A chapter of accidents – and a chapter too far

The usual smooth running of the Berwick Book group took quite a knockback this month – with a confusion over dates which caused complete chaos. It wasn’t the diligent Book Group members who were confused – almost all of them either turned up, or tried to turn up and were thwarted! The problem lay with Doolally’s – I assume the usually reliable Kim thought the meeting was next week, as when we arrived for the June meeting our venue was all locked up. In the way in which things conspire, this was the one month when I had turned up without my little clipboard with everyone’s contact details…
The short version of the story is that we found a pleasant seat and some coffee in the beer garden at the Kings Arms – and attempted to leave a note on the Doolally’s door for people to find. Colin (clearly a former boy scout!) tracked us down, but some people didn’t spot the piece of paper and assumed the meeting had been cancelled. I have to apologise again to the people who missed the meeting due to this small chapter of accidents. In the manner of a Government inquiry, we won’t apportion blame – but I will try to ensure nothing like this happens again!

Onto the book itself, which was Alice de Smith’s Welcome to Life. The book was chosen by New Writing North as part of its Read Regional promotion of local authors. It’s set in 1989 and told from the viewpoint of 14-year-old Freya as she describes her unconventional family and the troubles of adolescence.
For me, this was an original and enjoyable book, although I found it rather lightweight. On the whole, however, it wasn’t well received by the Berwick readers who e-mailed me their thoughts. “Didn’t enjoy it”…”Couldn’t get into it”…”Didn’t think much of it…” Even Jill, who’s usually able to find something positive about all the choices, failed with this one!
Having said that, when the small number of us who did meet this month held our discussion, we found rather a lot to talk about. The character of Millie, Freya’s mother, was fascinating (the men, we thought, were rather less well drawn). We thought the writer did a great job of evoking the late Eighties era and some of the events, such as the housing market crash and the recession, are, of course, very topical for us today.
I also thought her teenage voice, using the popular slang of the time, was very accurate. I loved the sentence on P.34: “I wanted to fall asleep and wake up when I was eighteen.” I’m sure every teenager feels like this at some point!
This Sleeping Beauty image was one of a number of fairytale allusions, as Ann pointed out. The “false mother” figure of Mrs Glinka is reminiscent of the witch in Hansel and Gretel, with her enticing kitchen and her promise of gingerbread. The vain mother who seems almost threatened by her growing daughter is of course a fairytale standard (Snow White, perhaps also Cinderella?).
We spent most of the discussion, however, on the troubling final chapter or Epilogue. (NB: Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t finished this book, I’m about to give away a wholly unpredictable ending!) We simply couldn’t understand why the author had done what she did to her best character, Millie, who is left devoid of all her personality and her ability to do anything. So she was no longer destructive – but she also was no longer herself in any recognisable way. It’s the sort of thing that would make me snort with indignation if the writer had been a man – but given that this author is a young woman, we were all baffled as to why she felt the need to contain Millie in this way. The description of this virtually brain-dead woman as “more beautiful than ever” was very disturbing. Ann was reminded of The Stepford Wives and also of a short story by Ursula le Guin, set in a world which is perfect but depends upon the regular sacrifice of a child. She was also reminded a little of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
We weren’t sure what Alice de Smith was trying to say with this rather devastating ending – or whether she was simply (to use Ann’s wonderful phrase) “dropping an alligator through the skylight,” which is a writerly way of saying that something totally out of keeping or beyond expectation was allowed to happen. Either way, we all felt that the book would have been a lot more satisfying if it had finished at the end of the preceding chapter, with Millie’s final note to her daughter.
Other aspects of the Epilogue were irritating too – we were not convinced the father and Millie’s lover Edward would have set up home together and it just felt like the need to tie up all the loose ends was rather patronising to the reader.
If you like the “adolescent struggling with unconventional family” thing, I would recommend Barbara Trapido’s Brother of the More Famous Jack. And for a really detailed evocation of the (earlier) 1980s and a very powerful description of a boy growing up in this time, I loved David Mitchell’s Black Swan Green.
Ann also alerted us to a non-fiction book which sounds absolutely fascinating, written by Daniel Pennac about his struggle to persuade his children to read. It’s called The Rights of the Reader and the little paragraph she read out was really interesting.
We spent the rest of the meeting talking about how the book groups should go in the future – thanks to everyone who’s given me their views on this, which are being fed back to New Writing North. Any further comments happily received!
And finally – don’t forget our final meeting before the autumn, which will be on Tuesday July 28th at the usual time of 6.30pm. This will be an unconventional meeting in which we will be bringing along our favourite passages of writing about food – and also bringing along a related edible, to form a little picnic. It promises to be what my 12-year-old would describe as “random.” Weather permitting, we’ll be holding this meeting on Spittal Beach but with a Plan B to adjourn to my house if the weather’s atrocious! I’ll be putting the full details in an e-mail very shortly.
Fingers crossed for sunshine … and no more evidence of Murphy’s Law!

Next meeting: Tuesday 28th July. 6.30pm. Venue: Spittal Beach. Theme: Recommending summer reads and food-related writing!

Skeletons in the bookshop!

Another sparky meeting at the end of May, when we discussed Valerie Laws’ crime novel set in the North-East, The Rotting Spot.
Laws is famous for spray-painting poetry onto sheep (yes, I know she has done other things too!) and so this novel is quite a departure for her as a writer.
I was very glad to have Janet at the meeting because she was able to give her wealth of knowledge and experience of both reading and writing crime fiction. It was great, because it put this work into a context for those of us who only dip into the crime genre now and again. Janet (and others) enjoyed the novel on the whole – she felt it was very fresh and original. Lots of us enjoyed the humour and we also found there were little giveaways that the writer has a background as a poet – for example, in some of her language. For me, some of these turns of phrase didn’t work: I thought, for example, that the description of a puffin as “like Proust’s madeleine, only she wouldn’t be dunking it in her tea” (P.74) was both laboured and pretentious at the same time as being plain daft.  Others liked the poetic bits, so it just goes to show how we all get different things out of each book we read.

I found the plot rather predictable – apart, of course, from the ending. None of us saw the last page coming,  but we thought what happened was nevertheless implausible. I also felt the writer gave far too much in the way of lengthy explanations at the end of the novel, but Janet has pointed out that this is probably a necessary convention in crime fiction.

For Margaret, who was brought up around where the novel is set, Laws also did a good job of evoking the landscape.

Many of us felt the novel had the potential to be a little better than it was and that it might just have benefited from a little tougher editing. We thought some of the characters (Erica and Will) had potential for a sequel – which is so often a requirement for crime writers now, although given that this is published with the independent Red Squirrel Press it may not have to bow to the same market pressures.

Another point to admire was Laws’ very attuned ear for the Geordie dialect, which was so accurately written. As one reader pointed out, it was also refreshing to hear such a young-sounding voice.

The discussion led, as it often does, to a chat about other crime writers and what else we’ve enjoyed reading.  The crime expert’s recommendations are novels by Christopher Brookmyre (for example, Quite Ugly One Morning ) and works by Mark Billingham (his first is called Sleepyhead), who’s a crime writer as well as a stand-up comedian! Another great-sounding recommendation is Booker Prize winner John Banville, writing as Benjamin Black (try Christine Falls).  Two readers have been working through Richard T.Kelly’s Crusaders, set on Tyneside in the 1990s, but weren’t sure whether they wanted to recommend it!

I recently went to a reading in Luton by comic crime writer L.C.Tyler and as a result I bought his first novel, The Herring Seller’s Apprentice. I read it in one sitting on the train home and thought it was really funny and clever, so I’d certainly recommend that one.

Next month we’re discussing the second of the Read Regional choices, Alice De Smith’s Welcome to Life.

Next meeting: Tuesday 23rd June. 6.30pm. Doolally’s, Marygate, Berwick.

 

‘Horses’ proves a favourite in the Book Group stakes

One member of the Berwick group  came up with a summary of this month’s choice, Per Petterson’s Out Stealing Horses, which I thought was an excellent observation.  She said it was like reading a long, lyrical poem.  What a lovely way to think of this novel, with its strong sense of atmosphere and its detailed, rich language. It’s all the more impressive considering it’s in translation – and of course the translator (Anne Born) is a poet.

There was a smaller than usual number at Doolally’s this month (partly due to holidays and work commitments – and partly, probably, due to a grey, drizzly evening!).  But the discussion was as animated as ever.  One person (who wasn’t able to attend) did say Out Stealing Horses was one of the best books he’d ever read and another member said it was her favourite of our choices so far. I think I’d go along with that.

For those of us who came to the novel knowing nothing about it, the title lacked promise (it suggested cowboys!).  But most of us were genuinely captivated by the beauty of the writing. We were impressed by the way Petterson could conjure pictures of great, snowy landscapes and also intricately detailed images, such as the goldcrest’s nest.  Only one reader wasn’t keen on the overall novel, but she too found the writing very skillful.  It’s hard not to be moved by Petterson’s description of  the peaceful evening “blue hour” (pg 100) or this heightened memory of a summer day:
“ …it smelt hot and from everywhere in the forest around us there were sounds;  of beating wings, of branches bending and twigs breaking, and the scream of a hawk and a hare’s last sigh, and the tiny muffled boom each time a bee hit a flower.” (Pg 30).    

The author said in a newspaper interview that he didn’t plot the story from the beginning, but had just started off with “the boy, the father and the summer.”  This may account for the way the story itself was so unpredictable as well as tragic.

We talked about the fascinating relationship between Trond and his father and how we would have loved to know more about Trond’s relationship with the women in his life, from his mother and wives to his daughter. We wondered how much the contained character of Trond with his reserve and apparent inability to express emotion was a product of its time (ie, the 1940s, when the novel is set) or the Norwegian culture.  One review said the book “lacked closure” and we chatted about this – but for most readers this was simply true to life. Unlike the central character’s favourite writer, Dickens, Petterson has left us never knowing what happened to Trond’s father.

Next month’s choice probably couldn’t be more different: we’re reading Northumberland writer Valerie Laws’  The Rotting Spot as part of New Writing North’s ‘Read Regional’ event.  I’m really hoping it will appeal to the group member who made this great remark at the meeting: “I haven’t enjoyed most of the choices so far. But I get a perverse pleasure out of that. And I do think reading them is doing me good!”

We also briefly discussed how to celebrate summer in July (and yes, the long-term forecast is pretty good – we may actually get a summer!).  For this meeting, rather than reading a set book, we’re thinking about members recommending  some good reads for the holidays.  The thought is to do this on Spittal beach – with the option of adjourning to my house around the corner if the weather is very “Berwick.”  One brilliant idea (from Ann) is to bring food or drink that’s mentioned in a favourite book  to form a very unusual picnic! (I do like this idea. Lashings of ginger beer, anyone?).  But it’s a couple of months away so it is still open for discussion!

Finally – the discounted hardback copies of the choice for the end of June – Alice de Smith’s Welcome to Life – are now in my possession.  I’ll bring them to the May session but if anyone wants theirs earlier, drop me an e-mail and we can liaise!  If anyone forgot to ask me to get one for them, it’s not too late to have one posted out to you from New Writing North (just let me know).

Here’s to the lighter evenings and the faint possibility of reading the May book outdoors…!

Chocolate eggs and a Raisin

I knew Ross Raisin’s God’s Own Country was going to be controversial as soon as I’d read the first page! In fact, I was in the middle of reading it when we held the February book group and the curl of my lip when I passed it round may have indicated what I felt about it. But this is the Berwick Book group and you can never expect a total consensus.

It’s had an astonishing amount of hype and it’s won  awards that would surpass expectations for a first novel, so I realised I was going to have to justify my dissastisfaction with the book. For me, the plot was terribly predictable and the unreliable narrator (a device which I love, when it’s done well) also seemed too cliched and obvious. I wasn’t alone in this opinion  – but several people did enjoy it and for them  the rather thin plot didn’t matter. They enjoyed the  portrait of Sam Marsdyke, as well as the issues the book raised about how Sam had clearly been failed at every step of his life, by his parents, the school system, psychologists and eventually the penal system.

In an interview which a number of us had found, Ross Raisin said he wanted to write about two things he ”knew nothing about:” farming and mental illness. This led us down the path of a fascinating discussion on the differences between a psychopathic personality (which we felt Sam had) and the definition of mental illness, which didn’t seem to apply to Sam.  We discussed the ambiguity of elements of the plot – because we only heard events through Sam’s voice, some things were left to interpretation and we couldn’t agree on what had actually happened, which is probably what the author intended.

Some enjoyed the language. It was undoubtedly quite a feat to write this entire book in the Yorkshie dialect. This was something I really struggled with, however - not so much the Yorkshire or made-up words (nimrods, blutherment, powfagged, etc) because they seemed easy to interpret, but the construction of the sentences. I kept having to re-read them, which I found frustrating! But one reader who worked in Yorkshire for many years fell comfortably back into the speech pattern and enjoyed it.  Others also found the acerbic portrayal of the townies and the ramblers very funny.

But one of the most telling comments of the evening came from the person who said it read like the kind of novel which would come out of an MA Creative Writing course. Which indeed it did!

And we discussed the ways that some of these ideas (unreliable narrators, pyschopathic personalities) had been done by other writers – often better. One reader recommended Sebastian Faulks’ Engleby and another Russell Hoban’s Ridley Walker. Some of us also were reminded by Raisin’s book of John Fowles’ The Collector. (This is something I really enjoy about the group. They’re always up for a literary session of “If you liked that, you’ll love this!”).

Hexham is a bit of a trek from Berwick, but if anyone’s interested, Ross Raisin is appearing at the Hexham Book festival on April 30th. He’ll be with Richard Milward, the young author from Guisborough whose first novel Apples has been highly praised, and they’ll be talking to New Writing North’s director Claire Malcolm.  Patrick Gale (Rough Music, among others) and Philip Hensher (The Northern Clemency) will be doing the same on Saturday 2nd May. Details can be found on are www.hexhambookfestival.co.uk .

If you’re quick to press the Listen Again button, you can hear a discussion about our last book, Things Fall Apart, on BBC R4’s A Good Read, with Sue MacGregor.

Finally – some mutterings about the fact that we haven’t finalised the next few books. Will do as soon as possible – honestly. Looking forward to next month’s group when we’ll be discussing Per Petterson’s Out Stealing Horses.

Oh – PS.  How was the spurious mention of chocolate eggs justified? Lovely Kim from Doolally’s wowed us with her Easter crispie-and mini-eggs cakes.  If there’s no other reason to go to the group….!

Next meeting: Tuesday 28th April, 6.30pm. Doolally’s, Marygate, Berwick upon Tweed. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson.

What an interesting choice of book Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart turned out to be. 

For our relatively new group, this was the  oldest book we’ve read so far:  it’s just over 50 years old. I wonder if, as a group, we would have felt very differently about it had we read it collectively before our first ever choice. This was Chimamanda Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun, which is set in the same part of Nigeria but, of course, much more recently. I say this because during the discussion we referred back to the Adichie work so many times. Comparisons, although perhaps unfair, seemed almost inevitable.

I think it’s fair to say that for today’s reader Achebe’s book was harder work!  Perhaps (but not only) because the characters in Half of a Yellow Sun seem so westernised, most of us were able to identify with them very easily.  The almost symbolic main character of the warrior Okonkwo, with his heroism and tragic flaws, was tougher for many of us to even imagine. The matter-of-fact descriptions of the tribe’s culture and its brutality towards women and some children also made for a difficult read. Not everyone made it to the end!  I personally wanted to know a bit more about the relationship between the second wife Ekwefi and her longed-for daughter Ezinma. I did wonder what Achebe was trying to say about the culture of the tribes before the arrival of the white missionaries – if he was aiming to portray the dignity of the old tribal culture, in opposition to the kind of stereotype in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, did he achieve this?

We know from what Chimamanda Adichie has said in interviews that she is a great admirer of Achebe. I loved the way this book ended, with the terrible realisation that the white missionary was to write an undoubtedly patronising account of the tribal cultures.  At the end of Adichie’s book, the reader is surprised to learn that it’s Ugwu the houseboy who is writing an account of the Biafran troubles – in her book, the white man concedes that it is not his story to tell. A tribute to Achebe perhaps, and one which brings great optimism.

We wondered why Achebe chose to write in English and use such a western form as the novel – and also why he used a line from a Yeats poem as his title, rather than something from an African writer. Perhaps this is something that we’ll unearth from reading more about the author.  One aspect of the book we loved was the use of animal fables, such as the story of the tortoise shell.

I should point out that one or two members had in fact read it before and felt differently about it on a second reading. One person who’d read it twenty years ago and felt, then, that it was wonderful, now found it too dated in style. Another person was frustrated with it on a first reading, because in so many ways it doesn’t work as a novel in the way we expect.  On her second reading, however, she saw it as much more of a fable and enjoyed it much more on that level.

To add to the list of great things about the book group: someone always tells you something you didn’t know.  It was really interesting to learn that it was down to a group of Scottish writers who campaigned hard that this work was first brought to the attention of the publishers in the 1950s. It was also nice to get a look at some of the other, older editions of the book that some readers have. One was part of an Achebe trilogy and I think some of us are tempted to read more of him. Another had a beautiful cover. Both of these older editions were blessed with a glossary – I really could have used one of the those! But sadly no one could tell me exactly what foo-foo is.

Kim’s shop sold its last copy of next month’s book, Ross Raisin’s God’s Own Country (although she’s ordered more in). With this book, we will venture into more alien territory - Yorkshire.  This book’s won all sorts of plaudits, but I wonder how well it will go down with our group?  Watch this space!
Barbara

February reminder!

Just a quick note to remind everyone that the next meeting of the book group is on Tuesday 24th February – usual time and place (6.30pm at Doolally’s on Marygate, for any new members!).
Hope everyone’s enjoyed reading Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. I’m definitely looking forward to finding out what everyone thought about it.
Also – for anyone who hasn’t checked into the bookshop lately – Kim has got the Ross Raisin book God’s Own Country in stock. (That’s March’s choice, if you want to get a head start on it!). Remember you can get 5% off if you’ve registered as a book group member.
Looking forward to a civilised evening of tea, cakes and superb discussion!
Barbara

Short stories, long discussion!

What a great turn-out for the January meeting – when surely the fireside or even the duvet must have held quite an attraction!
We were discussing the short story collection Constitutional by Helen Simpson. I put my cards on the table straight away and said I absolutely loved this collection, which for me was perfect Christmas/New Year reading – it could be dipped into like a box of chocolates and the stories themselves were all set at this wintry time of year.
It was interesting that when I admitted to not reading short stories very often, I found myself in the majority – lots of nods around the table. Yet as the discussion went on, people began discussing other short story writers from James Joyce to Alan Bennett and it became clear that, in fact, we all read them a little more often than we realise! We all agreed what a precise and difficult art it is to write a short story – and one in which Helen Simpson is quite unusual, in that she has always specialised in this medium, rather than becoming a successful novelist and then producing a short story collection when more established.
Another interesting thing that emerged is that most (though not all) of us agreed on which stories they found the least successful – If I’m Spared and The Green Room. (In this we differed from some very eminent reviewers in the quality press!). But we enjoyed the humour of the collection with its underlying anger and the accessible themes of ageing, frailty, being wanted and needed – and ultimately, hope and renewal in The Door and the title story Constitutional.
We enjoyed picking out some of Simpson’s brilliant and memorable turns of phrase – such as her description of Christmas as being a time “when adults demanded simple joy without effort, a miraculous feast of stingless memory.” In the same story (The Year’s Midnight) was the lovely description of the resentful au-pair: “a crouching Fury of a woman,” “baleful as Durer’s engraving of Melancholia.”
The writer also has acute powers of observation when it comes to conversation and dialogue – the account of the children’s conversation in Early One Morning was particularly authentic. One reader said she felt as if she had been standing outside the subject’s windows, getting a brief but accurate snapshot of their lives, before moving on to the next – I thought this was a great way of describing the satisfaction that Simpson’s short stories offer.
If anyone’s interested to read more I can recommend two of her other collections, Dear George and Hey Yeah Right Get A Life.
Two members also suggested the story collection by Yiyun Li, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, which sounds as if it would be a fascinating read.
(Note to Book group members: I may have suggested that Helen Simpson was involved in the short story event on 31st January. I’m afraid I seem to have made that up – apologies!).
At the meetings I’m always interested to know what else people have been reading. It’s great to get recommendations from readers who you trust! How’s this for a variety: Andrew Davidson’s The Gargoyle (we will ignore the dark mutterings in one corner about Richard and Judy!); Sid Chaplin’s Day of The Sardine (and you can get this from the North-East-based Flambard Press) – and Thackeray’s 1847 classic Vanity Fair.
So – for something completely different, next month we will turn to Chinua Achebe’s seminal work, which I’m sure will make for a great discussion. Hope to see everyone next month,
Barbara
Next meeting: Tuesday 24th February, 6.30pm. Doolally’s, Marygate, Berwick. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

A little light extra reading!

Thanks to everyone who found time in the busy run-up to Christmas to come to the December book group – and according to Ann, who kindly hosted the meeting when I couldn’t make it,  there was a very lively discussion on Pat Barker’s Life Class.   Seems everyone had a similar experience of finishing the book in something of a rush – which made things very interesting,  as the thoughts and comments were very fresh and immediate.  In a way, it meant readers were developing their thoughts on the book as the meeting went along.  As Ann said, this is another of the great things about being in a reading group – I know when I finished the novel I really wanted to hear what other people had to say, which always helps me get more out of a book. 

Most people liked the book, although some perhaps felt it wasn’t as good as Barker’s Regeneration trilogy, which covered the similar subject matter of the First World War.  The author’s knowledge of this period of history is outstanding and people felt they could trust her accuracy.  The first half of the book, set in London, seemed to be less engaging than the second, and it was interesting to see how the wartime experiences developed the characters. For me, one of the most well-drawn characters was Lewis, who didn’t say so much about himself yet seemed to be someone who the reader felt they knew and cared about. 

As I said in the last blog, New Writing North has come up with an interesting list of books to read in the coming months, but the group also came up with their own ideas!  So I’m listing these suggestions here so that anyone who gets the time can dip into these too. They’re a really interesting set of books, so I know I’m going to try to read them! They are:

Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels

Oyster by Janet Turner Hospital

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

The Lover by Marguerite Duras

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Schriver

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

So these are not compulsory -but given what a discerning group the Berwick bunch is, I think all of them will be well worth a try if you’re stuck for a good read.  Kim at Doolallys is always happy to order in books and she has of course promised to get in the ones on our list ‘proper’ for January to April.

Looking forward to seeing everyone again at the January meeting  – and in the mean time, have a brilliant Christmas and may all your stockings be bulging with books!

Next meeting: Tuesday January 27th at 6.30pm. Doolally’s in Marygate, Berwick.  Constitutional by Helen Simpson.

New Year, New Books, New Dates!

As I write, the last book group of the year has yet to meet, but family circumstances mean I won’t be able to get along to it.  It’ll go ahead as usual, however, kindly hosted by Ann Coburn.  I’m looking forward to hearing how Pat Barker’s Life Class went down with everyone.

This entry is to let everyone know the dates and book choices for the next four months.

The meetings will be held as usual in the very hospitable venue of Doolally’s in Marygate and the dates/books are as follows:

Tues January 27th: Constitutional by Helen Simpson

Tues Feb 24th: Things Fall Apart  by Chinua Achebe

Tues March 24th: God’s Own Country by  Ross Raisin

Tues April 28th: Out Stealing Horses by Per Pettersen

Get them on your Christmas list if it’s not too late – otherwise do order them from Kim at Doolally’s and remember to ask for your 5% discount as a member of the Berwick Book Group.

They’re also linked to some events in the region.  Helen Simpson is participating in an event in Newcastle on 31st January and Things Fall Apart is celebrated in an event planned for 14th March.

There are some suggestions for books in May and June, linked to a planned promotion of North-East writers, but these are yet to be confirmed. And – a long way in the distance! - plans for a summer reading party for July (thoughts and ideas welcome on this!).

Have a good meeting on December 16th!

Teapots and time travelling

Hi to all the brave souls who came to the November meeting! And of course to those who were there in spirit. There was a smaller number than usual for this month’s book group at Berwick – but lots of regulars were away and of course it is a busy time of the year. Once again I think Kim’s teas, coffees and cherry and almond shortbread were good enough reasons to come!

We were reading the much-hyped The Time Traveller’s Wife, the highly accomplished first novel by Audrey Niffenegger. What an interesting reponse we had. I think it’s fair to say that there was a distinct gender split! Four of the women were pretty positive about it, whereas the two chaps couldn’t get into it at all.  I’d be really interested to know if there’s been a similar gender-related demarcation in other book groups that have read this novel.

Although I think we agreed we wouldn’t classify it under science fiction, those who loved the book were impressed by the author’s very thorough examination of the possibilities and the ramifications of time travel – and how she even managed to make it funny. The boys wondered whether the time travel “worked out” although we decided against getting out the pen and paper to draw up a timeline!

But the time travel was really secondary to the love story. For me and some of the others who were taken with it, it was a very hopeful book concentrating on the potential for love to conquer all.  I felt that although the book was called The Time Traveller’s Wife, Henry was the more rounded and better realised character.  A reader who shall remain nameless admitted to being a bit in love with Henry on a first reading – although a second reading flagged up more of his flaws!  One reader who much prefers sci-fi and would never usually read a romantic novel absolutely loved it, so that was one of those happenings that makes a reading group well worthwhile!

We all had slight reservations about the frequent time-travelling by Henry to Clare as a child. It wasn’t helped by the rather unpleasant front cover, which did have a look of one of those child-abuse misery memoirs that seem to fill the shop shelves these days. But perhaps that discomfort says a lot about our culture today – I wonder, if the book had come out 10 or 15 years ago, whether we would have felt this way.

As we consign that novel to the past, we have a slightly earlier meeting next month to take account of Christmas. We’ll be reading Pat Barker’s Life Class.  Looking forward to seeing everyone then!

Next meeting: Tuesday December 16th, 6.30pm. Doolally’s on Marygate, Berwick. Life Class by Pat Barker.