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)