Pure by Andrew Miller

A tiny but, as usual, perfectly-formed group gathered for November 2013’s discussion which was rather shorter than usual due to the convener’s appalling time (mis)management for which profuse apologies are offered.

Those of us who had read this beautifully written book before the meeting thoroughly enjoyed its rich texture and vivid evocation of 18^th century Enlightenment Paris just before the onset of Revolution.  It is fiction but sounds extremely plausible, telling the extraordinary story the naive inexperienced engineer Jean Baptiste Barratte who comes to Paris from Normandy and is hired to supervise the excavation of the cemetery of Les Innocents.  With  the  disinterment of centuries-worth of bodies from the ground and vaults, at times the book takes on a gothic air of shivery horror – the sensory descriptions are all too realistic but not unbearable.   However Miller creates some memorable characters and there are some lovely passages of writing.

It is a beautifully written book, clever and engaging with intense research never allowed to impose itself on the story of the unsophisticated Jean-Baptiste and his grisly task. There are some very funny incidents and always the impending feeling of what the next few years will bring to France. 

Some readers were reminded of Perfume (not least because of the shared inevitable emphasis on the olfactory) but Pure is a much more appealing and pleasant read  - clever, intricate and accessible.

Highly recommended!

Andrew Miller featured on BBC Radio Four’s Bookclub  - Listen here 

And read the associated blog by Jim Naughtie

Our next Meeting will be at 12.30 pm Tuesday 14 January 2014 to set us off into the New Year.  We will meet in the Staff Lounge at WBS Scarman Road, but do let Emily know if you want to vary the venue.

We shall be reading Lives Through Letters  - A portrait of the Waller family 1796-1856. 

This book is from the Warwickshire Library’s Book Group collection. Emily has copies for anyone who wishes to read this but please note borrowed books will have to be returned by Thursday 12 December unless someone can volunteer to return the collection to Kenilworth or another Warwickshire library by 24 December latest.

For Whom The Bell Tolls

A very select group met to discuss For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway.  Some had read it years ago but didn’t re-read it (which is indicative, perhaps).  None of us found this a particularly enjoyable read:  the combination of blokeish writing and elaborately crafted and over literal translation 1930s peasant Spanish into English made it quite hard going at times.  On reflection it might be interesting to find out why he wrote the Spanish like that.   Not everyone finished it, so this wasn’t one of our best choices.  No-one could remember who chose it, luckily!. Perhaps it suffered from the fact that most of s read before going to sleep – it is an effective  soporific.

Hemingway was obviously writing from his own experience in Spain during the Civil War, and the descriptions are all the more vivid for that. The writing varies between curt and slushily romantic; some clearly factual episodes are extremely harrowing. It gives an insider’s view of the Civil War and as most of us were ignorant about this period we were glad to have read it, albeit not rushing to find more Hemingway on the shelf.

Some of our recent reads:

When the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. This was not as good as his earlier books - perhaps suffering from LBLE (later book light editing) syndrome which we identified in the past as a developing trend: for example J K Rowling and her ever more bloated Harry Potter novels.

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Cloying but moreish rather like a box of Rose’s Chocolates. Tip: Eat and Love sections more enjoyable than Pray!

Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard. A charming almost fable-like story of American expat making a life in Paris via food and shopping.  Recipes too. A past Group  recommendation, proving this works!

Women at the Ready by Robert and Patricia Malcolmson. The history of the WRVS in WW2, interesting but overly academic and hard going.

Boy with a Topknot by Satnam Sangheera. Growing up as a Sikh boy in Wolverhampton. Very funny entertaining insight into a migrant family life. Recommended

Can’t Run Can’t Swim Can’t Ride by Andy Holgate who took up Iron Man Triathlons from scratch –  enjoyed by a runner.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman. A best selling and very entertaining fantasy novel suggested as future Reading Group choice as none of us read much in that genre.  (Gaiman was subject of  a BBC World Book Club  interview recently about this book ) - perhaps one to take us into bleak January?

Anansi Boys was also recommended by NG fan.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (she is appearing at the Warwick Words Festival next month). A man goes to post a letter and walks for 600 miles. Funny, quirky and entertaining.

 

Useful tip for local bookworms: Warwickshire Libraries now offer members 3 ebooks and emagazines per month as free downloads (not for UK Kindles but it does work on smartphones).  

Next Meeting:

Tuesday 12 November 12.30 Scarman Road Lounge

Pure by Andrew Miller   - Emily has copies in her office (B2.01)

Scandi theme

For the July meeting, our instructions were to pick a Scandi-themed book, but our initial conversation turned to television viewing (we'll come back to the Scandi theme shortly!)

 

After a bit of low brow, non-literary related discussion, the group were brought back on track when discussing the dramatisation of The White Queen by Philippa Gregory. In the early days of the WBS Reading Group, we read The Other Boleyn Girl, another of Philippa Gregory's creations and one which at the time was becoming increasingly popular because of the film of the same name.  As with much of her work, The White Queen gives an accessible introduction to a tumultuous period of British history by appealing to the masses. There is also a documentary presented by Philippa Gregory: The Real White Queen and Her Rivals - Episode 1 which was screened on Wednesday 18th July on the BBC. It was interesting to get Dr Gregory's perspective on the tale and consolidates the drama (with some lovely moody shots of Warwick Castle).

Returning to our chosen Scandi theme - I must say I was surprised at the choice of book most of the group plumped for. I had imagined lots of discussion wound ensue around Stieg Larsson and his contemporaries, but that wasn't the case. Most of us chose The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. And what a delightful choice this was. Our 100-year-old takes as on an epic journey through modern history - meeting US presidents, Chairman Mao, Stalin to name a few. He survives to tell the tale. Our hero, Alan Karlsson, despite his advanced years and incredulous life story, is an innocent. He is non-political, switching sides because he likes people or the opportunities that present themselves to him, rather than because of any drive for power. The story covers two periods concurrently - Alan's personal history and the present-day adventure he finds himself in. This book is an enjoyable read, far fetched but lovable for it, with a random elephant thrown in for good measure. We all liked it.
 

We did discuss the Stieg Larsson Millenium Triology - rude not to when talking about contemporary Scandinavian literature.  Of those that had read the series, most found that getting to the final installment was a struggle, that the first book was the best and the second offered further insight into the character of Lisbeth Salander. The Stone Cutter by Camilla Lackberg is of a similar style to Larsson, but not as well written - a sense of claustrophobia was prevalent in this tale.

Other titles we discussed included:
The Summer Book and A Winter Book by Tove Jansson (she also wrote the Moomin series)
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Various works set during the Napoleonic Warws by Patrick O'Brian (Master and Commander stick in my mind, all because of the Russell Crowe film)
The Transylvanian Triology by Miklos Banffy. Here's a short article about the trilogy in the Guardian Miklos Banffy
Another triology, this time The Campus Trilogy by David Lodge (perhaps ideal for those away for the summer and in danger of missing campus life!) David Lodge
Operation Mincemeat by Ben Macintyre is also recommended, a true spy story which changed the course of WWII.

Today the Man Booker Prize long list was announced, if you are looking for further literary inspiration! The Group usually choose a title or two from the shortlist each year and they certainly have given us plenty to talk about:  Man Booker Prize.

Any ideas for forthcoming titles would be appreciated, they don't have to be from the long list, just any title that you've been meaning to read or had recommonded to you perhaps? - please email suggestions to Emily Jamieson.

Next time:
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
September 2013 (date tbc)

What Maisie Knew

The title for May's meeting was What Maisie Knew by Henry James.  I think of all the books we've read over the years, this may be the book which deserves a 'most likely to give up on halfway through' award. The story is based on a couple who divorce and, put simply, behave very badly and irresponsiblity towards their only child Maisie. Maisie spends half the year with one parent, the other half with the other parent. It is clear that neither parent is interested or prioritising their child's welfare, far more interested in their next romantic conquest. The new set of partners and nannies provide Maisie with an element of stability.


The book is very mch a criticism of society and we very much felt that Henry James was making a political statement. Why did we all struggle with it so much, you may ask? Two main issues, the first being Henry James' writing style. I think it would be fair to say he showed a dislike to the paragraph - the text flowed on and on and on with very little pause for breath. To the point that, having downloaded a version on my Kindle, I felt obliged to check my hard copy of the book as I was sure it was just a formatting issue with the ebook. It wasn't! The language that James uses is complicated too, and it takes a lot to immerse yourself in that style. The second reason that can explain our widescale dislike of the tale is probably because of the characters - they were all pretty much out for what they could get and rather unpleasant. Their shocking behaviour didn't leave you with anyone to side with, to warm to. The title character Maisie, yes, you feel sorry for her, but not to the point of wanting to find out more about her life or willing the characters to change.

Having said all of that, the storyline is interesting and the book has been made into a Hollywood movie - brought up to date. Which could work really well, because although written over 100 years ago, the tale is probably more common now than it may have been in James' day. Making a positive out of a less than successful reading experience, let's keep an eye out for the film coming to the Arts Centre and having a Reading Group evening out.

(I was tempted to put all of the above in one paragraph, James' style, but thought better of it!)

Other titles we have been reading include:
Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick (about life in North Korea - surprisingly it isn't as depressing as you might imagine, is very readable and takes you into a country you are unlikely to visit for your summer holidays). Which made us revisit Snowdrops by A D Miller, set in Moscow. Only one brave Reading Group member thought they'd like to visit Moscow having read Snowdrops. The rest of us weren't convinced.
A Crisis of Brilliance by David Haycock, is about five young British artists and their response to the First World War.
The Music Room by William Fiennes is about his childhood based in Broughton Castle, and his relationship with an epileptic brother.

Looking back to a previous Reading Group title, here's a review on As I Lay Dying, the film adaptation which is showcasing at Cannes 2013.
http://gu.com/p/3gxhz
Finally, Emily Jamieson has kindly volunteered to take over the healm of the Reading Group in my absence. You will be in safe hands and I daresay no more American Classics will be hurled your way, to which I'm sure many of you will breathe a sigh of relief! I'm still here in July though, so I'll see what I can sneak in!

Next time:
Scandi Theme (in other words either a book set in Scandinavia or by a Scandinavian author, or indeed both). Quite a few are reading The Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed out the Window, but the choice is yours.
9th July 2013

 

 

The Fever Tree

March's title was The Fever Tree by Jenny McVeigh, set in 19th century South Africa. The book promised much - complicated relationships, set with a backdrop of small pox and diamond mining in South Africa. Although many of us enjoyed the book, most felt that more could have been done with the subjects mentioned - what could have been an in-depth exploration of a tumultuous period was rather lighter in context. The storyline was formulaic, but well written. However, as one of our group pointed out, the book's protagonist was a young inexperienced woman and what we had was very much her perspective - not some mature, intellectual deliberations. As a first novel, this book showed promise, and I for one will be interested to see how Jenny McVeigh develops in the future.

Other titles we discussed included:
The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill
The Lewis Man by Peter May
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick de Witt (this is fabulous in my opionion and Emily and Charlotte agree - happy to lend out my copy)
and finally, Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel, which is the sequel to Wolf Hall. Much praise, although the annoying 'he' references that had us all confused as to who he was at any given time, are now all qualified by he (Cromwell) etc. But, try as you might, you cannot get away from the fact that Hilary Mantel is an incredible writer.

Now for a bit of unashamed publicity. My friend Paul has recently published his first novel. I have yet to read it but the reviews on Amazon have been positive. The White Swan is about a psychic entertainer, based in York. His website can be found here:

http://www.paulmorrison.co.uk/hello-world/

The ebook is only about £1.50 for download onto Kindle.

For those wishing to get ahead, July's title is not a title but we're working on a Scandi theme - so this could be The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or it could be The Hundred-Year Old Man who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared or any title written by a Scandinavain author or set in Scandinavia. Let's see what we all come up with!

Finally, I'll be taking a bit of time out after July's meeting and if anyone in the group would like to take over as 'chair' then please do get in touch. I'm happy to resume or relinquish the responsibility in September 2014 when I'm back from maternity leave. I'm even hoping to be able to come and join you in some of the meetings later in the year (yes I have forgotten what it is like with a young baby!)

Next time:
What Maisie Knew by Henry James
9th May 2013

Miss Garnet's Angel

 

Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers was a bonus book as the library thrust it upon us! For some this was a book revisited, for others a new read. The book is based on Miss Garnet, a single, older woman who shared her flat in London with a female friend. On her friend's death, Miss Garnet is left some money and also a need for change. She embarks on a six month journey to Venice, which sees Miss Garnet come out of her shell and expose herself to new life experiences. The setting is of course a delight to read about and there are a handful of characters that play a part in changing Miss Garnet. The characters are rich and intersting, and not always easy to make sense of - probably because Miss Garnet doesn't have much relationship experience and so herself struggles to make sense of some of her interactions. The majority of us enjoyed the book, although some didn't get very far before giving up. It isn't fast paced, but there are sub plots that keep you turning the pages and Miss Garnet is a character one warms to.

 

What about the reference to angels in the title? One person suggested that the angels represent the people in her life - past and present.

 

We had a good debate about the ending - did Miss Garnet die or not?

 

In summary, a light, interesting read set in a beautiful location and based on a character that is of a different age to your typical 'heroine'.

 

Our original title for January had been Easter Island by Jennifer Vanderbes. The book is set in 1913 and tells the story of Elsa Pendleton, who travels from England to Easter Island with her husband, an anthropologist. It looks at how Elsa integrates with the islanders and focuses on some complex relationships.

Other books that we discussed (and this list should be long as we've just come out the other side of Christmas and Santa would know to leave the WBS Reading Group members lots of lovely new material!):

The Man who Forgot his Wife by John O'Farrell
The Hundred-Year-Old Man who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson and Rod Bradbury (this is selling for 20 pence as a Kindle edition at the moment)

The Black House by Peter May
Books by C J Sansom, who wrote Winter in Madrid, the Shardlake series and now Dominion.
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (a bit easier to read than Wolf Hall)
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - also made into a television series.
Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman (which our reader found morally ambiguous)
The American Boy by Andrew Taylor (as an audio book)

We also talked about What Maisie Knew, the May title. Is that allowed?! The book has recently been made into a film, so hopefully someone in the group will get to see it in the coming months. This will be a libary copy but can also be downloaded for free onto Kindle if that is an option for you. Here's a review which Kathleen came across:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/sep/12/what-maisie-knew-review

We also discussed a few other recent films, including Les Miserables, The Impossible and Jack Reacher (and for those that read the book, no-one imagined the lead role being played by Tom Cruise!)

Next time:
The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh
6th March 2013