stephen slipping deeper into the clutches of dementia, but she’s kidnapped and charged with carrying out a hit herself. As ever, she takes it in her stride. “Things have been too quiet recently. A retired optometrist crashed his moped into a tree, and there has been a row about milk bottles, but that was about it for excitement. The simple life is all well and good, but, in this moment, with a murder to investigate, and threatening texts arriving daily, Elizabeth realises she has missed trouble.”
The Bullet That Missed is the third outing for Osman’s retirees. Its predecessors, The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice, sold millions of copies around the world. Any publisher would be keen for Osman to press on with the series after such record-breaking success – The Man Who Died Twice sold an astonishing 114,202 hardbacks in the UK in its first three days last year. And it is easy to be cynical about Osman’s success as an author – he was, after all, the well-known co-host of the hugely popular Pointless TV quiz when his debut came out and his publisher will have thrown enough money behind the novel to guarantee it a place in the book charts. But that cynicism can only go so far, once you read Osman’s funny, warm-hearted novels. However, some of us did find that the books do tend to merge together in one's mind, and it becomes hard to say what happened in each one! Are they getting rather formulaic in the manner of authors who churn out similar tomes time after time, for example Barbara Cartland?
Overall, this was felt to be another immensely enjoyable book in a series that through its delightful characters and manner of storytelling, provides a real degree of escapism. It could have done with one less element but otherwise, the mystery was very well thought out and the characters well drawn and engaging so, for most of us, there is hardly anything not to like. However, whilst the majority of us really enjoyed the book, there were a couple of exceptions who have had enough of Richard Osman's murder mysteries. Some of us have read the fourth book in the series, The Last Devil to Die, which has just come out. Unfortunately, without giving away too much, there is a significant section in that book which is most depressing and not at all in the light-hearted style of the series. We have therefore decided not to add it to our reading list. Rather disappointing for the Richard Osman fans and we wondered why he had seen fit to alter the style of part of his new novel in this way.
Review 6th October
THE VIRGINIAN
A Horseman of the Plains by Owen Wister
A novel written in 1902 about a cowboy from Virginia, only ever called the Virginian, and his life in Wyoming Territory in the 1870’s.
The narrator is a ‘Tenderfoot’ from the East, who observes the differences in this wild part of the country, where neighbours could be several days' ride away, similarly any Sheriff to instill the law.
This is also a love story between the Virginian, and Molly the new school teacher from Vermont, who was seeking something more than marrying a local boy, who she clearly didn’t love and settling down.
Molly first met the Virginian on her way to her new post as teacher, when her coach overturned, and he rescued her from the river, and she soon fell in love with him, despite their differences in background. She is initially horrified by the manners and ways of this part of the country, especially when she realises that the only way to stop cattle thieves, was to lynch any they found.
While they continued their romance, the Virginian as foreman to the Judge, was sent as head of such a lynching mob, with two cattle thieves who had been caught, and were also suspected of killing if anyone got in their way. Our hero was a gentle man at heart, but knew that there was no other way to keep law and order, and felt he had no alternative, but to carry out his orders.
This unsettled Molly, who had spent any free time available to them together with him, where she had educated him, helping him to read better and lending him books, while he took her out into the countryside showing her the beautiful surroundings. Also she had spent weeks nursing him when he had been attacked and left for dead, reputedly by some rogue Indians. Understanding that her lover had killed, she threatened to leave him, but her love proved too strong and she reluctantly forgave him.
Just before their wedding, the Virginian was challenged to a duel, by Trampas, an adversary who has appeared several times in the book, and who was believed to be one of the main cattle thieves, and also responsible for killing, but there had been no proof. Molly decided that was the last straw for her, and told him that if he killed Trampas, she would leave him. He was torn, but felt he must honour the challenge.
(There followed the first gunfight ever published, a forerunner of many cowboy stories.)
The Virginian let Trampas draw first, but the bullet missed and The Virginian shot Trampas dead. Knowing Molly would leave him, with heavy heart, he told her that he had killed Trampas, but she was so distraught at the thought of losing him, she fell into his arms, and the wedding was on!
So a happy ending, with a beautiful chapter of the secret places that he had chosen to take her on their honeymoon. Then a brief description of their life together and what became of their life and their families.
I chose this book, as I have read it several times from when I was a teenager, and still love the wonderful descriptions of the wild west. Such a different place from the America we think of now, but such a similar story to those classic films that end with a Gunfight. Also the long running TV series "The Virginian" was taken from this book, even though some of the characters were changed, for example in the series Trampas is the Virginian's side kick and friend, rather than the cattle thieving killer he was in the book.
This book seemed to have been enjoyed by most of the book club who attended, although it took some a bit of time to get used to the written language, especially from the Virginian, but most loved the descriptions of the plains and hills, valleys, rivers and streams. There were also some very profound life observations by the narrator, and out takes from the classical books that Molly lent to her lover."
Review 1st September
The book we discussed was Fault Line by Robert Goddard.
Roz has kindly written a review, and this follows:
"In this story we follow Jonathan, a St Austell Grammar School boy, from when he took a holiday job with Wren China Clay before going to university. Eventually he spent his life in china clay. His involvement with the Wren family is spasmodic but they rely on him greatly. His infatuation with Vivien Wren is woven into the story and ends with a happy conclusion.
There are some flash backs, but these are done very well and are easy to follow.
Part of the book is set in Capri, which sounds lovely - I have not visited this place yet!
I chose this book because it is set so close to home and I think some will remember, as I do, just how much part the china clay company played in Fowey. Many employees lived here, and local restaurants etc benefitted financially.
Robert Goddard is a favourite author of mine. I discovered his books years ago. Many have been made into films and TV series, particularly his books about Harry Barnett. I think a lot of his latter stories are set in Cornwall as he was living just off Lemon Street in Truro.
I hope you enjoyed the book."
Our group all enjoyed the book to a greater or lesser degree. Some people felt the characters were two dimensional, but others warmed to some of them, particularly to Jonathan, the narrator. He came over as a really good person, a trouble-shooter with a strong moral conscience, despite several misadventures with the challenging Wren family along the way. Some of us would have liked more detail about his life between him leaving school and the rest of the book, which was written as he approached retirement at the age of sixty. There was very little of his experiences of life beyond the Wren family, although we understood he had worked all round the world in the china clay industry and had even been married for a short time. We learned nothing at all about his wife. There were mixed feelings about the considerable local input, which made the book more enjoyable for some, but detracted from it for others as concentrating on the local area tended to mask shortcomings in the story. Would we have liked the book as much if it had been set elsewhere? Some of the happenings, including a number of untimely deaths and murders, did stretch credibility. Several of us had read the book before but thought it benefitted from a second reading as we did not have complete recall from the first time. We all agreed that it was a great page-turner, like so many of Robert Goddard's books. He is a very skilled writer who ensures you want to know what happens next! Some felt the ending was a bit abrupt, but others were delighted by the implication that happiness may have been possible for Jonathan and Vivien in the twilight of their years after all their trials and tribulations.
Review 4th August
The book we had read this time was Oh William By Elizabeth Strout. Many thanks to Kathy, who has written the following synopsis and review:
"The main character in this novel is Lucy Barton who grew up in terribly bleak poverty in the small farming town of Amgash , Illiniois. Hence the novel is part of the ‘Amgash Series’. It is not necessary to read the previous books in the series as each novel stands on their own.
The book opens with Lucy, at 63 a successful novelist, well known enough that mentioning her name to a small town librarian results in a request to sign a stack of books on the way out.the library is in Maine where Lucy has agreed to travel with her ex-husband, the titular William. Both of them are at a late-life crossroads. Lucy’s beloved second husband has died a few weeks earlier, and William’s third wife has left him. What brings them to Maine, however, is the recent revelation, through an ancestry research service, that William has a half-sister, an infant his mother abandoned when she left her first husband for his father. This half-sister still lives in the hamlet where William’s mother grew up, a place that reminds Lucy of Amgash in it’s principal isolation. (It isn’t on the quaint, lovely coast of Maine familiar to tourists, but an inland region , once described by somebody as ”the frozen potato fields of the north”).
Oh William has less to do with the discovery of this half-sister than with the nature of Lucy’s and William’s relationship. They share two grown up daughters and the sort of deep relationship that ex-partners are sometimes able to achieve. Although they live apart and have had very different lives, William explains to Lucy his feeling of comfort of knowing “he can call Lucy no matter what hour ,whenever, he is experiencing some sort of night terror”.
The novel seems to have the apparent artlessness of conversation or diary entries. Lucy seems to ramble from one character to another; mentions a character , announces she doesn’t want to “talk” about him, then brings him up again; finishes statements with ”I guess”or “ I suppose”. Descriptions are simple and minimal and feel like spontaneous asides, as when Lucy mentions that Williams third wife Estelle, has “kind of wild reddish hair which I’ve always liked”. The use of figurative language is sparse and when used it describes such emotional states - “pings” of hurt, or the “dull disc of dread in my chest” during her marriage to William, when she felt he was unavailable. The overall effect is a confiding intimacy, as if the reader were catching up with an old friend in a particular confessional mood.
The novelist opens up depths with the simplest of touches, and this story ends with the assurance that the source of love lies less in understanding than in the recognition—although it may take a lifetime to learn the difference.
The book was liked very much by at least one member and although many members remarked it was not their favourite enjoyable read, nevertheless, it brought about a lot of enthusiastic discussion. A very enjoyable afternoon.”
We will next meet on Friday 1st September. The book we will be discussing then is Fault Line by Robert Goddard, much of which is set in Cornwall.
Review 14th July
A synopsis of the story is:
"I love the written word of the book, with so many observations of different lives. All four of the boys were very different, and all had very different backgrounds, which proves my thoughts that, how we are, Is a combination of our backgrounds, and what life throws at us on the way!
Maybe it would’ve been better if Emmet had left Billy with a lovely neighbour Sally, who had looked after him after his father had died, while Emmett was away. Sally pops up occasionally throughout the book as a motherly figure, despite her young age, always wanting to look after the boys.
There are some lovely references to stories of Greek mythology, taken from Billy’s book of heroes, and how Billy relates them to modern life. The end seemed to happen rather quickly, after such a wandering journey, and I just feel I’d like to read it again putting the chapters together of each character, so that I could follow the story more easily. However I still love the writing of Amor Towles and his amazing way with words. I was travelling along with them, and felt their frustrations and sorrows. That’s when I know it’s been a good book.
Most of the members enjoyed the book, and we had a really comprehensive discussion about it, some feeling Duchess as being a lovable rogue and others that he deserved his “comeuppance”.
Lots of good chat and laughter, the sign of a really good meeting. Thank you everyone".
Our next meeting will be on Friday 4th August, when the book we will be discussing is: Oh William by Elizabeth Strout. Our September choice is Fault Line by Robert Goddard and October will be the next Richard Osman The Bullett that missed. Further choices warmly welcomed.
Review 2nd June
Our June meeting took place on a lovely sunny terrace at the Yacht Club, following a delicious lunch for most of us. The book we discussed was Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead.
Many thanks to Linda for her review, which follows:
"Maggie Shipstead has created a compelling heroine in a book that almost seems as if it is retelling a true story.
Marion Graves disappeared in 1950 while attempting to fly round the world longitudinally, passing over both north and south poles.
She was an accomplished aviator, a woman obsessed with flight since her childhood in the wilds of Montana. The book covers her life from a baby, when she and her twin brother were placed into the hands of their Uncle Wallace, an artist, a drunk and rather unfit to raise children (however he does his best). Her Father was imprisoned for deserting his ship. He was the master of the ship that went down but could not bring himself to leave them with strangers on the lifeboats. His wife was drowned.
Their childhood is enthralling and you very quickly become immersed in their lives.
The twins could not be more different, Jamie sensitive, shy and an artist and Marion, brave, reckless and determined. By chance some barnstormers appear in their town and her obsession with flying starts and never ends. Her life is portrayed through prohibition in America up to and through the war years where she becomes one of the few women pilots delivering spitfires and other war planes.
Marion has a childhood friend Caleb who is the love of her life until the very end. Their story interweaves with the main plot throughout the book.
Running in parallel to Marion’s story is a 21st century narrative: that of Hadley Baxter, who as a child star shot to fame in a series of fantasy films called Archangel. She has had a strangely similar upbringing - both parents killed in a plane crash and brought up by her uncle, also an addict, who through connections starts off her acting career at a very young age. Hadley is dating her very popular co-star and when found to be unfaithful to him is booted off the franchise. But she then is offered the part of Marion Graves in a film of her life. She becomes very interested in her life when reading her journal and makes an unexpected discovery throwing new light on the story of Marion.
This is a long Saga but is totally absorbing with many vivid and memorable characters whose fates intersect in ways both inevitable and shocking.
This is a novel which expands the reader’s horizons and is moving and surprising at every turn.
The book club met on a lovely sunny afternoon sitting outside on the yacht club terrace and we had a lively discussion.
The book was not, overall, received that well. Many thought it was too long with too many characters. They did not sympathise with our main heroine and found the narrative of Hadley unnecessary. One of us found it boring and the characters unbelievable. Also Marion was criticised as she took more than she gave. Another comment was that they were waiting for a happy narrative but none came!
It was not all negative comments as a few of us did like the book, enjoying the descriptions of flight and the fascinating war period when women pilots were used extensively.
Others really loved the plot and the many interesting characters and the multi-layered story lines. Marion’s brother was favourably received as he was shown as having a kind and sensitive nature. His life could have been another book. A few relished the detailed flight and landscape descriptions. One of us felt that the two women had been deeply affected by their upbringing and therefore more sympathetic to their obsessions and way of life.
Some of us liked the ending and others didn’t! This book certainly got us talking even if it wasn’t our most favourite! Hope some of you will give the book a go."
Review 5th May
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
A quick synopsis:
On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the River Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to wile away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.
Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless.
Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother knows the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son’s secret liaison stand ready to welcome their granddaughter. The parson’s housekeeper, humble and isolated, sees in the child the image of her younger sister. But the return of a lost child is not without complications and no matter how heartbreaking the past losses, no matter how precious the child herself, this girl cannot be everyone’s. Each family has mysteries of its own, and many secrets must be revealed before the girl’s identity can be known.
There were many reasons for suggesting this book. Firstly, I read it for the American bookclub I belong to, and it received a positive reception. Secondly, I was delighted to meet Diane Settersfield when she came to the Fowey Festival of Arts. She signed my copy of the book, and we discussed the importance of storytelling. My third reason is that it reminded me of a marvellous Headteacher I had the pleasure of working with in the 1990s. He was a strong believer in the importance of stories and storytelling. He wrote books on the subject and was able to communicate his belief to the children he taught; my daughter has such fond memories of him. My fourth reason was that I thought it might be a “marmite” book, either loved or hated, a little like “The Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey, which recently received a mixed reception at the Bookclub. The reading of this genre of books often leads to a lively discussion. My fifth reason is that I lived in Oxfordshire for many years, and know the Thames well. My final, and perhaps most important reason, is that I loved the book and it will stay with me for a long time.
There were six people at the meeting on the 5th May. Everyone at the meeting enjoyed the book and the feedback was, in the main, positive.
Pros:
Review 31st March
Machines like me by Ian McEwan
"I chose the book Machines Like Me, by Ian McEwan, which was given to me to read by my journalist nephew, who said “I thought you might like to read this, you don’t have to enjoy it!” I understand now what he meant! I’m not sure how many of you did enjoy the book, it was not easy to get into, but I really wanted to turn the pages, which for me means it’s holding my attention!
Without a doubt a book I will remember! Although modern technology is not my thing, I found myself strangely drawn to the
story, A love triangle set in the 1980s, between an aimless young man, Charlie, his troubled girlfriend, Miranda, a scholar of social history and an android named Adam, purchased by Charlie, who was fascinated by all things technical. Both Charlie and Miranda programme Adam, but that combination, although appearing at the outset to solve many of their problems, financial and moral,
destroys their plans by doing everything by the book, despite learning human feelings, and falling in love with Miranda himself. This leads to Charlie attacking Adam with a hammer, And at Adam’s dying request, is sent to Alan Turing, who has also owned an Android. The moral of the story “If we built a machine that would look into our hearts, could we really expect it to like what it sees?”
The book Is an unsettling read, that’s very cleverly written, McEwan weaves in out of the love story, a complicated history of England, where although set in the 1980s ...Alan Turing is still alive, the Internet, social media, and self driving cars already
exist, and the Falklands war was lost etc. It was very thought-provoking and fascinating , trying to work out what was actually history, and which bits he had turned on their head, ie counterfactuaI , I was very puzzled when the bombing at the Grand Hotel in Brighton killed Tony Benn who was supposedly prime minister at the time! It certainly got my mind working!
I am very interested to hear all your comments if you did make it to the end! And I promised my journalist nephew, that I’d let him know what I thought of it and what you did too! Despite being a little worried about how this book would be received, it was enjoyed by most of those present, and gave us a really lively discussion!"
Our next meeting will be on Friday 5th May when the book we will be discussing will be Once upon a River by Diane Setterfield.
Review 3rd March 2023
STILL WATER BY REBECCA PERT
The book is a first novel by a talented young author and generated a lively discussion. We agreed it was beautifully written evoking a strong sense of place and introducing some complex characters. It is atmospheric and conveys an unsettling feeling of foreboding in the reader. Most of the book is set in the Shetlands with flashbacks to a connecting story that takes place in North Devon at an earlier period. Jane Douglas is living in an old caravan and working at a fish processing factory in the Shetlands. She
has started a relationship with a local man, Mike, and is just starting to hope that she might be able to move on from her early trauma. She is haunted by her mother’s disappearance when she was still a child, following the death of her baby brother. Then, after twenty years, she is contacted by the police. Her mother’s body has been found in a quarry in Devon re-opening old wounds, but also prompting her to read for the first time her mother’s diary from her teenage years in Devon and her marriage and relocation to the Shetlands as a young mother. Several people thought that the story was too graphic and harrowing to be described as an enjoyable read but agreed it was thought provoking. Some people had read the book twice and felt it was worthy of a second read as they had picked up on details that they had missed first time around. A couple of people thought that Mike was rather two dimensional and too nice and that they couldn’t imagine long term happiness for the couple although the book ends on a gentle, hopeful note. Other readers thought that although they had found it compelling, and they wanted to know the denouement, they did not think it was memorable as they had difficulty recalling names and events several weeks after finishing it. I won’t give away the mystery, as I would thoroughly recommend reading it and deciding for yourselves who was really to blame.
Review 3rd February 2023
The book we discussed was Mother's Boy by Patrick Gale. Patrick is a regular visitor to the Fowey Festival and several of us always try not to miss his talks.
Mother's Boy is rather different from his other books in that it is "faction", a mix of fact and fiction, based on the life of Cornish poet Charles Causley and his mother Laura. The consensus of our group was that although Patrick Gale writes beautifully, at times this book came over as a series of anecdotes rather than an actual free-flowing novel. Most of us actually preferred the early part of the book, which starts off when Laura goes from her home in Launceston into service in Teignmouth. The descriptions of someone in service before the first World War are most interesting, with detailed descriptions of her tasks and life experiences. She has her own bedroom and running water, great luxuries for her. She is portrayed as enjoying her life there, with kindly employers and a good relationship with the cook, who teaches her her job. Whilst in Teignmouth, Laura meets Charlie Causley, the local doctor's groom. He sounds really dashing and attractive, but shortly after their marriage goes off to fight in the War. Married women could rarely continue in service unless a cook or housekeeper, so Laura returns to her family in Launceston, where as it turns out, she spends the rest of her life. Charlie returns on leave, conceives Charles, goes back to France and in due course comes back at the end of the War, a shadow of his former self. By the time Charles is a toddler, his father is dying of TB, which takes him off when his son is just 5. Thereafter Laura, in the early 1920s, battles as a single mother to look after Charles, an unusual child. She works as a washerwoman, always busy, but does not enjoy her work. She is determined not to end up in the Workhouse, where both her parents were born.
Interestingly, some of our number had not heard of Charles Causley and few were actually familiar with his work. He is sometimes described as a poet of the second World War, but his reputation beyond Cornwall remains slight. Charles grows up very close to his mother - the only child of a single parent. He is bullied at school, is bookish and has to wear glasses. His mother doesn't let him go to university, which surprised us as she had hitherto seemed so devoted to his best interests. His mother gets him a boring clerical job, but then Charles goes off to fight in the second World War, joining the Navy. He ends up violently seasick, but becomes a coder. We generally didn't care for the part of the book that details his imagined sexual encounters during the war. Patrick Gale has thoroughly researched Causley's life but has only slight evidence for Causley's experiences during the War, and describes them rather too graphically for some of our tastes.
After the War, Charles returns home to Mother. He trains as a schoolteacher, still remaining in Launceston, and the book finishes in 1948. We understand from notes to the book provided by Patrick Gale that his life thereafter was uneventful. He never married or had a partner. His mother dies in 1971 and he struggles with his mental health at that point. He continues teaching until retirement, when he goes on writing.
Patrick Gale is obviously totally inspired by Charles Causley, so perhaps Charles deserves to be more widely celebrated. The poem that inspired Patrick most, as he says in his acknowledgements at the end of the book is Angel Hill. The text follows, as this may encourage RFYC members to look more deeply into Causley's life and works. Charles Causley always said that his life was richly illustrated in his poems.
A sailor came walking down Angel Hill,
He knocked on my door with a right good will,
with a right good will he knocked on my door.
He said 'My friend, we have met before.'
No never, said I.
He searched my eye with a sea-blue stare
and he laughed aloud on the Cornish air,
on the Cornish air he laughed aloud
and he said 'My friend, you have grown too proud.'
No, never, said I.
'In war we swallowed the bitter bread
and drank of the brine,' the sailor said
'We took of the bread and we tasted the brine
as I bound your wounds and you bound mine.'
No, never, said I.
'By day and night on the diving sea
we whistled to sun and moon' said he
'Together we whistled to moon and sun
and vowed our stars should be as one'
No, never, said I.
'And now' he said, 'that war is past
I come to your hearth and home at last.
I come to your home and hearth to share
Whatever fortune waits me there.'
No, never, said I.
'I have no wife nor son,' he said,
'nor pillow on which to lay my head,
no pillow have I, nor wife nor son,
till you shall give to me my own'.
No, never, said I.
His eye it flashed like a lightning-dart
and still as a stone then stood my heart.
My heart as a granite stone was still
and he said 'My friend, but I think you will.'
No, never, said I.
The sailor smiled and turned in his track
and shifted the bundle on his back
and I heard him sign as he strolled away
'You'll send and you'll fetch me one fine day.'
No, never, said I.
Some of us thought this was actually Patrick Gale's most disappointing book, but it generated an interesting and wide-ranging discussion. If anyone would like to explore his works further, my own favourites are Notes from an Exhibition and A Perfectly Good Man.
Review January 2023
"THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE
This is the sequel to Richard Osman’s earlier book “The Thursday Murder Club”, and sees our intrepid four senior citizens involved in a complicated murder plot centring on £20 million in stolen diamonds. They live in a smart retirement complex inspired by the residential development where the author’s mother lives. The leader of the group is Elizabeth, a retired MI5 operative, who has an impressive array of skills and contacts. She is also the focus of the more poignant aspect of the books as she handles, with great fortitude, her beloved husband’s increasing dementia. The characters are developed from the first book with Joyce, the quietest member of the group, becoming more of a feature with her dry asides and sang-froid in the face of outrageous events. After a series of far-fetched but entertaining encounters, and with the help of their friends, Chris and Donna in the Police and Bogdan, the diamonds are recovered and the proceeds of the sale given to a dementia charity. All’s well that ends well, but is it? Surely somebody will be trying to recover their missing gems? You will need to read the third book in the series “The Bullet That Missed” in order to find out. Book four is planned for later this year.
We had a very lively discussion at the Book Club. The majority agreed that it was a very entertaining, easy read, and on the whole well written, although it would probably be improved with tighter editing. Most of us liked the characters and find them quite endearing. All agreed that if you didn’t warm to our undaunted senior citizens the book would not work for you. Two of us actively disliked it, finding the plotline shallow and the four protagonists irritating and unlikeable. They felt that had the author not been a “celebrity” the books would not have been published."
Review December 2022
We had a lovely lunch at the Yacht Club on Friday, followed by an excellent, wide-ranging discussion on the book, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. Thanks to Yvonne for her choice of book, and for her review, which follows:
"The book I chose was The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, a native Alaskan. It is set in Alaska in the
1920’s and tells the story of a couple who move there as they struggle to recover from the death of
their only child at birth. Jack struggles to cope with farming in such hostile terrain and Mabel is
totally lost in her grief. Then one day a little girl appears out of the snow to become an integral part
of their lives for many years. Faina leaves each spring to live up in the mountains returning each
year with the snow. As the book progresses we learn of friendships formed, lifestyle developments
and lessons learnt.
The group agreed it was very well written with excellent descriptive passages. Some enjoyed the
book and accepted it as it was written and others felt it was so improbable in parts it took away from
the pleasure of reading it. The story was based on a Russian Folk Tale and more than one author
has written books based on the same story. So, was this a good Fairy Tale or was it not a fairy tale at
all? You must read the book and make your own mind up." Yvonne Bennett
Review November 2022
We met on 4th November to discuss The Long Weekend by Veronica Henry. Frances chose this book as Veronica is a regular at the Fowey Festival and has a growing reputation as a writer of well respected "chic lit" if that isn't a contradiction.
Veronica used to be a writer on The Archers and has also written for Heartbeat and Holby City. She lives in North Devon and is currently writing her 24th novel.
The Long Weekend is thought to be based on Fowey, with the Townhouse by the Sea bearing a close resemblance to one of our local hotels. The story tells us of various people staying at the hotel for a long weekend, and all the action takes place during that period.
This book was a departure from our more usual choices of fiction, and did provide somewhat of a contract to last month's choice, The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy, which we had all enjoyed.
We did appreciate Veronica Henry's writing skill, and her vivid images of the Cornish scenery. We liked most of the characters, and were pleased that the ending was mostly happy, at least for the main character, hotel manager Claire.
One of our number, who couldn't come to this meeting, sent us an amusing and insightful revue of the book, which summed up many of our thoughts: She wrote that she had enjoyed the light read, but compared the book to eating a large slice of black forest gateau, or similar. You enjoy it when you eat it, but afterwards feel rather sick, and wish you hadn't eaten it. You find you can't remember much about the pleasure of eating/reading it! She felt the book was like this - good to read but afterwards not memorable and easy to forget.
Some of us were more charitable, and generally agreed that The Long Weekend was a pleasant read, and a great companion tome if you were feeling under the weather, just needed an escape from the realities of life, and needed cheering up.
Review October 2022
“The Woodlanders” by Thomas Hardy:
This book opens with the return of Grace Melbury to her home in Little Hintock. Grace had been promised in marriage to Giles Winterborne, a neighbouring woodsman, but now that she has become used to a different way of life at her expensive school, when she comes back home to Little Hintock she can’t help noticing his lack of sophistication. Her father starts to question whether the marriage he had planned for her is still appropriate. Grace’s return to Little Hintock coincides with the arrival of a newcomer – Edred Fitzpiers, a young doctor whom Melbury decides will make a much more suitable husband for his daughter than Giles. Despite his good intentions, however, Melbury’s meddling only succeeds in making everyone unhappy in typical Thomas Hardy fashion!
Victorian novels do need more effort to read, and it is a question of whether you personally feel that the endeavour is worthwhile. Some of the vocabulary is strange, especially in some of the exchanges between the woodlanders. The sentence construction can seem cumbersome to the modern reader. Some of our number struggled with the Victorian language and one abandoned it altogether. But most of us enjoyed it; a number of us were reading it again after many years.
Hardy’s works are often described as “novels of character and environment”. Well, in the Woodlanders, the hero really seems to be the environment. Its influence is profound early on in “The Woodlanders” where John South is obsessed by the elm tree he can see right outside his bedroom window. He thinks it is causing his ill health, but when it is felled, John dies. The leases on various cottages, including that of Giles Winterbourne, were dependent on the life of John South and form a vital part of the plot. Hardy's descriptions of the countryside, of Giles touring round with his cider making equipment are brilliant. So many years after publication (1887) Hardy's prose is still absolutely inspiring.
Giles's depth of chivalry in letting a runaway Grace use his hut as a refuge whilst sleeping outside in pouring rain is difficult for the 21st century reader to fully appreciate. Giles dies as a result. This is a novel about great love – that of Giles, who would give up his life rather than compromise the virtue of the woman he has hopelessly loved. Could that happen now?
But this novel is no idealised picture. Apart from Giles losing his house and ending up living in really poor conditions, there is Marty South, forced to sell her beautiful hair through extreme poverty, and working through the night to make the wooden spars when her father is too ill to continue.
Although this book isn’t as dramatic or tragic as some of Hardy’s others, the ending is beautifully sad and poignant. Grace goes back to Fitzpiers, her father having explored the possibility of a divorce for her. He found it virtually impossible for a Victorian woman to get a divorce, so Grace is left with few options. We do not know how it works out for her at the end of the book, but the omens are not good. But it is Marty who was Giles's natural soul mate, and after Grace and Edred Fitzpiers are trying for reconciliation, it is Marty who visits his grave alone, and thinks of all the country skills they shared together.
The Woodlanders was apparently one of Hardy’s own favourites; he is quoted as having said, “On taking up The Woodlanders and reading it after many years, I like it as a story best of all”.
Our next book will be The Long Weekend by Veronica Henry. Veronica is a regular at the Fowey Festival, and although it is probably fair to say that she is not in the same league as Thomas Hardy as a writer, our November selection will provide a much lighter read and we hope people will enjoy the contrast in styles.
Review September 2022
Liz's review of The Loving Spirit by Daphne Du Maurier follows: Many thanks to Liz.
The Loving Spirit by Daphne DuMaurier
The Loving Spirit her first novel published in 1931. The story is about an old Schooner The Jane Slade, she came across, up Pont River. She was given letters belonging to the Coombe family, who had owned the Schooner, she wove her story around these letters. The story is written in four books, book one is about Janet Coombe (Jane Slade) And her determination to launch her favourite son in his own schooner, to make his way in the world. She was frustrated being a woman, with all demands and no adventure, And lived her life through him.
Book Two is the story of Joseph, the favourite son, loving the danger of travelling the seas in all weathers, with his devil may care attitude to life in general from loving and leaving women to taking huge risks whatever the consequences.
Book Three Christopher (Joseph’s son), a much gentler character who hated going to sea, seasick and miserable he abandons ship, to make his fortune in London, having a family and trying various jobs, but returns to Plyn, and is happier helping in his family’s ship yard. He volunteers to crew in the local lifeboat,but dies trying to save the Janet Coombe from the rocks.
Book Four- Jennifer Coombe (Christopher’s daughter) born in Plyn, A spirited girl, but at 6 years of age loses her beloved father Christopher. The ship building business goes into liquidation, and the family moved to London to live with her Grandmother (a lady with somewhat comical airs and graces. She hates the noise and dirt of London life and eventually moves back to Plyn completing the circle, falling in love with a distant cousin who has resurrected the ship building yard to a flourishing business building yachts. Seemingly a happy ending!
Summary of Comments: Generally everyone enjoyed the book, and identified with the locality, resulting in some interesting chats. It was agreed by many that it was not written as well as her later books, but amazing writing for someone so young. The relationship between Janet and her son, more like lovers, to the exclusion of the rest of the family felt uncomfortable, but her descriptions of the locality, rough seas and characters, beautifully drawn, some of the comedy characters reminiscent of Dickens writing!
Really lovely to sit outside on the Veranda opposite Polruan (Plyn) within sight of the Figurehead of the Janet Coombe (Jane Slade), the sun shining on the water, a perfect afternoon after a tasty lunch with good company. What more?!
We next meet on Friday 7th October. Our book then will be a classic, The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy.
Review August 2022
Our book this month was Life after Life by Kate Atkinson.
The story centres around Ursula Todd who is born one snowy night in 1910 and dies that night from strangling on her own umbilical cord. On that same night in 1910 Ursula is born and lives. What follows is a strange life full of many deaths that were at the same time avoided.
The story, a family Saga of sorts takes us through the 1st and 2nd World wars and has a great sense of those times.
Ursula, has an infinite number of chances to change her life and perhaps save the world to quote “from its own inevitable destiny.”
We had an excellent discussion whilst sitting overlooking the sunlight river.
Not everyone enjoyed the book and there were many diverse views.
We thought though it was a good choice as it got us all talking. We decided that it was a memorable book and one we were not likely to forget.
Some people thought it was difficult to understand or to absorb the plot, especially at the start. Others said that it didn’t hold their interest and were annoyed and frustrated by the many date changes of each chapter. “We might have enjoyed it more had it been less jumbled up!” For others the narrative did not work.
Everyone acknowledged that Kate Atkinson’s knowledge of the period was excellent, with good observations on the family and their attitudes and that each character was well drawn.
Her writing is always excellent with wonderful descriptions of the blitz and family life from WW1 to WW2.
One of us wanted to know the “True Narrative” which of course, sadly, we shall never know.
Our book next time is Daphne du Maurier’s Loving Spirit. September 2nd"
Book Club Review July 2022
The Book Club met on 1st July to discuss Wild Silence by Raynor Winn. This is the sequel to her very successful first book The Salt Path. Raynor came to the recent Fowey Festival in May to promote Wild Silence, which was why we thought it might be a good choice for our Club to consider. Those who had attended her talk were interested that most of the content referred back to The Salt Path.
Unfortunately, most of us found Wild Silence rather disappointing. There was no cohesion or plan to the book; it seemed to be just a series of anecdotes which drew heavily on the success of The Salt Path, and constantly referred back to it, which does explain the emphasis of Raynor's talk at the Festival! The Iceland part towards the end of the book was rather irrelevant, and we thought Raynor's editor might have told her the book was too short, and she must add something in. Raynor had written this book whilst living in Polruan, which gave it local interest. Unfortunately she was suffering with her mental health for much of the time, and found it difficult to integrate back into normal life after her adventures along the Coast Path. We did agree that her descriptions of nature and the countryside were beautifully written and poetic and gentle. Her writing had a real sense of place.
Both Raynor and her husband Moth had behaved recklessly in their youth. Some of this was recalled and we thought it went some way to explaining their irresponsible behaviour in later life, when they had lost everything. Thiswas what had led them to walk the South West Coastal Path, which in turn had led to creation of The Salt Path.
Overall, the book was not a great success with our group. Despite appreciating the beauty of her prose, the disjointed structure of the book had detracted from our enjoyment. There is a third book by Raynor Winn on its way, and it will be interesting to see if that one lives up to the promise of her first offering.
We have decided to meet in August, so our next meeting will be on Friday 5th August, with lunch at 12.30 for anyone who would like to join us, and the Book Club discussions starting at 2.00pm. Our choice then is Kate Atkinson's book, Life after Life. All Yacht Club Members are very welcome to join us.
Book Club Review May 2022
A Man Called Ove
By Frederik Backman
The group had an interesting discussion, generally the book was considered worth reading though some struggled with the early chapters.
Ove was a “dour” man with few social skills. We wondered if this was nature or nurture and presumed he would have been considered “on the Spectrum”. One member described him as the Swedish Victor Meldrew.
Ove lost his much loved wife and his job which left him feeling there was nothing left to live for and so to escape from his solitary life and loneliness he planned his suicide, each attempt failing. His salvation came in the form of a new neighbour. Parvaneh, a Persian lady, moved in next door and was determined to have Ove as a friend. The development of their relationship makes interesting reading.
Most people enjoyed the book and found it an interesting read. There was some discussion about the translation from Swedish making it stilted in places and it was mentioned that the whole book became a series of incidents involving Ove some being rather contrived.
Your opinion may be different but you need to read the book and make your own decisions.
Lady in Waiting by Anne Glenconner.
Everyone found the book, which was her autobiography, interesting. Her life seemed very far removed from ours, but although it was superficially a life of great privilege as Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret, Lady Anne suffered some terrible misfortunes. These included an abusive husband, who ended up leaving her nothing when he died. His behaviour was incredibly challenging, with an evil temper and great neediness. Divorce amongst that generation of aristocracy was not an option. On his death, he left his entire fortune to his servant on his island of Mustique. Fortunately Lady Anne's father, the Earl of Leicester had suggested many years previously that she should buy a farmhouse in East Anglia, which she did. That is where she now lives, a great contrast to her previous existence. In addition to the trials and tribulations of a very difficult husband, their two elder sons both suffered premature deaths, and the youngest was badly injured in a car crash. Her twin daughters were the only ones to live relatively normal lives. Princess Margaret was viewed in the book with great affection by Lady Anne, but as one of our number remarked, it was a life of deference and service to a challenging princess, which not all of us felt we could have coped with. Had Lady Anne been male, she would have inherited the Earldom from her father.
We felt the book was surprisingly well written, perhaps with a ghost writer. It was a compelling story and a real page turner. We all enjoyed reading it.
We had a great discussion in the tranquillity of the Yacht Club terrace, and went on to agree some books for our next few meetings. We decided to leave the August meeting in for now, and will see how many people want to meet then.
'The Other Side of the Bridge' by Mary Lawson
Resume:
We all loved this story, which takes place in the fictional town of Struan, Northern Canada. It starts at the end of the Great Depression and follows through to the second World war, followed by an epilogue, which is set in the 1950's.
It is essentially the story of two brothers from a farming family, Arthur, reticent, solid and dutiful and the other, Jake, younger, attractive and in some ways dangerous to know. Laura, a beautiful young woman, moves into the community and unwittingly drives their sibling rivalry to breaking point.
Also, important is Ian, the GP's son who takes a job at the brothers farm and develops a troubling attachment to Laura.
This is a novel of jealousy, rivalry and the power of obsession.
Discussion:
We all thought the book had a wonderful sense of place, was beautifully written and the characterisation of every protagonist - and there were many- was very convincingly drawn.
The author explores the dynamics of families, the relationship between siblings and the pleasures and pains of friendship.
We felt that, despite being an easy read, this story was by no means superficial. There was very much more to it than first meets the eye. Among many other things, we learnt about the tensions between urban, rural, native and white communities, plus the devastating effects of the second world war on the inhabitants of this small town.
Someone made the point that the women in the story were portrayed as neither strong nor loving and we wondered why.
We all felt that this was a really good story and that we wanted to encourage everyone to read it for themselves. For this reason I won't say any more, as doing so could spoil it for you.
Our next book is Lady in Waiting by Anne Glenconner. This will be Friday 29th April 2pm in the J room (note change of date)
Frances Day and Liz Rutherford are very kindly taking over the running of the book club from next month.
The House on the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune.
Resume:
Linus Baker, the central character, leads a quiet and lonely life. At 40, he lives in a tiny house with a strange cat and listens to old records. He works for the department in Charge of Magical Youth and he goes to government orphanages where children who are “different” are kept and he oversees their well being. He is a stickler for accuracy and his reports are well received by the “Upper management”.
Then one day Linus is unexpectedly summoned by the Extremely Upper Management and given a highly secret assignment. He is sent to an Orphanage, on an island where six “dangerous” children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a boy/Pomeranian and the Antichrist.
There Linus must determine their fate. Their guardian, Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe also has a secret. Both men grow closer and Linus has to chose between family love and bureaucracy.
Discussion:
This was rather a “marmite” book with most of us loving it and several not connecting with it at all. This of course led to an a very interesting discussion and some of our comments can be summarised below.
The orphans were all young children and their individual, strange, magical state was an allegory for disturbed children, almost a parable. Throughout the book, Linus gradually came to realize that they needed love, understanding and tolerance. Always used to bureaucracy, his debate with himself against his developing empathy, sympathy and love for the children was delightful to observe. Someone thought it raised a profound question of how much control the authorities should have over these children.
The overall message was one of tolerance for those of us who are different. We fear what we don’t understand and this book in a delightful, joyful and charming way changed at least one person, Linus, into a loving, more open and strong character.
There were several others who did not like this book, finding it simplistic, not well written and too obvious in its attempt to highlight what happened in orphanages possibly Canada, where indigenous children were placed in the 60’s and 70’s. And of course other countries who did this at about the same time. Also some of our views were coloured by their dislike of fantasies.
Overall this book was very well received and it had a heart warming, happy ending which is what we all need at the moment!
We met to discuss The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill. Eight of us gathered for lunch beforehand, and, many thanks to the chefs, we all enjoyed an excellent meal.
Thanks to Yvonne for her review of the book, which follows. It was not her choice, but no one admitted to choosing it:
The book was generally well accepted by those who attended. Most felt it was well constructed keeping the main plot and subsidiaries going throughout. There was a comment that with so many characters being introduced it was somewhat confusing, but then, the object of a story like this is to keep the reader guessing right to the end. This was the first Simon Serrailler book. An unusual combination of Detective Chief Inspector and an artist. We are introduced to his family, all medical doctors apart from him. Detective Sergeant Freya Graffham plays a major part in the majority of the book. Her demise came as a shock to those who thought she may well have become part of the series. There are several cases of women going missing in the same area and the story is based around the search for whoever is taking the women. The perpetrator turns out to be a man who was thwarted in earlier life when he was dismissed from medical school. On the surface he practises as a highly respected member of the alternative treatments community. Unfortunately one of his sidelines is carrying out autopsies, but as he was not qualified he had to supply his own corpses which he was doing in a scientific manner, each one being a different body type.
Several of us were already Simon Serrailler fans and those who were not were keen to read more of the series.
Definitely a good choice even though no one could remember recommending it!"
Review 18th June
We had an excellent meeting last Friday. We all enjoyed some really good food before the meeting, prepared by new chefs Andrew and Darren. Service was good too, which was a great prelude to our discussions on this month's book choice: The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.
This was Liz's choice, and her review follows:
"Don't read this book unless you've got the patience, stamina and requisite taste for a quintessential mid-Victorian novel. If you don't, you'll think The Woman in White is terribly overwrought and 500 pages too long!
It is a classic book, and they're always pretty long, but I chose it because I had interrupted reading it to read one of the Book Club books that I wasn't really enjoying. Even though it was fairly long-winded, I was enjoying it more than the Book Club book, and said so at a meeting. It was suggested that we add it to our reading list!
One of our favourite characters was Mr. Fairlie, heroine Laura's hypochondriac uncle. His scenes were written so humorously. Walter Hartwright was a sleuthing superstar. The team of Count Fosco and Percival Glyde were deeply written and their greed, bombast, and evil were delectable to the last.
The Woman in White is a great mystery that kept us turning pages."
Liz read us a comprehensive summary of the plot, which we all appreciated. Most of us really enjoyed the book, although one person had given up and found it rather verbose. But mostly we thought the characters well drawn, the descriptions fantastic and the plot compelling. If you haven't read it, or haven't done so for many years, we can certainly recommend it.
Review 10th May
"On Goodreads it received 4.16 out of 5 stars and is described as a “contemporary fantasy”. It was nominated for Best Fantasy Book 2021 and gained second place behind “A Court of Silver Flames” by Sarah J. Maas.
A Short Summary:
“Wallace is an unpleasant and selfish man who dies. He is brought to a tea house where the ferryman, Hugo, is there to help Wallace process his life and enter the doorway to the afterlife when he’s ready. At the tea house, Wallace befriends the others there and learns to care for and sacrifice for others. He also develops romantic feelings for Hugo. When Wallace overstays his time, the Manager (a god-like entity) gives Wallace a hard 7-day limit before he needs to move on. During this time, Wallace makes amends with his ex-wife (he’s bisexual) and helps a grieving mother find closure. He also helps to rescue Cameron, who was a “Husk” (a ghost who had lost his humanity), which were previously thought to be hopeless cases. When it’s time to leave, the Manager agrees to let Hugo continue to work on rescuing other Husks, and he decides to bring Wallace back to life so he can work as a Reaper (herding ghosts to the tea house) alongside Hugo.”
Not unexpectedly, this book received mixed reviews from the members of the
Bookclub and proved to be a “marmite” book.
Some of the negative comments included:
• I don’t enjoy fantasy books
• It had a slow beginning and I stopped reading
• Perhaps I should have read it when I was younger - this might really happen and the thought isn’t comforting
• I dipped in and out of the book
• The end was a little contrived and depressing
• It was disturbing and repetitious
More positive comments included:
• The characters were interesting and well drawn
• I enjoy fantasy novels
• The book was very well written
• The book engaged me from the start
• The book was very funny and uplifting
As can be seen, it received a very mixed reception. Fantasy books are not to everyone’s taste, and the subject matter “death” was controversial. It was generally agreed, even by the member who had enjoyed the book, that “The House on the Cerulean Sea”, the previous book we had read by T. J. Klune, had been more enjoyable. This was probably due to the subject matter.
Review 5th April
"Our book this month was ‘The Dictionary of Lost Words’ by Pip Williams. This novel is based on a true story about the compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary. Volunteers from all over the world sent words to the Scriptorium together with an example of the way in which the word was used. The book focuses on a small girl who collects ‘lost words’: words which don’t make inclusion in the dictionary. It follows her life growing up in a difficult household without a mother against the backdrop of the late Victorian/ Edwardian period, Suffragettes and the First World War. The author states that the book is her attempt ‘to understand how the way we define language, might define us’ (:406). Some of our readers did not feel that the book had much of a plot although they were pleased to learn about how the dictionary was put together and how long it took to do it (71 years after it was proposed). Readers felt although the book was well written and contained beautiful passages of letter writing, it was ‘wordy’. The plot illustrated the lack in status of women, especially those from a working-class background, pregnancy outside wedlock and becoming a war widow. It could be thought as a feminist book as some words which were referred to as ‘women’s words’ were excluded from the dictionary. These words are more accepted and part of language today. Some of our readers really enjoyed the book whilst others felt the book in some parts was quite slow. We all agreed that it was an emotional book even bringing some readers to tears. The main character Esme was an interesting character and the author managed to merge truth and fiction in a seamless way. Overall it was a good book for the Book Club as it generated lots of discussion."
Review 1st March
On Friday we discussed The House on the Strand, by Daphne du Maurier. Many thanks to Liz for choosing this book and leading our discussion; her review follows:
"I chose this book because of the location it was written about, mostly in Tywardreath and Par, all really local to Fowey.
The writer wrote this book, published in 1969, whilst based at Kilmarth, the house she moved to after being forced to leave her beloved Menabilly (Manderlay, in her book Rebecca). Her husband (Boy Browning) had died, leaving her depressed, not helped by having to leave Menabilly. Prior to moving in, and looking around, she found a cellar in which there were several vials and bottles containing ghoulish exhibits; the house had previously been occupied by a professor of Science. She had become very interested in the history of the area around Fowey, especially in the 14th century, and of the family of Champernounes, Carminowes and Bodrugans and their connections. These two things gave her the idea to write quite a different book, where the narrator of the story is a man, Dick Young, who holidays at Kilmarth, courtesy of an old university friend. The friend is a professor who has invented a drug, still very much in its experimental stages, but that takes them back to the 14th century, where they get involved with the local families, and their intrigues, adulteries and even murder.
The ending is not very happy, but one realises through the book, that Dick’s life was not very happy, and the end, although abrupt, is very fitting!
We had a very lively meeting at the Fowey Harbour Hotel, who kindly allowed us to discuss our book after lunch. Several had read the book many years ago, but enjoyed visiting it again, especially as so many knew the area of the book’s setting so well. Some enjoyed the read but not so much the story, and the storyline wasn’t to everyone’s taste, but everyone did have opinions about the book, and with 13 present, we had a very pleasant afternoon, with plenty of discussion from all! Exactly how a book club should be!"
Review 2nd February
The Beacon by Susan Hill
"This book tells the story of a family which lives on a remote farm called Beacon. There were four children, Colin, Frank, May and six years later Berenice.
Their adult lives took some interesting paths. May, the bright one, could not cope with life away from home. Colin remains in farming but not at the Beacon. Berenice knew what she wanted and left home while still young to achieve it. Frank had spent his childhood as “the quiet one” then he left home and surprisingly made a career in journalism. His decisions in later life come as a shock to the rest of the family.
Those decisions had huge repercussions for the entire family who found themselves in the limelight for all the wrong reasons.
It was described by members of the group as interesting, unsettling, haunting, boring or sad.
This is definitely a book you need to read for yourself to decide whether you would consider it a “good read”. It provoked some interesting discussions and that is what Book Groups are all about".
Review 5th January
This was one of Ann's earlier books whilst she was still working as a Probation Officer, this connection was referred to in her main character Lizzie Bartholomew.
Lizzie was an orphan child, brought up in the care system Later qualifying as a Social worker, she had previously worked in a young offender team when through extreme stress committed an assault on one of its clients.
At the beginning of the book Lizzie is on holiday in Morocco where she meets Phillip Sansom who dies shortly after. Lizzie is contacted by the family solicitor who invites her to the funeral and pays her a significant amount of money to find his long lost son. Lizzie then begins to attempt to fulfil the task.
The story is a tangled web of characters who are a mixed bunch full of twists and turns of deception, corruption and family drama.
Some of our members really loved the book. Others were disappointed and found the lists of characters a bit confusing; some members found the book a light read, not as enjoyable as her more popular books.
Because I read a lot of Ann Cleeves I would recommend this book, however with a warning that it is her first book and is different to her later books. This is a book that has to be read to the end before the true plot is uncovered."
Review 1st December
Haven by Emma Donoghue. Emma Donoghue is also the author of Room, another unusual book which has been made into an acclaimed film.
Haven is certainly different. It is set in 7th century Ireland.
Three monks set out to start a monastery where no one else lives, away from worldly temptations. They find an island off Ireland and settle there. Artt, the leader, and Cormac, the second monk, are men of faith. Trian is young. He was given by his parents to the monastery. Once they find their island, they begin to test their ability to obey Artt and to trust God to provide all that they need beyond the minuscule cache of supplies they brought with them in their boat.
Skellig Michael is a jagged outcrop off the coast of County Kerry. Tradition holds that human habitation on the island dates from AD600, when ascetic Irish monks began retreating to ever-more remote spots. Emma Donoghue’s brooding, dreamlike novel imagines who those first souls might have been and how they might have survived. Suffice to say, the refuge they imagine – somewhere far from temptation and worldly chatter – soon becomes a very different kind of place as their faith in God and one another is tested to extremes. It all begins with a dream. In the monastery of Cluain Mhic Nóis, a celebrated visitor – a “living saint”, Brother Artt – awakens in the night convinced that he’s experienced a vision. Its meaning is clear: he must establish a new monastery on an island untainted by human existence, taking with him the two monks who featured in his dream.
Brother Artt, is revealed to be insufferably sanctimonious, but his mismatched travelling companions are complicated, appealing creations. Gangly, red-haired Trian is a young piper whose family gave him to the monastery when he was 13. He’s a ciotóg – a left-hander – and profoundly awkward with it, but he carries about him a deeper mystery that will be disclosed only as the novel nears its wave-lashed denouement. Cormac, meanwhile, is a late convert to Christianity and old enough to have lived an entire other life before entering holy orders. He has the scars to prove it, some more visible than others: part of his skull has been lost to a battle injury, and the plague claimed his wife and all three of their young children. Despite close shaves with catapult-firing slavers and nights ragged with the howling of wolves, this is a character-driven narrative. Inevitably, tensions surface between the far from equal trio once their “sacred wandering” ends and they reach Skellig Michael. Artt’s insistence that “God will provide” sounds ever more delusional. He forbids his companions to seek others to trade. After 6 months on the island, supplies are running out, but he will not waver in his beliefs. Cormac, on the other hand, is all about practical matters, sowing seeds in the scant inch of soil the island offers and using stories to ease tensions. As for Trian, along with copying out psalters, he has the task of keeping the brethren in fish and fowl, and he finds himself more and more appalled by how easy it is to plunder the island’s innocent wildlife, flightless auks included.Though this is a text replete with religious fable, it’s in descriptions of the physical world that the prose soars. There is just one tree on the island, a Rowan. When Artt cuts it down, this seems like sacrilege rather than God’s will as he claims.
When he becomes seriously ill from eating mussels (forbidden by Brother Artt but poor Trian is always hungry), it is revealed that Trian is not wholly male. Artt is appalled by this but Cormac is sympathetic. When Artt decrees that Trian must live separately due to his physical issues, this finally gives Cormac and Trian the incentive to rebel. They set off in the abandoned boat, and we all hoped that they managed to row to safety. One of our number had actually visited Skellig Michael and thought this might be possible. Artt was left alone on the island, but we thought he would warmly welcome martydom.
The book was considered a good choice for our Book Club as it is so different. The descriptions of the living conditions of the three men and the wildlife they decimated to survive were vivid and must have been researched in depth. We wanted to murder Artt, but really hoped the other two managed to escape safely.
Review 3rd November
The Bullet that missed by Richard Osman. The group had previously read and enjoyed the first two books in the series.
The Thursday Murder Club – Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim – is back. This time round, Richard Osman’s “four harmless pensioners” are investigating the case of Bethany Waites, a television reporter who was looking into a huge VAT fraud when her car was driven off a cliff in the middle of the night and whose body was never found. Joyce lures Bethany’s former colleague, South East Tonight presenter Mike Waghorn (“I play squash, I moisturise and nature takes care of the rest”) to a meeting with the club. They want to pick his brains about Bethany’s last few days. Before he knows it, Mike and his makeup artist, Pauline, are drawn into a mystery that will range from the wilds of Staffordshire to the Sussex coast, taking in money launderers, bitcoin (Joyce is particularly fascinated by this one) and a former KGB hitman (a very pleasant chap and a former lover of Elizabeth’s, it turns out).
Elizabeth, Osman’s retired spy, has other problems to deal with. Not only is her beloved Stephen slipping deeper into the clutches of dementia, but she’s kidnapped and charged with carrying out a hit herself. As ever, she takes it in her stride. “Things have been too quiet recently. A retired optometrist crashed his moped into a tree, and there has been a row about milk bottles, but that was about it for excitement. The simple life is all well and good, but, in this moment, with a murder to investigate, and threatening texts arriving daily, Elizabeth realises she has missed trouble.”
The Bullet That Missed is the third outing for Osman’s retirees. Its predecessors, The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice, sold millions of copies around the world. Any publisher would be keen for Osman to press on with the series after such record-breaking success – The Man Who Died Twice sold an astonishing 114,202 hardbacks in the UK in its first three days last year. And it is easy to be cynical about Osman’s success as an author – he was, after all, the well-known co-host of the hugely popular Pointless TV quiz when his debut came out and his publisher will have thrown enough money behind the novel to guarantee it a place in the book charts. But that cynicism can only go so far, once you read Osman’s funny, warm-hearted novels. However, some of us did find that the books do tend to merge together in one's mind, and it becomes hard to say what happened in each one! Are they getting rather formulaic in the manner of authors who churn out similar tomes time after time, for example Barbara Cartland?
Overall, this was felt to be another immensely enjoyable book in a series that through its delightful characters and manner of storytelling, provides a real degree of escapism. It could have done with one less element but otherwise, the mystery was very well thought out and the characters well drawn and engaging so, for most of us, there is hardly anything not to like. However, whilst the majority of us really enjoyed the book, there were a couple of exceptions who have had enough of Richard Osman's murder mysteries. Some of us have read the fourth book in the series, The Last Devil to Die, which has just come out. Unfortunately, without giving away too much, there is a significant section in that book which is most depressing and not at all in the light-hearted style of the series. We have therefore decided not to add it to our reading list. Rather disappointing for the Richard Osman fans and we wondered why he had seen fit to alter the style of part of his new novel in this way.
Review 6th October
THE VIRGINIAN
A Horseman of the Plains by Owen Wister
A novel written in 1902 about a cowboy from Virginia, only ever called the Virginian, and his life in Wyoming Territory in the 1870’s.
The narrator is a ‘Tenderfoot’ from the East, who observes the differences in this wild part of the country, where neighbours could be several days' ride away, similarly any Sheriff to instill the law.
This is also a love story between the Virginian, and Molly the new school teacher from Vermont, who was seeking something more than marrying a local boy, who she clearly didn’t love and settling down.
Molly first met the Virginian on her way to her new post as teacher, when her coach overturned, and he rescued her from the river, and she soon fell in love with him, despite their differences in background. She is initially horrified by the manners and ways of this part of the country, especially when she realises that the only way to stop cattle thieves, was to lynch any they found.
While they continued their romance, the Virginian as foreman to the Judge, was sent as head of such a lynching mob, with two cattle thieves who had been caught, and were also suspected of killing if anyone got in their way. Our hero was a gentle man at heart, but knew that there was no other way to keep law and order, and felt he had no alternative, but to carry out his orders.
This unsettled Molly, who had spent any free time available to them together with him, where she had educated him, helping him to read better and lending him books, while he took her out into the countryside showing her the beautiful surroundings. Also she had spent weeks nursing him when he had been attacked and left for dead, reputedly by some rogue Indians. Understanding that her lover had killed, she threatened to leave him, but her love proved too strong and she reluctantly forgave him.
Just before their wedding, the Virginian was challenged to a duel, by Trampas, an adversary who has appeared several times in the book, and who was believed to be one of the main cattle thieves, and also responsible for killing, but there had been no proof. Molly decided that was the last straw for her, and told him that if he killed Trampas, she would leave him. He was torn, but felt he must honour the challenge.
(There followed the first gunfight ever published, a forerunner of many cowboy stories.)
The Virginian let Trampas draw first, but the bullet missed and The Virginian shot Trampas dead. Knowing Molly would leave him, with heavy heart, he told her that he had killed Trampas, but she was so distraught at the thought of losing him, she fell into his arms, and the wedding was on!
So a happy ending, with a beautiful chapter of the secret places that he had chosen to take her on their honeymoon. Then a brief description of their life together and what became of their life and their families.
I chose this book, as I have read it several times from when I was a teenager, and still love the wonderful descriptions of the wild west. Such a different place from the America we think of now, but such a similar story to those classic films that end with a Gunfight. Also the long running TV series "The Virginian" was taken from this book, even though some of the characters were changed, for example in the series Trampas is the Virginian's side kick and friend, rather than the cattle thieving killer he was in the book.
This book seemed to have been enjoyed by most of the book club who attended, although it took some a bit of time to get used to the written language, especially from the Virginian, but most loved the descriptions of the plains and hills, valleys, rivers and streams. There were also some very profound life observations by the narrator, and out takes from the classical books that Molly lent to her lover."
Review 1st September
The book we discussed was Fault Line by Robert Goddard.
Roz has kindly written a review, and this follows:
"In this story we follow Jonathan, a St Austell Grammar School boy, from when he took a holiday job with Wren China Clay before going to university. Eventually he spent his life in china clay. His involvement with the Wren family is spasmodic but they rely on him greatly. His infatuation with Vivien Wren is woven into the story and ends with a happy conclusion.
There are some flash backs, but these are done very well and are easy to follow.
Part of the book is set in Capri, which sounds lovely - I have not visited this place yet!
I chose this book because it is set so close to home and I think some will remember, as I do, just how much part the china clay company played in Fowey. Many employees lived here, and local restaurants etc benefitted financially.
Robert Goddard is a favourite author of mine. I discovered his books years ago. Many have been made into films and TV series, particularly his books about Harry Barnett. I think a lot of his latter stories are set in Cornwall as he was living just off Lemon Street in Truro.
I hope you enjoyed the book."
Our group all enjoyed the book to a greater or lesser degree. Some people felt the characters were two dimensional, but others warmed to some of them, particularly to Jonathan, the narrator. He came over as a really good person, a trouble-shooter with a strong moral conscience, despite several misadventures with the challenging Wren family along the way. Some of us would have liked more detail about his life between him leaving school and the rest of the book, which was written as he approached retirement at the age of sixty. There was very little of his experiences of life beyond the Wren family, although we understood he had worked all round the world in the china clay industry and had even been married for a short time. We learned nothing at all about his wife. There were mixed feelings about the considerable local input, which made the book more enjoyable for some, but detracted from it for others as concentrating on the local area tended to mask shortcomings in the story. Would we have liked the book as much if it had been set elsewhere? Some of the happenings, including a number of untimely deaths and murders, did stretch credibility. Several of us had read the book before but thought it benefitted from a second reading as we did not have complete recall from the first time. We all agreed that it was a great page-turner, like so many of Robert Goddard's books. He is a very skilled writer who ensures you want to know what happens next! Some felt the ending was a bit abrupt, but others were delighted by the implication that happiness may have been possible for Jonathan and Vivien in the twilight of their years after all their trials and tribulations.
Review 4th August
The book we had read this time was Oh William By Elizabeth Strout. Many thanks to Kathy, who has written the following synopsis and review:
"The main character in this novel is Lucy Barton who grew up in terribly bleak poverty in the small farming town of Amgash , Illiniois. Hence the novel is part of the ‘Amgash Series’. It is not necessary to read the previous books in the series as each novel stands on their own.
The book opens with Lucy, at 63 a successful novelist, well known enough that mentioning her name to a small town librarian results in a request to sign a stack of books on the way out.the library is in Maine where Lucy has agreed to travel with her ex-husband, the titular William. Both of them are at a late-life crossroads. Lucy’s beloved second husband has died a few weeks earlier, and William’s third wife has left him. What brings them to Maine, however, is the recent revelation, through an ancestry research service, that William has a half-sister, an infant his mother abandoned when she left her first husband for his father. This half-sister still lives in the hamlet where William’s mother grew up, a place that reminds Lucy of Amgash in it’s principal isolation. (It isn’t on the quaint, lovely coast of Maine familiar to tourists, but an inland region , once described by somebody as ”the frozen potato fields of the north”).
Oh William has less to do with the discovery of this half-sister than with the nature of Lucy’s and William’s relationship. They share two grown up daughters and the sort of deep relationship that ex-partners are sometimes able to achieve. Although they live apart and have had very different lives, William explains to Lucy his feeling of comfort of knowing “he can call Lucy no matter what hour ,whenever, he is experiencing some sort of night terror”.
The novel seems to have the apparent artlessness of conversation or diary entries. Lucy seems to ramble from one character to another; mentions a character , announces she doesn’t want to “talk” about him, then brings him up again; finishes statements with ”I guess”or “ I suppose”. Descriptions are simple and minimal and feel like spontaneous asides, as when Lucy mentions that Williams third wife Estelle, has “kind of wild reddish hair which I’ve always liked”. The use of figurative language is sparse and when used it describes such emotional states - “pings” of hurt, or the “dull disc of dread in my chest” during her marriage to William, when she felt he was unavailable. The overall effect is a confiding intimacy, as if the reader were catching up with an old friend in a particular confessional mood.
The novelist opens up depths with the simplest of touches, and this story ends with the assurance that the source of love lies less in understanding than in the recognition—although it may take a lifetime to learn the difference.
The book was liked very much by at least one member and although many members remarked it was not their favourite enjoyable read, nevertheless, it brought about a lot of enthusiastic discussion. A very enjoyable afternoon.”
We will next meet on Friday 1st September. The book we will be discussing then is Fault Line by Robert Goddard, much of which is set in Cornwall.
Review 14th July
A synopsis of the story is:
- The story is set in 1954 about four young American boys, three who have just come from a young offenders institute, and Billy, the brother of Emmet the main character.
- The chapters run from 10 to one, which seems strange, but it is acting like a countdown to the conclusion of their story.
- Emmet was sent to the Institute, as he had been goaded into a fight with tragic consequences. “The ugly side of chance“. On arriving home, he discovered that his father, who had recently died, had mortgaged and borrowed money against the farm, and so everything was lost. He was also left in sole charge of his 8 year old brother Billy, A lovely bright boy, who loved books, especially books about Greek mythology. Having served his time, Emmet then discovers Duchess and Woolly, two other inmates from Salina, have escaped and hidden in the boot of the warden's car, who had driven him home. Duchess, abandoned by his father to an orphanage, is a hotheaded rogue who is really only out for his own ends, Whereas Woolly is as his name, maybe on the edge of the autistic syndrome. He follows Duchess everywhere and optimistically believes in their friendship, but Duchess has only befriended him, because Woolly has told him of his very wealthy family, and the money that is due to him sitting in the family safe in New York.
- Emmet and Billy’s mother had left them shortly after Billy’s birth, and sent a series of postcards from along the Lincoln Highway, so Billy believes that if he turns up in San Francisco for the 4th of July, which his mother had always celebrated, that he would meet her there.Emmet is sure his Mother does not want to be found but feeling that there is nothing to lose, goes along with the idea, hoping he’ll be more likely to get a job in a big town Building houses. Duchess steals Emmet’s car, and makes various detours causing havoc along the way, Emmet and Billy end up in the wrong direction, trying to follow him to retrieve their car. Eventually they all meet up at Woolly’s family mansion, where they discover that Woolly has committed suicide; they had thought that he had only told the story about his money, to get Duchess to take him back to the place where he felt comfortable to end his life. It turns out he was correct and that the money was in the safe, Woolly leaves a letter instructing that his money should be shared with his friends. Duchess tries to steal all if it for himself, holding the other two at gunpoint, but Duchess doesn’t realise the gun is not loaded, as he hasn’t read the notice in the MUD room, Billy knows that he can’t read, and indicates to his brother that there’s no danger of being shot. Emmet grabs the gun and knocks Duchess out with it, and then puts him in a boat that has a hole in the bottom, complete with his share of the money, so that whenever he leans forward to get the money, the boat starts to fill with water. Eventually his greed overcomes him and Duchess drowns, leaving Emmet and Billy to finish their journey to California with their share of the money.
"I love the written word of the book, with so many observations of different lives. All four of the boys were very different, and all had very different backgrounds, which proves my thoughts that, how we are, Is a combination of our backgrounds, and what life throws at us on the way!
Maybe it would’ve been better if Emmet had left Billy with a lovely neighbour Sally, who had looked after him after his father had died, while Emmett was away. Sally pops up occasionally throughout the book as a motherly figure, despite her young age, always wanting to look after the boys.
There are some lovely references to stories of Greek mythology, taken from Billy’s book of heroes, and how Billy relates them to modern life. The end seemed to happen rather quickly, after such a wandering journey, and I just feel I’d like to read it again putting the chapters together of each character, so that I could follow the story more easily. However I still love the writing of Amor Towles and his amazing way with words. I was travelling along with them, and felt their frustrations and sorrows. That’s when I know it’s been a good book.
Most of the members enjoyed the book, and we had a really comprehensive discussion about it, some feeling Duchess as being a lovable rogue and others that he deserved his “comeuppance”.
Lots of good chat and laughter, the sign of a really good meeting. Thank you everyone".
Our next meeting will be on Friday 4th August, when the book we will be discussing is: Oh William by Elizabeth Strout. Our September choice is Fault Line by Robert Goddard and October will be the next Richard Osman The Bullett that missed. Further choices warmly welcomed.
Review 2nd June
Our June meeting took place on a lovely sunny terrace at the Yacht Club, following a delicious lunch for most of us. The book we discussed was Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead.
Many thanks to Linda for her review, which follows:
"Maggie Shipstead has created a compelling heroine in a book that almost seems as if it is retelling a true story.
Marion Graves disappeared in 1950 while attempting to fly round the world longitudinally, passing over both north and south poles.
She was an accomplished aviator, a woman obsessed with flight since her childhood in the wilds of Montana. The book covers her life from a baby, when she and her twin brother were placed into the hands of their Uncle Wallace, an artist, a drunk and rather unfit to raise children (however he does his best). Her Father was imprisoned for deserting his ship. He was the master of the ship that went down but could not bring himself to leave them with strangers on the lifeboats. His wife was drowned.
Their childhood is enthralling and you very quickly become immersed in their lives.
The twins could not be more different, Jamie sensitive, shy and an artist and Marion, brave, reckless and determined. By chance some barnstormers appear in their town and her obsession with flying starts and never ends. Her life is portrayed through prohibition in America up to and through the war years where she becomes one of the few women pilots delivering spitfires and other war planes.
Marion has a childhood friend Caleb who is the love of her life until the very end. Their story interweaves with the main plot throughout the book.
Running in parallel to Marion’s story is a 21st century narrative: that of Hadley Baxter, who as a child star shot to fame in a series of fantasy films called Archangel. She has had a strangely similar upbringing - both parents killed in a plane crash and brought up by her uncle, also an addict, who through connections starts off her acting career at a very young age. Hadley is dating her very popular co-star and when found to be unfaithful to him is booted off the franchise. But she then is offered the part of Marion Graves in a film of her life. She becomes very interested in her life when reading her journal and makes an unexpected discovery throwing new light on the story of Marion.
This is a long Saga but is totally absorbing with many vivid and memorable characters whose fates intersect in ways both inevitable and shocking.
This is a novel which expands the reader’s horizons and is moving and surprising at every turn.
The book club met on a lovely sunny afternoon sitting outside on the yacht club terrace and we had a lively discussion.
The book was not, overall, received that well. Many thought it was too long with too many characters. They did not sympathise with our main heroine and found the narrative of Hadley unnecessary. One of us found it boring and the characters unbelievable. Also Marion was criticised as she took more than she gave. Another comment was that they were waiting for a happy narrative but none came!
It was not all negative comments as a few of us did like the book, enjoying the descriptions of flight and the fascinating war period when women pilots were used extensively.
Others really loved the plot and the many interesting characters and the multi-layered story lines. Marion’s brother was favourably received as he was shown as having a kind and sensitive nature. His life could have been another book. A few relished the detailed flight and landscape descriptions. One of us felt that the two women had been deeply affected by their upbringing and therefore more sympathetic to their obsessions and way of life.
Some of us liked the ending and others didn’t! This book certainly got us talking even if it wasn’t our most favourite! Hope some of you will give the book a go."
Review 5th May
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
A quick synopsis:
On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the River Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to wile away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.
Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless.
Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother knows the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son’s secret liaison stand ready to welcome their granddaughter. The parson’s housekeeper, humble and isolated, sees in the child the image of her younger sister. But the return of a lost child is not without complications and no matter how heartbreaking the past losses, no matter how precious the child herself, this girl cannot be everyone’s. Each family has mysteries of its own, and many secrets must be revealed before the girl’s identity can be known.
There were many reasons for suggesting this book. Firstly, I read it for the American bookclub I belong to, and it received a positive reception. Secondly, I was delighted to meet Diane Settersfield when she came to the Fowey Festival of Arts. She signed my copy of the book, and we discussed the importance of storytelling. My third reason is that it reminded me of a marvellous Headteacher I had the pleasure of working with in the 1990s. He was a strong believer in the importance of stories and storytelling. He wrote books on the subject and was able to communicate his belief to the children he taught; my daughter has such fond memories of him. My fourth reason was that I thought it might be a “marmite” book, either loved or hated, a little like “The Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey, which recently received a mixed reception at the Bookclub. The reading of this genre of books often leads to a lively discussion. My fifth reason is that I lived in Oxfordshire for many years, and know the Thames well. My final, and perhaps most important reason, is that I loved the book and it will stay with me for a long time.
There were six people at the meeting on the 5th May. Everyone at the meeting enjoyed the book and the feedback was, in the main, positive.
Pros:
- The book is beautifully written and atmospheric
- The author engages the reader immediately, with the setting and the beautifully drawn characters
- The strong links to the power of storytelling and the importance of fairy stories is evident throughout the book
- The fate of the child gives rise to many questions and almost as many answers
- It is a flashback to how life used to be
- It keeps you guessing to the end
- The story has a large cast of characters and does meander a bit, just like the river itself!
- It is difficult at times to keep track of events, especially towards the middle of the book.
Review 31st March
Machines like me by Ian McEwan
"I chose the book Machines Like Me, by Ian McEwan, which was given to me to read by my journalist nephew, who said “I thought you might like to read this, you don’t have to enjoy it!” I understand now what he meant! I’m not sure how many of you did enjoy the book, it was not easy to get into, but I really wanted to turn the pages, which for me means it’s holding my attention!
Without a doubt a book I will remember! Although modern technology is not my thing, I found myself strangely drawn to the
story, A love triangle set in the 1980s, between an aimless young man, Charlie, his troubled girlfriend, Miranda, a scholar of social history and an android named Adam, purchased by Charlie, who was fascinated by all things technical. Both Charlie and Miranda programme Adam, but that combination, although appearing at the outset to solve many of their problems, financial and moral,
destroys their plans by doing everything by the book, despite learning human feelings, and falling in love with Miranda himself. This leads to Charlie attacking Adam with a hammer, And at Adam’s dying request, is sent to Alan Turing, who has also owned an Android. The moral of the story “If we built a machine that would look into our hearts, could we really expect it to like what it sees?”
The book Is an unsettling read, that’s very cleverly written, McEwan weaves in out of the love story, a complicated history of England, where although set in the 1980s ...Alan Turing is still alive, the Internet, social media, and self driving cars already
exist, and the Falklands war was lost etc. It was very thought-provoking and fascinating , trying to work out what was actually history, and which bits he had turned on their head, ie counterfactuaI , I was very puzzled when the bombing at the Grand Hotel in Brighton killed Tony Benn who was supposedly prime minister at the time! It certainly got my mind working!
I am very interested to hear all your comments if you did make it to the end! And I promised my journalist nephew, that I’d let him know what I thought of it and what you did too! Despite being a little worried about how this book would be received, it was enjoyed by most of those present, and gave us a really lively discussion!"
Our next meeting will be on Friday 5th May when the book we will be discussing will be Once upon a River by Diane Setterfield.
Review 3rd March 2023
STILL WATER BY REBECCA PERT
The book is a first novel by a talented young author and generated a lively discussion. We agreed it was beautifully written evoking a strong sense of place and introducing some complex characters. It is atmospheric and conveys an unsettling feeling of foreboding in the reader. Most of the book is set in the Shetlands with flashbacks to a connecting story that takes place in North Devon at an earlier period. Jane Douglas is living in an old caravan and working at a fish processing factory in the Shetlands. She
has started a relationship with a local man, Mike, and is just starting to hope that she might be able to move on from her early trauma. She is haunted by her mother’s disappearance when she was still a child, following the death of her baby brother. Then, after twenty years, she is contacted by the police. Her mother’s body has been found in a quarry in Devon re-opening old wounds, but also prompting her to read for the first time her mother’s diary from her teenage years in Devon and her marriage and relocation to the Shetlands as a young mother. Several people thought that the story was too graphic and harrowing to be described as an enjoyable read but agreed it was thought provoking. Some people had read the book twice and felt it was worthy of a second read as they had picked up on details that they had missed first time around. A couple of people thought that Mike was rather two dimensional and too nice and that they couldn’t imagine long term happiness for the couple although the book ends on a gentle, hopeful note. Other readers thought that although they had found it compelling, and they wanted to know the denouement, they did not think it was memorable as they had difficulty recalling names and events several weeks after finishing it. I won’t give away the mystery, as I would thoroughly recommend reading it and deciding for yourselves who was really to blame.
Review 3rd February 2023
The book we discussed was Mother's Boy by Patrick Gale. Patrick is a regular visitor to the Fowey Festival and several of us always try not to miss his talks.
Mother's Boy is rather different from his other books in that it is "faction", a mix of fact and fiction, based on the life of Cornish poet Charles Causley and his mother Laura. The consensus of our group was that although Patrick Gale writes beautifully, at times this book came over as a series of anecdotes rather than an actual free-flowing novel. Most of us actually preferred the early part of the book, which starts off when Laura goes from her home in Launceston into service in Teignmouth. The descriptions of someone in service before the first World War are most interesting, with detailed descriptions of her tasks and life experiences. She has her own bedroom and running water, great luxuries for her. She is portrayed as enjoying her life there, with kindly employers and a good relationship with the cook, who teaches her her job. Whilst in Teignmouth, Laura meets Charlie Causley, the local doctor's groom. He sounds really dashing and attractive, but shortly after their marriage goes off to fight in the War. Married women could rarely continue in service unless a cook or housekeeper, so Laura returns to her family in Launceston, where as it turns out, she spends the rest of her life. Charlie returns on leave, conceives Charles, goes back to France and in due course comes back at the end of the War, a shadow of his former self. By the time Charles is a toddler, his father is dying of TB, which takes him off when his son is just 5. Thereafter Laura, in the early 1920s, battles as a single mother to look after Charles, an unusual child. She works as a washerwoman, always busy, but does not enjoy her work. She is determined not to end up in the Workhouse, where both her parents were born.
Interestingly, some of our number had not heard of Charles Causley and few were actually familiar with his work. He is sometimes described as a poet of the second World War, but his reputation beyond Cornwall remains slight. Charles grows up very close to his mother - the only child of a single parent. He is bullied at school, is bookish and has to wear glasses. His mother doesn't let him go to university, which surprised us as she had hitherto seemed so devoted to his best interests. His mother gets him a boring clerical job, but then Charles goes off to fight in the second World War, joining the Navy. He ends up violently seasick, but becomes a coder. We generally didn't care for the part of the book that details his imagined sexual encounters during the war. Patrick Gale has thoroughly researched Causley's life but has only slight evidence for Causley's experiences during the War, and describes them rather too graphically for some of our tastes.
After the War, Charles returns home to Mother. He trains as a schoolteacher, still remaining in Launceston, and the book finishes in 1948. We understand from notes to the book provided by Patrick Gale that his life thereafter was uneventful. He never married or had a partner. His mother dies in 1971 and he struggles with his mental health at that point. He continues teaching until retirement, when he goes on writing.
Patrick Gale is obviously totally inspired by Charles Causley, so perhaps Charles deserves to be more widely celebrated. The poem that inspired Patrick most, as he says in his acknowledgements at the end of the book is Angel Hill. The text follows, as this may encourage RFYC members to look more deeply into Causley's life and works. Charles Causley always said that his life was richly illustrated in his poems.
A sailor came walking down Angel Hill,
He knocked on my door with a right good will,
with a right good will he knocked on my door.
He said 'My friend, we have met before.'
No never, said I.
He searched my eye with a sea-blue stare
and he laughed aloud on the Cornish air,
on the Cornish air he laughed aloud
and he said 'My friend, you have grown too proud.'
No, never, said I.
'In war we swallowed the bitter bread
and drank of the brine,' the sailor said
'We took of the bread and we tasted the brine
as I bound your wounds and you bound mine.'
No, never, said I.
'By day and night on the diving sea
we whistled to sun and moon' said he
'Together we whistled to moon and sun
and vowed our stars should be as one'
No, never, said I.
'And now' he said, 'that war is past
I come to your hearth and home at last.
I come to your home and hearth to share
Whatever fortune waits me there.'
No, never, said I.
'I have no wife nor son,' he said,
'nor pillow on which to lay my head,
no pillow have I, nor wife nor son,
till you shall give to me my own'.
No, never, said I.
His eye it flashed like a lightning-dart
and still as a stone then stood my heart.
My heart as a granite stone was still
and he said 'My friend, but I think you will.'
No, never, said I.
The sailor smiled and turned in his track
and shifted the bundle on his back
and I heard him sign as he strolled away
'You'll send and you'll fetch me one fine day.'
No, never, said I.
Some of us thought this was actually Patrick Gale's most disappointing book, but it generated an interesting and wide-ranging discussion. If anyone would like to explore his works further, my own favourites are Notes from an Exhibition and A Perfectly Good Man.
Review January 2023
"THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE
This is the sequel to Richard Osman’s earlier book “The Thursday Murder Club”, and sees our intrepid four senior citizens involved in a complicated murder plot centring on £20 million in stolen diamonds. They live in a smart retirement complex inspired by the residential development where the author’s mother lives. The leader of the group is Elizabeth, a retired MI5 operative, who has an impressive array of skills and contacts. She is also the focus of the more poignant aspect of the books as she handles, with great fortitude, her beloved husband’s increasing dementia. The characters are developed from the first book with Joyce, the quietest member of the group, becoming more of a feature with her dry asides and sang-froid in the face of outrageous events. After a series of far-fetched but entertaining encounters, and with the help of their friends, Chris and Donna in the Police and Bogdan, the diamonds are recovered and the proceeds of the sale given to a dementia charity. All’s well that ends well, but is it? Surely somebody will be trying to recover their missing gems? You will need to read the third book in the series “The Bullet That Missed” in order to find out. Book four is planned for later this year.
We had a very lively discussion at the Book Club. The majority agreed that it was a very entertaining, easy read, and on the whole well written, although it would probably be improved with tighter editing. Most of us liked the characters and find them quite endearing. All agreed that if you didn’t warm to our undaunted senior citizens the book would not work for you. Two of us actively disliked it, finding the plotline shallow and the four protagonists irritating and unlikeable. They felt that had the author not been a “celebrity” the books would not have been published."
Review December 2022
We had a lovely lunch at the Yacht Club on Friday, followed by an excellent, wide-ranging discussion on the book, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. Thanks to Yvonne for her choice of book, and for her review, which follows:
"The book I chose was The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, a native Alaskan. It is set in Alaska in the
1920’s and tells the story of a couple who move there as they struggle to recover from the death of
their only child at birth. Jack struggles to cope with farming in such hostile terrain and Mabel is
totally lost in her grief. Then one day a little girl appears out of the snow to become an integral part
of their lives for many years. Faina leaves each spring to live up in the mountains returning each
year with the snow. As the book progresses we learn of friendships formed, lifestyle developments
and lessons learnt.
The group agreed it was very well written with excellent descriptive passages. Some enjoyed the
book and accepted it as it was written and others felt it was so improbable in parts it took away from
the pleasure of reading it. The story was based on a Russian Folk Tale and more than one author
has written books based on the same story. So, was this a good Fairy Tale or was it not a fairy tale at
all? You must read the book and make your own mind up." Yvonne Bennett
Review November 2022
We met on 4th November to discuss The Long Weekend by Veronica Henry. Frances chose this book as Veronica is a regular at the Fowey Festival and has a growing reputation as a writer of well respected "chic lit" if that isn't a contradiction.
Veronica used to be a writer on The Archers and has also written for Heartbeat and Holby City. She lives in North Devon and is currently writing her 24th novel.
The Long Weekend is thought to be based on Fowey, with the Townhouse by the Sea bearing a close resemblance to one of our local hotels. The story tells us of various people staying at the hotel for a long weekend, and all the action takes place during that period.
This book was a departure from our more usual choices of fiction, and did provide somewhat of a contract to last month's choice, The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy, which we had all enjoyed.
We did appreciate Veronica Henry's writing skill, and her vivid images of the Cornish scenery. We liked most of the characters, and were pleased that the ending was mostly happy, at least for the main character, hotel manager Claire.
One of our number, who couldn't come to this meeting, sent us an amusing and insightful revue of the book, which summed up many of our thoughts: She wrote that she had enjoyed the light read, but compared the book to eating a large slice of black forest gateau, or similar. You enjoy it when you eat it, but afterwards feel rather sick, and wish you hadn't eaten it. You find you can't remember much about the pleasure of eating/reading it! She felt the book was like this - good to read but afterwards not memorable and easy to forget.
Some of us were more charitable, and generally agreed that The Long Weekend was a pleasant read, and a great companion tome if you were feeling under the weather, just needed an escape from the realities of life, and needed cheering up.
Review October 2022
“The Woodlanders” by Thomas Hardy:
This book opens with the return of Grace Melbury to her home in Little Hintock. Grace had been promised in marriage to Giles Winterborne, a neighbouring woodsman, but now that she has become used to a different way of life at her expensive school, when she comes back home to Little Hintock she can’t help noticing his lack of sophistication. Her father starts to question whether the marriage he had planned for her is still appropriate. Grace’s return to Little Hintock coincides with the arrival of a newcomer – Edred Fitzpiers, a young doctor whom Melbury decides will make a much more suitable husband for his daughter than Giles. Despite his good intentions, however, Melbury’s meddling only succeeds in making everyone unhappy in typical Thomas Hardy fashion!
Victorian novels do need more effort to read, and it is a question of whether you personally feel that the endeavour is worthwhile. Some of the vocabulary is strange, especially in some of the exchanges between the woodlanders. The sentence construction can seem cumbersome to the modern reader. Some of our number struggled with the Victorian language and one abandoned it altogether. But most of us enjoyed it; a number of us were reading it again after many years.
Hardy’s works are often described as “novels of character and environment”. Well, in the Woodlanders, the hero really seems to be the environment. Its influence is profound early on in “The Woodlanders” where John South is obsessed by the elm tree he can see right outside his bedroom window. He thinks it is causing his ill health, but when it is felled, John dies. The leases on various cottages, including that of Giles Winterbourne, were dependent on the life of John South and form a vital part of the plot. Hardy's descriptions of the countryside, of Giles touring round with his cider making equipment are brilliant. So many years after publication (1887) Hardy's prose is still absolutely inspiring.
Giles's depth of chivalry in letting a runaway Grace use his hut as a refuge whilst sleeping outside in pouring rain is difficult for the 21st century reader to fully appreciate. Giles dies as a result. This is a novel about great love – that of Giles, who would give up his life rather than compromise the virtue of the woman he has hopelessly loved. Could that happen now?
But this novel is no idealised picture. Apart from Giles losing his house and ending up living in really poor conditions, there is Marty South, forced to sell her beautiful hair through extreme poverty, and working through the night to make the wooden spars when her father is too ill to continue.
Although this book isn’t as dramatic or tragic as some of Hardy’s others, the ending is beautifully sad and poignant. Grace goes back to Fitzpiers, her father having explored the possibility of a divorce for her. He found it virtually impossible for a Victorian woman to get a divorce, so Grace is left with few options. We do not know how it works out for her at the end of the book, but the omens are not good. But it is Marty who was Giles's natural soul mate, and after Grace and Edred Fitzpiers are trying for reconciliation, it is Marty who visits his grave alone, and thinks of all the country skills they shared together.
The Woodlanders was apparently one of Hardy’s own favourites; he is quoted as having said, “On taking up The Woodlanders and reading it after many years, I like it as a story best of all”.
Our next book will be The Long Weekend by Veronica Henry. Veronica is a regular at the Fowey Festival, and although it is probably fair to say that she is not in the same league as Thomas Hardy as a writer, our November selection will provide a much lighter read and we hope people will enjoy the contrast in styles.
Review September 2022
Liz's review of The Loving Spirit by Daphne Du Maurier follows: Many thanks to Liz.
The Loving Spirit by Daphne DuMaurier
The Loving Spirit her first novel published in 1931. The story is about an old Schooner The Jane Slade, she came across, up Pont River. She was given letters belonging to the Coombe family, who had owned the Schooner, she wove her story around these letters. The story is written in four books, book one is about Janet Coombe (Jane Slade) And her determination to launch her favourite son in his own schooner, to make his way in the world. She was frustrated being a woman, with all demands and no adventure, And lived her life through him.
Book Two is the story of Joseph, the favourite son, loving the danger of travelling the seas in all weathers, with his devil may care attitude to life in general from loving and leaving women to taking huge risks whatever the consequences.
Book Three Christopher (Joseph’s son), a much gentler character who hated going to sea, seasick and miserable he abandons ship, to make his fortune in London, having a family and trying various jobs, but returns to Plyn, and is happier helping in his family’s ship yard. He volunteers to crew in the local lifeboat,but dies trying to save the Janet Coombe from the rocks.
Book Four- Jennifer Coombe (Christopher’s daughter) born in Plyn, A spirited girl, but at 6 years of age loses her beloved father Christopher. The ship building business goes into liquidation, and the family moved to London to live with her Grandmother (a lady with somewhat comical airs and graces. She hates the noise and dirt of London life and eventually moves back to Plyn completing the circle, falling in love with a distant cousin who has resurrected the ship building yard to a flourishing business building yachts. Seemingly a happy ending!
Summary of Comments: Generally everyone enjoyed the book, and identified with the locality, resulting in some interesting chats. It was agreed by many that it was not written as well as her later books, but amazing writing for someone so young. The relationship between Janet and her son, more like lovers, to the exclusion of the rest of the family felt uncomfortable, but her descriptions of the locality, rough seas and characters, beautifully drawn, some of the comedy characters reminiscent of Dickens writing!
Really lovely to sit outside on the Veranda opposite Polruan (Plyn) within sight of the Figurehead of the Janet Coombe (Jane Slade), the sun shining on the water, a perfect afternoon after a tasty lunch with good company. What more?!
We next meet on Friday 7th October. Our book then will be a classic, The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy.
Review August 2022
Our book this month was Life after Life by Kate Atkinson.
The story centres around Ursula Todd who is born one snowy night in 1910 and dies that night from strangling on her own umbilical cord. On that same night in 1910 Ursula is born and lives. What follows is a strange life full of many deaths that were at the same time avoided.
The story, a family Saga of sorts takes us through the 1st and 2nd World wars and has a great sense of those times.
Ursula, has an infinite number of chances to change her life and perhaps save the world to quote “from its own inevitable destiny.”
We had an excellent discussion whilst sitting overlooking the sunlight river.
Not everyone enjoyed the book and there were many diverse views.
We thought though it was a good choice as it got us all talking. We decided that it was a memorable book and one we were not likely to forget.
Some people thought it was difficult to understand or to absorb the plot, especially at the start. Others said that it didn’t hold their interest and were annoyed and frustrated by the many date changes of each chapter. “We might have enjoyed it more had it been less jumbled up!” For others the narrative did not work.
Everyone acknowledged that Kate Atkinson’s knowledge of the period was excellent, with good observations on the family and their attitudes and that each character was well drawn.
Her writing is always excellent with wonderful descriptions of the blitz and family life from WW1 to WW2.
One of us wanted to know the “True Narrative” which of course, sadly, we shall never know.
Our book next time is Daphne du Maurier’s Loving Spirit. September 2nd"
Book Club Review July 2022
The Book Club met on 1st July to discuss Wild Silence by Raynor Winn. This is the sequel to her very successful first book The Salt Path. Raynor came to the recent Fowey Festival in May to promote Wild Silence, which was why we thought it might be a good choice for our Club to consider. Those who had attended her talk were interested that most of the content referred back to The Salt Path.
Unfortunately, most of us found Wild Silence rather disappointing. There was no cohesion or plan to the book; it seemed to be just a series of anecdotes which drew heavily on the success of The Salt Path, and constantly referred back to it, which does explain the emphasis of Raynor's talk at the Festival! The Iceland part towards the end of the book was rather irrelevant, and we thought Raynor's editor might have told her the book was too short, and she must add something in. Raynor had written this book whilst living in Polruan, which gave it local interest. Unfortunately she was suffering with her mental health for much of the time, and found it difficult to integrate back into normal life after her adventures along the Coast Path. We did agree that her descriptions of nature and the countryside were beautifully written and poetic and gentle. Her writing had a real sense of place.
Both Raynor and her husband Moth had behaved recklessly in their youth. Some of this was recalled and we thought it went some way to explaining their irresponsible behaviour in later life, when they had lost everything. Thiswas what had led them to walk the South West Coastal Path, which in turn had led to creation of The Salt Path.
Overall, the book was not a great success with our group. Despite appreciating the beauty of her prose, the disjointed structure of the book had detracted from our enjoyment. There is a third book by Raynor Winn on its way, and it will be interesting to see if that one lives up to the promise of her first offering.
We have decided to meet in August, so our next meeting will be on Friday 5th August, with lunch at 12.30 for anyone who would like to join us, and the Book Club discussions starting at 2.00pm. Our choice then is Kate Atkinson's book, Life after Life. All Yacht Club Members are very welcome to join us.
Book Club Review May 2022
A Man Called Ove
By Frederik Backman
The group had an interesting discussion, generally the book was considered worth reading though some struggled with the early chapters.
Ove was a “dour” man with few social skills. We wondered if this was nature or nurture and presumed he would have been considered “on the Spectrum”. One member described him as the Swedish Victor Meldrew.
Ove lost his much loved wife and his job which left him feeling there was nothing left to live for and so to escape from his solitary life and loneliness he planned his suicide, each attempt failing. His salvation came in the form of a new neighbour. Parvaneh, a Persian lady, moved in next door and was determined to have Ove as a friend. The development of their relationship makes interesting reading.
Most people enjoyed the book and found it an interesting read. There was some discussion about the translation from Swedish making it stilted in places and it was mentioned that the whole book became a series of incidents involving Ove some being rather contrived.
Your opinion may be different but you need to read the book and make your own decisions.
Lady in Waiting by Anne Glenconner.
Everyone found the book, which was her autobiography, interesting. Her life seemed very far removed from ours, but although it was superficially a life of great privilege as Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret, Lady Anne suffered some terrible misfortunes. These included an abusive husband, who ended up leaving her nothing when he died. His behaviour was incredibly challenging, with an evil temper and great neediness. Divorce amongst that generation of aristocracy was not an option. On his death, he left his entire fortune to his servant on his island of Mustique. Fortunately Lady Anne's father, the Earl of Leicester had suggested many years previously that she should buy a farmhouse in East Anglia, which she did. That is where she now lives, a great contrast to her previous existence. In addition to the trials and tribulations of a very difficult husband, their two elder sons both suffered premature deaths, and the youngest was badly injured in a car crash. Her twin daughters were the only ones to live relatively normal lives. Princess Margaret was viewed in the book with great affection by Lady Anne, but as one of our number remarked, it was a life of deference and service to a challenging princess, which not all of us felt we could have coped with. Had Lady Anne been male, she would have inherited the Earldom from her father.
We felt the book was surprisingly well written, perhaps with a ghost writer. It was a compelling story and a real page turner. We all enjoyed reading it.
We had a great discussion in the tranquillity of the Yacht Club terrace, and went on to agree some books for our next few meetings. We decided to leave the August meeting in for now, and will see how many people want to meet then.
'The Other Side of the Bridge' by Mary Lawson
Resume:
We all loved this story, which takes place in the fictional town of Struan, Northern Canada. It starts at the end of the Great Depression and follows through to the second World war, followed by an epilogue, which is set in the 1950's.
It is essentially the story of two brothers from a farming family, Arthur, reticent, solid and dutiful and the other, Jake, younger, attractive and in some ways dangerous to know. Laura, a beautiful young woman, moves into the community and unwittingly drives their sibling rivalry to breaking point.
Also, important is Ian, the GP's son who takes a job at the brothers farm and develops a troubling attachment to Laura.
This is a novel of jealousy, rivalry and the power of obsession.
Discussion:
We all thought the book had a wonderful sense of place, was beautifully written and the characterisation of every protagonist - and there were many- was very convincingly drawn.
The author explores the dynamics of families, the relationship between siblings and the pleasures and pains of friendship.
We felt that, despite being an easy read, this story was by no means superficial. There was very much more to it than first meets the eye. Among many other things, we learnt about the tensions between urban, rural, native and white communities, plus the devastating effects of the second world war on the inhabitants of this small town.
Someone made the point that the women in the story were portrayed as neither strong nor loving and we wondered why.
We all felt that this was a really good story and that we wanted to encourage everyone to read it for themselves. For this reason I won't say any more, as doing so could spoil it for you.
Our next book is Lady in Waiting by Anne Glenconner. This will be Friday 29th April 2pm in the J room (note change of date)
Frances Day and Liz Rutherford are very kindly taking over the running of the book club from next month.
The House on the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune.
Resume:
Linus Baker, the central character, leads a quiet and lonely life. At 40, he lives in a tiny house with a strange cat and listens to old records. He works for the department in Charge of Magical Youth and he goes to government orphanages where children who are “different” are kept and he oversees their well being. He is a stickler for accuracy and his reports are well received by the “Upper management”.
Then one day Linus is unexpectedly summoned by the Extremely Upper Management and given a highly secret assignment. He is sent to an Orphanage, on an island where six “dangerous” children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a boy/Pomeranian and the Antichrist.
There Linus must determine their fate. Their guardian, Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe also has a secret. Both men grow closer and Linus has to chose between family love and bureaucracy.
Discussion:
This was rather a “marmite” book with most of us loving it and several not connecting with it at all. This of course led to an a very interesting discussion and some of our comments can be summarised below.
The orphans were all young children and their individual, strange, magical state was an allegory for disturbed children, almost a parable. Throughout the book, Linus gradually came to realize that they needed love, understanding and tolerance. Always used to bureaucracy, his debate with himself against his developing empathy, sympathy and love for the children was delightful to observe. Someone thought it raised a profound question of how much control the authorities should have over these children.
The overall message was one of tolerance for those of us who are different. We fear what we don’t understand and this book in a delightful, joyful and charming way changed at least one person, Linus, into a loving, more open and strong character.
There were several others who did not like this book, finding it simplistic, not well written and too obvious in its attempt to highlight what happened in orphanages possibly Canada, where indigenous children were placed in the 60’s and 70’s. And of course other countries who did this at about the same time. Also some of our views were coloured by their dislike of fantasies.
Overall this book was very well received and it had a heart warming, happy ending which is what we all need at the moment!
Monica Ali’s Brick Lane.
Resume-
This is a story of Nazneen, a Bangladeshi girl from a rural village, who arrives in London’s Tower Hamlets in 1957 as an arranged marriage bride. Her home is now a cramped flat in a high rise block, she knows not a word of English and is forced to rely on her husband for virtually everything. She is very young and the novel relates her struggles to make a life for herself within her traditional marriage and the East End immigrant community.
Throughout the novel, her trials in Brick Lane are cut through by letters from home. These are from her sister, Hasina who had made a love match but was forced to leave her violent husband and is now trying to survive on her own, as a factory worker, a prostitute and a maid. Hasina’s choices are much starker than Nazneen’s.
Nazneen’s husband Chanu, with whom she develops a strange relationship of closeness and apartness, is in her eyes, old and ugly and one of her more onerous duties is to scrape away his corns night after night.
He, for one reason or other does not succeed in his job, despite his many qualifications and great efforts to be educated in the English style.
After the death, in hospital, of their first child, Nazneen becomes deeply depressed and Chanu takes over household duties, cooking and cleaning etc until she recovers, which shows him in a more sympathetic light.
Nazneen becomes infatuated with a young Muslin Karim , who she met doing sewing work , which he brought to the house, and attending meetings of his group of disaffected Muslins.
In the end Chanu returns to Bangladesh, leaving his wife and their two almost grown girls behind. Nazneen is now changed from being a submissive, imported bride and has now become an emancipated and independent woman and their girls have become anglicised.
Discussion:
We each had our own views of the book and our discussion went on for well over an hour!
We talked about the problems for immigrants who come to this country, unable to speak English and under the control of their husbands. A lot of us had had experience of this when working with such communities. Is it better now or just the same?
One of us had a grandparent from Japan who had come to England just after the war which must have been very difficult.
How much effect did 9/11 have on the Muslin communities? Did this make Karim more radicalised? The book showed the growth of Islam in marginalised inner city communities.
We commented on the wonderful descriptions of the overcrowded flat - of the massive black wardrobe which took over the room and the abundance of furniture.
Some of us felt very sorry for Nazneen’s husband Chanu, with his struggles to be English and yet remain a traditional Muslin. He was kind, although at times unfeeling but some felt him to be repulsive with his unpleasant habits.
We thought the novel painted a good picture of the contrast between life in Bangladesh and that in the east end of London.
Some thought the affair between Nazneen and Karim rather strange and probably unlikely to happen.
We talked at length about the various characters, one memorable one being Mrs Islam, a debt collector, who in the absence of a financial system, aided by her henchman sons, exploited the vulnerable.
Another was a local doctor who had married for love but came to hate his wife. The relationship between him and Chanu was interesting.
Chanu’s return to his home country was a strange decision we thought, as he had failed in some ways to succeed in England. He must have realised that his daughters would not have coped returning to a life and culture they had never known, although we did think that Nazneen should have told her husband sooner that she and the girls were not returning with him.
The family though did keep in touch and one phone call between him and his wife suggested that she might return for a visit.
It was a rather sad book in many ways but beautifully written and it evoked may memories.
Resume-
This is a story of Nazneen, a Bangladeshi girl from a rural village, who arrives in London’s Tower Hamlets in 1957 as an arranged marriage bride. Her home is now a cramped flat in a high rise block, she knows not a word of English and is forced to rely on her husband for virtually everything. She is very young and the novel relates her struggles to make a life for herself within her traditional marriage and the East End immigrant community.
Throughout the novel, her trials in Brick Lane are cut through by letters from home. These are from her sister, Hasina who had made a love match but was forced to leave her violent husband and is now trying to survive on her own, as a factory worker, a prostitute and a maid. Hasina’s choices are much starker than Nazneen’s.
Nazneen’s husband Chanu, with whom she develops a strange relationship of closeness and apartness, is in her eyes, old and ugly and one of her more onerous duties is to scrape away his corns night after night.
He, for one reason or other does not succeed in his job, despite his many qualifications and great efforts to be educated in the English style.
After the death, in hospital, of their first child, Nazneen becomes deeply depressed and Chanu takes over household duties, cooking and cleaning etc until she recovers, which shows him in a more sympathetic light.
Nazneen becomes infatuated with a young Muslin Karim , who she met doing sewing work , which he brought to the house, and attending meetings of his group of disaffected Muslins.
In the end Chanu returns to Bangladesh, leaving his wife and their two almost grown girls behind. Nazneen is now changed from being a submissive, imported bride and has now become an emancipated and independent woman and their girls have become anglicised.
Discussion:
We each had our own views of the book and our discussion went on for well over an hour!
We talked about the problems for immigrants who come to this country, unable to speak English and under the control of their husbands. A lot of us had had experience of this when working with such communities. Is it better now or just the same?
One of us had a grandparent from Japan who had come to England just after the war which must have been very difficult.
How much effect did 9/11 have on the Muslin communities? Did this make Karim more radicalised? The book showed the growth of Islam in marginalised inner city communities.
We commented on the wonderful descriptions of the overcrowded flat - of the massive black wardrobe which took over the room and the abundance of furniture.
Some of us felt very sorry for Nazneen’s husband Chanu, with his struggles to be English and yet remain a traditional Muslin. He was kind, although at times unfeeling but some felt him to be repulsive with his unpleasant habits.
We thought the novel painted a good picture of the contrast between life in Bangladesh and that in the east end of London.
Some thought the affair between Nazneen and Karim rather strange and probably unlikely to happen.
We talked at length about the various characters, one memorable one being Mrs Islam, a debt collector, who in the absence of a financial system, aided by her henchman sons, exploited the vulnerable.
Another was a local doctor who had married for love but came to hate his wife. The relationship between him and Chanu was interesting.
Chanu’s return to his home country was a strange decision we thought, as he had failed in some ways to succeed in England. He must have realised that his daughters would not have coped returning to a life and culture they had never known, although we did think that Nazneen should have told her husband sooner that she and the girls were not returning with him.
The family though did keep in touch and one phone call between him and his wife suggested that she might return for a visit.
It was a rather sad book in many ways but beautifully written and it evoked may memories.