Doris Lessing died in 2013 at the age of 93. As a writer she moved between genres - sci fi, literary fiction, plays, poems, essays and autobiography. In 2007 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
JOAN: The Grass is Singing
This was her first novel published in 1950. It was set in southern Rhodesia and was an instant success in Europe and the USA. The book tells the story of Mary, a stenographer who marries Dick, a kindly but inefficient farmer. Life on the farm is solitary and harsh.
The black and white racial situation is a constant theme through the story.
Joan described the novel as original, hard, honest, grim and sad. It was beautifully written and worth reading.
Doris Lessing spent her early life in Rhodesia and used her experiences there as the basis of much of her writing.
Joan also read Under My Skin the autobiography of the early part of her life. She had a terrible relationship with her mother, a fantastic woman who only wanted the best for her child. She rebelled against her mother as her own mother had too.
PAULINE also read The Grass is Singing.
She agreed with Joan's summary of the story but was not as enthusiastic in her praise. In fact she felt quite ambivalent about it. While she admired the descriptions, the characters and the writing in general, she thought it a depressing book. All the relationships were depressing, there was no happiness in fifteen years. This amount of misery put her off reading any other books by this author.
CONNIE was another to The Grass is Singing.
By coincidence she happened to see the Swedish film version of this story while reading the book. The film was very gloomy but showed how good was her writing. Her could recognise her descriptions of the landscape and her characters in the film, just as she had read them.
She thought it was storyline in which not much happened, and there was not one nice person in the book.
TAM: The Habit of Loving
This is a book of short stories. Tam thought she was a very good writer who explored characters well, was very observant about human nature and described scenery with great realism. In these stories she explored and described different relationships - eg mother/son, homosexual. Her writing always made you think, sometimes she used symbols for hidden and implied relationships.
JULIA & CLAURINE: The Fifth Child
Set in the 1960s in England and features 2 people who don't fit into the era of the 'swinging sixties'. They are married and want a big family. Life is wonderful with their 4 children and they recall great times with their extended family.
The 5th pregnancy is very difficult and is vividly described in the book! A 'horrible' child is born, looks like a troll and is a difficult baby. By the time the child is 3 years old he had killed the cat and dog. The other children are afraid of him and he takes over their life. It is hard to love him. They eventually have to put him into a home, but the mother feels very guilty about this.
There are no chapters, and neither Julia or Claurine were able to finish the book.
ANNE: Ben in the World
This is the sequel to the previous book. Ben is now 17 or 18 years old, he is horribly grotesque, hairy, a freak and not very bright. At 18 he looks 40 years old!
Throughout his life he is bullied and taken advantage of often because of his great strength. But some women do befriend him and try to help him.
Anne thought it a grim, sad, but honest book. She was only able to read about a quarter of it.
JULIA: The Old Age of El Magnifico
Lessing was obsessed by cats, and this was one of several books she wrote featuring them. In this short book, she shows great kindness towards animals.
DIANE: On Cats
Published in 2002, this is a collection of stories some of which had already been published separately.
Again, it shows her obsession with cats. Cats take over their owner's lives even to the extent that they chop trees down to keep the birds away. Diane thought it was wonderfully written especially the description of an incident in South Africa when the cats look out for and protect the snakes.
She wouldn't recommend it though unless you adore cats.
ED: The Cleft
The story is narrated by a Roman historian, during the time of the Emperor Nero.
He tells the story as a secret history of humanity's beginnings, as
pieced together from scraps of documents and oral histories, passed down
through the ages.
Humanity was made up, in the beginning, of solely females who
reproduced asexually. These females were a calm race and had few
problems. They lived by the sea and were partially aquatic. They called
themselves "Clefts" - after The Cleft - a fissure in a rock which the
females deemed sacred, and which had a resemblance to the female vagina.
One day, a cleft gave birth to a male child - to what the clefts
dubbed a "Monster". This caused such a fright that the boy was killed by
the clefts. But more "monsters" were born, and the clefts left them on a
rock to die. Eagles,
which lived nearby, saw the dying babies and swooped down and carried
them off, to deposit them in a nearby valley where they were then
suckled by beneficent deer. The children gradually grew older and able
to fend for themselves. Soon, as more boys were brought by the eagles, a
tribe emerged.
One day, a female wandered over to the valley and was raped
by the now adult men. She fled and gave birth to a new, mixed child
nine months later. When she told her story to the rest of the clefts,
the two tribes soon came into contact with each other. The matriarchs of
the clefts, however, feared the "monsters" and decided to try to kill
them off.
A very weird story, published in 2007 and from the sci fi genre.!!!!!
JUDY J: Alfred and Emily
Published in 2008, this is the last book she wrote. Alfred Tayler and Emily McVeagh are the writer's parents and this is a book in two halves. The first section is the novelist's fictional version of her parents life. There is no war, England is prosperous and life is good. Alfred lives in the countryside, marries kindly Betsy, raises twin boys and lives the idyllic life as a farmer in rural England.
Emily, also lives in the same village, but goes to London to train as a nurse. She marries a wealthy doctor, who dies only a few years later after a loveless marriage. With her now considerable wealth she spends the rest of her life setting up schools for the underprivileged.
The second part tells their real story. The horrors they both suffered through the war, Alfred loosing a leg and Emily suffering great distress while nursing the wounded. The move to Rhodesia was a very difficult one but shapes her attitudes and character and gives her much inspiration for her future writing.
A very interesting read and having listened to other books discussed, Judy could recognize common themes in many of them.
LESLY: The Grandmothers: Four Short Novels
Lesly's comment was that Lessing writes very well, her characters are sensitive and very intuitive.
One of the stories involves two women who have been friends since boarding school. They continue their intense friendship after they marry and each has only one child, a son. They are always together. It is so well written that you begin to feel uneasy about the relationship. When one husband had died and the other leaves because of this friendship, they both begin affairs with the other's son! The sons marry but the affairs continue.
The other stories are about racial issues, fantasy and gender ageist issues.
Lesly quite enjoyed them but they made you feel uncomfortable. Her writing is subtle but not graphic.
JUDY G: The Diary of a Good Neighbour
This is one of two books the author wrote using the pseudonym Jane Somers. It was published in 1983. Judy only read one chapter..... A professional woman befriends a dirty old lady. The writing is so descriptive you can almost smell the dirt! The book becomes very depressing, horrible and very traumatic. Judy thought it seemed similar to other books that people had spoken about except this time she is writing about age and aged care.
JO: Love, Again
After reading the blurb she decided she "couldn't read it". Her only other comment was that she was a daring writer.
BEV: The Sweetest Dream
Written in 1982, it revolves around a number of very different people who move through a large house in London and are all connected by one horrible man, Johnny. Bev found it a mammoth effort to continue reading it.....so she didn't!
PAMELA: The Golden Notebook
When this was published in 1962 it was extremely popular and admired. Maybe this was because she appealed to the liberated woman of the sixties as her books often scrutinized the plight of emancipated women of the day.
The book was 650 pages long and small print. So Pamela didn't read it having other priorities she preferred to pursue.
ROSEMARY wanted to recommend a book she had recently read.
The Last Lecture is written by Randy Pausch, a professor of computer science, human-computer interaction, and design at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg. After he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given three months to live, he his asked to give his last lecture entitled 'Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams'. It is about living your life better and the issues he faced when told he had so little time left. There is much humour as well as it being very uplifting.
After reading it you feel that what ever is in your life, you can get over it. This is how he lived his life.
“The key question to keep asking is, Are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have. ”
―
Randy Pausch,
The Last Lecture
NEXT MONTH Our subject for June will be Natural Disasters. Everyone is welcome.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
APRIL - WORLD WAR 1
PAMELA: THE MIDDLE PARTS OF FORTUNE BY FREDRICK MANNING
It was about the battle of the Somme and life in the trenches. She found it so depressing.
She also read:
OTHER PATHS TO GLORY BY ANTHONY PRICE
It is a thriller about something that happened after World War 1 but related to World War 1 and the Battle of the Somme in France. 60,000 British and allied soldiers were killed in one day. People in other countries were not taking the war very seriously. From England whole towns went together or all the miners from the village went together to fight overseas. By 1916 the Germans had time to get dug into the Somme. There were six levels down into the tunnels and none of the guns could reach it. Germans stayed snug with comforts of home, heating, trucks etc. A good book.
KRIS: YOUNG DIGGER BY ANTHONY HILL
This is a true story of a French boy called Henri Hermene who wanders in the Australian airmen's mess in Germany on Christmas Day in 1918. It is the end of World War 1 and the Allied forces are in Germany preparing to go home. It is based on family stories and archives with some artistic licence to fill in the gaps. Henri's mother is killed at the beginning of the war when their house is bombed. His father has also been killed fighting the war. He is rescued by an Englishman from the Royal Field Artilllery who takes him away in his car but he is also killed in Ypres and Henri needs to find a new protector. He attaches himself to various squadrons using his innocence and charm for survival. He is enticed into the Australian mess by the smell of chicken cooking and eventually becomes their mascot, affectionately known as the little Digger. An English born Australian air mechanic, Tim Tovell takes the boy under his wing and against great odds smuggles him back to Australia to live with his family. His brother Ted Tovell helps him. It is a heart warming story. The book is an easy read and I really enjoyed it.
ROSEMARIE: YOUNG DIGGER BY ANTHONY HILL
Rosemarie read this book as well and said it was a nice story. It had a sad ending because Henri died in the end in a motor bike accident. In the book no information is given to the adopted parents. Although he had lived with the Tovells in North Queensland he had to move to Melbourne to live with another family when he was old enough to do an apprenticeship with the forces. When he dies the Tovells did not have any input about his grave etc. There was a plaque and monument but it was destroyed and the gravesite became derelict. Rosemarie spoke about the new ending written since, where the gravesite has been restored and a particular verse Tim Tovell had hoped to have on the original gravestone was now possible. The verse was "Who plucked the flower, The Master, The Gardener held his peace." It is also on his son Timmy's grave who had died while his father was in France.
JO: THE GREAT WAR - ILLUSTRATED HISTORY - BY PHIL CARRADICE
Jo said it was a fantastic story. She spoke about the stupid general. The casualty list was enormous just to gain a couple of yards. All the problems going into World War 11 were because of what happened in World War 1. Wonderful photographs.
PAT: SOLDIER BOY BY ANTHONY HILL
This is an earlier book by Anthony Hill who wrote the Young Digger. Once again it is a true story about Jim Martin, the youngest Australian soldier, an Anzac. The book is based on six surviving letters, family recollections and archives. He was 14 but looked older and was tall for his age. His father was rejected from joining the forces so Jim said he would go instead. The family did not want him to go but he said if they didn't give written consent he would change his name and they wouldn't hear from him again. If they did give their written consent he promised to write regularly. They did not need a birth certificate. Unfortunately he did not get any of his parents letters which saddened him. He developed typhoid and only lasted four months. He didn't go to the medic for help for fear of his age being discovered. Good book.
CLAURENE: EMPIRES OF THE DEAD BY DAVID CRANE
The book is set in France at the beginning of World War 1 It is a true story about Fabian Ware who went to France with a motley lot of vehicles donated from the Red Cross and RACV to start a mobile ambulance unit. He was horrified by the treatment of the dead and he started recording the identity of people who died, the position where they were buried etc. He put in a cross with their details of rank and unit etc. He established a war graves registry unit. He became the war graves commissioner. He had been in South Africa and was a very good organizer. He had lots of problems and red tape to get through to accomplish it but he battled to get it done. It is a true story. Claurene loved it and said it was a beautiful book.
ED: MY DEAR I WANTED TO TELL YOU BY LOUISA YOUNG
It is a novel and Ed did enjoy it. The title refers to a standard form letter sent to families of wounded soldiers to let them know they were in hospital. The book is about the experience of the women left at home. An interesting part of the book is about an actual person Dr Harold Gillies, originally from New Zealand, who wrote a book called Plastic Surgery of the Face (1920). He operated on the wounded men. There are photographs of some of the wounds and burns of the soldiers. It is a good book, not graphic and has a nice love story.
CONNIE: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT BY ERICH REMARQUE
Connie knew she would be depressed and upset by the book. She had to keep reminding herself that this was about German boys. The main character is Paul who writes in the first person. It is fiction but based on a lot of experiences. It is about a group of schoolmates, about 18 years old, who all go off to fight on the western front. Their schoolmaster practically forces them to go and most of the book is set in France. It is depressing but has moments of such tenderness within the groups. There is a little bit of comical relief in the humorous things they get up to and Connie is glad she read the book.
PAULINE:
She also read All Quiet on the Western Front. She had tried it two years ago and could not finish it. She gave it a second go and finished it. The author was banned by the Nazis and he moved to Switzerland, then to the United States and then back again to Switzerland. Pauline said it was very unsettling but she did enjoy it.
BEV: SHOULDER THE SKY BY ANNE PERRY
It is a novel and the third of a set of books. Bev has never read Anne Perry before. She didn't realize it was part of a series. It is the story of a family whose father had connections with someone in Germany. He got wind of a plan that Germany wanted to form an alliance with England. The father has two sons, one a chaplain and one in the intelligence service. They are trying to find out the identity of the peacemaker. The secret service will deal with him but Bev was disappointed that his identity wasn't revealed.
ANNE: ANGELS IN THE GLOOM BY ANNE PERRY
This is a part of the series of the previous book mentioned. It is once again about the Reavley family. The chaplain is the brother of Matthew Reavley who is in the Intelligence Service. The sister is an ambulance driver at the front. The peacemaker has had the chaplain's parents murdered.
JULIA: WE SHALL NOT SLEEP BY ANNE PERRY
This is the fifth in the series with the two novels previously mentioned by Anne Perry. Julia didn't really enjoy it although it is considered one of her best. It is about the Reavley family. As she had not read the earlier books she didn't know anything about the Reavley family. It is about the Western front and the soldiers are abusing the German soldiers. The peacemaker is also in this book. Julia feels she is a versatile author but did not really enjoy this book.
DIANNE: TO HELL AND BACK BY SYDNEY LOCH
Dianne said it was very graphic. You get a personal involvement as it gives you a bit of Sydney Loch's background in Australia. He goes to Gallipoli and he gets typhoid. He is sent to hospital where he keeps journals which are eventually turned into a book. He is horrified by war. He couldn't get the book published so he turned it into a novel but still couldn't get it published. He needed the money so he wanted to get it published back in Australia but the censors tried to stop it. It gets right into the nitty gritty. He later marries and he wants to help humanity. Dame Murdoch gives him funds to help with his humanitarian activities.
ANNETTE: BOY SOLDIERS OF THE GREAT WAR BY RICHARD VAN EMDEN
One of the youngest boys ever recorded going over the top was only 12. They had boring, heavy, dirty jobs. The young boys thought it was a great adventure. They didn't need birth certificates to join up to fight and they often gave false names. The book is first set in England. The recruitment officers got paid for the number who joined so they turned a blind eye. Some of the boys became officers quickly and excelled. They got medals for bravery. Others got petrified by the death and the shooting. The information was put together from boys' diaries. There was also an 18 year old female nurse who went out to the front. It was horrific.
JAYNE: STORIES OF LOVE AND WAR BY REBECCA BRITT
Rebecca is the curator of the War Memorial. She used the archives to do a whole lot of short stories about courtships and marriages. There are beautiful photographs and copies of love letters. etc. It covers both the first and second world wars. A lot of men survived and came back. One of the stories with photos is about a soldier getting married to a nurse. Jayne said it was not depressing and nice to read about love surviving.
LAURA: TUG OF WAR BY BARBARA CLEVERLY
It is a fictional book set just after the war. It is a mystery. It is about a soldier shipped back from Germany to France. It is set in France. He has no I.D. There is a photo put in the paper but they had thousands of replies claiming him. It shows how the families and villages were affected by the war. Many of the women just wanted a man in the house for physical help or to get a government pension. France was devastated. A British soldier is sent over to investigate as the soldier speaks in English when he has nightmares. Many of the Allied soldiers were billeted in France with a family, a week of normality before they were sent back. It was like a little bit of home for them. The mystery is eventually solved and they find out where he should be but perhaps not where he belongs.
TAM: A LONG LONG WAY BY SEBASTIAN BARRY
This is a novel. The main character is Willie Dunne, an Irish private. He seems to be in a kind of a fog, a bit vague. He goes off to fight with the allied troops in World War 1. In the meantime the Irish are rising up against the British. When he goes home on leave his friends reject him. His father also gives up on him when he helps a rebel. His girlfriend gives up on him as well when she finds he has had his first sexual experience in France. There are battles on all fronts. He questions why he is alive when someone else is dead. Tam will be thinking about all of these soldiers on Anzac Day.
LESLEY: GALLIPOLI: OUR LAST MAN STANDING BY JONATHAN KING
He is a journalist who was interested in the stories of the last ten surviving Anzacs. This is the story of Alec, born in 1899. He joined at 15. He was an excellent shooter, excellent horseman, slight build and a poor student. He had Scottish heritage and belonged to the Presbyterian church. He wanted to go to war and would have forged his signature if his parents did not sign. He was not part of the landing group at Gallipoli. He was in the front line but never got shot. The fellow in front of him got shot and fell with his gun. The gun hit him in the face and damaged his nerves. He then got influenza and had to leave. He was part of the withdrawal. He was then going to France but developed Bell's Palsy and had to come home at sixteen and a half years old. He became very political, joined the union movement. He was 103 when he died. Lesley enjoyed book.
JOAN: BRAVE BESS AND THE ANZAC HORSES BY SUZANNE BROCCER
Bess was a horse born in 1910 in New Zealand. The story is told through her eyes. 10,000 horses were sent to war from New Zealand and only one returned, Bess. Loading was very difficult on the troop carriers. There were brass bands, hooters etc. trying to get them up. They had to stand up for seven weeks. At the other end they had to put them in slings and haul them over. At Cairo there were no green fields to graze on. One of the big problems was water. They didn't have to charge the enemy anymore. One man was responsible for his own horse and three others and they were taken behind the lines. 8 million horses died during the war. Bess got home and died in 1934. Joan enjoyed the book.
JUDY: WAR HORSE BY MICHAEL MORPURGO
This book was written as a children's book in 1983. The horse, Joey is telling the story. It is a very sweet story. It is set in Devon where a poor farmer, who drinks too much, buys a horse. His son, Albert takes care of him, teaches him and trains him. There is a little bit of war thrown in but not too much. Half the horses were killed but Joey survives. He is captured by the Germans and used to transport cannons. He runs off and ends up in No Man's Land. He gets caught up in barb wire and a soldier from both sides help release him and talk to each other. In the meantime Albert has joined up and Joey finds him. Joey has tetanus and Albert nurses him back to health. They are not taking any horses back but Albert does get him back to Devon. There are no gory details.
MARIE: WORLD WAR 1 LAYMAN'S GUIDE
Marie said she had limited knowledge of World War 1 and wanted to learn more. She treated this as a project. It covered all the major battles. She learnt how they brought the soldiers up the wrong side at Gallipoli. She thoroughly enjoyed it and looked up all the places to give her an idea of where they were etc.
It was about the battle of the Somme and life in the trenches. She found it so depressing.
She also read:
OTHER PATHS TO GLORY BY ANTHONY PRICE
It is a thriller about something that happened after World War 1 but related to World War 1 and the Battle of the Somme in France. 60,000 British and allied soldiers were killed in one day. People in other countries were not taking the war very seriously. From England whole towns went together or all the miners from the village went together to fight overseas. By 1916 the Germans had time to get dug into the Somme. There were six levels down into the tunnels and none of the guns could reach it. Germans stayed snug with comforts of home, heating, trucks etc. A good book.
KRIS: YOUNG DIGGER BY ANTHONY HILL
This is a true story of a French boy called Henri Hermene who wanders in the Australian airmen's mess in Germany on Christmas Day in 1918. It is the end of World War 1 and the Allied forces are in Germany preparing to go home. It is based on family stories and archives with some artistic licence to fill in the gaps. Henri's mother is killed at the beginning of the war when their house is bombed. His father has also been killed fighting the war. He is rescued by an Englishman from the Royal Field Artilllery who takes him away in his car but he is also killed in Ypres and Henri needs to find a new protector. He attaches himself to various squadrons using his innocence and charm for survival. He is enticed into the Australian mess by the smell of chicken cooking and eventually becomes their mascot, affectionately known as the little Digger. An English born Australian air mechanic, Tim Tovell takes the boy under his wing and against great odds smuggles him back to Australia to live with his family. His brother Ted Tovell helps him. It is a heart warming story. The book is an easy read and I really enjoyed it.
ROSEMARIE: YOUNG DIGGER BY ANTHONY HILL
Rosemarie read this book as well and said it was a nice story. It had a sad ending because Henri died in the end in a motor bike accident. In the book no information is given to the adopted parents. Although he had lived with the Tovells in North Queensland he had to move to Melbourne to live with another family when he was old enough to do an apprenticeship with the forces. When he dies the Tovells did not have any input about his grave etc. There was a plaque and monument but it was destroyed and the gravesite became derelict. Rosemarie spoke about the new ending written since, where the gravesite has been restored and a particular verse Tim Tovell had hoped to have on the original gravestone was now possible. The verse was "Who plucked the flower, The Master, The Gardener held his peace." It is also on his son Timmy's grave who had died while his father was in France.
JO: THE GREAT WAR - ILLUSTRATED HISTORY - BY PHIL CARRADICE
Jo said it was a fantastic story. She spoke about the stupid general. The casualty list was enormous just to gain a couple of yards. All the problems going into World War 11 were because of what happened in World War 1. Wonderful photographs.
PAT: SOLDIER BOY BY ANTHONY HILL
This is an earlier book by Anthony Hill who wrote the Young Digger. Once again it is a true story about Jim Martin, the youngest Australian soldier, an Anzac. The book is based on six surviving letters, family recollections and archives. He was 14 but looked older and was tall for his age. His father was rejected from joining the forces so Jim said he would go instead. The family did not want him to go but he said if they didn't give written consent he would change his name and they wouldn't hear from him again. If they did give their written consent he promised to write regularly. They did not need a birth certificate. Unfortunately he did not get any of his parents letters which saddened him. He developed typhoid and only lasted four months. He didn't go to the medic for help for fear of his age being discovered. Good book.
CLAURENE: EMPIRES OF THE DEAD BY DAVID CRANE
The book is set in France at the beginning of World War 1 It is a true story about Fabian Ware who went to France with a motley lot of vehicles donated from the Red Cross and RACV to start a mobile ambulance unit. He was horrified by the treatment of the dead and he started recording the identity of people who died, the position where they were buried etc. He put in a cross with their details of rank and unit etc. He established a war graves registry unit. He became the war graves commissioner. He had been in South Africa and was a very good organizer. He had lots of problems and red tape to get through to accomplish it but he battled to get it done. It is a true story. Claurene loved it and said it was a beautiful book.
ED: MY DEAR I WANTED TO TELL YOU BY LOUISA YOUNG
It is a novel and Ed did enjoy it. The title refers to a standard form letter sent to families of wounded soldiers to let them know they were in hospital. The book is about the experience of the women left at home. An interesting part of the book is about an actual person Dr Harold Gillies, originally from New Zealand, who wrote a book called Plastic Surgery of the Face (1920). He operated on the wounded men. There are photographs of some of the wounds and burns of the soldiers. It is a good book, not graphic and has a nice love story.
CONNIE: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT BY ERICH REMARQUE
Connie knew she would be depressed and upset by the book. She had to keep reminding herself that this was about German boys. The main character is Paul who writes in the first person. It is fiction but based on a lot of experiences. It is about a group of schoolmates, about 18 years old, who all go off to fight on the western front. Their schoolmaster practically forces them to go and most of the book is set in France. It is depressing but has moments of such tenderness within the groups. There is a little bit of comical relief in the humorous things they get up to and Connie is glad she read the book.
PAULINE:
She also read All Quiet on the Western Front. She had tried it two years ago and could not finish it. She gave it a second go and finished it. The author was banned by the Nazis and he moved to Switzerland, then to the United States and then back again to Switzerland. Pauline said it was very unsettling but she did enjoy it.
BEV: SHOULDER THE SKY BY ANNE PERRY
It is a novel and the third of a set of books. Bev has never read Anne Perry before. She didn't realize it was part of a series. It is the story of a family whose father had connections with someone in Germany. He got wind of a plan that Germany wanted to form an alliance with England. The father has two sons, one a chaplain and one in the intelligence service. They are trying to find out the identity of the peacemaker. The secret service will deal with him but Bev was disappointed that his identity wasn't revealed.
ANNE: ANGELS IN THE GLOOM BY ANNE PERRY
This is a part of the series of the previous book mentioned. It is once again about the Reavley family. The chaplain is the brother of Matthew Reavley who is in the Intelligence Service. The sister is an ambulance driver at the front. The peacemaker has had the chaplain's parents murdered.
JULIA: WE SHALL NOT SLEEP BY ANNE PERRY
This is the fifth in the series with the two novels previously mentioned by Anne Perry. Julia didn't really enjoy it although it is considered one of her best. It is about the Reavley family. As she had not read the earlier books she didn't know anything about the Reavley family. It is about the Western front and the soldiers are abusing the German soldiers. The peacemaker is also in this book. Julia feels she is a versatile author but did not really enjoy this book.
DIANNE: TO HELL AND BACK BY SYDNEY LOCH
Dianne said it was very graphic. You get a personal involvement as it gives you a bit of Sydney Loch's background in Australia. He goes to Gallipoli and he gets typhoid. He is sent to hospital where he keeps journals which are eventually turned into a book. He is horrified by war. He couldn't get the book published so he turned it into a novel but still couldn't get it published. He needed the money so he wanted to get it published back in Australia but the censors tried to stop it. It gets right into the nitty gritty. He later marries and he wants to help humanity. Dame Murdoch gives him funds to help with his humanitarian activities.
ANNETTE: BOY SOLDIERS OF THE GREAT WAR BY RICHARD VAN EMDEN
One of the youngest boys ever recorded going over the top was only 12. They had boring, heavy, dirty jobs. The young boys thought it was a great adventure. They didn't need birth certificates to join up to fight and they often gave false names. The book is first set in England. The recruitment officers got paid for the number who joined so they turned a blind eye. Some of the boys became officers quickly and excelled. They got medals for bravery. Others got petrified by the death and the shooting. The information was put together from boys' diaries. There was also an 18 year old female nurse who went out to the front. It was horrific.
JAYNE: STORIES OF LOVE AND WAR BY REBECCA BRITT
Rebecca is the curator of the War Memorial. She used the archives to do a whole lot of short stories about courtships and marriages. There are beautiful photographs and copies of love letters. etc. It covers both the first and second world wars. A lot of men survived and came back. One of the stories with photos is about a soldier getting married to a nurse. Jayne said it was not depressing and nice to read about love surviving.
LAURA: TUG OF WAR BY BARBARA CLEVERLY
It is a fictional book set just after the war. It is a mystery. It is about a soldier shipped back from Germany to France. It is set in France. He has no I.D. There is a photo put in the paper but they had thousands of replies claiming him. It shows how the families and villages were affected by the war. Many of the women just wanted a man in the house for physical help or to get a government pension. France was devastated. A British soldier is sent over to investigate as the soldier speaks in English when he has nightmares. Many of the Allied soldiers were billeted in France with a family, a week of normality before they were sent back. It was like a little bit of home for them. The mystery is eventually solved and they find out where he should be but perhaps not where he belongs.
TAM: A LONG LONG WAY BY SEBASTIAN BARRY
This is a novel. The main character is Willie Dunne, an Irish private. He seems to be in a kind of a fog, a bit vague. He goes off to fight with the allied troops in World War 1. In the meantime the Irish are rising up against the British. When he goes home on leave his friends reject him. His father also gives up on him when he helps a rebel. His girlfriend gives up on him as well when she finds he has had his first sexual experience in France. There are battles on all fronts. He questions why he is alive when someone else is dead. Tam will be thinking about all of these soldiers on Anzac Day.
LESLEY: GALLIPOLI: OUR LAST MAN STANDING BY JONATHAN KING
He is a journalist who was interested in the stories of the last ten surviving Anzacs. This is the story of Alec, born in 1899. He joined at 15. He was an excellent shooter, excellent horseman, slight build and a poor student. He had Scottish heritage and belonged to the Presbyterian church. He wanted to go to war and would have forged his signature if his parents did not sign. He was not part of the landing group at Gallipoli. He was in the front line but never got shot. The fellow in front of him got shot and fell with his gun. The gun hit him in the face and damaged his nerves. He then got influenza and had to leave. He was part of the withdrawal. He was then going to France but developed Bell's Palsy and had to come home at sixteen and a half years old. He became very political, joined the union movement. He was 103 when he died. Lesley enjoyed book.
JOAN: BRAVE BESS AND THE ANZAC HORSES BY SUZANNE BROCCER
Bess was a horse born in 1910 in New Zealand. The story is told through her eyes. 10,000 horses were sent to war from New Zealand and only one returned, Bess. Loading was very difficult on the troop carriers. There were brass bands, hooters etc. trying to get them up. They had to stand up for seven weeks. At the other end they had to put them in slings and haul them over. At Cairo there were no green fields to graze on. One of the big problems was water. They didn't have to charge the enemy anymore. One man was responsible for his own horse and three others and they were taken behind the lines. 8 million horses died during the war. Bess got home and died in 1934. Joan enjoyed the book.
JUDY: WAR HORSE BY MICHAEL MORPURGO
This book was written as a children's book in 1983. The horse, Joey is telling the story. It is a very sweet story. It is set in Devon where a poor farmer, who drinks too much, buys a horse. His son, Albert takes care of him, teaches him and trains him. There is a little bit of war thrown in but not too much. Half the horses were killed but Joey survives. He is captured by the Germans and used to transport cannons. He runs off and ends up in No Man's Land. He gets caught up in barb wire and a soldier from both sides help release him and talk to each other. In the meantime Albert has joined up and Joey finds him. Joey has tetanus and Albert nurses him back to health. They are not taking any horses back but Albert does get him back to Devon. There are no gory details.
MARIE: WORLD WAR 1 LAYMAN'S GUIDE
Marie said she had limited knowledge of World War 1 and wanted to learn more. She treated this as a project. It covered all the major battles. She learnt how they brought the soldiers up the wrong side at Gallipoli. She thoroughly enjoyed it and looked up all the places to give her an idea of where they were etc.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
MARCH - ROMANCE
JULIA: THURSDAY'S CHILD BY SANDRA BROWN
Julia said it was a light romance and a nice read but if you don't like romance the author also writes thrillers. Julia said she is a versatile writer and Julia has read The Crush and half a dozen other thrillers written by Sandra Brown. She said you can't pick the ending.
ANNETTE: APRIL FOOL'S DAY BY BRYCE COURTENAY
The story is about Bryce Courtenay's son who died from haemophilia. It was a difficult life looking after him. He was in incredible pain and the slightest knock would mean a trip to the hospital. His son's mate was going out with a lovely girl but when Bryce's son and the girl met, they fell in love. Hence the love story. On the back of the book it writes about the impact a loving relationship can have on a person. Aids was prevalent at the time. He got aids from an unclean blood transfusion. The son, family and girlfriend experienced incredible stigma. Annette loved it and said it was extremely good.
DIANNE: THE ABORTIONIST'S DAUGHTER BY ELISABETH HYDE
Dianne finished the book but did not like it and would not recommend it. The Abortionist gets murdered and the daughter has a romance with the detective on the case. It does have a nice ending - good relationship at the end. It leaves you on a bit of a high but Dianne couldn't work out whether the author was for or against abortion.
TAM: LETTER FROM A STRANGER BY BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD
Tam had not read this author before. All the characters are too perfect - beautiful, good jobs and plenty of money. The main character goes to Istanbul in search of her beloved grandmother after seeing a letter from her grandmother to her mother. She thought her grandmother had died many years before. Tam said she doesn't normally like romance but it was an easy read and the setting in Istanbul made it interesting.
JANE: THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY BY ROBERT JAMES WALLER
The book is set in 1965. Robert Kinkaid is a National Geographic photographer who is in Iowa to photograph the covered bridges of Madison County. While looking for them he meets Francesca an Italian warbride married to a farmer. Francesca has been desperate to find someone to talk to about creative and artistic pursuits. She finds it in the photographer. They make a connection and fall madly in love. They have a passionate affair over four days while Francesca's husband and children are away. He wants her to run away with him but they have responsibilities and so he leaves. It is a real love story - a genuine love story but it ends and they never know what happens to the other. Jane said it was a good book.
ROSEMARIE: ON CHESEL BEACH BY IAN MCEWAN
Ian McEwan was born in 1948 and is the winner of the Booker Prize. This book is set in July, 1962 just prior to the sexual revolution. Edward and Florence the main characters are honeymooning in Dorset. It is a real love story and they are both virgins. They are from different backgrounds but it doesn't make any difference to them or their families. He is a son of a schoolmaster and she is a talented violinist from a well to do family. The story takes place over a 2-3hour period. Edward is keen to consumate the marriage and Florence is terrified of sexual intimacy. The book is very sexually descriptive and the tension builds over a 2 hour period. There is a lack of communication between them and this results in something sad. It was an easy read.
JOAN: A WALLFLOWER XMAS BY LISA KLEYPAS
Joan said it was so easy to read but she also read CONVENIENT MARRIAGE BY GEORGETTE HEYER. She found this much more intriguing. It was written in 1935. She was credited with establishing the Regency period romance novels. This book was set about 1776 in class structured England. The wealthy Earl wants to marry Lizzie, an impoverished beauty but she wants a love match. Joan found it very interesting as she had never read any of her books.
ANNE: THE ROSY PROJECT BY GRAEME SIMSION
It is written in the first person with Don Tillman the narrator. He is a professor of genetics who has Aspergers. He has to give a lecture on Aspergers. He ends the lecture saying "a lot of people have Aspergers and don't know it." He is 39, daggy, endearing and has decided he wants to get married so he starts the "wife project". He does speed dating and prepares a 16 page questionnaire. He wants someone who is punctual, a non smoker, a non drinker etc. etc. Rosy Jarman is looking for her biological father and convinces him to help her find her father. This becomes the "father project". Rosy fails in every requirement. Anne said it was very enjoyable, quirky and the words are cleverly chosen.
ROSEMARIE O: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE BY JANE AUSTEN
The main male character, Mr Darcy is puffed up and proud but Elizabeth, the main female character, cuts him off at the knees. Mr Darcy is raked over the coals by his Aunty who expects him to marry the cousin. Rosemarie says the book is just like the movie, nearly word to word perfect to the BBC video. Mrs. Bennett, Elizabeth's mother goes husband hunting. She has five daughters to marry off. Rosemarie found the first line in the book very amusing "It's a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
PAULINE: PERSUASION BY JANE AUSTEN
Pauline had never read Jane Austen until two years ago. She has read three since and enjoyed Persuasion the most. The book centres around Walter Elliot who is a Baronet. He has lost his wife. He has three daughters. He is a very proud man and a line in the book states "vanity was the beginning and end for Walter Elliot - in looks and position". His eldest daughter Elizabeth, like her father, is proud and conceited. She tends to take the position of the wife. The second eldest daughter Mary is married with children but she is always complaining of being sick and wants constant attention. The story is about Anne, the youngest daughter and Frederick Wentworth who fall in love. Anne's aunt didn't want her to marry him as he had little prospects. She was persuaded not to marry him. They meet again when Anne is twenty eight and both are still unmarried.
KRIS: PERSUASION BY JANE AUSTEN
Kris also read Persuasion and thought it was a great read. The book begins eight years after Anne has given way to persuasion by the much loved Lady Russell to give up Frederick Wentworth, a young naval officer. Lady Russell felt he would not be able to support a wife and family. He is now a successful and rich naval officer who has risen through the ranks. Anne is an attractive 28 yr old who is unmarried, lonely and unappreciated by her family but Captain Wentworth has held a grudge towards Anne all this time for her rejection of him. He has misunderstood and misjudged her and is intent on marrying someone else, almost anyone. Mary's (Anne's sister) in-laws live nearby and they have two pretty unmarried daughters who are very attracted to Captain Wentworth. The blurb on the back of the book says "In striving for their eventual reconciliation Anne must overcome many hazards, not least of which is the affection that Frederick develops for Henrietta and Louisa, two lively young charmers". Beautifully written.
CLAURENE: REGENCY BUCK BY GEORGETTE HEYER
This is a period romance which covers all the things Claurene enjoys. The book was written in 1935 and Claurene finds her books "comfort books in difficult times". It is a love story. The main character is an heiress and someone is trying to kill her brother. The dialogue is amusing and there are amusing details about where it is set, mainly in Bath. Georgette Heyer also wrote mysteries but Claurene did not enjoy them.
ED: THE LOVE KNOT BY CHARLOTTE BINGHAM
Charlotte Bingham is a prolific writer of books and television series. This is a nice easy read, a very light story. The story is about three girls and the trials and tribulations of their falling in love. It is set in the late 1800's, early 1900's. The characters are aristocratic and wealthy. It is the advent of the car. Ed enjoyed the book.
JO: ROSE COTTAGE BY MARY STEWART
The story is set at the end of World War II. A war widow returns to the cottage (Rose Cottage) where she was born. She finds out her mother, thought to be dead for the last thirty years, is still alive. The war widow falls in love with the next door neighbour. They used to play together as children. Jo said it was a beautiful, beautiful story.
BEV: A WEEK IN WINTER BY MAEVE BINCHY
When the youngest daughter from a big family on the coast of West Ireland meets an American tourist, there is disapproval from the family. Despite this, she goes with him to America. He never marries her and eventually leaves her. She is too embarrassed to admit this to her family. Her niece wants to visit but she tells her she can't come as her husband has been killed in a car accident. She is friends with the landlady of a boarding house and after doing a few courses decides to buy and do up a hotel. A week in winter is based on the first week in this hotel. It is all about the lives of the people who come to stay. Bev enjoyed the book.
PAT: THE RED THREAD BY NICHOLAS JOSE
The author was born in London but worked in Shanghai and Beijing in 1986-1990. Pat said it was not believable, not interesting and just silly. The main character is an art appraiser. He is looking for the missing two chapters of a six chapter ancient Chinese manuscript. He falls in love with an Australian woman. Pat wouldn't recommend it.
CONNIE: TIM BY COLLEEN MCCULLOUGH
This is a love story. The main character is Tim, a 25yr old, tall, blonde, handsome but intellectually handicapped young man. He lives next door to a 40yr old career woman. The parents look after Tim very well but don't teach him anything. His workmates taunt him. His neighbour, Mary notices this and tries to teach him. He takes a while to realise he has a friend in her. His tied to his mother and father and when his mother dies, he is devastated. Mary comforts him. She teaches him to embrace her, but when he kisses her he doesn't know when to stop. She teaches him to handle his feelings. Eventually they get married. Connie really enjoyed it and said it was very Australian.
SHEILA: MR CHEN'S EMPORIUM BY DEBORAH O'BRIEN
Sheila likes Australian writing. It is a story of two women who are born 200 years apart. In 1872, a seventeen year old Amy Duncan arrives in the goldfields. She is disappointed with the dusty town until she walks into Mr. Chen's Emporium. Mr. Chen is Chinese but has one foot in each country as he was brought up by Australians. There is discrimination shown to the Chinese and when Amy falls in love with Mr. Chen she is not allowed to marry him. The other woman in the story is a modern day widow who comes to live in the same house in this town 200 years later. Amy's keepsakes are found in a trunk and she decides to learn more about Amy's life.
PAMELA: THE TRANSIT OF VENUS BY SHIRLEY HAZZARD
When Pamela first read this book she thought it was the perfect novel. Venus is the goddess of love and transit means going across. Pamela thought the ambiguity of the book made it very attractive. The book is set in Australia briefly, London, then New York and Stockholm during the 1950's to 1980's. The two main characters are two Australian orphans, Carolyn and Grace Bell. Their mother was drowned after a ferry accident in the1930's. The story centres mainly on Carolyn's relationships with three men, one being an astronomer and another a playwright. The book explores the happiness or otherwise of human relationships. Pamela liked the book second time around until towards the end. Pamela felt, in the last few pages of the book, the author contradicted the theme of "selflessness" shown throughout the rest of the book. She was disappointed as she thinks Shirley Hazzard is a good writer, but the book was ruined by the ending.
Julia said it was a light romance and a nice read but if you don't like romance the author also writes thrillers. Julia said she is a versatile writer and Julia has read The Crush and half a dozen other thrillers written by Sandra Brown. She said you can't pick the ending.
ANNETTE: APRIL FOOL'S DAY BY BRYCE COURTENAY
The story is about Bryce Courtenay's son who died from haemophilia. It was a difficult life looking after him. He was in incredible pain and the slightest knock would mean a trip to the hospital. His son's mate was going out with a lovely girl but when Bryce's son and the girl met, they fell in love. Hence the love story. On the back of the book it writes about the impact a loving relationship can have on a person. Aids was prevalent at the time. He got aids from an unclean blood transfusion. The son, family and girlfriend experienced incredible stigma. Annette loved it and said it was extremely good.
DIANNE: THE ABORTIONIST'S DAUGHTER BY ELISABETH HYDE
Dianne finished the book but did not like it and would not recommend it. The Abortionist gets murdered and the daughter has a romance with the detective on the case. It does have a nice ending - good relationship at the end. It leaves you on a bit of a high but Dianne couldn't work out whether the author was for or against abortion.
TAM: LETTER FROM A STRANGER BY BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD
Tam had not read this author before. All the characters are too perfect - beautiful, good jobs and plenty of money. The main character goes to Istanbul in search of her beloved grandmother after seeing a letter from her grandmother to her mother. She thought her grandmother had died many years before. Tam said she doesn't normally like romance but it was an easy read and the setting in Istanbul made it interesting.
JANE: THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY BY ROBERT JAMES WALLER
The book is set in 1965. Robert Kinkaid is a National Geographic photographer who is in Iowa to photograph the covered bridges of Madison County. While looking for them he meets Francesca an Italian warbride married to a farmer. Francesca has been desperate to find someone to talk to about creative and artistic pursuits. She finds it in the photographer. They make a connection and fall madly in love. They have a passionate affair over four days while Francesca's husband and children are away. He wants her to run away with him but they have responsibilities and so he leaves. It is a real love story - a genuine love story but it ends and they never know what happens to the other. Jane said it was a good book.
ROSEMARIE: ON CHESEL BEACH BY IAN MCEWAN
Ian McEwan was born in 1948 and is the winner of the Booker Prize. This book is set in July, 1962 just prior to the sexual revolution. Edward and Florence the main characters are honeymooning in Dorset. It is a real love story and they are both virgins. They are from different backgrounds but it doesn't make any difference to them or their families. He is a son of a schoolmaster and she is a talented violinist from a well to do family. The story takes place over a 2-3hour period. Edward is keen to consumate the marriage and Florence is terrified of sexual intimacy. The book is very sexually descriptive and the tension builds over a 2 hour period. There is a lack of communication between them and this results in something sad. It was an easy read.
JOAN: A WALLFLOWER XMAS BY LISA KLEYPAS
Joan said it was so easy to read but she also read CONVENIENT MARRIAGE BY GEORGETTE HEYER. She found this much more intriguing. It was written in 1935. She was credited with establishing the Regency period romance novels. This book was set about 1776 in class structured England. The wealthy Earl wants to marry Lizzie, an impoverished beauty but she wants a love match. Joan found it very interesting as she had never read any of her books.
ANNE: THE ROSY PROJECT BY GRAEME SIMSION
It is written in the first person with Don Tillman the narrator. He is a professor of genetics who has Aspergers. He has to give a lecture on Aspergers. He ends the lecture saying "a lot of people have Aspergers and don't know it." He is 39, daggy, endearing and has decided he wants to get married so he starts the "wife project". He does speed dating and prepares a 16 page questionnaire. He wants someone who is punctual, a non smoker, a non drinker etc. etc. Rosy Jarman is looking for her biological father and convinces him to help her find her father. This becomes the "father project". Rosy fails in every requirement. Anne said it was very enjoyable, quirky and the words are cleverly chosen.
ROSEMARIE O: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE BY JANE AUSTEN
The main male character, Mr Darcy is puffed up and proud but Elizabeth, the main female character, cuts him off at the knees. Mr Darcy is raked over the coals by his Aunty who expects him to marry the cousin. Rosemarie says the book is just like the movie, nearly word to word perfect to the BBC video. Mrs. Bennett, Elizabeth's mother goes husband hunting. She has five daughters to marry off. Rosemarie found the first line in the book very amusing "It's a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
PAULINE: PERSUASION BY JANE AUSTEN
Pauline had never read Jane Austen until two years ago. She has read three since and enjoyed Persuasion the most. The book centres around Walter Elliot who is a Baronet. He has lost his wife. He has three daughters. He is a very proud man and a line in the book states "vanity was the beginning and end for Walter Elliot - in looks and position". His eldest daughter Elizabeth, like her father, is proud and conceited. She tends to take the position of the wife. The second eldest daughter Mary is married with children but she is always complaining of being sick and wants constant attention. The story is about Anne, the youngest daughter and Frederick Wentworth who fall in love. Anne's aunt didn't want her to marry him as he had little prospects. She was persuaded not to marry him. They meet again when Anne is twenty eight and both are still unmarried.
KRIS: PERSUASION BY JANE AUSTEN
Kris also read Persuasion and thought it was a great read. The book begins eight years after Anne has given way to persuasion by the much loved Lady Russell to give up Frederick Wentworth, a young naval officer. Lady Russell felt he would not be able to support a wife and family. He is now a successful and rich naval officer who has risen through the ranks. Anne is an attractive 28 yr old who is unmarried, lonely and unappreciated by her family but Captain Wentworth has held a grudge towards Anne all this time for her rejection of him. He has misunderstood and misjudged her and is intent on marrying someone else, almost anyone. Mary's (Anne's sister) in-laws live nearby and they have two pretty unmarried daughters who are very attracted to Captain Wentworth. The blurb on the back of the book says "In striving for their eventual reconciliation Anne must overcome many hazards, not least of which is the affection that Frederick develops for Henrietta and Louisa, two lively young charmers". Beautifully written.
CLAURENE: REGENCY BUCK BY GEORGETTE HEYER
This is a period romance which covers all the things Claurene enjoys. The book was written in 1935 and Claurene finds her books "comfort books in difficult times". It is a love story. The main character is an heiress and someone is trying to kill her brother. The dialogue is amusing and there are amusing details about where it is set, mainly in Bath. Georgette Heyer also wrote mysteries but Claurene did not enjoy them.
ED: THE LOVE KNOT BY CHARLOTTE BINGHAM
Charlotte Bingham is a prolific writer of books and television series. This is a nice easy read, a very light story. The story is about three girls and the trials and tribulations of their falling in love. It is set in the late 1800's, early 1900's. The characters are aristocratic and wealthy. It is the advent of the car. Ed enjoyed the book.
JO: ROSE COTTAGE BY MARY STEWART
The story is set at the end of World War II. A war widow returns to the cottage (Rose Cottage) where she was born. She finds out her mother, thought to be dead for the last thirty years, is still alive. The war widow falls in love with the next door neighbour. They used to play together as children. Jo said it was a beautiful, beautiful story.
BEV: A WEEK IN WINTER BY MAEVE BINCHY
When the youngest daughter from a big family on the coast of West Ireland meets an American tourist, there is disapproval from the family. Despite this, she goes with him to America. He never marries her and eventually leaves her. She is too embarrassed to admit this to her family. Her niece wants to visit but she tells her she can't come as her husband has been killed in a car accident. She is friends with the landlady of a boarding house and after doing a few courses decides to buy and do up a hotel. A week in winter is based on the first week in this hotel. It is all about the lives of the people who come to stay. Bev enjoyed the book.
PAT: THE RED THREAD BY NICHOLAS JOSE
The author was born in London but worked in Shanghai and Beijing in 1986-1990. Pat said it was not believable, not interesting and just silly. The main character is an art appraiser. He is looking for the missing two chapters of a six chapter ancient Chinese manuscript. He falls in love with an Australian woman. Pat wouldn't recommend it.
CONNIE: TIM BY COLLEEN MCCULLOUGH
This is a love story. The main character is Tim, a 25yr old, tall, blonde, handsome but intellectually handicapped young man. He lives next door to a 40yr old career woman. The parents look after Tim very well but don't teach him anything. His workmates taunt him. His neighbour, Mary notices this and tries to teach him. He takes a while to realise he has a friend in her. His tied to his mother and father and when his mother dies, he is devastated. Mary comforts him. She teaches him to embrace her, but when he kisses her he doesn't know when to stop. She teaches him to handle his feelings. Eventually they get married. Connie really enjoyed it and said it was very Australian.
SHEILA: MR CHEN'S EMPORIUM BY DEBORAH O'BRIEN
Sheila likes Australian writing. It is a story of two women who are born 200 years apart. In 1872, a seventeen year old Amy Duncan arrives in the goldfields. She is disappointed with the dusty town until she walks into Mr. Chen's Emporium. Mr. Chen is Chinese but has one foot in each country as he was brought up by Australians. There is discrimination shown to the Chinese and when Amy falls in love with Mr. Chen she is not allowed to marry him. The other woman in the story is a modern day widow who comes to live in the same house in this town 200 years later. Amy's keepsakes are found in a trunk and she decides to learn more about Amy's life.
PAMELA: THE TRANSIT OF VENUS BY SHIRLEY HAZZARD
When Pamela first read this book she thought it was the perfect novel. Venus is the goddess of love and transit means going across. Pamela thought the ambiguity of the book made it very attractive. The book is set in Australia briefly, London, then New York and Stockholm during the 1950's to 1980's. The two main characters are two Australian orphans, Carolyn and Grace Bell. Their mother was drowned after a ferry accident in the1930's. The story centres mainly on Carolyn's relationships with three men, one being an astronomer and another a playwright. The book explores the happiness or otherwise of human relationships. Pamela liked the book second time around until towards the end. Pamela felt, in the last few pages of the book, the author contradicted the theme of "selflessness" shown throughout the rest of the book. She was disappointed as she thinks Shirley Hazzard is a good writer, but the book was ruined by the ending.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
February: the author Truman Capote
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Jayne:
The book is the first time Jayne has read this author. This novella (only 100 pages) was published in 1958 and the film followed in 1961. The movie is more toned down than the book as was necessary for the times. The story is quite raunchy. Jayne thought that Audrey Hepburn was too sweet and classy in the movie.
Jayne:
The book is the first time Jayne has read this author. This novella (only 100 pages) was published in 1958 and the film followed in 1961. The movie is more toned down than the book as was necessary for the times. The story is quite raunchy. Jayne thought that Audrey Hepburn was too sweet and classy in the movie.
The story......A lonely, struggling writer becomes
enchanted with his neighbor, an independent young woman who strives to be a
high-climbing socialite with a penchance for high-fashion and wild parties.
But, soon he uncovers the vulnerability she has at heart.
The jewellery store Tiffanys was a place Holly Golightly would go when she was feeling down. It was like a Nirvana for her and represented the fact that money could buy you anything....even Breakfast at Tiffanys.
Jayne thought it was a good read.
Pat:
She agreed with all of Jayne's comments.
Judy J:
Like the others, Judy also enjoyed reading it and commented that the film was very much a 'Hollywood' adaption of the book with a different beginning and ending. In fact Capote has been quoted as saying that the main character was modeled on Marilyn Monroe's early life and he had wanted her to play the part in the film.
One of the strengthens of the book is he way the author brings his characters to life with small but intimate details.
Judy G:
Judy also commented on how raunchy the book was, and although she enjoyed it, felt the story drifted at times.
Pamela:
She hated the film as it distorted the book and the characters.
Some of her thoughts:-
Holly is a person who is unable to make a commitment - she doesn't name her cat or refer to the narrator by his proper name. She exploits her position and uses people. The portrayal of the Japanese photographer is very racist. The only one she really cares for is her brother, her life is a facade. She realises this when she is charged by the police and is quickly dropped by most of her friends. She wont make any commitments, but you can't help liking her.
The book is an illustration of the loneliness of people in a city of many millions.
In Cold Blood
Lesley:
Truman Capote's real name was Truman Streckfus Persons and he came from a very dysfunctional family. He was friends with Harper Lee and Dill (a character from To Kill a Mockingbird) is said to be based on Capote.
In Cold Blood is based on a true story which had been reported in the New York Times. A midwestern family, the Clutters, who had been pillars of the local society, were brutally murdered in their own house, for no apparent motive.
Capote took 6 years to write the book after extensive research and it was really the first significant book in the genre of True Crime.
Lesley also commented on the strength of his writing as being his descriptions of people. He even created a feeling of sympathy for one of the killers, as you could see his life heading that way.
Rosemary S:
She agreed that there was sympathy for one of the killers, Perry. She felt he had been goaded into committing the murder. The book was intense reading and she thought there was a parallel between the family and the killers.
Tam:
She thought there were 2 underlying issues in the book.
Firstly, the death penalty - there was a lot of discussion at this time in Kansas about the morality of executing people.
Secondly, do you kill because of your environmental background or because of your hereditary genes? Perry had come from a terrible background but had a kind streak. Whereas Dick, his co-killer, came from a good family and had only set out to commit a robbery.
Connie:
Connie thought that Dick was greedy and wanted money and so he had to kill to get it.
She enjoyed the writing in the first section which introduced the characters and the places where it all happened. She could picture the whole scene.
Connie doesn't really like to read true crime, and she is not interested in the details of what had happened and why. She is also not really interested in finding out about the author, but just wants to read the story.
Jo:
Her comment was that the killers were only there because they were told the family had a large safe and they wanted the money. They had driven 800 miles to get there and hadn't thought of the ramifications.
Annette:
She was most interested in the forensic psychologist's evaluation of the 2 killers.
Among his findings were - Perry suffered from a severe mental illness, there was much brutality in his childhood. There was no love, direction or sense of moral value in his life. He had above average intelligence. He felt discriminated against and was overly sensitive to criticism. He was unable to control his rage, which was easily triggered and usually vented towards authority figures. The conclusion by the doctor was that he was capable of murder without apparent motive.
Maree:
As she was reading, Maree was hoping that the story could change. You have been introduced to this lovely family and you know they are going to be killed. Bad things happen to good people!
Dianne:
Dianne thought there was so much detail through out the book, particularly from the psychiatrist, and it gave you another depth. There was also much loneliness in the book.
The killers were victims, the family were victims and the community were victims as well.
Dianne was moved by the ending.
Joan:
Harper Lee and Truman Capote had exclusive access to the Clutter file and did extensive research. The book was an instant classic because of its biographical treatment of the victims and the killers, the forensic evidence and the psychological background of the killers.
It was an important book at the time.
The Grass Harp
Rosemary O
This book had been written from memories of the author's childhood in Alabama and the tree house in the backyard. Included in it were his cousin Sook and her dropsy medicine, the recipe of which she eventually took to her grave.
It was a strange book and full of weird characters with no real story.
Jane:
She agreed, saying she didn't love it or hate it. It just seemed to finish, with no real ending. The group goes and lives in a tree house.
Laura:
Laura also read the book but thought it was beautiful and loved the story. It was very real for her.
She saw it as struggles with family life, the power struggles in a family and who has what rites. It describes how family politics gets town politics involved in solving their problems. These eccentric characters found it very difficult to break out in such a place.
She thought it had a common theme of 'autumn'....the story is set in autumn and the people are in the autumn of their life, this is their last chance.
A Christmas Memory
Sheila:
Although only 45 pages long, the story has been published separately. Again, this story is influenced by the author's early life. Until 10years old he had lived in Alabama with extended family members. Among them was a simple, older cousin with whom he spent a lot of time while they were ignored by the rest of the family.
It's a gentle, loving and tender story about 2 lonely people as they go through the rituals of preparation for Christmas.
Sheila described it as a snapshot of how Truman Capote would have lived his early life.
A House on the Heights
Pauline:
This essay is only 28 pages and 4 lines long, and was originally published in 1950 in a holiday magazine.
The book describes the time he spent in Brooklyn Heights, the events of his life, and the colourful characters who also lived there. There is no plot, but just description of his images of Brooklyn.
Pauline liked his descriptive style of writing, particularly as there was no waffling.
Answered Prayers - The Unfinished Novel
Julia:
The title is in reference to a quote by Saint Teresa of Avila "answered prayers cause more tears than those that remain unanswered".
By 1975, Capote's increasingly outrageous public behavior, fueled by alcohol, drugs and sexual indiscretion led many to believe that he had no intention of ever publishing Answered Prayers and had given up writing to follow in the footsteps of his fabulous friends as a professional socialite.
By 1975, Capote's increasingly outrageous public behavior, fueled by alcohol, drugs and sexual indiscretion led many to believe that he had no intention of ever publishing Answered Prayers and had given up writing to follow in the footsteps of his fabulous friends as a professional socialite.
After read the introduction, Julia had no intention of reading it either!
Welcome to a new member Bev, who recommended books written by Tess Gerritsen. These are crime stories featuring Jane Rizzoli, a detective and Maura Isles a medical
examiner with the Boston Police Department.
Next month join us as we discuss a great love story we have read.
Monday, January 27, 2014
January: Our "Holiday Reads"
This month's discussion revolved around books we were able to indulge in over the Christmas holidays. We also welcomed 2 new members Pauline and Annette.
Tam: Salvation Creek & The Briny Cafe by Susan Duncan
After the author had spoken at Windsor Library, Tam bought her first book, Salvation Creek. This is her memoir telling of her life as an editor of The Australian Women's Weekly and The New Idea. Her life fell apart with the death of her husband and brother within a few days. When she herself was later diagnosed with breast cancer, she retreated to the idyllic Pittwater. Here she gets her life back together again, finds new love and moves into a house previously owned by Dorothea McKellar.
The Briny Cafe is fiction but seems to be based on many of the characters from her life and it is also set in Pittwater.
Tam enjoyed it so much she took a trip to Pittwater, recognising many of the places and even possibly some of the people. She really recommends it, both the book and the day out in Pittwater.
Rosemary: Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
This autobiography tells the story of Li who grew up in a destitute rural household in China, was selected by Chinese Communist Party to become a ballet dancer trainee in Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy when he was eleven. Later, he got a chance to study abroad in America as an exchange student. After struggling hard, he finally decided not to go back to China, instead achieving great success in America. There were many moving parts in the book, including the reunion with his parents when they were allowed to leave China and saw him dance for the first time.
Li currently lives in Australia with his Australian wife and 2 children.
A very inspiring book.
Diane: The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing
David and Harriet seem to have been blessed with four children and a very happy life. This changes after her fifth pregnancy when following a difficult labour their child is born who is different. He brings much misery and suffering to the family. The book tells some of the story of this child's life without ever really explaining what the syndrome or the problem was.
Diane thought it was well written but not a very nice book.
Jo: Black Smoke by Margaret Wise
This is the incredible story of a woman suffering from cancer, and how she sought treatment from tribes living in the Amazon jungle. Many of the descriptions were horrible and quite gory, but still very interesting.
Jo explained that pharmaceutical companies have taken an interest in some of the products that were used in her treatment.
Jo also read 61 Hours by Lee Child. This another book featuring Jack Reacher, a former Major in the United States Army Military Police Corps. Set in South Dakota in the snow, Reacher gets caught up in the hunt for a murderer and the protection of a key witness.
Jo loved it!
Annette: Matthew Flinder's Cat by Bryce Courtney
The story is set in Surry Hills close to where Annette works.
It records the relationship between a homeless former lawyer and alcoholic, and a young skateboard riding boy with a troubled background. He befriends the boy who pesters him to tell him the story of Matthew Flinders and his cat who travelled with him on his voyages.
Annette described it as a gripping story with a positive ending.
Joan: Waiting to Be Heard, A Memoir by Amanda Knox
Amanda is a young American college student who left Seattle to study in Perugia in Italy. Following the brutal murder of her housemate (a fellow student from England), she and her Italian boyfriend are accused, tried, found guilty and sentenced for the crime. This is despite them proclaiming their innocence and the confession of a black immigrant.
In 2011 after 4 years in prison, they were freed on appeal. The book highlights the incompetence of the police and the inconsistency in the evidence presented. It records a foreign legal nightmare which is still ongoing.
Lesley and Ann: The Black Box by Michael Connolly
The author has been a prolific crime writer and this is his 16th novel featuring Harry Bosch a clever, old school detective. In this story he uses technology to bring closure to a murder that happened 20 years ago when a journalist was killed while investigating the riots in Los Angeles.
The black box, as in the title is the 'key' to solving the murder, as a black box in an airliner is the 'key' to identifying any problems the plane may encounter.
Lesley thought there was an interesting use of technology, the book moved at a good pace and it was not too far fetched!
Ed: Marley and Me by John Grogan
"I laughed and I cried"
She also read The Winter Sea Di Morrissey
Set in the islands off the north coast of Italy and a little town on the south coast on New South Wales, the story is a family saga involving several generations and spanning both countries. It is the perfect holiday read with great descriptions of the characters and the places mentioned, as well as giving a sympathetic insight to the difficulties that migrants have settling in this country.
Connie: These Wonderful Rumours by May Smith
This is the diary of a young primary school teacher in Saddlington, Derbyshire during the war. As it is a diary, it recounts her day to day activities, which Connie could relate to, as she was of school age then. She also talks of the stories that circulated during the war and gave personal insights into what life was like then.
The book had been a Christmas gift from a friend in England which made it all the more enjoyable for Connie.
Pat: Marching Powder by Rusty Young
Rusty Young was backpacking in South America when he heard about Thomas McFadden, a convicted English drug trafficker who ran tours inside Bolivia's famous San Pedro Prison. Curious about the reason behind McFadden's huge popularity, the law graduate went to La Paz and joined one of Thomas's illegal tours. They formed an instant friendship and then became partners in an attempt to record Thomas's experiences in the jail. Rusty bribed the guards to allow him to stay and for the next three months he lived inside the prison, sharing a cell with Thomas.The book documents the corruption, where there are no rules and money buys everything.
Pauline: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
This is the author's debut novel and is set in Iceland. Although it is written as fiction, the book is based on fact. In 1828, 3 people were found guilty of the murder of 2 men. As there were no prisons they were sent to different farms to await their execution. One of the prisoners was a woman, and the family who received her were horrified at the situation.
It is a gentle and compassionate story, beautifully written and with wonderful descriptions of the Icelandic countryside where the author had lived for several years.
Kris: The Olive Season by Carol Drinkwater
The author and her husband go to France to start a provincial olive farm. It is a true story but some liberties have been taken with a few of the details. The book tells of the highs and lows of their lives, the vagaries of the seasons and the customs and the local cuisine of the area.
Kris thought there were many poignant parts, colourful characters, beautiful scenery and a lovely life in the south of France.
Sheila: Paris Imperfect by Susie Vereker
This is a light, interesting and funny book about Clio, her life and her loves. Should she marry her French lover with the intimidating mother when what she really wants is stability for her son? But when she goes on a trip to the battlefields, she meets a handsome Canadian.
Sheila enjoyed the author's knowledge of Paris and the French people and their opinions of the English!
She also read Open Secret: The Autobiography of the Former Director-General of MI5 by Stella Rimington.
Pamela:
Pamela belongs to EETS, Early English Text Society and through them she has obtained the definitive edition of The York Plays.
There are between 47 to 50 plays of which the first know record is in 1377 and they were performed until 1586. They cover the creation, the life and passion of Jesus Christ right up until the day of judgement. These plays tell the biblical stories as well as entertaining and informing as most people could not read. The plays were put on by the appropriate Trade Guilds, performed on pageant wagons and each play was performed up to 12 times in a day around the city of York.
Julia: The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowlings
This is the author's first book following her success with the Harry Potter novels. Even though a story for adults, it seems congested with too many characters. It is set in a small town, with everyone at war with everyone else. When one member of the Parish Council dies, there is great difficulty choosing a replacement.
Julia thought it was much better suited to being a TV show.
Judy: The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith
This is the 14th in the series featuring Precious Ramtswe as the owner of The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency in Botswana. When her assistant Grace takes maternity leave, and Precious has to solve the crimes on her own, she realises how much she values Grace's friendship. As with all the other books in the series, familiar characters keep appearing, good homespun philosophies are discussed at length and the beautiful African country side is a feature of the book.
Judy thought there would be greater appreciation of the story and the characters, if at least some of the previous books had been read, but still a delightful holiday read.
Maree: The Book Thief
She loved the book and loved the movie, noting that at the conclusion some in the audience actually clapped!
Jayne: Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville
Although this is a sequel to The Secret River, it can be read as a stand alone novel and is the story of the youngest member of the family featured in the previous novel. They were the first generation born in this land. Their parents were convicts but not proud of it. There were no grandparents and so there was no one to ask about the past.
Jayne has driven around the Wisemans Ferry area and found many of the places mentioned in the book.
DON'T FORGET: February :- Truman Capote
Bring along your favourite story, otherwise books available through the Library.
See you then.
Tam: Salvation Creek & The Briny Cafe by Susan Duncan
After the author had spoken at Windsor Library, Tam bought her first book, Salvation Creek. This is her memoir telling of her life as an editor of The Australian Women's Weekly and The New Idea. Her life fell apart with the death of her husband and brother within a few days. When she herself was later diagnosed with breast cancer, she retreated to the idyllic Pittwater. Here she gets her life back together again, finds new love and moves into a house previously owned by Dorothea McKellar.
The Briny Cafe is fiction but seems to be based on many of the characters from her life and it is also set in Pittwater.
Tam enjoyed it so much she took a trip to Pittwater, recognising many of the places and even possibly some of the people. She really recommends it, both the book and the day out in Pittwater.
Rosemary: Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
This autobiography tells the story of Li who grew up in a destitute rural household in China, was selected by Chinese Communist Party to become a ballet dancer trainee in Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy when he was eleven. Later, he got a chance to study abroad in America as an exchange student. After struggling hard, he finally decided not to go back to China, instead achieving great success in America. There were many moving parts in the book, including the reunion with his parents when they were allowed to leave China and saw him dance for the first time.
Li currently lives in Australia with his Australian wife and 2 children.
A very inspiring book.
Diane: The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing
David and Harriet seem to have been blessed with four children and a very happy life. This changes after her fifth pregnancy when following a difficult labour their child is born who is different. He brings much misery and suffering to the family. The book tells some of the story of this child's life without ever really explaining what the syndrome or the problem was.
Diane thought it was well written but not a very nice book.
Jo: Black Smoke by Margaret Wise
This is the incredible story of a woman suffering from cancer, and how she sought treatment from tribes living in the Amazon jungle. Many of the descriptions were horrible and quite gory, but still very interesting.
Jo explained that pharmaceutical companies have taken an interest in some of the products that were used in her treatment.
Jo also read 61 Hours by Lee Child. This another book featuring Jack Reacher, a former Major in the United States Army Military Police Corps. Set in South Dakota in the snow, Reacher gets caught up in the hunt for a murderer and the protection of a key witness.
Jo loved it!
Annette: Matthew Flinder's Cat by Bryce Courtney
The story is set in Surry Hills close to where Annette works.
It records the relationship between a homeless former lawyer and alcoholic, and a young skateboard riding boy with a troubled background. He befriends the boy who pesters him to tell him the story of Matthew Flinders and his cat who travelled with him on his voyages.
Annette described it as a gripping story with a positive ending.
Joan: Waiting to Be Heard, A Memoir by Amanda Knox
Amanda is a young American college student who left Seattle to study in Perugia in Italy. Following the brutal murder of her housemate (a fellow student from England), she and her Italian boyfriend are accused, tried, found guilty and sentenced for the crime. This is despite them proclaiming their innocence and the confession of a black immigrant.
In 2011 after 4 years in prison, they were freed on appeal. The book highlights the incompetence of the police and the inconsistency in the evidence presented. It records a foreign legal nightmare which is still ongoing.
Lesley and Ann: The Black Box by Michael Connolly
The author has been a prolific crime writer and this is his 16th novel featuring Harry Bosch a clever, old school detective. In this story he uses technology to bring closure to a murder that happened 20 years ago when a journalist was killed while investigating the riots in Los Angeles.
The black box, as in the title is the 'key' to solving the murder, as a black box in an airliner is the 'key' to identifying any problems the plane may encounter.
Lesley thought there was an interesting use of technology, the book moved at a good pace and it was not too far fetched!
Ed: Marley and Me by John Grogan
"I laughed and I cried"
She also read The Winter Sea Di Morrissey
Set in the islands off the north coast of Italy and a little town on the south coast on New South Wales, the story is a family saga involving several generations and spanning both countries. It is the perfect holiday read with great descriptions of the characters and the places mentioned, as well as giving a sympathetic insight to the difficulties that migrants have settling in this country.
Connie: These Wonderful Rumours by May Smith
This is the diary of a young primary school teacher in Saddlington, Derbyshire during the war. As it is a diary, it recounts her day to day activities, which Connie could relate to, as she was of school age then. She also talks of the stories that circulated during the war and gave personal insights into what life was like then.
The book had been a Christmas gift from a friend in England which made it all the more enjoyable for Connie.
Pat: Marching Powder by Rusty Young
Rusty Young was backpacking in South America when he heard about Thomas McFadden, a convicted English drug trafficker who ran tours inside Bolivia's famous San Pedro Prison. Curious about the reason behind McFadden's huge popularity, the law graduate went to La Paz and joined one of Thomas's illegal tours. They formed an instant friendship and then became partners in an attempt to record Thomas's experiences in the jail. Rusty bribed the guards to allow him to stay and for the next three months he lived inside the prison, sharing a cell with Thomas.The book documents the corruption, where there are no rules and money buys everything.
Pauline: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
This is the author's debut novel and is set in Iceland. Although it is written as fiction, the book is based on fact. In 1828, 3 people were found guilty of the murder of 2 men. As there were no prisons they were sent to different farms to await their execution. One of the prisoners was a woman, and the family who received her were horrified at the situation.
It is a gentle and compassionate story, beautifully written and with wonderful descriptions of the Icelandic countryside where the author had lived for several years.
Kris: The Olive Season by Carol Drinkwater
The author and her husband go to France to start a provincial olive farm. It is a true story but some liberties have been taken with a few of the details. The book tells of the highs and lows of their lives, the vagaries of the seasons and the customs and the local cuisine of the area.
Kris thought there were many poignant parts, colourful characters, beautiful scenery and a lovely life in the south of France.
Sheila: Paris Imperfect by Susie Vereker
This is a light, interesting and funny book about Clio, her life and her loves. Should she marry her French lover with the intimidating mother when what she really wants is stability for her son? But when she goes on a trip to the battlefields, she meets a handsome Canadian.
Sheila enjoyed the author's knowledge of Paris and the French people and their opinions of the English!
She also read Open Secret: The Autobiography of the Former Director-General of MI5 by Stella Rimington.
Pamela:
Pamela belongs to EETS, Early English Text Society and through them she has obtained the definitive edition of The York Plays.
There are between 47 to 50 plays of which the first know record is in 1377 and they were performed until 1586. They cover the creation, the life and passion of Jesus Christ right up until the day of judgement. These plays tell the biblical stories as well as entertaining and informing as most people could not read. The plays were put on by the appropriate Trade Guilds, performed on pageant wagons and each play was performed up to 12 times in a day around the city of York.
Julia: The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowlings
This is the author's first book following her success with the Harry Potter novels. Even though a story for adults, it seems congested with too many characters. It is set in a small town, with everyone at war with everyone else. When one member of the Parish Council dies, there is great difficulty choosing a replacement.
Julia thought it was much better suited to being a TV show.
Judy: The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith
This is the 14th in the series featuring Precious Ramtswe as the owner of The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency in Botswana. When her assistant Grace takes maternity leave, and Precious has to solve the crimes on her own, she realises how much she values Grace's friendship. As with all the other books in the series, familiar characters keep appearing, good homespun philosophies are discussed at length and the beautiful African country side is a feature of the book.
Judy thought there would be greater appreciation of the story and the characters, if at least some of the previous books had been read, but still a delightful holiday read.
Maree: The Book Thief
She loved the book and loved the movie, noting that at the conclusion some in the audience actually clapped!
Jayne: Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville
Although this is a sequel to The Secret River, it can be read as a stand alone novel and is the story of the youngest member of the family featured in the previous novel. They were the first generation born in this land. Their parents were convicts but not proud of it. There were no grandparents and so there was no one to ask about the past.
Jayne has driven around the Wisemans Ferry area and found many of the places mentioned in the book.
DON'T FORGET: February :- Truman Capote
Bring along your favourite story, otherwise books available through the Library.
See you then.
Friday, December 27, 2013
DECEMBER - CHRISTMAS THEMES
PAMELA: ANNO'S MAGICAL CHRISTMAS
Pamela brought in some photocopies for us to learn about anamorphic drawing. Ana means back or again. Morphe means shape or form. Anamorphosis is a distorted projection or perspective requiring the viewer to use a special device to reconstitute the image. Pamela also brought in a book and a device to show us how this is done. This was very popular in the 16th century. Pamela always brings in something to increase our knowledge and stretch our imaginations. Very interesting.
SHEILA: "KISSING CHRISTMAS GOODBYE" BY AGATHA RAISIN
Sheila said it was the worst book she had ever read. It was stupid. She was disappointed as the author was a Fleet Street journalist and she also wrote the Hamish Mackbeth series.
ED: "THE MIRACLE OF CHRISTMAS" AND "CALL ME MRS MIRACLE" BY DEBBIE MACOMBER
The first book is very predictable. In the second book, one of the main characters, Holly, is taking care of her nephew Gabe as her widowed brother is in the army and won't be home for Christmas. She doesn't bond with him very well and wants to get him a toy robot from Finley's for Christmas, but can't afford it. Holly is at Starbucks when her credit card is rejected. Jake Finley, from the department store Finley's, pays for her coffee. Jake falls in love with Holly. This book is part of the Angelic Intervention Series. Mrs Miracle, from the Angelic Intervention Series, is working in the toy department at Finley's and Jake Finley is her boss. Ed enjoyed the book but said it was very predictable.
PAT: "A WALLFLOWER CHRISTMAS" BY LISA KLEYPAS
Pat didn't think she would get through it. It was very boring and very demure, or so she thought. When she got further into the book it was very hot and spicy. It was not at all what she expected. It was set in the early 1800's. The part about Christmas was the new Christmas tree being used in England which originated in Germany. Pat said the book was well written.
JOAN: "HOME FOR CHRISTMAS" BY ANDREW M. GREELEY
The author was an Irish/American priest who died at 85. He was a very prodigious writer. This book was written in 2009. There are 3 main characters Petey, the son of an abusive drunk, Marianna, a wealthy professional and Father Jimmy. Petey and Marianna met in 1st grade when they were preparing for their first communion. They fall in love. As teenagers they go to the Prom together. Eventually Petey goes off to join the army and is sent to Iraq. He gets bravery medals. He has a near death experience and this is where it lost Joan. He goes through the tunnel up to heaven and returns to earth after 9 1/2 minutes. He rediscovers Marianne and there is a happy ending. Joan enjoyed the writing before this part and would read this author again.
TAM: "IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS" BY KATIE FLYNN
Tam had not read this author before but said this was a nice light, simple story. It's pre second world war. It's a story about two little girls and their widowed mother. Addie does her own thing and Prue is a little angel. They grow up and get boyfriends. The boyfriends then go off to fight when war breaks out. There is nothing much about Christmas.
CONNIE: " A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY" BY ANNE PERRY
The book is set in the 1850's. It is about well heeled people who meet for a weekend in the English countryside. There are two young widows looking for a husband to support them. There is an eligible bachelor at the party and both have their eye on him. They are catty with each other and one says about the other, in front of everyone, that "she is only after him for his money". It is a great insult. Everyone is woken up in the night as Vanessa has fallen in the freezing lake and died. There is a feeling she has been pushed but then they think it could be suicide. They feel it was the comment by the other woman that drove her to suicide and as there are no phones, they decide to get together to be judge and jury. They decide, as retribution, she has to go on a journey to Scotland to tell the mother and bring back a letter from the mother. If successful she would be forgiven and no one would ever know. Although this widow does not want to go on the journey, to avoid scandal, she sets off with her friend in the middle of winter. Connie was glad to read it because she did not know about retribution.
CLAURENE: "THE QUEENE'S CHRISTMAS (ELIZABETH 1 MYSTERIES)" BY KAREN HARPER
Claurene said the author writes well with true details of the Elizabethan times. There is a murder mystery in the middle of it. In this book Queen Elizabeth celebrates the 12 days of Christmas as they used to do in her father's reign because Kat, her nursemaid and governess and the only woman she trusts, is dying. The puritanical clergy don't approve of the celebration. The chef is found hung and his body is decorated for Christmas. There are more murders, all interconnected but they are really trying to kill the Queen. Claurene enjoyed it and has read other books by the same author.
ANNE: "A CHRISTMAS GARLAND" BY ANNE PERRY
Anne enjoyed it but she said it was not a Christmas story. The story is set in India in 1857 during the Indian mutiny, a very violent and brutal time. It is two weeks before Christmas in Cawnpore and there is an Indian prisoner in the British barracks, who is supposed to have killed a guard and joined the rebels. He has to be captured as he has vital information about ten men on patrol. He is not captured and nine of the men are killed and one survives. There is an investigation. Everyone has an alibi that can be verified except for the medical orderly. They feel they have to do something and John Tallis, the orderly is arrested as he is the only one without an alibi. A young lieutenant has to investigate and they have a trial. He is John's only hope. He solves the crime and the result is unexpected. Anne enjoyed it. She said it was a very good book.
JUDY G: "CHRISTMAS AT THE CUPCAKE CAFE" BY JENNY COLGAN
It's called a delicious comedy but she said she didn't laugh. It was a boring, boring book. Maybe it picks up?
JO: "A CHRISTMAS VISITOR" BY ANNE PERRY
Jo said it was very involved and she really enjoyed the book. The family of a judge have a family gathering. They come from South Africa and other places to meet up in England. The judge dies. He had fallen into a river and drowned. There is an investigation and it is found he was murdered. At first they feel it may have been a fellow who was tried for fraud many years before. He had maintained his innocence and started badmouthing the judge. The killer is revealed and it all works out in the end.
JUDY: CHRISTMAS LETTERS BY DEBBIE MACOMBER
Debbie Macomber's books are very similar. There is a tradition of romantic comedy.
Judy said it was a light and easy read but she wouldn't read another one. The main character is an out of work P.A. who spends a lot of time sitting in a french patisserie. She writes Christmas letters for other people. She meets a good looking man who is a child psychologist. He has written a book called " The Free Child". She disagrees with his philosophy and they argue. He has two children called Zoe and Zara and two dogs called Zero and Zorro. Eventually the two fall in love.
JAYNE: "CHRISTMAS THIEF" BY MARY HIGGINS-CLARKE
Jayne thought it was trashy. Someone steals a big fir tree. The thief hides diamonds in the tree but as it grows from the bottom, when he comes to recover the diamonds, they are right at the top of this very tall tree. It was easy to read like "Scooby-Doo".
ROSEMARIE: "CHRISTMAS CLOCK" BY KAT MARTIN
Kat Martin is a best selling author. The story is about an eight year old boy called Teddy whose mother has died. He lives with his grandmother but she has increasing dementia. The story includes a young couple. There is the question about who will eventually take care of Teddy. Teddy tries to get some work at a mechanics. He wants to save enough money to buy a clock from an antique shop for his grandmother. The mechanic befriends him. Rosemarie said she could tell from Page 6 what was going to happen. She said it was not a deep and meaningful story.
JULIA: "CHRISTMAS EVE AT FRIDAY HARBOUR" BY LISA KLEYPAS
It was in big print so easy to read at this busy time. It was a really nice story. It is about a little girl, 6 years old, who lost her mother in a car accident and what happens to her afterwards. It all works out well.
ROSEMARIE O: AGATHA CHRISTIE'S SHORT STORIES
The first story is The Christmas Pudding. Poirot is invited to a mansion where a ruby gets stolen. The Prince had wanted to marry the girl who ran off with the ruby. Rosemarie said it was nice to read about the traditional Christmas. The ruby is found in the pudding. Poirot flushes out the person who is after the ruby. Rosemarie enjoyed the book.
MARIE: "CHRISTMAS WISHES" BY KATIE FLYNN
It is a story about twins who are sent to the countryside during the war. They are sent to live with a grumpy old couple who eventually fall in love with them. They stay seven years longer as mum is killed by a bomb and the father is a shift worker. One of the twins has an accident and is left with an impairment. Marie said it was well written, a really nice story and she really liked it.
JANE (OUR NEW LADY)"SQUATTERS CASTLE" BY GEORGE FARWELL
As she is new she did not read a christmas book. She read this book as she is doing her family history. It is a history of the Clarence area where some of her family lived.
DIANNE: "THE MIRACLE OF CHRISTMAS" BY DEBBIE MACOMBER
Dianne said it was Mills and Boon with tinsel on. She didn't get very far. She wouldn't recommend it. She also said "don't bother, life is too short".
LESLEY: "MEETING IN NO MAN'S LAND"
There is a collection of authors. It is a collection of soldier's diaries and letters home. It is about the Christmas truce. It is about the first Christmas in 1914 along the western front. The war has just begun. Some of the trenches along the front are only 20m apart. The opposing armies can hear what is being said by each other. A lot of the Germans spoke English and some of the English spoke German. Over Christmas they had a truce and they shared things with each other, swapping cigarettes, puddings etc. There was a lot of flooding of the trenches and they respected each other while they cleaned out the trenches.
KRIS: "CHRISTMAS IN THE TRENCHES" BY ALAN WAKEFIELD
This book is very similar to Meeting in No Man's Land read by Lesley except that it is about all the Christmases spent in the trenches from 1914-1919. Alan Wakefield trawled the archives of the Imperial War Museum, National Archives and National Army Museum to provide a fascinating selection of first-hand accounts of the six wartime Christmases 1914-19 by combatants from Britain and the Dominions. It was widely believed that the war would be over by Christmas but they were still there at Christmas and were determined to set aside the war to celebrate Christmas, if only for a day or so. I only read the first part of the book due to time constraints at this busy time of the year, but I found the stories of the Christmas truce very touching. I enjoyed reading it.
WENDY: "SIX GEESE A LAYING" BY DONNA ANDREWS
It is 8.30am on December 23rd. Meg Lanslow from Virginia U.S.A.is organizing a Christmas holiday parade involving the "The 12 days of Christmas". There is a reporter covering the story. The man chosen to play Santa Claus is a horrible man, a bad choice. Something has happened to Santa. He is found with a stake through him. The policeman is an African/American. An investigation begins and the six men playing the geese (but now in duck costumes) are taken in for questioning. The story unfolds. Wendy said it was light and very funny and she will read her work again.
Wendy will not be back in the New Year as she is going to the U3A bookclub in 2014. She will be missed by us all. Good luck in the future Wendy.
Pamela brought in some photocopies for us to learn about anamorphic drawing. Ana means back or again. Morphe means shape or form. Anamorphosis is a distorted projection or perspective requiring the viewer to use a special device to reconstitute the image. Pamela also brought in a book and a device to show us how this is done. This was very popular in the 16th century. Pamela always brings in something to increase our knowledge and stretch our imaginations. Very interesting.
SHEILA: "KISSING CHRISTMAS GOODBYE" BY AGATHA RAISIN
Sheila said it was the worst book she had ever read. It was stupid. She was disappointed as the author was a Fleet Street journalist and she also wrote the Hamish Mackbeth series.
ED: "THE MIRACLE OF CHRISTMAS" AND "CALL ME MRS MIRACLE" BY DEBBIE MACOMBER
The first book is very predictable. In the second book, one of the main characters, Holly, is taking care of her nephew Gabe as her widowed brother is in the army and won't be home for Christmas. She doesn't bond with him very well and wants to get him a toy robot from Finley's for Christmas, but can't afford it. Holly is at Starbucks when her credit card is rejected. Jake Finley, from the department store Finley's, pays for her coffee. Jake falls in love with Holly. This book is part of the Angelic Intervention Series. Mrs Miracle, from the Angelic Intervention Series, is working in the toy department at Finley's and Jake Finley is her boss. Ed enjoyed the book but said it was very predictable.
PAT: "A WALLFLOWER CHRISTMAS" BY LISA KLEYPAS
Pat didn't think she would get through it. It was very boring and very demure, or so she thought. When she got further into the book it was very hot and spicy. It was not at all what she expected. It was set in the early 1800's. The part about Christmas was the new Christmas tree being used in England which originated in Germany. Pat said the book was well written.
JOAN: "HOME FOR CHRISTMAS" BY ANDREW M. GREELEY
The author was an Irish/American priest who died at 85. He was a very prodigious writer. This book was written in 2009. There are 3 main characters Petey, the son of an abusive drunk, Marianna, a wealthy professional and Father Jimmy. Petey and Marianna met in 1st grade when they were preparing for their first communion. They fall in love. As teenagers they go to the Prom together. Eventually Petey goes off to join the army and is sent to Iraq. He gets bravery medals. He has a near death experience and this is where it lost Joan. He goes through the tunnel up to heaven and returns to earth after 9 1/2 minutes. He rediscovers Marianne and there is a happy ending. Joan enjoyed the writing before this part and would read this author again.
TAM: "IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS" BY KATIE FLYNN
Tam had not read this author before but said this was a nice light, simple story. It's pre second world war. It's a story about two little girls and their widowed mother. Addie does her own thing and Prue is a little angel. They grow up and get boyfriends. The boyfriends then go off to fight when war breaks out. There is nothing much about Christmas.
CONNIE: " A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY" BY ANNE PERRY
The book is set in the 1850's. It is about well heeled people who meet for a weekend in the English countryside. There are two young widows looking for a husband to support them. There is an eligible bachelor at the party and both have their eye on him. They are catty with each other and one says about the other, in front of everyone, that "she is only after him for his money". It is a great insult. Everyone is woken up in the night as Vanessa has fallen in the freezing lake and died. There is a feeling she has been pushed but then they think it could be suicide. They feel it was the comment by the other woman that drove her to suicide and as there are no phones, they decide to get together to be judge and jury. They decide, as retribution, she has to go on a journey to Scotland to tell the mother and bring back a letter from the mother. If successful she would be forgiven and no one would ever know. Although this widow does not want to go on the journey, to avoid scandal, she sets off with her friend in the middle of winter. Connie was glad to read it because she did not know about retribution.
CLAURENE: "THE QUEENE'S CHRISTMAS (ELIZABETH 1 MYSTERIES)" BY KAREN HARPER
Claurene said the author writes well with true details of the Elizabethan times. There is a murder mystery in the middle of it. In this book Queen Elizabeth celebrates the 12 days of Christmas as they used to do in her father's reign because Kat, her nursemaid and governess and the only woman she trusts, is dying. The puritanical clergy don't approve of the celebration. The chef is found hung and his body is decorated for Christmas. There are more murders, all interconnected but they are really trying to kill the Queen. Claurene enjoyed it and has read other books by the same author.
ANNE: "A CHRISTMAS GARLAND" BY ANNE PERRY
Anne enjoyed it but she said it was not a Christmas story. The story is set in India in 1857 during the Indian mutiny, a very violent and brutal time. It is two weeks before Christmas in Cawnpore and there is an Indian prisoner in the British barracks, who is supposed to have killed a guard and joined the rebels. He has to be captured as he has vital information about ten men on patrol. He is not captured and nine of the men are killed and one survives. There is an investigation. Everyone has an alibi that can be verified except for the medical orderly. They feel they have to do something and John Tallis, the orderly is arrested as he is the only one without an alibi. A young lieutenant has to investigate and they have a trial. He is John's only hope. He solves the crime and the result is unexpected. Anne enjoyed it. She said it was a very good book.
JUDY G: "CHRISTMAS AT THE CUPCAKE CAFE" BY JENNY COLGAN
It's called a delicious comedy but she said she didn't laugh. It was a boring, boring book. Maybe it picks up?
JO: "A CHRISTMAS VISITOR" BY ANNE PERRY
Jo said it was very involved and she really enjoyed the book. The family of a judge have a family gathering. They come from South Africa and other places to meet up in England. The judge dies. He had fallen into a river and drowned. There is an investigation and it is found he was murdered. At first they feel it may have been a fellow who was tried for fraud many years before. He had maintained his innocence and started badmouthing the judge. The killer is revealed and it all works out in the end.
JUDY: CHRISTMAS LETTERS BY DEBBIE MACOMBER
Debbie Macomber's books are very similar. There is a tradition of romantic comedy.
Judy said it was a light and easy read but she wouldn't read another one. The main character is an out of work P.A. who spends a lot of time sitting in a french patisserie. She writes Christmas letters for other people. She meets a good looking man who is a child psychologist. He has written a book called " The Free Child". She disagrees with his philosophy and they argue. He has two children called Zoe and Zara and two dogs called Zero and Zorro. Eventually the two fall in love.
JAYNE: "CHRISTMAS THIEF" BY MARY HIGGINS-CLARKE
Jayne thought it was trashy. Someone steals a big fir tree. The thief hides diamonds in the tree but as it grows from the bottom, when he comes to recover the diamonds, they are right at the top of this very tall tree. It was easy to read like "Scooby-Doo".
ROSEMARIE: "CHRISTMAS CLOCK" BY KAT MARTIN
Kat Martin is a best selling author. The story is about an eight year old boy called Teddy whose mother has died. He lives with his grandmother but she has increasing dementia. The story includes a young couple. There is the question about who will eventually take care of Teddy. Teddy tries to get some work at a mechanics. He wants to save enough money to buy a clock from an antique shop for his grandmother. The mechanic befriends him. Rosemarie said she could tell from Page 6 what was going to happen. She said it was not a deep and meaningful story.
JULIA: "CHRISTMAS EVE AT FRIDAY HARBOUR" BY LISA KLEYPAS
It was in big print so easy to read at this busy time. It was a really nice story. It is about a little girl, 6 years old, who lost her mother in a car accident and what happens to her afterwards. It all works out well.
ROSEMARIE O: AGATHA CHRISTIE'S SHORT STORIES
The first story is The Christmas Pudding. Poirot is invited to a mansion where a ruby gets stolen. The Prince had wanted to marry the girl who ran off with the ruby. Rosemarie said it was nice to read about the traditional Christmas. The ruby is found in the pudding. Poirot flushes out the person who is after the ruby. Rosemarie enjoyed the book.
MARIE: "CHRISTMAS WISHES" BY KATIE FLYNN
It is a story about twins who are sent to the countryside during the war. They are sent to live with a grumpy old couple who eventually fall in love with them. They stay seven years longer as mum is killed by a bomb and the father is a shift worker. One of the twins has an accident and is left with an impairment. Marie said it was well written, a really nice story and she really liked it.
JANE (OUR NEW LADY)"SQUATTERS CASTLE" BY GEORGE FARWELL
As she is new she did not read a christmas book. She read this book as she is doing her family history. It is a history of the Clarence area where some of her family lived.
DIANNE: "THE MIRACLE OF CHRISTMAS" BY DEBBIE MACOMBER
Dianne said it was Mills and Boon with tinsel on. She didn't get very far. She wouldn't recommend it. She also said "don't bother, life is too short".
LESLEY: "MEETING IN NO MAN'S LAND"
There is a collection of authors. It is a collection of soldier's diaries and letters home. It is about the Christmas truce. It is about the first Christmas in 1914 along the western front. The war has just begun. Some of the trenches along the front are only 20m apart. The opposing armies can hear what is being said by each other. A lot of the Germans spoke English and some of the English spoke German. Over Christmas they had a truce and they shared things with each other, swapping cigarettes, puddings etc. There was a lot of flooding of the trenches and they respected each other while they cleaned out the trenches.
KRIS: "CHRISTMAS IN THE TRENCHES" BY ALAN WAKEFIELD
This book is very similar to Meeting in No Man's Land read by Lesley except that it is about all the Christmases spent in the trenches from 1914-1919. Alan Wakefield trawled the archives of the Imperial War Museum, National Archives and National Army Museum to provide a fascinating selection of first-hand accounts of the six wartime Christmases 1914-19 by combatants from Britain and the Dominions. It was widely believed that the war would be over by Christmas but they were still there at Christmas and were determined to set aside the war to celebrate Christmas, if only for a day or so. I only read the first part of the book due to time constraints at this busy time of the year, but I found the stories of the Christmas truce very touching. I enjoyed reading it.
WENDY: "SIX GEESE A LAYING" BY DONNA ANDREWS
It is 8.30am on December 23rd. Meg Lanslow from Virginia U.S.A.is organizing a Christmas holiday parade involving the "The 12 days of Christmas". There is a reporter covering the story. The man chosen to play Santa Claus is a horrible man, a bad choice. Something has happened to Santa. He is found with a stake through him. The policeman is an African/American. An investigation begins and the six men playing the geese (but now in duck costumes) are taken in for questioning. The story unfolds. Wendy said it was light and very funny and she will read her work again.
Wendy will not be back in the New Year as she is going to the U3A bookclub in 2014. She will be missed by us all. Good luck in the future Wendy.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
NOVEMBER: Books of our Childhood
This month, members were asked to talk about favourite books from their childhood.
TAM:
Tam had brought along her original Beatrix Potter books. She adored the Peter Rabbit series, with Mrs Tiggy Winkle being her favourite. She remembers being afraid of Mr McGregor!
Another much loved book was The Littlest Reindeer by Joahanna de Witt. The reindeer doesn't have any antlers and can't go to school until they grow. He has to learn to wait and be patient.
Little House of My Own is a book about cubby houses that children love to build with illustrations in black and white.
But her prized possession is a badge from the Famous Five Club. She had written to England requesting it, after having read all the books in the series.
JUDY G:
One of her favourite books was Grimm's Fairy Tales. She reread some of the stories, and commented that several of them were very grim. Her favourites were Hansel and Gretel and The Elves and the Shoemaker.
In contrast, Judy also showed a recent book "Clem Always Could" by Sarah Watt about a boy who didn't want to go swimming. This book had been read to her grandson, who at one stage also had a fear of the water.
KRIS:
Kris was another who loved The famous Five particularly Five Go to Smugglers Top. She loved the Britishness of the characters, the holidays they had, the smuggler's tunnels in Cornwall.
Another favourite was Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream.
WENDY:
Wendy bought along a treasured copy of Jane at Lantern Hill by L M Montgomery.
In the story Jane is a misfit in a cheerless house. Her mother is a wimp and her father has been missing for many years, and thought to dead.
When she is later reunited with her father, life has changed for her. Grandma no longer has power over her, her parents have separated, but they later get together and the story has a happy ending.
Wendy loved the beautiful descriptions of King Edward Island as in the Anne stories.
PAMELA:
Pamela brought along a book of amorphic drawings (distorted pictures) and will share them in greater detail next time.
ED:
Welcome .....just enjoying listening this time.
CLAURINE:
Her favourite was Black Beauty and she remembered first reading it (and crying) as an eleven year old when she had his tonsils out.
It was written in 1877 by Anna Sewell who died 5 months after the book (her only book) was published. It was very successful with 50 million copies being sold. In the story, told from the point of view of horses, they speak to each other and in those days everything was done by horses.
ROSEMARY:
Rosemary's book was The Diary of Anne Frank. She couldn't remember her original thoughts about it, but after rereading it, commented that as a 13 year old school girl, Anne was very intelligent and precocious. She had a great understanding of what was happening, the depression etc.
Her last entry was August 1st 1944. Soon after this, all 8 who had been hiding in the attic were arrested, not knowing who had tipped off the police. Her father was the only one to survive the Concentration Camps and devoted his life to spreading the word about the diary.
PAT:
Pat had chosen To Kill a Mockingbird. She thoroughly enjoyed it at 14 years old, but doesn't like rereading anything, knowing what is happening.
But she did enjoy the language, how it transported you to the south of USA.
She also commented on the changes with modern life; children played out in the yard, they used their imagination. It reminded her of how she has spent many holidays.
CONNIE:
Connie also chose a Famous Five book, Five Get into Trouble.
She appreciated how gently Enid Blyton taught the readers to behave. In the book, the children lived in the town but had their adventures in the country. They went camping, used sleeping bags, buried their garbage etc. There were lots of lessons that children could learn from the book..eg bike safety.
These stories made her reminisce of her childhood growing up in England.
ANNE:
Anne chose a book that her daughter had read and recommended.
The List Maker by Robin Klein published in 1997.
The story revolves around a young girl whose mother had died, her father is always busy and so she is looked after by eccentric old aunts.To cope with her life, the girl makes lists. Anne found it quite funny and touching at the same time.
ROSEMARY:
The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis.
Having seen the movie and feeling that it was quite different, Rosemary reread the book and enjoyed it more this time around. She found that regressing to reading at that age group was very relaxing.
She also read one of The Famous Five books. She thought the content was a bit lame and the children always very good, which was not the case in the C S Lewis story.
MAREE:
The Bobbsey Twins at Indian Hollow by Laura Lee Hope.
Maree had read this at a very young age and recently had visited many Op Shops etc to track down a copy.
The Bobbsey Twins want to go to summer camp. Their father and mother rent a house on Indian Lake and create a summer camp for the four children and four of their friends. Maree found the treatment of the black servants very interesting- what would be classed as racism today was then seen as the norm.
JUDY J
Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner, first published in 1894 and is still in publication today.
The author's early life may have been the model for the 'blended family' we read about in the book. Her mother married 3 times and children were born in each relationship.
Judy had very vivid memories of being distraught at the death of her namesake.
On rereading it, she was again drawn to the character of Judy. Ethel Turner had said in her notes for the book, that she couldn't see any future for Judy....too wild, too bright, she doesn't fit into society...she has to be repressed and so she 'kills' her off. Certainly a reflection of the times.
JULIA:
Julia proudly showed her copy of the Enid Blyton book, The Mystery of the Strange Bundle. This had been presented to her as a Sunday School prize in 1952!
She also pointed out differences in the 1946 and 2011 editions of The Magic Faraway Tree including the names of the characters.....Fanny and Dick are now called Franny and Rich.
DIANNE:
Famous Five Go Off To Camp.
The children seemed so innocent on the stories, but Dianne found that often there was a let down after a big build up in the storyline
She also particularly could relate to their adventures with stream trains and the black market, having spent her younger life in England.
JANE:
Jane also read the Seven Little Australians. It had been her favourite book and then she watched and enjoyed the ABC series.
She had also enjoyed Little House on the Prairie.
LAURA:
Laura had grown up with a German grandmother and remembered the book Der Struwwelpeter by Dr Heinrich Hoffman. She was fortunate to recently have been able to find another copy. The book contains nursery rhymes and fairytales, told in German but with English translations by Mark Twain. Each one has a message, eg playing with matches, sucking thumbs, eating up our dinner. They are great stories with morals/message you don't forget.
JO:
Jo has reread all 21 of the Famous Five books. She couldn't believe how innocent the children were and yet they had all these adventures and nothing really bad happens to them.
JOAN:
Joan missed last month but wanted to share her Australiana book, S'pose I Die by Hector Holthouse.
The story begins when Evelyn Evans arrived in Cairns from England, in 1912, to marry Charles Maunsell. They lived under very primitive and basic conditions.
Joan described them as beautiful stories of hardship and life growing up on the Atherton Tablelands.
NEXT MONTH - December Christmas stories.
Don't forget
Lunch at The Evergreen Cafe, your Secret Santa gift, and if possible a bra for the Uplift Project.
For more information go to www.upliftbras.org
TAM:
Tam had brought along her original Beatrix Potter books. She adored the Peter Rabbit series, with Mrs Tiggy Winkle being her favourite. She remembers being afraid of Mr McGregor!
Another much loved book was The Littlest Reindeer by Joahanna de Witt. The reindeer doesn't have any antlers and can't go to school until they grow. He has to learn to wait and be patient.
Little House of My Own is a book about cubby houses that children love to build with illustrations in black and white.
But her prized possession is a badge from the Famous Five Club. She had written to England requesting it, after having read all the books in the series.
JUDY G:
One of her favourite books was Grimm's Fairy Tales. She reread some of the stories, and commented that several of them were very grim. Her favourites were Hansel and Gretel and The Elves and the Shoemaker.
In contrast, Judy also showed a recent book "Clem Always Could" by Sarah Watt about a boy who didn't want to go swimming. This book had been read to her grandson, who at one stage also had a fear of the water.
KRIS:
Kris was another who loved The famous Five particularly Five Go to Smugglers Top. She loved the Britishness of the characters, the holidays they had, the smuggler's tunnels in Cornwall.
Another favourite was Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream.
WENDY:
Wendy bought along a treasured copy of Jane at Lantern Hill by L M Montgomery.
In the story Jane is a misfit in a cheerless house. Her mother is a wimp and her father has been missing for many years, and thought to dead.
When she is later reunited with her father, life has changed for her. Grandma no longer has power over her, her parents have separated, but they later get together and the story has a happy ending.
Wendy loved the beautiful descriptions of King Edward Island as in the Anne stories.
PAMELA:
Pamela brought along a book of amorphic drawings (distorted pictures) and will share them in greater detail next time.
ED:
Welcome .....just enjoying listening this time.
CLAURINE:
Her favourite was Black Beauty and she remembered first reading it (and crying) as an eleven year old when she had his tonsils out.
It was written in 1877 by Anna Sewell who died 5 months after the book (her only book) was published. It was very successful with 50 million copies being sold. In the story, told from the point of view of horses, they speak to each other and in those days everything was done by horses.
ROSEMARY:
Rosemary's book was The Diary of Anne Frank. She couldn't remember her original thoughts about it, but after rereading it, commented that as a 13 year old school girl, Anne was very intelligent and precocious. She had a great understanding of what was happening, the depression etc.
Her last entry was August 1st 1944. Soon after this, all 8 who had been hiding in the attic were arrested, not knowing who had tipped off the police. Her father was the only one to survive the Concentration Camps and devoted his life to spreading the word about the diary.
PAT:
Pat had chosen To Kill a Mockingbird. She thoroughly enjoyed it at 14 years old, but doesn't like rereading anything, knowing what is happening.
But she did enjoy the language, how it transported you to the south of USA.
She also commented on the changes with modern life; children played out in the yard, they used their imagination. It reminded her of how she has spent many holidays.
CONNIE:
Connie also chose a Famous Five book, Five Get into Trouble.
She appreciated how gently Enid Blyton taught the readers to behave. In the book, the children lived in the town but had their adventures in the country. They went camping, used sleeping bags, buried their garbage etc. There were lots of lessons that children could learn from the book..eg bike safety.
These stories made her reminisce of her childhood growing up in England.
ANNE:
Anne chose a book that her daughter had read and recommended.
The List Maker by Robin Klein published in 1997.
The story revolves around a young girl whose mother had died, her father is always busy and so she is looked after by eccentric old aunts.To cope with her life, the girl makes lists. Anne found it quite funny and touching at the same time.
ROSEMARY:
The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis.
Having seen the movie and feeling that it was quite different, Rosemary reread the book and enjoyed it more this time around. She found that regressing to reading at that age group was very relaxing.
She also read one of The Famous Five books. She thought the content was a bit lame and the children always very good, which was not the case in the C S Lewis story.
MAREE:
The Bobbsey Twins at Indian Hollow by Laura Lee Hope.
Maree had read this at a very young age and recently had visited many Op Shops etc to track down a copy.
The Bobbsey Twins want to go to summer camp. Their father and mother rent a house on Indian Lake and create a summer camp for the four children and four of their friends. Maree found the treatment of the black servants very interesting- what would be classed as racism today was then seen as the norm.
JUDY J
Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner, first published in 1894 and is still in publication today.
The author's early life may have been the model for the 'blended family' we read about in the book. Her mother married 3 times and children were born in each relationship.
Judy had very vivid memories of being distraught at the death of her namesake.
On rereading it, she was again drawn to the character of Judy. Ethel Turner had said in her notes for the book, that she couldn't see any future for Judy....too wild, too bright, she doesn't fit into society...she has to be repressed and so she 'kills' her off. Certainly a reflection of the times.
JULIA:
Julia proudly showed her copy of the Enid Blyton book, The Mystery of the Strange Bundle. This had been presented to her as a Sunday School prize in 1952!
She also pointed out differences in the 1946 and 2011 editions of The Magic Faraway Tree including the names of the characters.....Fanny and Dick are now called Franny and Rich.
DIANNE:
Famous Five Go Off To Camp.
The children seemed so innocent on the stories, but Dianne found that often there was a let down after a big build up in the storyline
She also particularly could relate to their adventures with stream trains and the black market, having spent her younger life in England.
JANE:
Jane also read the Seven Little Australians. It had been her favourite book and then she watched and enjoyed the ABC series.
She had also enjoyed Little House on the Prairie.
LAURA:
Laura had grown up with a German grandmother and remembered the book Der Struwwelpeter by Dr Heinrich Hoffman. She was fortunate to recently have been able to find another copy. The book contains nursery rhymes and fairytales, told in German but with English translations by Mark Twain. Each one has a message, eg playing with matches, sucking thumbs, eating up our dinner. They are great stories with morals/message you don't forget.
JO:
Jo has reread all 21 of the Famous Five books. She couldn't believe how innocent the children were and yet they had all these adventures and nothing really bad happens to them.
JOAN:
Joan missed last month but wanted to share her Australiana book, S'pose I Die by Hector Holthouse.
The story begins when Evelyn Evans arrived in Cairns from England, in 1912, to marry Charles Maunsell. They lived under very primitive and basic conditions.
Joan described them as beautiful stories of hardship and life growing up on the Atherton Tablelands.
NEXT MONTH - December Christmas stories.
Don't forget
Lunch at The Evergreen Cafe, your Secret Santa gift, and if possible a bra for the Uplift Project.
For more information go to www.upliftbras.org
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