November 2012 - The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

As a book group, it is perhaps an embarrassment that not all of us are acquainted with Ernest Hemingway’s life and his work. This book, although from the point of view of Hadley Richardson, Hemingway’s first wife, taught us a lot about the man, and was very biographical. The members who already knew of Hemingway’s travels and personality, claimed that the writing was very kind of him, although still coming across as hard to live with, he had a reputation of being arrogant and difficult. It was nice to learn about his first wife and the kind of person she was, but the book lost out on being a bit too biographical and it became difficult to separate fact from fiction. It was a shame that the ending is disclosed at the beginning of the story, always leaving us with a sense of foreboding.

As the title suggests, much of the book is set in 1920’s Paris, but lacks a lot of description (apart from the night life and accommodation). Ernest and Hadley were said to be poor but were always going on holiday, which made hearing about their lack of funds a bit tiresome. There were so many major events, that the gaps in between became a bit blurred and lacked any imagination. The scenes in Spain were painted beautifully, and the Ernest’s passion and explanation of the bull fighting to many of his friends was so realistic.

Hadley was always annoyed about being observed as weak, but that’s how she came across in the book, very needy and lacking emotion. As some of the members have studied in more detail the life of Hemingway, they don’t feel he was portrayed accurately, but the book is fiction and the author may have wanted to soften his persona slightly. There were so many famous names dropped in throughout the book, those who the Hemingway's met throughout their married life; it felt a bit like McLain was padding out the chapters. All of their friends were stereotypical of the era, and of all the friends we felt that Pauline’s emotions came through the best.

I think we all liked that the book was based on letters between Ernest and Hadley, and the author was able to fill in gaps to create a fiction/bio novel (sometimes not pulled off so well). It was extremely sad, especially during their break up, and it was interesting to read about Paris in the post War years. The other parts which stood out included the Matador fights and when Pauline got into bed with Ernest and Hadley – How could Hadley stand for such an invasion on her intimacy!

We all liked the ending and were pleased that Hadley found happiness. The phone call was a good way to tie up the loose ends and proved that Ernest always cared deeply for Hadley and vice versa.

The writing style was clear and consistently flowed, some thought the middle lost pace a bit but remained easy to read. Some struggled to pick the book up as they don’t care much for Hemingway whilst others were intrigued and now wish to read “A Moveable Feast”, Hemingway’s own biographical book of the same era. Although poetic, it lacked emotion and around 50% of the members would read further work of McLain’s.

18 members gave this book an average of 6.2 out of 10 but our lowest score was 5 and our highest was 8.

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October 2012 - The Space Between us by Thrity Umrigar

Overall the book came across as very anti-male and angry. It is a book which aims to contrast the varying Indian classes, from Bhima and her orphaned Granddaughter Maya who live in a slum, to Bhima's upper class employer, Sera.  There was just as much as a divide at the meeting as there was between the characters lives, with only around 50% finishing the book. The imagery created of lower class India, and the slums were good, however upper class life seemed to lack detail. It was nice that all the characters lives were intertwined; however the outcomes were extremely predictable, even to those who liked the book. Some of our members where frustrated by the constant use of certain Indian words, in places where they just felt they were added for the sake of trying to make the book feel more authentic!

There didn't feel to be much a plot, with quite a few members getting bored and giving up, for what plot there was, it was easy to work out the outcome. The father of Maya’s baby, was worked out by everyone very early on and there was constant reminders of how evil men are throughout. Although maybe the author tried to balance this out by adding Sera’s monster-in-law!

All of the characters were depressed, and even the nasty characters were not hated by the majority, as they just never felt real to us. Too many characters popped in, and back out, never to be seen again. The author should have spent more time developing the emotional traits for the main characters. The members were split over Maya, half found her pathetic and just didn't care what happened to her, others felt sorry for her and were desperate for her to speak out for justice. Freddy was the only character most of the group liked, it was a shame we never learnt more about him. Another character that we would have liked a little more of was the balloon seller. Overall though, no one had any aspirations or hope, which just left us feeling depressed and disengaged with the book.

Nothing really stood out apart from the contrast of how the different classes lived (in fairness the aim of the novel), and the misery. Violence was normal and everyone just accepted their fate without fighting!

It’s a shame the storyline was so predictable as the ending never really revealed any twists, causing some of the members to want Bhima to walk into the sea and not stop walking! We were upset that we didn't find out what happened to Maya, or that Sera didn't side with Bhima but the visual imagery the balloons gave us was a beautiful and very clever ending.

One of the members said that the book “could have been set anywhere”, and that is true, it didn't feel like India and wasn't vivid enough in comparison to other books set in beautiful /contrasted countries. The journalistic writing style came through and perhaps this is why the story lacked emotion, but the rhyming, double and local words became a pet hate. Although the group was split on this book, it’s doubtful we’d read anything by this author again, due to the lack of depth and description.

Sixteen members gave this book an average score of 5 out of 10, our lowest score 2 and our highest 8.5.

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September 2012 - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Nine people attended the Book Club and reviews were very positive although the first reviewer did not enjoy the book describing it as very strange, difficult to understand and finish, and couldn't decide if she hated or loved it, or distinguish between what was fantasy or real! Although we did discuss that in Buddhism nothing is believed to be real and that the universe is a projection, therefore, an illusion meaning that all visions are like a dream and we create our own reality. We enjoyed reading a fantasy book, written as if magic is accepted as real because it is set in a familiar location. Some people found that it was so fantastical that it could be a bit difficult to read and understand in places. Although generally we agreed it was so intelligently written and convincing, it helped us to accept the nonsensical parts and therefore become lost in the world. The book was enjoyed because it was different, and the twist of the competition added to this. Feedback was that the descriptions were so amazing they stay with you and even though parts did get lost it remained an overall enjoyable read. Some members found it confusing at first but once the children grew up felt it was a pivotal point and became desperate to read on. The changing of years (chapters) presented everybody with some confusion making it difficult to keep on track in places but some ignored the time span as it seemed irrelevant! The visual style was a great success with the layered descriptions even becoming lost at times as so many fantastical events were described. One member described this as like too much richness in a layered cake where you end up not being able to taste all the amazing flavours! We agreed we wanted to be transported to the circus world the author created. It reminded one of us of the lands Enid Blyton's characters used to find themselves in and took us back to the same imaginative worlds of childhood.

In terms of the plot we discussed its intricacy and decided it didn't matter if we could consistently follow it as such because the many characters kept the story threaded together. The turning point for some was Isabelle unbinding the Tarot Cards that had protected the circus especially as most of us had not realised how significant her role had been in holding the circus together. Towards the end, as the circus was unravelling, the book seemed to be reflecting this with lives spiralling out of control. The cynics amongst us were not as positive about the fact that Celia and Marco were trapped but that everything was OK because they were with the right person! We discussed that the timing of characters coming in and out suited the personality and role of each character, e.g. the elusive grey suited man, the contortionist. Everyone agreed that the children being forced into the competition was cruel and was hard to accept at first, e.g. burning rings, cutting fingers. The plot succeeded in making the majority of us believe in magic as normal as it was well introduced and became matter of fact, e.g. no details were really elaborated upon but just mentioned as illustrations. This generally did not make us feel that there was missing information or that everything had to be understood it was simply an exceptionally clever way of creating the illusions.

In terms of the characters it was discussed that the character of the circus was more important and the way the characters were tied into it. Some members wanted the circus to survive more than the characters! Most of us liked the lovers but felt the dialogue was a bit obvious and unbelievable because they were too well rounded and level considering they were abused as children. There was no reflection of the impact of that abuse, some expected this would lead to a twist. We felt sorry for Isabel until we realised how much power she had when we learnt how she kept the circus together, as seen through the tarot cards. We discussed the strength of the Contortionist who some felt was a negative character until they realised she wanted the circus to survive just as everyone else did. Some members particularly liked the way symbols played out on her tattoos. Most agreed that out of all the characters Hector was not believable as he was TOO evil! He didn't save his daughter or care about her right from the start when she'd lost her mother. She was an object of use and he was not just mean but also overconfident she couldn't lose the competition. We felt the characters were positive, genuine characters which made us care about their stories. We could not agree on the argument observed by Tara Burgess which led to her death and discussed if it was a real argument or an illusion to cause her to fall to her death?? Fredrick Thiessen died which we linked to him as a clockmaker representing time in the story as that was when the circus started to unravel, he was the catalyst in so many ways, e.g. the design of the clock was the first part of the circus, he inspired the reveurs who were involved but not magical, therefore, almost representing the reader and he was very appreciative without being too involved or questioning too much. We enjoyed the 'groupies' linked to their dedication of following a circus that just appears and felt they drew us in because they were ‘us’. Bailey was a popular character being normal and endearing as he reflects the readers’ sense of wonder but from the outside perspective and we were pleased he stayed grounded and didn't become magical. Some of us enjoyed the twins Widget and Poppet and their kittens, thinking them adorable especially as their births before and after midnight represented the start of the circus and one can see forward and one back and they were significant in saving the circus in the end. Some of us felt there was a strong theme of female empowerment due to the development of the characters.

A particular favourite part of the book was the detail of the party where Celia and Marco kiss, we loved the dress changing colours according to who was near and the intricate details created a lush image. Another favourite was the first midnight dinner to plan the circus, and then later visualising the new tents as they appeared. Two tents we discussed were - the tent with jars that brought different sensory experiences when opened and then climbing up the cloud tent but it still made us try to think what it was made of! The clock was a particular favourite description as some felt they could actually see it and for that reason that it was an amazing and impressive image. As Bailey was a popular character some of us liked it when the children dared Bailey to go into the circus and he was given the glove by Poppet (who knew his name) which he kept as you knew he was going to become more significant.

Ironically we were so excited by the book that we felt the ending could never live up to our expectations! The parallel universe of Celia suspended was weird as well as the predictable happy ending because Celia and Marco were together at last. Again the cynics amongst us didn't like how it was written as a very sentimental act of them hugging and preferred the meeting rounding off the circus as an ending. Them floating about was not necessary!! Of course we discussed that it could have had a tragic ending with one of them dying but even the cynics were glad it didn't!  Some members were distraught when Bailey got to the field and the circus was gone but were happy that Bailey took over the ‘control’ although still couldn't expect it to be as spectacular an event as the rest of the book. Chandresh being reintroduced at the end to create something new although he was losing it was a clever touch as he had been part of the creation. It was agreed the ending was an anti-climax but for example we did agree a battle to end the competition would have been silly! The end was more like moving pieces of a chess game and intriguing rather than a direct fight! But ultimately we agreed Marco and Celia had not been aggressive characters throughout the story and hadn't kicked up a fuss about the challenge or questioned what was ultimately going to happen to them despite being strong characters so this was consistent to the end. They had never tried to outdo each other or be competitive or sabotage, they were 'too nice' even though they were being used, yet we agreed most relationships have an element of competition even if the person is not particularly competitive! All but one of us could reread the book to get more from and felt the more we discussed it the more we appreciated how incredibly intelligent the writing was AND didn't even want it to end – the email address made us want to look for it now! Generally the book was so enjoyable we loved the journey but not getting to the end…

As a first book for the author we thought it was confidently written and hugely successful especially because of the willing suspension of disbelief. It was felt the style of writing was very gentle and not hard work to read and that the way it stimulated the senses was amazing. Erin Morgenstern must have had remarkable vision to plot everything with so much information and tiny details to fit together making the visions incredible and beautiful. We marvelled at what sort of intricate imagination she must have?! And at her fantastical process of drawing up the elements if the images. Comparing it to past reads we felt the period it was set in was irrelevant, we had been worried it was another circus book and another Victorian book to read BUT it made us want to be part of something especially if it resonated with our own lives and not feeling part of something. Some of us especially linked this to being more spiritual. The characters were all in it together and possessed a shared belief which we felt they were lucky to be part of it. It was far from being about a circus or even really being a circus!!

Nine members gave the book an average score of 7.8 out of 10, the lowest score 4 and many 8-9’s!

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August 2012 - The Somnambulist by Essie Fox

We had a good turn out for this meeting and unfortunately the book failed to grip us as a whole. A few members found the book enjoyable, but most found it too slow to start and let down by the synopsis, we thought it would be more of a Victorian ghost story. The first half of the book didn't provide us with any motivation to continue reading, and the majority of us had already worked out that Cissy was Phoebe’s real mother by about page 50!

The basic themes throughout the plot such as the shame of having an illicit child in Victorian times and the negative views of women in the theatre industry we believable, but the many, smaller themes throughout seemed all over the place and would be perfectly adapted into a Victorian soap opera. We found some parts bizarre and a bit pointless such as how only Lydia seemed to notice the similarities between Phoebe and Esther, Mr Turner coming back from “the dead”,  Joseph sleeping with his Esther, and Stephens being in bed with Joseph when he was a child!

None of the characters were very well developed, there were just far too many of them and none of us could empathise with the main characters. Out of all the characters, the two pointed out at being the most convincing were Maude and her strange evangelical ways, very believable for that era, although she was not meant to be a likeable character she was certainly one of the better developed ones. Also Old Riley was well liked, flamboyant and always there for Phoebe. Phoebe was just a stereotyped innocent, young  female whose crying and grieving when nothing else filled the gap began to irritate our readers. There was potential for many of the minor characters, such as the old man at the docks, but he was sadly, never really developed. We were quite disappointed that although Cissy died early in the book, she was still a main character but again, we felt her character went underdeveloped and we failed to feel any emotions for her. Too many characters and not enough emotional content meant that as a group we struggled to remember the actual characters in this book.

As with the characters, there were lots of mini story lines floating around within the main story and may have been better should the author have chosen to develop just a couple of them. Among the many moments which stood out to us were: Lydia’s illness, the quick death of Cissy (too quick)? The sexual experience at the lookout, Stephens wanting to be close to Joseph so that he could feel close to Lydia, Caroline’s reply to Phoebe proving she is not a cold hearted airhead, Nathaniel sleeping with young girls, the anti-Semitism, descriptions of the music halls and Lydia’s attachment to Phoebe. We were all very interested in the historical elements of this book and could tell that the author had taken a great deal of time to research the subject. The one section that worked really well was when Old Riley was holding a séance and Phoebe turning up scared the old ladies, it was great that Old Riley used this to her advantage and provided a funny moment within a very dark story.

Most thought that the ending was too abrupt and very “Happily ever after”. It was good that the ending had no loose ends, but was perhaps a bit too predictable, and had more of an epilogue feel. The passing of time seemed confusing and caused members to reread sections. We all found it quite amusing that it ended “The Butler did it”! We all had our doubts on whether Quinn came back for Phoebe or work, but generally were happy that Nathaniel had written to him to ask him to come back, although most of us who had finished the book several weeks ago needed prompting to remember the ending and characters as nothing was memorable and did leave us with the feeling of not caring what happened.

Although the above seems quite a bad summary of the book, we thought that first time novelist Essie Fox shows great potential. Her writing style is extremely descriptive and poetic, and she obviously puts a lot of research into her work. She lacked the depth needed to develop her characters and storyline, and would be better cutting back the quantity of both, spending more time on making them more memorable. We would be interested to read any non fiction work, should she produce any. Her next novel is meant to be about Victorian prostitutes and art galleries, maybe including too much again as individually they both sound like interesting topics.

Thirteen people attended this meeting and the book received an average score of 5 out of ten, 3 being the lowest and 6 being the highest.

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July 2012 - The Book of Lost Things by John Connelly

Only four members attended this meet due to others being poorly and busy, but we still managed a good discussion and I still have some notes from the members who couldn't make it.

Three of our four members said that they would have never read the book had it not been a book club choice, and especially after reading the first few pages, as it seemed very old style, C S Lewis, perhaps aimed at young adults. We all agreed that as we read on, the book became much more of a page turner and we loved the dark fairy tales and mythology which were aimed more at an adult audience. It was very much like Narnia throughout with the obvious fantasy a WW2 links, but a lot of our members appreciated that it lined into stories that they grew up with.

The plot was believable in the sense it was kind of a dream world, and was never really meant to be taken too seriously, except there was a nice twist at the end where some of David’s wounds could not be explained. There were a lot of parallels between the characters in the fantasy world and the characters of the real world such as David’s father and the woodsman and the Rose and the huntsman (David’s perception of Rose). Some of the themes running throughout the real world, were entirely believable such as David’s grieving process for his mother and dislike of Rose and his new baby brother, and even throughout the fantasy world we saw David’s journey of growing into a man and accepting the death of his mother.

We didn't really get to know much about the characters in the real world, David’s father seemed like a nice man, who wanted an easy life. The members liked how he was portrayed as working as a secret agent, perhaps to crack the enigma code, but others wondered if he had been seeing Rose before David’s mother had died. I think the group could empathise with Rose, and her actions were entirely believable such as when she slapped David after he was winding her up and she instantly regretted it. It was nice to see that towards the end, she genuinely cared very deeply for David. The characters in the fantasy world had done their job by making us cringe and laugh, the dwarves and Snow White, being good examples, although sometimes it seemed as though characters were just added for the sake of it. We did like hearing of how the story of Roland and Raphael unfolded, very unconventional fairytale, and how David’s innocence didn't pick up on the homosexual relationship until the crooked man told him, but also how he matured and laid his friend to rest beside his lover, but again we really failed to see the relevance of the Roland and Rafael story to the plot. Many of the members mentioned how they loved the books speaking throughout. Sometimes it felt as if the author was referencing his past experiences, and towards the end where it said “the book you are reading was the book that David wrote” didn't come as much of a surprise. It was mentioned in notes at the end of the paperback copy that the author took ideas from his past, especially with regards to visiting the psychiatrist.

The ending was enjoyed by most, it seemed to give closure and tie up loose ends. Some who usually like closure, wasn't sure if the ending worked or felt a bit rushed, others thought it was just enough and actually their favourite part of the book. The whole book was very emotional at times, some people thought the beginning was much sadder than the end, but it’s a shame how David had almost resigned himself to failure because of what the Crooked man had told him; could David have chosen a different path and lived a much happier life if it were not for the Crooked man (David’s subconscious fears were spoken by the Crooked man as you dream your own fears)? It was great that earlier in the book when David asked the Woodsman if he would return, and the Woodsman said we all return one day, we knew David had dreamt his idea of heaven, this was tied up nicely when David was an old man and once again returned to the sunken garden for the final time. We were all a bit cautious at first, hoping that the book wouldn't end “and then he woke up and it was all a dream”, as the book went on and David asked Roland if they were dead and Roland explained why they were not dead, it became apparent to most of us that David may be in a coma, either due to the bomber crash or one of his episodes. Although a coma produced an almost “and then he woke up” moment, it was great that he was left with unexplainable scars.

John Connelly is best known as a crime writer and this is most likely a one off attempt at fantasy, he certainly knows how to tell a good story and has a good imagination. Those who like fantasy are unlikely to read any of his crime novels, those who like crime are interested in seeing how his crime plots progress.

Along with the four members who attended, we also had some other feedback, giving the book an average score of 7.25 out of ten, the lowest score being 5 and the highest 9.5.

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June 2012 - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

The book was met with mixed opinions, some of us loved the atmosphere of the circus that the author portrayed, others found it all a little bit “naff” and pointless. Although Water for Elephants is an easy to read book, some members found it hard to WANT to read the book, especially as the prologue tells you what will happen at the end, and many members had already watched the film adaptation, so were unable to be as gripped by the unfolding events as they could have been. Most of us enjoyed the historical references to the Great Depression and the working of a Circus, and feel that the author went to huge lengths to research the subject before beginning the book.

Most of us agreed that the love story was the least believable part of the book, wondering why Marlena would fall for Jacob. The references to the circus and the economic situation were interesting and taught most of us new things of that era. Of all the parts of the book, the majority of the group were most touched by the old version of Jacob, how he was left in the care home, many of his family members forgetting about him, and also how he didn't think of himself as old, and was force fed his medication – Leaving many of our members concerned for their own future. Gruen created good imagery and this provided a good build up to the reality of the violence and financial situation.

The group loved Rosie and the other animals and perhaps found these the most convincing of the characters, finding the three main human characters a bit two dimensional and boring. However, as mentioned above, the group did like the older version of Jacob, as this is how many older people are seen today and it’s easy to sympathise with him and hope that our own futures hold more than a life cooped up in a care home. The other human characters that were well liked were those of the workmen, made more convincing by the threat of red-lighting, something most of us did not know about and were shocked to learn occurred in those days. Camel and Walter, had good parts too, and were thought upon as typical circus folk of the era.

The obvious theme which stood out was the animal cruelty, and the group was pleased that Rosie sought her revenge! We were interested to read about Jake Leg, and discover how many people this actually effected during the prohibition. The reality of Jacob in the nursing home, made us all feel sorry for him.

The ending was thought of as silly by most of us, a 90 year old man running away from him care home to join the circus, just wouldn't happen. One of our members suggested that if he had died, and it was his idea of going to heaven, then it would have been better.  It was nice that Jacob finally made his way to the circus, and managed to speak to someone interested in his past. It would have been nice if Rosemary his nurse took him. Although the ending was silly, it would have been very sad to see Jacob returned to the care home that he hated. Some members were confused over why there was such a big fuss over the “secret”, and wondered why Marlena and Jacob never spoke of Augusts murder. It was also nice that at the end of the stampede Marlena and Jacob went back for Queenie, Bobo, and the horses as well as taking Rosie.

The writing style read a little bit like a young adult book, which at least made the book easy to read. Gruen put a lot of effort into her research and we all appreciated that. It was about 50/50 as to whether any of our members would read anything by her again, but for those of us who love animals and the eras she write about we will (or already have in a few cases) pick up more of her work, more for the subject matter than the writing style!

9 members voted on this book and gave it an average score of 7 out of ten with 3 being the lowest and 9 being the highest.

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May 2012 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This book was picked due to us never choosing hyped up, currently popular books. We were all a bit sceptical about this read after finding out that it was written in mind for young adults, however we were all pleasantly surprised. The book was easy to get into, a real page turner. Members who refrain from both young adult and science fiction, enjoyed this book. Although the book was very simply written and definitely aimed at young adults it was nice to see the author including distressing and relevant topics. We honestly didn't expect to enjoy this book, but all did.

The book had many similarities to Harry Potter and Twilight with respect to the writing style and certain teenage themes (love triangles to name one). Those of us who have also read or watched Sci Fi books/films before saw many parallels with novels such as The Running Man and Battle Royale. It was nice to have such a strong lead character, the book was obviously written in mind for the big screen. A few of us felt let down by the Capitols decision to allow there to be two winners from a district, it felt a bit cliché for the author to do this and a bit of a sell out on her part.

Katniss was a much liked character, very well portrayed and in tune with her emotions, showing anything from fear to compassion to determination. We believed that Suzanne Collins done a good job at making the characters appealing to her teenage audience. Peter was thought to be a bit wet and soppy for most of us to like, we don’t really feel he was too realistic for a 17 year old boy. Although we liked Katniss, the author done a really good job of somehow making us remember a lot of characters. Some of the best characters were those who featured little and often, such as Rue, Cinna, Effy, and Haymitch. Gale was not a very well developed character, although we would have liked to hear a little more about him, we have a feeling that may be left for the second and third books!

The part which stood out to most of us was the bond that developed between Katniss and Rue. How Rue reminded Katniss of her little sister and how Katniss wanted to protect her and how she dealt with Rue’s murder. It was also nice to see that her compassion for Rue was appreciated by Rue’s home district when they sent Katniss some bread as a thank you. A few other things which stood out were how Katniss took the place of her sister in the Games, how the Capitol forced the contestants out of hiding with fires and tracker jackers and Kato’s death by the mutts which had taken on the characteristics of the dead contestants.

A lot of the ending waffled on a bit, once they were back in their district and getting back on with life. The berries were a good symbol of rebellion – Their way of sticking two fingers up at the Capitol. The ending is certainly set up well for a sequel, but a few thought the trilogy should have actually just been one book.

The writing style was simple and as it was so obviously aimed at young adults most of us would not read any other books by Collins. We feel that her writing style could not accommodate an adult book, some would read a stand alone book by her but not another trilogy. Having said that 6 out of the 13 members had already read both books two and three of the trilogy and the rest of us intend to do so in the near future.

We had 13 members attend tonight scoring an average of 7.5 out of 10, highest score of 9, lowest 5.

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April 2012 - The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna

Many people found this book hard to get into, lots had to push to read past the first few chapters. We thought there would be more about the War in Sierra Leone, which we would have found interesting, but we were left disappointed with the lack of cultural reference. Not all of the characters were well liked but a few people couldn't wait to find out more about them and the crazy things people do for love!

Most readers felt that the research that had been done for the book had been done well, the people and their situations made the plot seem more believable – Aide workers didn't care enough, Elias was two faced. The author made it easy to picture life in both the past and present.

Julius was unemotional, thought by most, he seemed to be obsessed with women but his story didn't flow. We thought that it was a random link between what Adrian done and what Elias done when they fell in love. The local characters such as Kai and his family were much more convincing. Adrian’s story started well but lost impact and readers were no longer gripped.

As stated above we would have loved to have heard more about the war, which would have stood out, Adrian’s nightmares showed the monstrosity of the war. The story behind Agnes, her family and her son in law, was horrific, and most likely the most shocking part of the book.  It would have been nice to hear more about Agnes towards the end as living in her situation was not easy and showed in her frequent visits to the hospital. The strength of women was a strong point throughout the book. Kai was also a role model, always keeping others happy regardless of his own feelings.

Most members would not read anything by this author again, although most struggled to get into the book, some found her writing style began to flow towards the end. It became more poetic and descriptive as the story progressed.

The ending tied up most loose ends so the group were fairly happy, we had a small group of just 7 members scoring this book an average of 7 out of ten with a high score of 8.5 and a low of 5.

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March 2012 - Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

Apart from a couple of members who didn't come along to this meeting because they started the book but didn't like it, the book was fairly well received. Two of our members had previously read Oryx and Crake, and both actually preferred reading it the second time around. The book showed constant vivid themes throughout of things that have already happened – But with a twist. The scientific and religious elements were certainly interesting, possibly giving us an idea of how things COULD be in the distant future.

From a Science Fiction point of view the plot was believable, there were plenty of what if’s and knowing that certain actions are already happening in the World today such as food companies research and the cyber side of creating a virus so that you then have to find the cure, were alarming. Making a perfect race, was something that brought discussion to the group, having no religious faith and a simple way of life ran certain parallels to the ideals the Nazi’s had in place. Some members found the story behind Oryx highly unbelievable and it was even mentioned that she may have been a figment of Jimmy/Snowman and Crake's imaginations. When reading a story from a sole narrator it’s easy to question the reliability of the one sided view, however this may be overcome in a sequel to Oryx and Crake.

The characters were convincing in the fact they all seemed extremes of people we've all come across at some time in our lives. All of the characters were emotionally disconnected which made it hard to empathise with any of them, but this may be a sign of the times the book was set in. When Jimmy and Crake were both young boys, they seemed most convincing, playing the part of the naughty teenage boys we see today, misbehaving and sneaking off to watch porn! Some members thought the narrative would have been better coming from Crake's point of view. It was nice to see that Jimmy’s mother remained true to her values, and acted very much like a woman fighting for her rights today would act, an extremely strong willed character which was sad to see how she and people like her had become a burden and threat to future society.

For many of us, the parts that stood out the most were the scary, but most plausible parts such as Crake treating his world like one of his beloved computer games. How the World was basically reset with the Crakers, having no religion but seeing how it began creeping back in, despite Crake's best efforts. The Crakers compassion for Snowman and how his stories of the past acted as fables to them. Also how medical contagion has progressed, creating viruses to be able to create a cure, just as the Cyber World of today.

Although most of the members liked the book, about half of us felt let down by the ending. There were too many loose ends and we would have liked to see where the author was going with it – Although as mentioned above there is already another book out (Year of the Flood) which story runs parallel to Oryx and Crake so perhaps will give us more information. We all had different takes on what the ending meant; some thought Snowman had gone mad, some thought he joined the three newcomers, some thought he died from his wound, others believed he had killed the newcomers and then either killed himself or continued to protect the Crakers. We again all discussed what “Zero Hour” meant, but in the end it just left the group still wanting answers.

Our group already has a few Atwood fans, her writing style is descriptive and lyrical although feeling too long winded at times. Those who are already avid Atwood fans recommended that should anyone wish to read more of her work then The Handmaids Tale is a good choice.

11 members had finished the book, scoring an average of 7 out of 10, the lowest score being 2 and the highest 8.

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February 2012 – The Owl Killers by Karen Maitland

Almost all of our members agreed that the book was very slow to kick in, and slightly confusing at first given that most of the characters names were prefixed with Martha (Servant Martha, Healing Martha, Gate Martha etc). After figuring out who was who and seeing how all the characters linked together, we all managed to get into the book by 100-150 pages in. Most of us would never have picked up a book of this genre and description, and were happy that this book was chosen for book club as it helped to increase our knowledge of paganism, corruption of the Church and the superstitious beliefs of that era. The group was split 50/50 on whether we liked each chapter being a different narrative, although it was nice to hear things from several points of view.

For the most part, the plot was highly believable, the corruption of the church, the relationships between the beguines and the villagers and general day to day life of the times (quite shocking and makes us pleased that we are living today)! Some readers picked up on discrepancies between the authors take on paganism and what really happened, but for those of us with no prior knowledge from this era of history, it had no negative effect, although it did induce some Google research to find out more!

The part of the owlman, though integral to the story, felt a bit irrelevant and unrealistic. It was debated as to whether the author wanted us to believe in the owlman (especially having read the historical notes at the end) or realise it was just a part of the superstitions of the time. The last sentence in the epilogue where it states, “we are all afraid of the dark”, sums the overall theme of the owlman up nicely – Very symbolic of the fear of the unknown.

The characters were not all likeable and there were really far too many different points of view to grasp. Not many people liked Father Ulefred or Beatrice, but empathised with their situations. We all felt that Servant Martha was a good strong central character and Osmanna was a very modern character for the era the book was set (in a good way). The villains of the story (Osmanna’s Father, Peter) seemed almost too pantomime at times, taking away the believability of their roles. In terms of the imagery created by the writing style, one of the most stand out characters was Gudrun, who was very vivid in our minds even though she never spoke. One of our readers mentioned how it was obvious who the owl master was as his “non owl master character” was mentioned several times but not for any particular reason.

There weren't really any profound moments in the book, however we did find the history of beguines and how forward thinking the women were quite interesting, also how the villagers either thought they were lesbians or witches, but were more than happy to accept their healing and food. The descriptions of the Saint Days at the beginning of each chapter was also appreciated. Other parts which stuck out included the treatment of lepers – poor Ralph and his family, the nature of Gudrun's death, and how Osmanna's father treated her and cast her out.

Considering the length of the book, the majority of us were hugely let down by the ending. The book generally felt about 100 pages too long, and seemed to fizzle out too early. We would have liked some closure and to find out what happened to the beguines and the owl masters. Perhaps it was the authors intention for them to just disappear to reflect upon the fact traces of beguinages have been found in the UK but there has never been official proof.

The writing style was very descriptive and provoked our imagination, however considering each chapter was from a different narrative, you couldn't distinguish between each character i.e. you would assume a poor villager to have a more simple dialogue than a child brought up in the richest house of the village, and again different to that of a Belgian beguine. The group decided that to read another book by Karen Maitland, they would have to look at the theme/era and length of the book. As some members were put off The Owl Killers by the different narrators, they would want to see how any further books by Maitland are set out.

11 members attended this meeting, giving the book an average of 6 out of 10, a lowest score of 4 and highest of 7 – The length of the book and the ending detracting marks for many of us.

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January 2012 - I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak

We had a good turn out this month, with three new members coming along to say Hi. Unfortunately, even though we had two months over Christmas to read this book, many had trouble finding it as it isn't published in the UK, so for some people they didn't start the book and others didn't finish. Those of us who did manage to get hold of the book, generally quite liked it, finding it a bit bizarre and quirky.

The plot as a whole was not believable but we agreed that it was never really meant to be believed. The individual stories were mostly realistic but the idea of playing cards with a list of missions to complete, turning up in your letterbox, not so much. It was nice that although the plot wasn't believable, the author tied in day to day elements, such as the four friends, very normal young adults, living common scenarios such as not having a job, family issues and loving someone who doesn't love you in return.

There were too many characters in the book, for any of us to empathise with any of them, although most of us wanted to adopt a granny after reading what Ed did for Milla. We all thought Marv was a bit weird and didn't quite get him until his story was revealed near the end.

The recurring message throughout the book, was how doing something really small can make a big difference to someone’s life.  We were touched by the character of Jimmy, the Christmas lights and the empty shoe box. It certainly made us question and think about the little things in life.

The ending of the book was a let down. Some members were annoyed that Ed was aware he was a character in a book, others found Ed finally getting Audrey to be too predictable, a shame as most of us enjoyed the book up until the ending.

The majority of the group really liked Zusak’s writing style and found it to be simple yet quirky. Most of us would go on to read something by him again, and those who wanted to read “The Book Thief” before, would still like to read this. Some of our members have read both books, and preferred “The Book Thief” and highly recommend it, although they did mention it was completely different  to I am the Messenger.

Eight members voted, and our average score was 7/10.

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