Book Choices for December and January

We are meeting at The Hundred on Thursday, November 23rd to discuss Poldark by Winston Graham. Here are our choices to... gulp...end the year and start the new with. Where did all that reading time go? 

Together by Julie Cohen

An epic love story with a secret you won’t see coming. 

On a morning that seems just like any other, Robbie wakes in his bed, his wife Emily asleep beside him, as always. He rises and dresses, makes his coffee, feeds his dogs, just as he usually would. But then he leaves Emily a letter and does something that will break her heart. As the years go back all the way to 1962, Robbie's actions become clearer as we discover the story of a couple with a terrible secret - one they will do absolutely anything to protect.

News from Nowhere by William Morris

Or an Epoch of Rest, Being Some Chapters From a Utopian Romance.

News from Nowhere(1890) is the best-known prose work of William Morris and the only significant English utopia to be written since Thomas More's. The novel describes the encounter between a visitor from the nineteenth century, William Guest, and a decentralized and humane socialist future. Set over a century after a revolutionary upheaval in 1952, these "Chapters from a Utopian Romance" recount his journey across London and up the Thames to Kelmscott Manor, Morris's own country house in Oxfordshire. Drawing on the work of John Ruskin and Karl Marx, Morris's book is not only an evocative statement of his egalitarian convictions but also a distinctive contribution to the utopian tradition. Morris's rejection of state socialism and his ambition to transform the relationship between humankind and the natural world, give News from Nowhere a particular resonance for modern readers. This text is based on the 1891 version, incorporating the extensive revisions made by Morris to the first edition.

The Fall of the House of Wilde by Emer O’Sullivan

Oscar Wilde's father - scientist, surgeon, archaeologist, writer - was one of the most eminent men of his generation. His mother - poet, journalist, translator - hosted an influential salon at 1 Merrion Square. Together they were one of Victorian Ireland's most dazzling and enlightened couples. When, in 1864, Sir William Wilde was accused of sexually assaulting a female patient, it sent shock waves through Dublin society. After his death some ten years later, Jane attempted to re-establish the family in London, where Oscar burst irrepressibly upon the scene, only to fall in a trial as public as his father's.

A remarkable and perceptive account, The Fall of the House of Wilde is a major repositioning of our first modern celebrity, a man whose fall from grace marked the end of fin de siècle decadence.

An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears

Seven members of our group met to discuss our high Summer read - a complex novel set in 1663 around the individual narrated memoirs of four characters, about the circumstances surrounding a murder in Oxford.

The book is 698 pages long and most of us agreed it was quite hard to read. It is easy to lose track and forget some of the detail (there was a lot of back and forth in the reading for those of us who like to stay in control!). Whilst a fascinating read, this is a perfect book for group discussion. As we talked the layers unpeeled and between us, we came to realise the depth and meaning of the content which made the book all the more interesting. Knowing Oxfordshire really added a level of enjoyment - we all agreed that Thame has improved significantly from the 1663 description as a 'mean' little town!

Many of the characters and places are real. Two of the four narrators are historical figures: John Wallis (before Isaac Newton he was the most influential English mathematician) and Anthony Wood (an Oxford historian). The other two narrators (Jack Prestcott and Marco da Cola) are fictional characters though based on real people of the time. 

Other characters are also drawn from real life and events of the time. There are so many characters it is impossible to reflect on all of them here.

We were as one with regard to John Wallis (we didn't like him much) and Anthony Wood was a firm favourite. Anthony was an Oxford man through and through; he was born, lived and died in Postmaster's Hall in Merton Street and educated at Merton College. In the story, Anthony comes across as a man with (at least) some conscience - it does seem however that he was not as well liked in real life and is described as: 'a cantankerous and vituperative character who fell out with everyone sooner or later.' he was also sued for libel. 

So many other real historical figures pop up in the story and add to the richness of the reading experience - this is a time of enlightenment when so much is being discovered in science, engineering, medicine etc. it is a great read just for the historical interest.

Sarah Blundy was, we felt, the character with most integrity -  her character is fascinating, and led our discussions into the religious and symbolic nature of the story. We also liked that a woman was the central character of interest. The other woman of significance is Kitty who, despite her circumstances, was a woman of independence. 

Throughout, the order of things (religion and society) is upheld at this time (which is just after the restoration of the monarchy following the English Civil War, when the authority of King Charles is not yet certain). Even the academics and men of science didn't waiver from their belief in the order of things. 

What is the 'fingerpost'? this is explained late on in the novel as: 'When in the investigation of any nature the understanding is so balanced as to be uncertain, instances of the fingerpost show the question is decided. Such instances afford very great light, the course of interpretation sometimes ending in them. Sometimes these instances meet us accidentally among those already noticed.' In the original Latin, the term "fingerpost" is simply "cross" (crucis), echoing the decisive "crucifixion" revealed in the story.

Overall we concluded that this is a very well researched and clever novel. Pears slips in little facts that add to the interest. All is woven together so as to tell small stories within a bigger plot that will not be uncovered until the very end - this is a very clever book indeed.

Would we recommend this book? Yes, particularly as one to be discussed with others and certainly for anyone with a love of Oxford.   

Our next book is a lighter, though equally historical, story of Ross Poldark by Winston Graham - we will meet on Thursday 23rd November at The Hundred to discuss our autumn reading experience. 

Book Choices for October and November

We are meeting at The Hundred on Thursday, September 28th to discuss The Incident at the Fingerpost by Iain Pears. 

Here are our choices for the coming Autumn reading season:

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterman

San Piedro Island, north of Puget Sound, is a place so isolated that no one who lives there can afford to make enemies. But in 1954 a local fisherman is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese American named Kabuo Miyamoto is charged with his murder. In the course of the ensuing trial, it becomes clear that what is at stake is more than a man's guilt. For on San Pedro, memory grows as thickly as cedar trees and the fields of ripe strawberries--memories of a charmed love affair between a white boy and the Japanese girl who grew up to become Kabuo's wife; memories of land desired, paid for and lost. Above all, San Piedro is haunted by the memory of what happened to its Japanese residents during World War II, when an entire community was sent into exile while its neighbours watched. Gripping, tragic, and densely atmospheric, Snow Falling on Cedars is a masterpiece of suspense-- one that leaves us shaken and changed. 

Ross Poldark by Winston Graham

In the first novel in Winston Graham’s hit series, a weary Ross Poldark returns to England from war, looking forward to a joyful homecoming with his beloved Elizabeth. But instead he discovers his father has died, his home is overrun by livestock and drunken servants, and Elizabeth—believing Ross to be dead—is now engaged to his cousin. Ross has no choice but to start his life anew.

Thus begins the Poldark series, a heartwarming, gripping saga set in the windswept landscape of Cornwall. With an unforgettable cast of characters that spans loves, lives, and generations, this extraordinary masterwork from Winston Graham is a story you will never forget.

I See You by Clare Mackintosh

Every morning and evening, Zoe Walker takes the same route to the train station, waits at a certain place on the platform, finds her favourite spot in the car, never suspecting that someone is watching her...

It all starts with a classified ad. During her commute home one night, while glancing through her local paper, Zoe sees her own face staring back at her, a grainy photo along with a phone number and listing for a website called findtheone.com. 

Other women begin appearing in the same ad, a different one every day, and Zoe realizes they've become the victims of increasingly violent crimes—including rape and murder. With the help of a determined cop, she uncovers the ad's twisted purpose...a discovery that turns her paranoia into full-blown panic. For now, Zoe is sure that someone close to her has set her up as the next target. 

And now that man on the train—the one smiling at Zoe from across the car—could be more than just a friendly stranger. He could be someone who has deliberately chosen her and is ready to make his next move…

The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon

While most of us loved it, one was indifferent and one absolutely loathed it!

We all related to that long hot summer of 1976; some group members were looking after their young families at the time and some of us were teenagers still at school. The historical context was well presented, it all felt familiar, and for one member the place was familiar too, a location somewhere in the East Midlands. We all remembered having to put the television on to warm up; the TV programmes mentioned; and the casual racism!

We agreed that the descriptive language was fantastic and we recalled favourite passages about the oppressive heat, John’s emotional turmoil and Grace’s weak attempts at pre teenage rebellion.

The crux of the book was people being singled out for being different and it was only through the mouths of the children that Jesus became the most obvious example of this. The adults were unaware of their hypocrisy throughout. As the adults’ secrets emerged through the story (and there wasn’t actually much really happening, it was mainly back stories) it became apparent that the person they were ‘picking on’ was actually the least flawed of them all. From the group which included alcoholic Sheila, lazy May to the abused John and depressed Sylvie; none could grasp that Walter had actually done nothing wrong. Well, apart from the real ‘child snatcher’ who was herself a victim of circumstance.

It was the children, Grace and Tilly, who could most easily see through some of the web of lies that adults spin to get through life. Their observations, which include comments like, “Why do people blame everything on the heat?” “It’s easier than telling everyone the real reason” were very knowing.

Would we recommend it? All bar one – yes! This is a first novel and we look forward to the next one.

Our next book is The Incident at the Fingerpost by Iain Pears and we meet on Thursday, Sept 28^th at the Hundred.

Current good reads by members that they would also recommend are:

• The Map Addict by Mike Parker (if you are mad about maps like Jane and me!)
• The book the recent film Lion is based on – A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierly
• A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gayle
• Neurotribes – the Legacy of Autism and how to think smarter about people who think differently by Steve Silberman

Book Choices - July 2017

Here are our book choices for high-Summer reading. You can send your preferences to me by email or make your voice heard at the meeting this Thursday (20th July) 8pm at The Hundred. 

An Instance of the Finger Post by Iain Pears

Set in Oxford in the 1660s - a time and place of great intellectual, religious, scientific and political ferment - this remarkable novel centres around a young woman, Sarah Blundy, who stands accused of the murder of Robert Grove, a fellow of New College.

Four witnesses describe the events surrounding his death: Marco da Cola, a Venetian Catholic intent on claiming credit for the invention of blood transfusion; Jack Prescott, the son of a supposed traitor to the Royalist cause, determined to vindicate his father; John Wallis, chief cryptographer to both Cromwell and Charles II, a mathematician, theologian and master spy; and Anthony Wood, the famous Oxford antiquary. 

Each one tells their version of what happened but only one reveals the extraordinary truth. Brilliantly written, utterly convincing, gripping from the first page to the last, An Instance of the Fingerpost is a magnificent tour de force.

Together by Julie Cohen

On a morning that seems just like any other, Robbie wakes in his bed, his wife Emily asleep beside him, as always. He rises and dresses, makes his coffee, feeds his dogs, just as he usually would. But then he leaves Emily a letter and does something that will break her heart. 

As the years go back all the way to 1962, Robbie's actions become clearer as we discover the story of a couple with a terrible secret - one they will do absolutely anything to protect.

Larchfield by Polly Clark

It's early summer when a young poet, Dora Fielding, moves to Helensburgh on the west coast of Scotland and her hopes are first challenged. Newly married, pregnant, she's excited by the prospect of a life that combines family and creativity. She thinks she knows what being a person, a wife, a mother, means. She is soon shown that she is wrong. As the battle begins for her very sense of self, Dora comes to find the realities of small town life suffocating, and, eventually, terrifying; until she finds a way to escape reality altogether.

Another poet, she discovers, lived in Helensburgh once. Wystan H. Auden, brilliant and awkward at 24, with his first book of poetry published, should be embarking on success and society in London. Instead, in 1930, fleeing a broken engagement, he takes a teaching post at Larchfield School for boys where he is mocked for his Englishness and suspected - rightly - of homosexuality. Yet in this repressed limbo, Wystan will fall in love for the first time even as he fights his deepest fears.

The need for human connection compels these two vulnerable outsiders to find each other and make a reality of their own that will save them both. Echoing the depths of Possession, the elegance of The Stranger's Child and the ingenuity of Longbourn, Larchfield is a beautiful and haunting novel about heroism - the unusual bravery that allows unusual people to go on living; to transcend banality and suffering from the power of their imagination.

The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally

I have an admission - I have lost my notes so I am going to keep this brief and from memory. Please add comments to the blog post with additional points that I have failed you on.

A good group of us met to discuss this book - the story of Australian nurses who volunteered to nurse in World War 1 and found themselves on an incredible journey travelling through Egypt to nurse the injured from the Dardanelles and then to France.

Quickly the book establishes the senseless and cruel loss of life that comes with war and gives a clear insight into the extreme conditions that medical corps were working in, ill-equipped and overwhelmed thay rarely lost their sense of professionalism even if they lost all hope.

Keneally has the ability to use language in an almost poetic way to describe even the most horrific circumstances.  It is a hard story, well researched and told in a manner that holds no punches yet enables the reader to continue through the horror and sadness that frequently arises.

Central to the story are two sisters: Sally and Naomi Durance, both nurses with very different careers - Sally stays in their home bush town, and cares for her dying mother whilst Naomi heads to Sydney and is altogether more sophisticated. We found it hard to warm to Naomi at the beginning but quickly we came to like and respect her (as Sally did too) so that by the end of the book it was hard to choose a favourite sister. In fact it became quite difficult at times to remember which sister was which as the story ran on - they 'morphed' so well that even the author got the confused at one point when he refers to Sally waiting when it should have been Naomi (I wrote the page number down but I lost it!)

We enjoyed the 'challenge' of reading narrative with no speech marks - indeed it is surprising how quickly this feature became quite unnoticeable.

The nurses enjoy high status and are well looked after by the officers but are less well treated by the 'orderlies'. Love is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a key part of the story as each of the nurses meet different partners in different circumstances. For example we experienced the joy of love at first sight, the trauma of sudden loss; the sadness of seeing your own child injured; the inequality of rape; the inequity of a frowned upon nurse/patient relationship; a proposition by a female doctor; a husband and wife dealing with personality change from head injury - all clearly experiences of real nurses during the war.

Of the characters we found space in our hearts for Nettice (who fell in love with a blind patient) and Honora who lost her sense of joy at the same time she lost her love and Mitchie, the indomitable matron who never gives up as that would mean losing touch with her son.

The ending is confusing and not all the group agreed that it was a good ending though perhaps it continues the senseless brutality, the horror of war and of the death, mutilation and annihilation that came with the war to end all wars.

Would we recommend this book? Yes, it is a brilliant read.

Our next meeting is on Thursday 20th July (8pm at The Hundred) when we will discuss The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon.

Our Next Book and Meeting

Apologies I have not got round to writing up our discussion on Daughters from Mars - I will do that, it was such a good one. No excuses other than too many things on my mind and I haven't finished the book and want to achieve that at least so I understand the comments about the ending.

Anyway our Summer read is The Trouble With Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon - looks like an interesting read. We will meet on Thursday 20th July to discuss our experience.