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the secret river, ******** book of all time
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Secret river by Kate Grenville
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Monday, 7:10 PM EST by
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Thread started: Monday, 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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The Birthdays: review from Central Daytime reading group
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Birthdays by Heidi Pitlor
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Oct 28 2009, 8:31 AM EDT by
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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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ARGH it does my head in
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Secret river by Kate Grenville
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Oct 27 2009, 5:24 AM EDT by
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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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my respect
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Heart of the matter by Graham Greene
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Oct 24 2009, 7:19 AM EDT by
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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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Heart of the matter
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Heart of the matter by Graham Greene
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Oct 22 2009, 6:15 PM EDT by
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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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A review of A view from Castle Rock by Cosham Reading Group
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View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro
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Oct 12 2009, 5:20 AM EDT by
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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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Interesting
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View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro
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Oct 10 2009, 10:55 AM EDT by
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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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Louis Drax: Review from Central Daytime Group: PLOT SPOILER
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Ninth life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen
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Oct 3 2009, 4:51 AM EDT by
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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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A review of The road home by Rose Tremain
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Road Home by Rose Tremain
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Sep 26 2009, 9:35 AM EDT by
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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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The little stranger by Sarah Waters
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Man Booker Prize for Fiction
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Sep 26 2009, 6:41 AM EDT by
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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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The Yacoubian Building
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Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany
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Sep 23 2009, 9:49 AM EDT by
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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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boring
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Secret river by Kate Grenville
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Sep 21 2009, 6:10 AM EDT by
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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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The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
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Unbearable lightness of being by Milan Kundera
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Sep 6 2009, 8:12 AM EDT by
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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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Last Reply:
RE: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
By: ,
Sep 6 2009, 8:12 AM EDT
It's saying something when a prisoner finds reading a certain book far worse than being in prison itself! Is the book really that awful? I've never read this title, but now I have to try it to check out how bad it is. If getting transferred is better than facing the music I should be in for a treat.
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Congratulations
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Ladies who Lunch
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Sep 6 2009, 4:26 AM EDT by
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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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Review of Moon Tiger by Central Daytime reading group
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Moon tiger by Penelope Lively
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Sep 2 2009, 9:33 AM EDT by
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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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A modern fairy tale
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Howling Miller by Arto Paasilinna
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Aug 18 2009, 6:29 AM EDT by
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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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A review of The howling miller
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Howling Miller by Arto Paasilinna
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Aug 18 2009, 6:27 AM EDT by
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Thread started: Aug 18 2009, 6:27 AM EDT
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My heart sank when I saw that it was a translation, but unlike other translated books, I enjoyed this novel very much and found it very readable. Obviously Gunnar's howling and other antics weren't the actions of a sane man, but I did sympathise with him and knew why he did the things he did... just!
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Mixed reviews for The howling miller
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Howling Miller by Arto Paasilinna
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Aug 15 2009, 11:34 AM EDT by
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Thread started: Aug 15 2009, 11:34 AM EDT
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This strange little book is Finnish and tells the story of a miller in rural Finland in the 1950's. The blurb on the back of the book pigeon holes this is a fable and it did indeed have some elements in terms of being a moral story with animal characters that has a supernatural feel. Some of the characters in this comic story were straight out of Grimm's fairy tale so as you were reading you had to suspend belief and try to uncover the author's true intention.
What was this book about? It was about society's treatment and reaction to anyone who is different or refuses to join the charade of being respectable. It was about society's methods of controlling the eccentric or mentally ill. It was about the weirdo finally triumphing over small town mentalities.
For some of us it was a step too far. We enjoyed the humour but didn't like the improbabilities of the story or its fairytale format.
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The Reader film version
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Films Of Books
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Aug 10 2009, 8:58 AM EDT by
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Thread started: Aug 10 2009, 8:58 AM EDT
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I read the book before I saw the film and must say, I thought the film was very faithful to this extraordinary, thought provoking novel. The film has the right tone, all of the actors are excellent in their roles and the flashback aspect of Michael looking back on all of the events seemed to me to make sense.
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Secret River: A review from Central Daytime Reading Group
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Secret river by Kate Grenville
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Aug 5 2009, 10:39 AM EDT by
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Thread started: Aug 5 2009, 10:39 AM EDT
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Most of us found this novel a bit of a struggle and although we found the plot interesting and the ending in particular thought provoking and shocking, we struggled to work out why the novel had not moved us in the way it should have. The book's themes were sad- loss of homeland, poverty, lack of understanding between people- and the plot itself had real promise- so why did we feel it had somehow failed us? Some felt the characters were not 'alive' enough on the page, some of us just didn't like plot driven books and some of us just didn't find the author's style- although admirable- very engaging. The novel has received countless very positive reviews in the press but it just didn't do it for us. That said, one member absolutely loved the novel, completely disagreed with the rest of us and is going on to read more Kate Grenville novels. She found the characters entirely engaging and the plot exciting.
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