Booklovers
We started Booklovers because we wanted to talk about the books we’ve been reading and to introduce those we’ve enjoyed to others.
We each take turn to speak about our chosen book and this invariably leads to discussion of broader topics. Four times a year we agree on a shared title to maintain the value of close reading and to hear each other’s interpretations of different aspects of those works.
We are a friendly group of people, meeting on the third Thursday of each month in a member’s home. You’ll find you’re never short of ideas for a new book to read and we warmly welcome others to join us.
For further details, please contact Christine Roberts.
For upcoming meetings, please visit our events page.
We each take turn to speak about our chosen book and this invariably leads to discussion of broader topics. Four times a year we agree on a shared title to maintain the value of close reading and to hear each other’s interpretations of different aspects of those works.
We are a friendly group of people, meeting on the third Thursday of each month in a member’s home. You’ll find you’re never short of ideas for a new book to read and we warmly welcome others to join us.
For further details, please contact Christine Roberts.
For upcoming meetings, please visit our events page.
Notes from the Booklovers Meeting held via Zoom
on Thursday, 28th June 2020
Mary read: Absolute Power by David Baldacci (1996) . This is the author’s first novel which became an instant success. He was born in 1950, became a lawyer, and has since published 37 novels.
Luther Witney was in the process of robbing Walter Sullivan’s house who was one of the wealthiest people in the USA. What he saw confounded him and changed his life.
He watched the President of the United States in a tryst with Sullivan’s wife, which went badly wrong. Both the President and Christine were inebriated. The President, it seemed, liked roughing his victims up, and proceeded to terrify her by attempting to strangle her. She yelled out, attracting the attention of his bodyguards, and in the meantime managed to grab a letter opener with which she stabbed him in the arm. The President’s bodyguards duly entered the room, and to protect the President, shot the woman.
Luther managed to escape with the evidence (the letter opener) whilst a cover-up operation ensued. The rest of the book is devoted to how DI Seth Frank tried to unravel the puzzle. The story is full of twists and turns, and involves Jack Graham, Luther’s daughter Kate Witney’s ex fiancé. He’s presently engaged to Jennifer Baldwin, the spoilt daughter of a multi-millionaire. There were many unexpected twists and turns in this tale, as you would expect from an author such as David Baldacci and Mary found it an enjoyable, page-turning read.
Christine read: The Island by Ana Maria Matute (1959). It’s Spanish title is Primera Memoria. Matute is an award-winning novelist. (the Cervantes Award) There is plenty of biographical material in this book since she did indeed have to go and live with her grandmother following an acute illness and, following the end of the civil war in Spain she was definitely persona non grata whose books were banned by Franco. Iis a story of rebellious adolescence narrated by Matia who is taken to live with her grandmother on the Island of Mallorca during the Spanish Civil war. Although it is essentially a coming of age novel in which we witness the growing of Matia alongside her cousin Borja from childhood to adulthood, this period of her life is set against the conflict of the civil war as it is played out on the Island. The novel reveals her relationships with boys – her mercurial cousin and the mysterious Manuel from the Monarchist / Fascist side of the divide. Never explicit, it is not difficult to identify who are Republicans and who are Monarchists. Indeed why should that be otherwise – it seems to be true of every community, part of human nature. You learn about the Island’s past, specifically the underlying anti-Semitism dating back to the Inquisition’s mass burning of Jews in the 14th century and beyond. In effect the Island is divided. The story reveals a dark, feverish and yet lyrical coming of age novel. Christine loved her prose which at times is breathtaking.
This book reminded Christine of some of the Virago classics – authors like Rosamund Lehmann, Elizabeth Taylor, Antonia White. What do I mean by that ? Perhaps a certain dividence? Ultimately she felt that the plot remains too guarded, too subtle. She’d read a lot of books about the Spanish Civil War so perhaps I’m use to reading about the brutality rather than the implied brutality. A good read though and interesting to be introduced to one of Spain’s greatest novelists.
Denise read Middle England by Jonathan Coe (2018) : this book is the third in his trilogy (The Rotter’s Club The Closed Circle) about modern England. Denise had begun the novel once before but given up so she tried again. She ‘still didn’t warm to the characters and consequently felt underwhelmed by the book and didn’t feel inclined to recommend it while recognising that it is an interesting blend of the personal and the political. The main character is Benjamin Trotter, hero of the previous novels. This is a state-of-the-nation novel that moves from the election of the coalition government in 2010, through the riots of 2011, the brief upswelling of multicultural national pride that was the 2012 Olympics, to the 2016 referendum and its subsequent fallout, ending in 2018. In praise of the book The Guardian’s review said “Coe – a writer of uncommon decency – reminds us that the way out of this mess is through moderation, through compromise, through that age-old English ability to laugh at ourselves.” Other reviews praised the book’s humour, comedy even, with characters who are recognizable copies of some contemporary politicians, e.g. Jacob Rees-Mogg and Jeremy Corbyn
Simon completed his reading of his previous month’s read: Filthy Rich by Woody Allen which he had found informative and interesting. He then moved on to Life And Hate (1960) by Vassily Grossman and seen as the latter’s chef d’oeuvre. It is technically the second of a two part book, the first being For A Just Cause. Where as the first part expresses loyalty to Stalin’s regime at the time, Life And Hate sharply criticizes Stalinism. After being submitted to a magazine for possible publication, Grossman’s flat was raided by the KGB and the manuscript taken. He was informed by a senior government official that it could not be published for two hundred years! Eventually it was smuggled out of the country on microfilm and was published in the West in 1980.
The book deals with interconnected stories about people surviving the battle for Stalingrad. According to Simon the writing is ‘stupendous’ with great description and it’s as if you’re there. It reminded him of The Castle by Franz Kafka. “Despite his acknowledgement of the world's great evil, Grossman believes humanity to be fundamentally good. If mankind is stripped down to its very core, all that will remain is this invincible kernel; therefore, it is this kernel (and perhaps this kernel alone) that is responsible for the basic goodness of humanity.” Grossman died in 1964 never having seen this book published.
Vanessa read: Under A Polar Star (2016) by Stef Penney. The book is set in the Arctic in the early days of polar explorers. The main character is the daughter of a whaler who first crosses the Arctic at the age of twelve on whaling ships. She then sets out to become a scientist and explorer. She struggles to be taken seriously but determination and chance lead her back to northern Greenland at the head of a British expedition, despite the many who believe that a young woman has no place in this harsh world of men.
The story fast forwards to 1948 when Flora who has since studied to become a meteorologist, returns to the Arctic in 1948 at the head of her own expedition when she meets Jakob de Beyn who is on a rival one and falls in love with him - this becomes a fateful liaison . Vanessa described how easy they find it to tell lies about their explorations. At the novel’s heart is Flora’s all-consuming love for explorer and rival Jakob, a man who will ultimately reap the terrible consequence of his own ambition.
Alan read: Arabian Nights and Days (1979) by Najib Mafouz, the Egyptian writer. The novel serves as a sequel and companion piece for One Thousand and One Nights and includes many of the same characters that appeared in the original work such as Shahryar, Scheherazade, and Aladdin. The author was born in 1911 and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988. A prolific writer who published 34 novels, over 350 short stories, dozens of movie scripts, hundreds of op-ed columns for Egyptian newspapers, and five plays over a 70-year career, he died in 2006. He was no stranger to controversy and was attacked for his support of artistic liberty at the time the Fatwa was pronounced against Salman Rushdie
Though it is set in an Islamic city in medieval times, the modern reader will find much in this novel that is surprisingly familiar. It depicts a city plagued by widespread corruption among its most powerful citizens, and a pervasive sense of social unrest and insecurity. The chief of police is kept particularly busy dealing with the underground activities of various religious sects that are intent on changing the unscrupulous regime. Amid all of this, as in the Thousand and One Nights, genies appear out of bottles accidentally opened by innocent individuals, affecting their lives in exciting, sometimes detrimental ways.
Famed for his skill as a storyteller, Naguib Mahfouz has here produced a novel that is as colorful and entertaining as the book that inspired it. It is critical of the repressive corrupt regime in Egypt at the time. Alan really liked it especially its universality. There are lots of lovely aphoristic sayings. He would definitely recommend it.
Di read: Therese Raquin (1868) by Emile Zola, his earliest book which shocked audiences at the time it was published. Di said you could describe it as a ‘pot-boiler’. The novel's themes - adultery and murder were considered scandalous and famously described as "putrid" in a review in the newspaper Le Figaro. It’s the story of a bored housewife unhappily married to her first cousin by an overbearing aunt, who may seem to be well-intentioned but in many ways is deeply selfish. Thérèse's husband, Camille, is sickly and egocentric and when the opportunity arises, Thérèse enters into a turbulent and sordidly passionate affair with one of Camille's friends, Laurent. The plot to murder the irritating husband ends badly with both so psychologically affected by their joint act of terror to the point they are know longer able to live with one and another. Shades of the Macbeths!
Di also re-read Madam Bovary by Gustave Flaubert which she described as a ‘beautiful book’. Like Zola, Flaubert indulges in psychological realism and the plots are not entirely dissimilar, i.e. bored housewife and lover relentlessly pursuing their own passions. Emma Bovary chases the dream of being with her lover Rodolphe and wrecks her husband’s living through her selfishness. However, Madame Bovary has come to be recognised as a ‘masterpiece’ whereas Therese Raquin has not.
Luther Witney was in the process of robbing Walter Sullivan’s house who was one of the wealthiest people in the USA. What he saw confounded him and changed his life.
He watched the President of the United States in a tryst with Sullivan’s wife, which went badly wrong. Both the President and Christine were inebriated. The President, it seemed, liked roughing his victims up, and proceeded to terrify her by attempting to strangle her. She yelled out, attracting the attention of his bodyguards, and in the meantime managed to grab a letter opener with which she stabbed him in the arm. The President’s bodyguards duly entered the room, and to protect the President, shot the woman.
Luther managed to escape with the evidence (the letter opener) whilst a cover-up operation ensued. The rest of the book is devoted to how DI Seth Frank tried to unravel the puzzle. The story is full of twists and turns, and involves Jack Graham, Luther’s daughter Kate Witney’s ex fiancé. He’s presently engaged to Jennifer Baldwin, the spoilt daughter of a multi-millionaire. There were many unexpected twists and turns in this tale, as you would expect from an author such as David Baldacci and Mary found it an enjoyable, page-turning read.
Christine read: The Island by Ana Maria Matute (1959). It’s Spanish title is Primera Memoria. Matute is an award-winning novelist. (the Cervantes Award) There is plenty of biographical material in this book since she did indeed have to go and live with her grandmother following an acute illness and, following the end of the civil war in Spain she was definitely persona non grata whose books were banned by Franco. Iis a story of rebellious adolescence narrated by Matia who is taken to live with her grandmother on the Island of Mallorca during the Spanish Civil war. Although it is essentially a coming of age novel in which we witness the growing of Matia alongside her cousin Borja from childhood to adulthood, this period of her life is set against the conflict of the civil war as it is played out on the Island. The novel reveals her relationships with boys – her mercurial cousin and the mysterious Manuel from the Monarchist / Fascist side of the divide. Never explicit, it is not difficult to identify who are Republicans and who are Monarchists. Indeed why should that be otherwise – it seems to be true of every community, part of human nature. You learn about the Island’s past, specifically the underlying anti-Semitism dating back to the Inquisition’s mass burning of Jews in the 14th century and beyond. In effect the Island is divided. The story reveals a dark, feverish and yet lyrical coming of age novel. Christine loved her prose which at times is breathtaking.
This book reminded Christine of some of the Virago classics – authors like Rosamund Lehmann, Elizabeth Taylor, Antonia White. What do I mean by that ? Perhaps a certain dividence? Ultimately she felt that the plot remains too guarded, too subtle. She’d read a lot of books about the Spanish Civil War so perhaps I’m use to reading about the brutality rather than the implied brutality. A good read though and interesting to be introduced to one of Spain’s greatest novelists.
Denise read Middle England by Jonathan Coe (2018) : this book is the third in his trilogy (The Rotter’s Club The Closed Circle) about modern England. Denise had begun the novel once before but given up so she tried again. She ‘still didn’t warm to the characters and consequently felt underwhelmed by the book and didn’t feel inclined to recommend it while recognising that it is an interesting blend of the personal and the political. The main character is Benjamin Trotter, hero of the previous novels. This is a state-of-the-nation novel that moves from the election of the coalition government in 2010, through the riots of 2011, the brief upswelling of multicultural national pride that was the 2012 Olympics, to the 2016 referendum and its subsequent fallout, ending in 2018. In praise of the book The Guardian’s review said “Coe – a writer of uncommon decency – reminds us that the way out of this mess is through moderation, through compromise, through that age-old English ability to laugh at ourselves.” Other reviews praised the book’s humour, comedy even, with characters who are recognizable copies of some contemporary politicians, e.g. Jacob Rees-Mogg and Jeremy Corbyn
Simon completed his reading of his previous month’s read: Filthy Rich by Woody Allen which he had found informative and interesting. He then moved on to Life And Hate (1960) by Vassily Grossman and seen as the latter’s chef d’oeuvre. It is technically the second of a two part book, the first being For A Just Cause. Where as the first part expresses loyalty to Stalin’s regime at the time, Life And Hate sharply criticizes Stalinism. After being submitted to a magazine for possible publication, Grossman’s flat was raided by the KGB and the manuscript taken. He was informed by a senior government official that it could not be published for two hundred years! Eventually it was smuggled out of the country on microfilm and was published in the West in 1980.
The book deals with interconnected stories about people surviving the battle for Stalingrad. According to Simon the writing is ‘stupendous’ with great description and it’s as if you’re there. It reminded him of The Castle by Franz Kafka. “Despite his acknowledgement of the world's great evil, Grossman believes humanity to be fundamentally good. If mankind is stripped down to its very core, all that will remain is this invincible kernel; therefore, it is this kernel (and perhaps this kernel alone) that is responsible for the basic goodness of humanity.” Grossman died in 1964 never having seen this book published.
Vanessa read: Under A Polar Star (2016) by Stef Penney. The book is set in the Arctic in the early days of polar explorers. The main character is the daughter of a whaler who first crosses the Arctic at the age of twelve on whaling ships. She then sets out to become a scientist and explorer. She struggles to be taken seriously but determination and chance lead her back to northern Greenland at the head of a British expedition, despite the many who believe that a young woman has no place in this harsh world of men.
The story fast forwards to 1948 when Flora who has since studied to become a meteorologist, returns to the Arctic in 1948 at the head of her own expedition when she meets Jakob de Beyn who is on a rival one and falls in love with him - this becomes a fateful liaison . Vanessa described how easy they find it to tell lies about their explorations. At the novel’s heart is Flora’s all-consuming love for explorer and rival Jakob, a man who will ultimately reap the terrible consequence of his own ambition.
Alan read: Arabian Nights and Days (1979) by Najib Mafouz, the Egyptian writer. The novel serves as a sequel and companion piece for One Thousand and One Nights and includes many of the same characters that appeared in the original work such as Shahryar, Scheherazade, and Aladdin. The author was born in 1911 and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988. A prolific writer who published 34 novels, over 350 short stories, dozens of movie scripts, hundreds of op-ed columns for Egyptian newspapers, and five plays over a 70-year career, he died in 2006. He was no stranger to controversy and was attacked for his support of artistic liberty at the time the Fatwa was pronounced against Salman Rushdie
Though it is set in an Islamic city in medieval times, the modern reader will find much in this novel that is surprisingly familiar. It depicts a city plagued by widespread corruption among its most powerful citizens, and a pervasive sense of social unrest and insecurity. The chief of police is kept particularly busy dealing with the underground activities of various religious sects that are intent on changing the unscrupulous regime. Amid all of this, as in the Thousand and One Nights, genies appear out of bottles accidentally opened by innocent individuals, affecting their lives in exciting, sometimes detrimental ways.
Famed for his skill as a storyteller, Naguib Mahfouz has here produced a novel that is as colorful and entertaining as the book that inspired it. It is critical of the repressive corrupt regime in Egypt at the time. Alan really liked it especially its universality. There are lots of lovely aphoristic sayings. He would definitely recommend it.
Di read: Therese Raquin (1868) by Emile Zola, his earliest book which shocked audiences at the time it was published. Di said you could describe it as a ‘pot-boiler’. The novel's themes - adultery and murder were considered scandalous and famously described as "putrid" in a review in the newspaper Le Figaro. It’s the story of a bored housewife unhappily married to her first cousin by an overbearing aunt, who may seem to be well-intentioned but in many ways is deeply selfish. Thérèse's husband, Camille, is sickly and egocentric and when the opportunity arises, Thérèse enters into a turbulent and sordidly passionate affair with one of Camille's friends, Laurent. The plot to murder the irritating husband ends badly with both so psychologically affected by their joint act of terror to the point they are know longer able to live with one and another. Shades of the Macbeths!
Di also re-read Madam Bovary by Gustave Flaubert which she described as a ‘beautiful book’. Like Zola, Flaubert indulges in psychological realism and the plots are not entirely dissimilar, i.e. bored housewife and lover relentlessly pursuing their own passions. Emma Bovary chases the dream of being with her lover Rodolphe and wrecks her husband’s living through her selfishness. However, Madame Bovary has come to be recognised as a ‘masterpiece’ whereas Therese Raquin has not.
Read the notes from previous sessions here.
