The author, ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE was born in Scotland in 1859 and died in 1930. He was best known for his detective fiction featuring Sherlock Holmes. Holmes was partially modelled on his former university teacher, Dr Joseph Bell. Doyle was originally a physician. In 1887 he published A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels about Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr Watson.
WENDY: THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES - SHORT STORIES
Wendy liked his style and characterizations. She didn't get a whole picture of Sherlock Holmes or Watson (narrator) and there weren't huge plots in the short stories. She found them amusing to read.
ROSEMARY: THE COMPLETE SHERLOCK HOLMES SHORT STORIES
Rosemary read the first story "Scandal in Bohemia". She had read it before and enjoyed going back to it this time. The book was given to her by her grandfather when she was a child. She saw the similarities in characterization in the television show "Elementary".
HOUNDS OF THE BASKERVILLES
ANNE didn't like his writing and found it stilted. She also noted that his books aren't very long.
JUDY A. saw the movie as a child and was terrified. She enjoyed the book and said it was like a Boys Own Adventure. Judy also said that Holmes conclusions were always backed up by fact. Arthur Conan Doyle was taught about occupational stigma by Dr Joseph Bell. An example would be that soil on a shoe may only come from one particular area. Sherlock Holmes was the first non professional sleuth.
BEV really enjoyed it. She had never read any of his books before.
DIANE D. had not read it before. She loved it. She said that before Holmes and Watson go out to a case they make sure they have the revolver in their bag.
JULIA said there wasn't much else to say except that she enjoyed the book and it brought to mind the movie version.
PRUE: CONAN DOYLE STORIES
Prue found them enjoyable. There were many short stories but no Sherlock Holmes. She said they were not all mysteries and were written in the style of the area. They were very descriptive.
PAT: SHORT STORIES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
Pat said she was impatient as it took too long to get to the point. She preferred watching the movies or series rather than reading the books.
DIANN: SHORT STORIES, VOLUME 4 - THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
Diann wasn't sure of this author. She also felt impatient and said it was too slow for her. She did like the bibliography at the back. It had the important dates in the life of the author, Arthur Conan Doyle.
A STUDY IN SCARLET
PAULINE said she doesn't usually like detective novels. There were two murders and half way through the murder is solved. Then in part 2 there is a separate story set 30 years earlier in the U.S.A. It gives the explanation of why it all happened. She said it was well written and she liked the second part better than the first. She found Sherlock a bit arrogant. Pauline said she is not sure she will read another one.
CHARIS said the murderer was identified after 71 pages using deductive analysis. The second half was told from the position of the murderer. Sherlock solved the crimes but gave the credit to the detectives. She said it was readable, although confounding in the beginning.
CONNIE enjoyed the first half better than the second. The murder was solved in the first part. She said the second half was not enjoyable and a bit unbelievable.
KRIS: THE VALLEY OF FEAR
This story is also told in two parts. The first is set in England. Holmes received a coded message warning of danger to a Mr.Douglas of Birlstone House in Sussex. Before Holmes can act, Mr.Douglas is found dead. The second part goes back in time and is set in the American coal valleys. The first part was very interesting but the second part was not enjoyable and perhaps a bit unbelievable.
PAMELA: THE WHITE COMPANY BY ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
This is not a Sherlock Holmes novel but historical fiction published in 1891. It is set in England, France and Spain during the 100 years war. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a lot of historical novels and was very interested in the medieval period. This book was very popular in WWII and was Arthur Conan Doyle's favourite book. It's well researched. Pamela said it may appeal more to male readers as it is about war, although it does have episodes of humour.
JO: THE ILLUSTRATED SHERLOCK HOLMES TREASURY
Jo read four of the stories. She found them interesting. She enjoyed what she read and liked the powers of observation of Sherlock Holmes. This book has many good illustrations of people of that era.
JUDY DE: THE ADVENTURES AND MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
This book is written from Watson's point of view. Judy loves the way he writes and she likes the characterizations. She said Sherlock is very observant and she likes the way he works out the occupation of the murderer or whether he rides a horse. Judy read the stories as a child and enjoyed them just as much now.
CLAURENE didn't read Sherlock Holmes as she had been away. She read TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE BY MITCH ALBOM. She said it was a beautiful book based on a true story about a young man and an old man and life's basic lessons. The author was the student of the older man. When he hears the older man is dying, he contacts him and the story is about their connection.
VAL: MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES - ADVENTURES OF SILVER BLAZE
Val enjoyed it but said it was written for a different world and time, a simpler time. It's about a prize winning racehorse in Devon. The horse disappears and the trainer is found dead. When Sherlock is interviewing the trainer's wife he comments that he met her at a ball wearing a beautiful gown. Watson wonders what he is up to but then it is revealed that it wasn't his wife, but his girlfriend. You will have to read the book to find out the ending.
ED: SIGN OF FOUR
In the beginning Sherlock hasn't got a crime to investigate so he injects himself with morphine. Ed was really surprised. She was also surprised about Watson falling madly in love very quickly. Jewels go missing and now Sherlock Holmes has an interesting case to investigate. Ed had never read any of the books before and enjoyed reading this one.
We would like to welcome our newest member, Debora and look forward to hearing her comments at our next meeting.
In September we are reading about Australian Bushrangers.
Kris
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Thursday, August 3, 2017
JULY, 2017 NOVELS BY THE AUTHOR JANE AUSTEN
We read various titles by the author Jane Austen. It is stated that her novels critique and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century but her understanding of family relationships and human nature make them timeless. They are also an interesting observation of social customs, manners and morals at the time.
EMMA
VAL read this at school. She found it very boring, tedious and very convoluted and disliked the character Emma. After reading an article that stated you had to look beyond Jane Austen's stories to see the social commentary, Val's admiration grew for the author.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
BEV read this at school. She is not really a Jane Austen fan but found it easier to read this time. She noted the social commentary about marrying off daughters.
MANSFIELD PARK
JO found it very boring. The story is about a girl from a poor family who is taken from her home and given to her aunt and uncle. She said all they worried about was whether a girl was good enough for a man and if the man had enough money. She read it all with great difficulty.
DIANN only read 70 pages. She enjoyed Emma and Pride and Prejudice but this book made her angry. It's about a minister and his family who took their niece in as her family was very poor. They expected her to be educated up to their standard very quickly and there was no compassion from the minister.
PRUE read them all earlier so didn't re-read any. She just told us a little about the author. Jane Austen wrote for family entertainment. It was exposure of society at the time. She didn't publish under her name. The author was just listed as a lady. Sir Walter Scott, who was a popular author at the time, was more difficult to read. Jane Austen was a lighter read.
ROSEMARIE told us some fun facts about Jane Austen. Jane was the 7th child. Her mother, Cassandra was of a higher social standing than her husband. Jane completed six novels, four of which were published before her death. Many authors criticized her. The earliest recorded use of the word "baseball" in an English novel was Northanger Abbey. There are fourteen kisses in her novels. The whole family was literary but only Jane became an author.
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
JUDY DE enjoyed the book. She had also watched the television series. She said a lot of the characters have intelligence but not empathy.
PERSUASION
PAMELA loves Jane Austen for her innovate speech. She writes with such irony and sets up a character quickly. The main character is Anne. Her father is Sir Walter Elliot. His favourite book is the Baronetage, indicating how he looks into the past. He had the idea that a gentleman had to be a man of property and this idea was already outdated. Sir Walter and his eldest daughter are so different from Anne.
CHARIS said it was obvious that Jane Austen supported the Navy. The main character, Anne was to marry Captain Wentworth from the Navy, but was persuaded otherwise. She is now eight years older and it is time to make a decision and not to carry her anger into this second opportunity to marry him.
JUDY J said she was more of a watcher than a reader of Jane Austen. Judy said the book was almost biographical. It was published after her death. She was going to call it the Elliots but was encouraged to call it Persuasion. Jane Austen's brother was also in the Navy and his wife lived on the ship.
JULIA found it boring. She felt she was over Jane Austen.
JUDY A enjoyed this book. The main character, Anne is engaged to Frederick Wentworth who is in the Navy. She is persuaded by an older female friend to end the engagement. Ten years later Anne comes in contact with him again when he visits his brother, who was also in the Navy. She has never stopped loving Captain Wentworth. Anne's father and eldest daughter, Elizabeth are both very class conscious. Anne's other sister has married into the Musgrove family who are very down to earth.
KRIS thoroughly enjoyed it second time around. Her novels explore the dependence of a woman on marriage for economic security. The story is about Anne Elliot who was betrothed to a poor naval officer, Frederick Wentworth. She breaks off the engagement when she is persuaded by her friend, Lady Russell that it is an unworthy match. It causes her long lasting regret as she still loves him. They meet again many years later when his position and wealth have improved, but will an opportunity present itself again?
DIANE said she relished every word and enjoyed it because of all the news at the present regarding the anniversary of Jane Austen's death. She said it was about the social mor'es that kept women in their place.
NORTHANGER ABBEY
CONNIE appreciated the language and the grammar. She could understand the social comment but felt all her books were alike. In her other books, Connie felt Jane Austen was in the book. What interested Connie in her writing was that she's telling you, the reader, what she thinks. It's called indirect discourse narration.
WENDY has read Jane Austen before and felt she had come home. She loved it. The first four pages explains Catherine and her family to a "T". Catherine is a dopey teenager. In circumstances she grows and the person she marries helps her to grow. Her husband is mature, intelligent and brings out the best in Catherine. Austen talks to the reader all the time. The second part of the book is a real parody of Gothic novels. Wendy found it very amusing, had great character development and was a clever commentary on the time.
TAM enjoys Jane Austen a lot. She loved the old world language. She said it was good to go back to such beautiful language. The character development was good and it was good to look at the social commentary.
After this month's Book Club meeting, we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas in July at the Cornerstone Cafe in Windsor. This was organized by our hard working co-ordinator, Julia.
Kris
EMMA
VAL read this at school. She found it very boring, tedious and very convoluted and disliked the character Emma. After reading an article that stated you had to look beyond Jane Austen's stories to see the social commentary, Val's admiration grew for the author.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
BEV read this at school. She is not really a Jane Austen fan but found it easier to read this time. She noted the social commentary about marrying off daughters.
MANSFIELD PARK
JO found it very boring. The story is about a girl from a poor family who is taken from her home and given to her aunt and uncle. She said all they worried about was whether a girl was good enough for a man and if the man had enough money. She read it all with great difficulty.
DIANN only read 70 pages. She enjoyed Emma and Pride and Prejudice but this book made her angry. It's about a minister and his family who took their niece in as her family was very poor. They expected her to be educated up to their standard very quickly and there was no compassion from the minister.
PRUE read them all earlier so didn't re-read any. She just told us a little about the author. Jane Austen wrote for family entertainment. It was exposure of society at the time. She didn't publish under her name. The author was just listed as a lady. Sir Walter Scott, who was a popular author at the time, was more difficult to read. Jane Austen was a lighter read.
ROSEMARIE told us some fun facts about Jane Austen. Jane was the 7th child. Her mother, Cassandra was of a higher social standing than her husband. Jane completed six novels, four of which were published before her death. Many authors criticized her. The earliest recorded use of the word "baseball" in an English novel was Northanger Abbey. There are fourteen kisses in her novels. The whole family was literary but only Jane became an author.
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
JUDY DE enjoyed the book. She had also watched the television series. She said a lot of the characters have intelligence but not empathy.
PERSUASION
PAMELA loves Jane Austen for her innovate speech. She writes with such irony and sets up a character quickly. The main character is Anne. Her father is Sir Walter Elliot. His favourite book is the Baronetage, indicating how he looks into the past. He had the idea that a gentleman had to be a man of property and this idea was already outdated. Sir Walter and his eldest daughter are so different from Anne.
CHARIS said it was obvious that Jane Austen supported the Navy. The main character, Anne was to marry Captain Wentworth from the Navy, but was persuaded otherwise. She is now eight years older and it is time to make a decision and not to carry her anger into this second opportunity to marry him.
JUDY J said she was more of a watcher than a reader of Jane Austen. Judy said the book was almost biographical. It was published after her death. She was going to call it the Elliots but was encouraged to call it Persuasion. Jane Austen's brother was also in the Navy and his wife lived on the ship.
JULIA found it boring. She felt she was over Jane Austen.
JUDY A enjoyed this book. The main character, Anne is engaged to Frederick Wentworth who is in the Navy. She is persuaded by an older female friend to end the engagement. Ten years later Anne comes in contact with him again when he visits his brother, who was also in the Navy. She has never stopped loving Captain Wentworth. Anne's father and eldest daughter, Elizabeth are both very class conscious. Anne's other sister has married into the Musgrove family who are very down to earth.
KRIS thoroughly enjoyed it second time around. Her novels explore the dependence of a woman on marriage for economic security. The story is about Anne Elliot who was betrothed to a poor naval officer, Frederick Wentworth. She breaks off the engagement when she is persuaded by her friend, Lady Russell that it is an unworthy match. It causes her long lasting regret as she still loves him. They meet again many years later when his position and wealth have improved, but will an opportunity present itself again?
DIANE said she relished every word and enjoyed it because of all the news at the present regarding the anniversary of Jane Austen's death. She said it was about the social mor'es that kept women in their place.
NORTHANGER ABBEY
CONNIE appreciated the language and the grammar. She could understand the social comment but felt all her books were alike. In her other books, Connie felt Jane Austen was in the book. What interested Connie in her writing was that she's telling you, the reader, what she thinks. It's called indirect discourse narration.
WENDY has read Jane Austen before and felt she had come home. She loved it. The first four pages explains Catherine and her family to a "T". Catherine is a dopey teenager. In circumstances she grows and the person she marries helps her to grow. Her husband is mature, intelligent and brings out the best in Catherine. Austen talks to the reader all the time. The second part of the book is a real parody of Gothic novels. Wendy found it very amusing, had great character development and was a clever commentary on the time.
TAM enjoys Jane Austen a lot. She loved the old world language. She said it was good to go back to such beautiful language. The character development was good and it was good to look at the social commentary.
After this month's Book Club meeting, we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas in July at the Cornerstone Cafe in Windsor. This was organized by our hard working co-ordinator, Julia.
Kris
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