DIANE: The Land Before Avocado by Richard Glover
Di read his first book and enjoyed it. This book is a nostalgia trip about the 1960's and 70's. She said it takes you back. There was a cultural revolution and Di said " how far we have come". It wasn't necessarily a better time. Free milk for children at school was left out in the sun and olive oil was usually bought in a small bottle from the chemist. Di said it was a good read.
CHARIS: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Charis started with My Brilliant Friend, the first in the series and ended with the fourth book, The Lost Child. Ferrante wrote at length in the four volumes about the nature of the friendship over the years between Lila and Elena. It is set in Naples. There are passages of brilliant writing.
She also read The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy. This book is 438 pages. The story covers the life of a Muslim boy who became a Hijara-transgender. In a very densely written, poetic book the author describes the intensity of modern India. At times she lost track of who was who, but the writing still engaged her to the end.
CONNIE: The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz
This book is a detective story. A divorce lawyer is bludgeoned to death at home. They have to work out how it happened. Connie couldn't work out if it was fiction or not. The author uses characters who are real people which made it confusing. It's written extremely well. She enjoyed it and will read more of his novels. He is also the author of Foyle's War.
WENDY L: The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton
The story is a mystery spanning the 1860's to the present. There are multiple storytellers. The plot is very elaborate and complex and the story is not in chronological order. There is a connection to a manor in England called Birchwood. There is an expansive list of characters with aliases. Sometimes Wendy wondered who they were talking about but she said it was an enjoyable holiday read.
JUDY A: Kudos by Rachel Cusk
The narrator is an author who is going to literacy festivals in Europe. The story is about conversations she has with people on the way. The writing is exciting and enthralling and Judy couldn't put it down. It's also funny in parts and she gave it 5 out of 5, except for the last page. Judy loved the book.
PRUE: Delirium by Lauren Oliver
This is the first book in the dystopian trilogy set in the USA. Love is considered the cause of all social problems. When the young people turn 18 they are cured of all feelings of love. Magdalene and Hannah meet a boy called Alex and Hannah falls in love. They get out of the city into the "wilds" - outside society. Prue said it was easy to read and didn't feel like a young adults novel.
MARINA: Autobiography of Emanuel Macron
At 39 he became the president of France in 2017. In 2007 he had married a woman 24 years his senior. They have grandchildren. Marina said it was interesting to read about his life.
SARAH: Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian
It's a story of a woman in an abusive relationship who gets murdered. As her husband is found shot the police think it was a murder/suicide. Sarah said it wasn't very good and not gripping. She read reviews that stated it wasn't the author's best book.
JUDY J: Lost Man by Jane Harper and Scrublands by Chris Hammer
Both are murder mysteries set in the outback. Judy read quite a few books in the summer break which she enjoyed. She also read four of the Shetland Series by Ann Cleeves.
Now she is 1/3 of the way through Reworking the Brain by David Astle to improve her cryptic crossword skills.
ROSEMARIE: Scrublands by Chris Hammer
This is a murder mystery set in an outback town. Rosemarie thoroughly enjoyed this book and didn't know so much could happen in one town. She also read Thursday's Children by Nicci French, a crime novel and she has now started Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak.
VAL: Smoke and Ashes by Abir Mukherjee
This is the final book of a trilogy but can stand alone as a good read. It is a detective story set in India at the time of the British Raj. The main characters are a British detective working for the Imperial Police force and his Indian sergeant "Surrender-not" Banerjee. Val thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt a lot about the conditions in India at that time. The author has a lovely sense of humour as well.
JULIA: Framed in Cornwall by Janie Bolitho
The author was born in Cornwall. This is one in a series of mystery and detective stories. The main character is Rose Trevelyan, an amateur photographer who tries to solve the murder mysteries. Julia said it was a good read.
KRIS: A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka
The story is set in England. Two feuding sisters join forces against their Ukrainian father's new girlfriend, a glamorous Ukrainian divorcee. He is 84 and she is 36. The campaign to prevent the father from marrying is hilarious but there is also an underlying sadness for everyone's situation. The story was totally engrossing. Kris also read Two Caravans by Marina Lewycka. It's about an international crew of migrant workers. Once again it is very funny but there is a disturbing side with the Eastern Europeans already settled in England trying to exploit and intimidate the new migrants.
PAMELA: The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
The story is set in a villa, previously a Nunnery, in Northern Italy just at the end of WWII. The four main characters are people who are damaged physically or mentally. The English patient is badly burnt. He has flashbacks to the 1930's. Hannah is the nurse who stays and reads to him. Caravaggio is a thief with his hands bandaged. Then there is an Indian called Kip. He was a sapper and is emotionally damaged from the war. There is a gentle romance between Kip and Hannah. The theme is about memory and the past, spying and deception. Pamela said the book was brilliant and the most impressive feature was the language.
JUDY D: The Girl on the Train by Paul Hawkins
The story is told through three women, one who is an alcoholic. She said it was a very good psychological thriller. She also read a book of short stories by Jeffrey Archer. She said they were all really good.
SHEILA: Brown Sugar by Nancy Cato
The story is set in Queensland in 1860. It is a sad story about Kanakas who were stolen from Pacific Islands to work in Queensland on the sugar cane plantations. It is a fictional story about two families through three generations. In one family at Maryborough the sugar cane king is originally from Scotland. The other family are missionaries on an island in the South Pacific where a young man is taken to work in Australia. They receive very little pay for their work. Although it was a very sad story of what happened in Australia at the time, Sheila was pleased she read the book.
JOAN: Becoming by Michelle Obama
This is an autobiographical memoir. She was a hard working student, straight laced, came from a good family and went to Harvard university. She becomes a lawyer and meets Obama. They marry and have two daughters after some difficulties. Michelle says she is an ordinary person in an extraordinary situation. They spent eight years in the White House as her husband was re-elected for a second term. When he first becomes president she realised she was married to the most heavily guarded man on earth. Joan enjoyed the book. She also read Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe This is the story of early Nigeria.
CLAURENE: On Warne by Gideon Haigh
This book is very interesting. It covers a time when cricket changed. Claurene loves cricket and said it was a terrific book.
JO: You Don't Own Me by Mary Higgins Clark and Alatair Burke
This is the latest book in the Under Suspicion series which is about a television producer who investigates unsolved murders. One is a woman whose husband got shot in front of his son. The wife was under the thumb, very unhappy and thought to be drinking. Jo said it was a good read with lots of different twists and turns. She has the whole series.
Kris
In February we will be reading various titles by E.M. Forster including Howards End, Room with a View and Passage to India.
We would like to welcome two new members to our Book Club - Marina and Sarah.
