Hard Times by Charles Dickens

Seven of our group met to chat about our Dickens experience and, once again, the table was split. Some loved it and loved the language, others didn't (on both counts.) We agreed to differ and gradually found an equilibrium in a mutual understanding kind of way. 

Read through the challenges of 'strangely' named characters and Victorian grammar (written to be read out loud) to find a rich description of social hypocrisy and cruelty at its very best. 

Take time to enjoy the gentle pace, fine detail and subtle humour (Boundersby was so like a Monty Python sketch) to do try to understand what the Dickens it's all about.

Even those who didn't really 'get it' agreed that the characters did come to life and the story is a wonderful depiction (albeit perhaps a little unbelievable) of Northern industrial town living in Dickens' time. We loved Stephen and Rachael, disliked Boundersby and Tom, had no opinion of Gradgrind, felt sorry for Louisa and enjoyed the circus folk. 

Would we recommend it? on this we all agree: It's not the best Dickens book BUT read more Dickens!

Our next book is Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo and we will meet to discuss our thoughts on this read on Thursday 13th November, 8pm at the Ashendon Hundred.

Book Choices - September 2014

Our Autumnal reading choices are:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'

A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel - a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. 

Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the thirties. 

The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age story, an anti-racist novel, a historical drama of the Great Depression and a sublime example of the Southern writing tradition.

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo

Heroism or cowardice? A stunning story of the First World War from a master storyteller.

Told in the voice of a young soldier, the story follows 24 hours in his life at the front during WW1, and captures his memories as he looks back over his life. Full of stunningly researched detail and engrossing atmosphere, the book leads to a dramatic and moving conclusion.

Both a love story and a deeply moving account of the horrors of the First World War, this book will reach everyone from 9 to 90.

The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils... Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

NEXT MEETING: We will be discussing Hard Times by Charles Dickens on Thursday 18th September at 8.00 PM in The Hundred. 

The Letter Bearer by Robert Allison

The Group met on 10^th July at The Hundred to discuss The Letter Bearer. 

There were mixed feelings about the book; all agreed that it was well written with beautiful descriptive passages although one needed to concentrate to fully appreciate the quality of the language.  It would make a great film.

In many ways it was felt to be an essay on the anonymity of war – the nature of war is the huge number of anonymous people who are no longer individuals, just a mass of humanity.

Some readers found it interesting but unsatisfactory especially its conclusion, as the book seemed to fizzle out at the end and the main character's identity was never resolved.  Was the protagonist deliberately not remembering his name, or could he really not remember?  Because it is set in wartime do we need to know who he is?

The Group had the most sympathy for the Italian POW, but for most, the favourite character was Umpty, the nickname given to the protagonist.

It was decided it was an enjoyable read but one which engenders many questions for which any new reader should be prepared.

The next meeting is arranged for Thursday 18^th September at 8 pm. in The Hundred when we shall be discussing 'Hard Times' by Charles Dickens. 

Book Choices - July 2014

I am doing this from my phone so please excuse any typos, the lack of pictures and bad layout. 

Books choices for our next read are:

Solo by William Boyd

A seasoned veteran of the service, 007 is sent to single-handedly stop a civil war in the small West African nation of Zanzarim. Aided by a beautiful accomplice and hindered by the local militia, he undergoes a scarring experience which compels him to ignore M's orders in pursuit of his own brand of justice. Bond's renegade action leads him to Washington, D.C., where he discovers a web of intrigue and witnesses fresh horrors.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. 

This is a terrific urban fantasy police procedural in which the two cops make the unbelievable believable; especially the inexperienced Grant. The fast-paced yet meandering story line is loaded with action from the onset as the mentor and mentee work a challenging investigation in which an ancient has arisen to stir the troubled waters. Sub-genre fans will enjoy Ben Aaronovitch's view of London in this witty well written riot. 

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

In Hard Times, the Northern mill-town of Coketown is dominated by the figure of Mr Thomas Gradgrind, school headmaster and model of Utilitarian success. Feeding both his pupils and family with facts, he bans fancy and wonder from any young minds. As a consequence his obedient daughter Louisa marries the loveless businessman and 'bully of humanity' Mr Bounderby, and his son Tom rebels to become embroiled in gambling and robbery. And, as their fortunes cross with those of free-spirited circus girl Sissy Jupe and victimized weaver Stephen Blackpool, Gradgrind is eventually forced to recognize the value of the human heart in an age of materialism and machinery.

Next meeting is on Thursday 10th July at The Hundred (8.00pm) when we will be discussing The Letter Bearer by Robert Allison. 

Film release 4th July

The One Hundred Year Old Man..... film releases in 4th July and we are meeting on Thursday 10th July 2014 so I'm wondering if we could change our venue to a convenient cinema location and before/after film have a short discussion about current book. Please email me what you think ... 

Real life (nearly) 90 year old man who ..... And disappeared

I love this story so much because this man was having no-one tell him what he could and couldn't do, but also because of the striking similarities to the book we recently enjoyed telling the (fictional) story of a 100 year old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared. 

In real life, an 89-year-old D-Day veteran who was reported missing from his care home was found at the 70th anniversary commemorations on the sands of Normandy.

Sussex police received a call from a nursing home in Hove at around 7.15pm on Thursday 5th June to say that the pensioner had gone out at 10.30am but had not been seen since. 

It seems he had disappeared! In fact he had followed a well thought out plan:

Hiding his medals under his grey rain coat, he swore his wife Irene to secrecy, picked up two Iceland carrier bags and calmly walked out of The Pines retirement home where they both live, as if he was just off to the shops. Instead, he walked to Brighton railway station, boarded a train for Portsmouth Harbour and bought a one-way Brittany Ferries ticket to Caen, Normandy.

He told only his wife about his plans to join in with D-Day anniversary events. He later returned to a hero's welcome in Portsmouth on a cross-channel ferry. 

Mr Jordan says of his one-man expedition 'I can be very secretive... and when I set my mind to do something, I do it.'

Click here for the full story.

Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

8 members of our group met to discuss our first 'Sci-fi' read. Until it was described as such, I hadn't given this book a genre and hadn't spotted that it was an 'in the future' story of what 'could' happen. The more observant members of our group had noticed this but it was very subtle.

The group discussion started with the usual exchange of what we thought of our choice. 3 members had not finished, but intended to do so (me included) and one had not started it but thought she would. So only 50% of our gathering had knowledge of the ending and they smiled knowingly as the other 50% tried to guess. Clearly, there is a twist.

My excuse is that I started reading this book too late, I wasn't inspired by the cover, it just didn't excite me and I had to stop reading Wild Swans (another of our choices from last month) which I struggled to put down. The cover though does not do this book justice and, from the very start, the pages were turning and I found myself enjoying the read. Others had also not quite found the inspiration necessary to start reading but eventually had and agreed with Vanessa who declared this book 'one I would not have chosen to read but found I really enjoyed it, it was really interesting.'

It's really well written in the style of a functioning autistic adult man but it is a book that can be skimmed without losing the plot or stories (even I, an avid 'read every word and read it again' type of reader, skimmed my way through) this is because much of the detail is repetitive and revisited. The concept of the story is uncomfortable and forces the reader to consider the morals of changing a person. We debated where to draw the line and we were all of different opinions.

Of the characters, Tom and Lucia are genuinely kind and the police were admired for their understanding of autism and for their careful way with words. We disliked Crenshaw (a particularly horrible and nasty man) and the jury is still out on Emmy, Marjory and even the main man Lou (because for 50% of us it all hangs on the ending!)

Would we recommend this book? we were inconclusive but ... probably...

Now, it's back to Wild Swans for me until our next book arrives on the doorstep.

Our next book and meeting date: Thursday 10th July 2014 when we will be discussing all 272 pages of The Letter Bearer by Robert Allison. We will meet at 8.00pm in The Hundred of Ashendon.