The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - Maggie O'Farrell

8 of us met to discuss our feelings about this book.

Surprisingly most of us had read this book before, and not one of us had remembered much of the story told. Perhaps it is a subject that brains choose not to retain. it is, after all, heart-rending.

The mystery of how so many of us had read the book before was cleared when Hilary showed us her book -10 years ago, I shared this book when I was given World Book Day copies to distribute.: 

We really enjoyed reading this book and those who had read it before felt it was a different reading experience the second time read. Why? We couldn’t put into words. Are we more aware of mental health issues? did we focus on different aspects of the situation? does the second read come with more understanding? Whatever it was we felt it was not wasted time (even for those of us who rarely re-read books). 

We spent time discussing whether the action taken at the very end of the book was justified. Given the circumstances with which it came about, we mostly felt it probably was. 

Of the characters: 

Esme was quirky, spirited, traumatised, misunderstood (in a terrible way) and absolutely didn’t deserve what happened to her and how she was subsequently treated. We were left angry and horrified by her story. 

Iris was a wonderful woman put into a very difficult situation and we felt sorry for her for that, but we also felt ‘proud’ of her for the decision she made when faced with a very human dilemma. 

We loved the construct of the story – how it developed the characters, how it went back and forth to the past and how dementia was portrayed. There were surprises at every turn. 

The story showcases the cruelty of the past. We did question whether it really is in the past, or whether what happens today can be equally as cruel to people like Esme. One of our members recalled a Woman’s Hour guest telling the story of her son who, through no fault of hers, was in a similar (more modern) predicament to Esme and, she said, there is seemingly nothing she can do to get him out of the situation.

This led us on to the subject of the closure of institutions and how people have been treated in the past vs. today and the language and the attitudes toward people who just don’t fit with the social norm. Certainly, what happened in the past was often very wrong but, we wondered, is what happens now much better? 

Would we recommend this book? Most definitely we would, and suggest you read it twice!

Our next book was selected from three recommended by a friend. All three are books written by her author friends. It was a difficult choice so we decided to go for what we hope will be a ‘light-hearted’ good read: The Hound in the Left-Hand Corner by Giles Waterfield which we will discuss at 8pm at The Hundred on Thursday 27th October. 

Book Choices for Spring

Every now and then I get a round robin email from a self-promoting author. They are rarely interesting. In January, however, I received a nicely put together, well targeted message from an author named Philip Bowne: 

I hope you’re keeping well and enjoying a good start to 2021. I also hope that you won’t mind me writing out of the blue - I found your details on the Reading Groups for Everyone website, while I was searching for book clubs in the Ox/Bucks area. I’m a local author - I grew up in Bicester. My first novel Cows Can’t Jump was published last September.

When this most recent lockdown in the UK was announced, I decided to reach out to Book Clubs and offer an Author Book Club, to share my writing and hopefully provide a much needed boost for people. My debut novel Cows Can’t Jump was published at the end of 2020. It’s a fun coming-of-age story that transports the reader across central Europe. It won the Spotlight First Novel Prize and was shortlisted for The Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize. 

One of the great disappointments of publishing my debut during the pandemic has been the inability to connect with readers. I am hoping that this might go some way in remedying that! 

If your group would be interested in reading the book, I would be delighted to offer an online Author Q&A session for the group if they wish. It would be fun to enjoy a drink, discuss the novel’s themes, characters, and ask any questions they may have. All in all, I want it to be a bit of fun, to help bring people together during lockdown, and to help spread the word about my novel! Debuting in 2020 was – as you can imagine – a bit of a nightmare, as it’s so difficult to connect with readers. I’m hoping the book club can help with that. 

If you are interested in finding out a bit more information, I’d be more than happy to discuss further! For a little more information on the book and myself: https://philipbowne.com

So I got in touch, explained how we choose our books and promised to pass his book details to Sue. We batted a couple of emails back and forth and agreed on 2 possible dates, for his book club idea, if we we would like to give his book a go: 25th March or the 8th April. 

If we decide we are up for a meeting with Phil, then this is the book. 

Cows Can't Dance by Philip Bowne

How far would you go for love?

Winner of the Spotlight First Novel prize, Philip Bowne's debut novel is an explosive coming-of-age odyssey. 18-year-old Billy is desperate to leave home. He's working the ultimate dead-end job as a grave-digger. His Grandad's engaged to a woman half his age, his Dad's become obsessed with boxing, and his Mum's certainly having an affair. Everything is changing, and Billy hates it.

Meeting the older, mysterious Eva, though, changes everything. She's passionate about Russian literature, Gary Numan, windfarms and chai tea, and Billy gambles everything for a chance to be with her. His scramble across Europe involves hitch-hiking with truckers, walking with refugees, and an encounter with suicidal cows. But the further he goes, the harder it is to be sure what he's chasing - and what he's running from.

This book is for everyone who wants to break out and follow their dreams.

By way of back up, or add on, we have 2 other books to consider:

Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood

First published in 1939, this novel obliquely evokes the gathering storm of Berlin before and during the rise to power of the Nazis. Events are seen through the eyes of a series of individuals, whose lives are all about to be ruined.

Goodbye to Berlin, evokes the glamour and sleaze, excess and repression of Berlin society. Isherwood shows the lives of people under threat from the rise of the Nazis: a wealthy Jewish heiress, Natalia Landauer, a gay couple, Peter and Otto, and an English upper-class waif, the divinely decadent Sally Bowles.

Vesper Flights by Helen MacDonald

Animals don't exist to teach us things, but that is what they have always done, and most of what they teach us is what we think we know about ourselves.

From the bestselling author of H is for Hawk comes Vesper Flights, a transcendent collection of essays about the human relationship to the natural world.

Helen Macdonald brings together a collection of her best-loved writing along with new pieces covering a thrilling range of subjects. There are essays here on headaches, on catching swans, on hunting mushrooms, on twentieth-century spies, on numinous experiences and high-rise buildings; on nests and wild pigs and the tribulations of farming ostriches.

Vesper Flights is a book about observation, fascination, time, memory, love and loss and how we make the world around us. Moving and frank, personal and political, it confirms Helen Macdonald as one of this century's greatest nature writers.

We will meet to discuss our current book: The Pants of Perspective by Anna McNuff at 8pm on Thursday 18th February by Zoom. We can decide then on Phil's offer to meet and whether to read one book, or perhaps two over the coming Spring months. 

Ashendon's Got Authoring Talent

Ashendon's very own Geoff Pimm has recently published a paperback called 'The Giggle Band' which is available on Amazon (and Kindle).

Geoff's wife, and Ashendon Book Group member, Ruth advises that his book started as a brief history for the family but developed into a tale of a London boy growing up after the war. Having been lucky enough to preview the book, Ruth tells us: 

It is autobiographical but is also a pacy and amusing 'then and now' comparison.  It is a good read and the alien world could be quite an eye opener for the younger generations!

To support our local writer please go to Amazon now and sign up for advance notification of availability.

Ruth has another literary connection in her sister-in-law who publishes light hearted mysteries under the name of Nicola Slade. So far she has written 5 books and is developing a series with the same heroine.  Ruth recommends these books as 'quick escapist reads'.  All are available on Amazon and they will be available for Kindle in the next  few weeks. You can find out more at www.nicolaslade.com