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| coshamreadinggroup | A decent read, but flawed. | 1 | Thursday, 9:23 AM EST by Anonymous | ||||
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Thread started: Oct 21 2008, 7:18 AM EDT
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We all agreed that the book was an enjoyable page turning read and acknowledged that Shute can be considered a gifted storyteller. During the course of the discussion we began to unpick this book a little though, and some of us became a little less impressed. The interminable period spent by Jean in Australia seriously disrupted the more compelling narrative flow of the first half set in Malaysia, and some of us found Jean an impossibly perfect, virtuous character. Perhaps Shute’s prudish tendencies made her unrealistic? The only credible character was the continent of Australia itself; Shute’s love of this place was self-evident.
The casual racism and sexism bothered some people. Shute took these attitudes for granted and didn’t try to challenge them (despite the Civil Rights movement starting to stir in America at the time the book was published). The group who discussed this book were entirely female at this particular meeting and we began to doubt Shute’s ability to write a believable female character. For instance we simply could not believe that Jean would be able to dismiss from her mind so easily the baby she brought up whilst trudging through Malaysia. A relatively enjoyable read if you can skip the long-winded bits and overlook the racial slurs.
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| Anonymous | The most amazing book I have ever read... | 1 | Dec 10 2009, 3:48 AM EST by Anonymous | ||||
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Thread started: Aug 18 2008, 10:32 AM EDT
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I read this book last year and have read it nearly twenty times since. The story floats past like a bright, warm summer's day, and the characters are quite loveable - particularly the narrator, Cassadra. To some, she might seem precocious and silly, but to me she is flawlessly human.
This is a book about relatioships, but relationships far beyond those portrayed in modern teen fiction. More than a book about love, I think that this is a book about family and growing up. It is a true classic, in the sense that it is timeless. The emotions and often the situtations are universal. The beauty of this book is in the ending. I have read reviews, and the ending is either what makes the book what it is for some people, and ruins it for others. With a different ending, it would be a well-written, pretty story. The ending is what makes it so bittersweet, so hopeful, and so enchanting. The last line of this novel is a profoundly emotional statement - "He said he would come back..." (although it can only be understood in the context of the book. I would reccomend this book to anyone who has ever had a moment of feeling nostalgic for something simpler, anyone who has a crazy family (which, in essence, is most people), anyone who has ever loved to no avail, and anyone who believes that one kiss can change everything.
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| Anonymous | the secret river, ******** book of all time | 1 | Nov 30 2009, 7:14 AM EST by Anonymous | ||||
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Thread started: Nov 2 2009, 7:10 PM EST
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This has to be one of the worst books ive ever read.. it is just sooooooooooo boringg and the above thred is rite it is the worst school book to read and anyaliase
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| digestivereader | Alias Grace by Margaret Attwood | 1 | Nov 25 2009, 7:24 AM EST by crazywriter | ||||
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Thread started: Nov 16 2009, 7:19 AM EST
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A tablespoon of Mrs Beaton, a generous helping of Catherine Cookson and a bucket ful of homespun philosophy. Over egged by about two hundred pages is my impression in a nutshell.
Nevertheless it is very readable. Not too many characters which are all well drawn. Text that is easy to read and a tone of the period. But thae author does milk every detail. I am drawn to a food comparison perhaps because Grac spends several pages describing her daily preparation of milking the cow, making the butter and presenting the meals. Mixed messages from other book club member. From 'It lost me halfway through the poem'-- to 'I loved every word'-----. What we could not agree on was did she or didn't she? I am adamant she did others were adamant that she didn't . I think that shows that the novel succeeded in baffling the group.
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| crazywriter | Super Cannes: Review from Central daytime reading group | 0 | Nov 25 2009, 7:17 AM EST by crazywriter | ||||
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Thread started: Nov 25 2009, 7:17 AM EST
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All of us found this a difficult novel. Whilst we could admire Ballard as a writer and the kinds of ideas he was trying to address, we could not enjoy Super Cannes. Most of us found the story far fetched, the characters unbelievable and the ending unconvincing. That said, we found some of the concepts Ballard was grappling with to be interesting. He certainly sets the scene of the business park and its atmosphere with great clarity and there is a never ending sense of unease in this novel. It also shows his skill as a writer that he managed to make us all feel unsettled by this novel. Some of us actually felt sorry for Ballard that he seemed to have such a view of human beings with no sense of faith in their nature. One member had read a lot about Ballard's life and felt the trauma he experienced as a child is evident in this novel.
It's not an'enjoyable' novel but what it does provide is a great discussion and something different from what you will have read before. And I personally had to admire Ballard for making us confront some difficult ideas. |
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| Anonymous | The Birthdays: review from Central Daytime reading group | 0 | Oct 28 2009, 8:31 AM EDT by Anonymous | ||||
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Thread started: Oct 28 2009, 8:31 AM EDT
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I almost dreaded turning up to my reading group today as I had chosen this novel for us to read and had found it boring beyond belief. Every 353 pages had been a struggle. Normally, I like character driven books and Carol Shields (another author who writes books about ordinary peoples' lives) is a personal favourite of mine, but this book took the genre to its limit. The characters are unlikeable, way too self analytical and quite frankly I didn't care what happened to them. Brenda was insensitive to her husand Daniel's problems, Jake was rude and I couldn't even like the mother Ellen. Probably the only character I had any sympathy for was the father. Having said that, I do think this author has great potential and if she had got a better sense of her characters and made us feel more for them, it could have been a great read.
So as I say, I thought my reading group were going to hate it. What a surprise - about half agreed with me but the other half had really got into it. We had a fantastic discussion about the characters and why they were how they are and in fact, the discussion left me thinking there was more to the novel than I'd originally read into it. Most of us agreed it needed more editing but it wasn't disliked in the way I thought it would be. It will be interesting to see what Pitlor produces next... |
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| Anonymous | ARGH it does my head in | 0 | Oct 27 2009, 5:24 AM EDT by Anonymous | ||||
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Thread started: Oct 27 2009, 5:24 AM EDT
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dido to the last comment.........BORING
the secret river is an awful school book to read, i dont know how anyone can understand or follow it........ARGH it does my head in |
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| Anonymous | my respect | 0 | Oct 24 2009, 7:19 AM EDT by Anonymous | ||||
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Thread started: Oct 24 2009, 7:19 AM EDT
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thanks for you, it's really a nice novel
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| Anonymous | Heart of the matter | 0 | Oct 22 2009, 6:15 PM EDT by Anonymous | ||||
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Thread started: Oct 22 2009, 6:15 PM EDT
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This 1948 story of moral decay was one of Graham Greene's greatest popular and critical successes, though not one of his own favorites. His hero Scobie is a colonial police commissioner in West Africa. He endures a loveless marriage and a nondescript career patiently enough until he falls in love with a young shipwreck survivor who, literally, washes ashore at his feet. To send his wife on an extended holiday to South Africa, he borrows money from a Syrian merchant, who then uses his position to blackmail Scobie into turning a blind eye to his smuggling. Once his wife returns home, Scobie finds that he can no longer reconcile his affection for his mistress with his duties as a husband, a policeman, and a Catholic, and is pressed to a desperate resolution of his confusions
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| coshamreadinggroup | A review of A view from Castle Rock by Cosham Reading Group | 0 | Oct 12 2009, 5:20 AM EDT by coshamreadinggroup | ||||
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Thread started: Oct 12 2009, 5:20 AM EDT
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When we discussed this it dawned on us that when we started to read it we didn’t realise this was a collection of short stories. We approached the book as a novel and this explained much of our confusion when wending our way through (those of us who actually managed to finish it).
The view from Castle Rock is a collection of semi-autobiographical short stories based on Munro’s explorations of her family tree. The book starts in the 18th Century with a Scottish ancestor, and each story moves forward a generation chronicling the family’s emigration to Canada and the building of their lives in a new land. But don’t expect stories of epic proportions; each story is a vignette, a homage to a minor observation or episode that may have happened. This is where fact and fiction blur. The second half of the book is told from the perspective of a young woman we assume to be loosely based on Alice Munro herself. Her ‘coming of age’ stories detail first love, friendship and the discovery of a lump in a breast. Whilst wonderfully written, not all the stories were successful; by far the most engaging was the second one ‘The view from Castle Rock’. This tells the story of the sometimes hellish sea voyage to Canada when the Laidlaw family decided to emigrate. The visceral smells, sights and behaviours of these poor people crammed onto a ship in order to better their lives are powerfully moving and often humorous as well. |
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| Anonymous | Interesting | 0 | Oct 10 2009, 10:55 AM EDT by Anonymous | ||||
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Thread started: Oct 10 2009, 10:55 AM EDT
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Despite being an interesting book I got confused over the generations of family portrayed, especially as many of them had the same names. I didn't get through all of it but what I did read I enjoyed; in particular the description of the family's sea journey to Canada. Quite fascinating.
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| crazywriter | Louis Drax: Review from Central Daytime Group: PLOT SPOILER | 0 | Oct 3 2009, 4:51 AM EDT by crazywriter | ||||
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Thread started: Oct 3 2009, 4:51 AM EDT
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The group were much more critical of this novel than I was expecting. I myself struggled to get into the book, and then found it a real page turner and thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns, waiting to see if Louis would awaken from his coma and who was responsible for his fall. Most of the group however, except one, found it flawed. They liked the way Louis talks and found his voice in the narrative the most credible and said it really sounded like a 9 year old boy. They found the other characters however, annoying, improbable and poorly written. Dr Dannachet didn't get much sympathy from the group who found his sudden infatuation with Natalie unbelievable. One member said she'd loved the opening section of the novel, then found the rest of it a disappointment and in fact got bored of it as she'd guessed Natalie was responsible. Some said they almost didn't care how it ended.
However, having said that we did have a really vigorous discussion about this novel and why it had been a disappointment to so many. We did all agree that the ending was satisfactory and we could appreciate why Louis preffered to remain in his coma. |
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| coshamreadinggroup | A review of The road home by Rose Tremain | 0 | Sep 26 2009, 9:35 AM EDT by coshamreadinggroup | ||||
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Thread started: Sep 26 2009, 9:35 AM EDT
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Having read Music and silence together some time ago, we eagerly anticipated Tremain's latest offering.... but were left a little disappointed. This is a topical offering, but still lacked a certain....something. The writing itself was assured; no complaints there, but the plot failed to convince. Lev's remarkable grasp of English, his capacity to fall on his feet, the people just waiting around the corner to help him build a new life in England all smacked of fairy tale.
But perhaps this IS a modern day fairytale, complete with villains and godmothers ready to either hinder or advance Lev's progress depending on the plot twists necessary to develop character and drive the narrative onward. The essence of the novel tells the story of Eastern European Lev, who leaves his home for a better life in the UK. He still has family back home and strives against moderate obstacles to send money back to them. His triumphs and setbacks are all described from a first person perspective, complete with past life flashbacks to flesh out his character and provide context. If you want to read about real poverty and hardship in a foreign land, I recommend you read 'Down and out in Paris and London' by George Orwell. This realistic chronicle of living as a down and out, working for scraps in a kitchen is an real eye opener and far more compelling. |
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| thesnowqueen | The little stranger by Sarah Waters | 0 | Sep 26 2009, 6:41 AM EDT by thesnowqueen | ||||
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Thread started: Sep 26 2009, 6:41 AM EDT
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The little stranger is set in post-war England. The protagonist, Dr Faraday, is a GP and confirmed bachelor. The centre of his life used to be a grand stately home, Hundreds Hall, where his mother worked as a servant. This estate has now fallen on hard times and the once wealthy family now lives in near poverty, grubbing a living through their farm. The sharp contrast between the family's straitened circumstances and their semi-opulent surroundings (albeit now very much in disrepair) is played out through much of the novel and the reader even manages to feel sorry for them.
Faraday enters their lives again unexpectedly when he's called to attend to a medical call-out there. What he finds is upsetting for him when he bears in mind his rather more glamorous memories of the place. Mrs Ayres, the widowed lady of the house, is well groomed yet deluded, Roddy (the heir to the crumbling estate) suffers from 'nerves' and his sister Caroline is frumpy, sensible and plain with no chance of marrying a catch. As he inveigles his way into their lives, becoming increasingly indispensable, a ghost story soon emerges. A phantom 'something' is plaguing Roddy, literally driving him mad. Hundreds house is haunted and the family are keen to find an explanation. The ultra-rational Faraday soon becomes an annoyance to the reader as his refusal to accept what's staring him in the face has you screaming in frustration at the pages. The atmosphere is spooky, yet understated. You soon come to understand you can't trust Faraday's narration of events, his assumptions (that you initially accept) are cleverly turned on their head later into the novel when you realise just what a twit he really is. For fans of Sarah Waters, this book is a treat. It's also an insightful look into a period of social upheaval in Britain. |
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| prisonbookgroup | The Yacoubian Building | 0 | Sep 23 2009, 9:49 AM EDT by prisonbookgroup | ||||
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Thread started: Sep 23 2009, 9:49 AM EDT
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I think this book was wrongly timed for us at the Prison Book Group. We had recently read the Bookseller of Kabul and the Kite Runner, and I think we needed a book from a different part of the world other than the Middle East. So even though is book, based in modern Cairo, was completely different to the others, it felt a little bit the same.
Altogether 4 of us finished the book (2 prisoners and 2 staff members), with Danny just reading the first few chapters and not having the heart to go any further. Another group member who didn't show up for the meeting tried it but said he got so bogged down by the arabic names that he couldn't get on with it at all. Tony said he felt that it may have lost something in the translation from Arabic to English. He didn't feel it was a comic book at all, but that maybe in Arabic it was amusing. For him, every situation just seemed sad, and he couldn't really get past that. Ray said he was amazed at how important religion was to all of them yet how it seemed to make no difference to their behaviour. Even the most corrupt types in the book were extremely religious. They were all hypocrites. I didn't agree with this. I didn't feel the radicalised islamists were hypocritical, and I thought this strand of the story was extremely interesting. Others felt that the Sheik was very cynically brain-washing and using the younger men. I wasn't convinced that he wasn't doing it all in good faith. Overall, I would say, a good book at the wrong time. Wendy-May Jacobs Prison Librarian |
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| Anonymous | boring | 0 | Sep 21 2009, 6:10 AM EDT by Anonymous | ||||
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Thread started: Sep 21 2009, 6:10 AM EDT
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try studying it for school
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| prisonbookgroup | The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera | 1 | Sep 6 2009, 8:12 AM EDT by thesnowqueen | ||||
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Thread started: Aug 26 2009, 10:09 AM EDT
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Well, this book did NOT go down well in the prison. Only 3 members of the group (and this includes myself) actually read it through to the end. I personally loved it but wish I could remember more of the brilliant meditations it led me through, which I relished at the time. Ray said reading it was a punishment and was worse then being in prison. He said he wouldn't even send it his ex-wives, it was that bad. Tony said that it was a brilliant book, a deep book, and the characters were good, but he just couldn't say he liked it as a read. But he wasn't sure why.
Overall I felt disappointed that more people in the group didn't push through and get to the end of it. Andy, who had chosen the book in the first place, got moved on to a different prison before the meeting of the Book Group. He was delighted to have escaped the meeting, as he said he couldn't make head or tail of the book himself and had been dreading the grief he was going to get from the rest of the group for chosing it!
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| portsmouthlibraries | Congratulations | 0 | Sep 6 2009, 4:26 AM EDT by portsmouthlibraries | ||||
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Thread started: Sep 6 2009, 4:26 AM EDT
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Well done on getting your degree Joyce. Hopefully we can look forward to some more reviews!
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| crazywriter | Review of Moon Tiger by Central Daytime reading group | 0 | Sep 2 2009, 9:33 AM EDT by crazywriter | ||||
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Thread started: Sep 2 2009, 9:33 AM EDT
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The group had a fantastic discussion about this fascinating novel. Most of us really enjoyed the novel. We talked a lot about how it focuses on a particular view of personal histories; how there is no such thing- according to Claudia- as a linear history; that our memories become non-linear to us. The novel also explores how the people in our lives may see us differently from each other. Claudia certainly has many aspects to her character and Tom in particular draws out a more loving, emotional side to her. After Tom she seems to pack this part of her personality away, even isolating her own daughter, although we could sympathise with what had happened to her and how it had affected Claudia.We found the characters interesting though not entirely likeable, we found the section set in wartime Egypt moving and extremely atmospheric and all in all it was one of the best discussions we've had in the group as there were so many angles of the novel to explore and so many great characters.
One or two members didn't like the novel. One member found she couldn't get past the first couple of chapters, but after hearing our discussion was keen to carry on. Some said the first few chapters were indeed quite difficult, but once you get into Claudia's story the novel becomes absorbing. One member said it was the first time in years he'd become so absorbed by a novel to the exlcusion of everything else going on around him! |
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| Anonymous | A modern fairy tale | 0 | Aug 18 2009, 6:29 AM EDT by Anonymous | ||||
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Thread started: Aug 18 2009, 6:29 AM EDT
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This book was very 'Brothers Grimmish' so I liked it a lot. I have always enjoyed the bizarre Grimm's tales and this modern version of the stories was no exception - presumably the two animals at the end are supposed to be Portimo and Huttunon or at least, to represent them, fancy free and wreaking their revenge vicariously on the villagers?
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