The Road Home - by Charlotte Buelow and/or The Road Home by Rose Tremain.

November 2013

The Road Home - by Charlotte Buelow 

The lovely village of Killin lies in the heart of Scotland; the majestic Ben Lawers watching over her like a knight guarding his castle. If you listen carefully, you will hear The Falls of Dochart rushing over the black rocks telling the secrets of the Clan McNab whose burial ground lies on her island and is sheltered by the golden aura that surrounds her. Steeped in history, her resilient people have weathered The Highland Clearances and retold the stories of Fingal and his stone, Finlarig Castle, the ferocious Campbell Clan and all of the superstitions that make them who they are today with their colorful language and deep rooted traditions. Born and raised in this historic village are William and Mary who grew up together and fell in love; their fathers do not see eye to eye and William must decide if he wants to become a hated tacksman like his father or find his own lot in life. Then, a tragic accident changes the lives of these two young people; but will it bring them closer together or tear them farther apart? How many deep dark secrets is William keeping from those who love him? is he the easy going, good looking lad everyone assumed him to be or a man of mystery? A large inheritance brings financial security to many of the Killin residents but does it make the heiress happy or will she spend her life looking at the past; unable to see what's waiting for her in the future? Does the lonely little nurse with the big heart finally find real love or will she be betrayed by the bonnie lass with the wild black hair and black eyes? How long will the sensuous teacher with the intense dark eyes wait in the wings to finally conquer the woman he loves before he decides to give up and try to find someone else? Can a young man return home again and be forgiven or must he spend the rest of his life on the outskirts yearing to see his beloved Killin again? Find out in The Road Home.

This book took a while to get into, but I persevered and enjoyed the story.  The style of writing is too explicit which makes reading slow.  The author tired too hard to mention how to get to places (some of which did not exist in the period in which the book was set), and the distances are totally inaccurate.  It would have been better to set the story in a totally fictitious place then no criticism can be made.  I also hated the "wikipedia" type references to customs and traditional food etc - put it in a glossary, but don't weigh the story telling down by it as many readers will know these things anyway.  I was also not quite sure of timescales for things mentioned - maybe tighten up on what period you are writing about and make sure you don't mention things that haven't been invented yet!  It would be interesting to see Charlotte's reaction to the area when she finally visits Killin. 

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The Road Home by Rose Tremain.

Lev is on his way from Eastern Europe to Britain, seeking work. Behind him loom the figures of his dead wife, his beloved young daugher and his outrageous friend Rudi who - dreaming of the wealthy West - lives largely for his battered Chevrolet. Ahead of Lev lies the deep strangeness of the British: their hostile streets, their clannish pubs, their obsession with celebrity. London holds out the alluring possibility of friendship, sex, money and a new career and, if Lev is lucky, a new sense of belonging...

I loved this book, right from the onset I was hooked.  My only criticism is that there seemed to be a big jump from the turning point in Lev's time in Britain to his final journey.  The book is well written and is brought to life in your imagination.  It is definately a good read.

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Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon and/or The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng

October 2013

Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon 

Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century - and a lover in another.

In 1945, Claire Randall is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon in Scotland. Innocently she walks through a stone circle in the Highlands, and finds herself in a violent skirmish taking place in 1743. Suddenly she is a Sassenach, an outlander, in a country torn by war and by clan feuds.

A wartime nurse, Claire can deal with the bloody wounds that face her. But it is harder to deal with the knowledge that she is in Jacobite Scotland and the carnage of Culloden is looming. Marooned amid the passion and violence, the superstition, the shifting allegiances and the fervent loyalties, Claire is in danger from Jacobites and Redcoats - and from the shock of her own desire for James Fraser, a gallant and courageous young Scots warrior. Jamie shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire, and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

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The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng

The Garden of Evening Mists is the second novel by Malaysian novelist Tan Twan Eng, published in January 2012. The protagonist of the novel is the judge Yun Ling Teoh, who was a Japanese prisoner during World War II, and later served as an apprentice of a Japanese gardener. As the story begins, she is trying to make sense of her life and experiences. The novel takes place during three different time periods: the late 1980s, when the main character writes down her story, the early 1950s, when the main action takes place, and World War II, which provides the backdrop for the story.

Critical reception for the novel was generally favourable. It was awarded the Man Asian Literary Prize (2012)and the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.

Synopsis

Newly retired Supreme Court Judge Yun Ling Teoh returns to the Cameron Highlands of Malaya, where she spent a few months several years earlier. Oncoming aphasia is forcing her to deal with unsettled business from her youth while she is still able to remember. She starts writing her memoires, and agrees to meet with Japanese professor Yoshikawa Tatsuji. Tatsuji is interested in the life and works of artist Nakamura Aritomo, who used to be the gardener of the Japanese Emperor, but moved to this area to build his own garden.

During the Japanese occupation of Malaya, Yun Ling was in a Japanese civilian internment camp with her sister, Yun Hong. Yun Hong did not make it out alive, and after the war was over, Yun Ling decided to fulfil a promise made to her sister: to build a Japanese garden in their home in Kuala Lumpur. She travelled to the highlands to visit family friend Magnus Pretorius, an ex-patriate South African tea farmer who knew Aritomo. Aritomo refused to work for Yun Ling, but agreed to take her on as an apprentice, so she could later build her own garden. In spite of her resentment against the Japanese, she agreed to work for Aritomo, and later became his lover.

During the conversations with Tatsuji, it comes out that Aritomo was involved in a covert Japanese program during the war, to hide looted treasures from occupied territories. The rumours of this so-called "Golden Lily" program were widespread, and Magnus was killed trying to save his family from the Communist guerilla, who came looking for the gold. Aritomo never talked about the treasure to Yun Ling, but gradually it becomes clear that he might have left a clue to its location. Before he disappeared into the jungle, he made a horimono tattoo on her back. It now appears this tattoo might contain a map to the location of the treasure. Yun Ling decides that, before she dies, she must make sure that no-one will be able to get their hand on her body, and the map. In the meantime, she sets out to restore Aritomo's dilapidated garden.

Verdict

I personally loved this book.  The language was beautiful and even the most harrowing moments almost seemed serene.  The descriptions are precise and make the imagination take you right into the book.  So poetic.

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A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks and Island Wife by Judy Fairbairns

June/July  2013

A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks

London, the week before Christmas, 2007. Seven wintry days to track the lives of seven characters: a hedge fund manager trying to bring off the biggest trade of his career; a professional footballer recently arrived from Poland; a young lawyer with little work and too much time to speculate; a student who has been led astray by Islamist theory; a hack book-reviewer; a schoolboy hooked on skunk and reality TV; and a Tube driver whose Circle Line train joins these and countless other lives together in a daily loop.

With daring skill, the novel pieces together the complex patterns and crossings of modern urban life, and the group is forced, one by one, to confront the true nature of the world they inhabit. Sweeping, satirical, Dickensian in scope, A Week in December is a thrilling state of the nation novel from a master of literary fiction.

Overall Opinion:

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Island Wife by Judy Fairbairns

My childhood socks were always white, my frocks ironed. Each day predictable, safe. I escaped. Aged 19, I was swept off my feet by a wild adventurer and married within months. Two small children later (with three more to come) complete with Labradors, cats, a heavy horse and hearts full of dreams, we arrived on a remote Hebridean island to begin our life on the Tapsalteerie Estate. Nothing was ever predictable again.

ISLAND WIFE tells the story of Judy, who, at 19, met her Wild Pioneer. He whisked her off into an adventure, a marriage of forty years, and a life on a remote Hebridean island. Along the way she bears five children, learns how to run a rocky hill farm, a hotel, a recording studio and the first whale watching business in the UK - all the while inventively making fraying ends meet. When her children start to leave home, things fall apart and there is sadness and joy in how she puts things back together. Judy tells her story in a clear and unique voice, in turns funny, unforgettable and intensely moving.

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This is an autobiography by Judy Fairbairns who, at the age of nineteen, marries a man ten years her senior and settles on the isle of Mull.  When they first arrive on the island they have no money and live in a large old house without any modern conveniences, often cold, damp and miserable.  Her husband turns out to be a workaholic who can turn his hand to anything and make a success of it.  After some years as a
farmer he ends up setting up whalewatching trips on Mull which becomes a lucrative business.  In the years that follow Judy organises the family (they have five children), looks after sheep, horses, dogs, runs a guesthouse and does numerous other tasks.  Life is really hard for her and she gets very little support from her husband.  This leads to increasing levels of frustration and unhappiness, culminating in a nervous breakdown
and Judy leaving the family and the island.
It takes several months before she gets the energy back to face life on Mull again and even longer for the family to settle back to normal life.
I enjoyed this book because it is not so much a story about the hardships experienced by family members but mainly an intensely personal account  by a woman surviving  emotional turmoil, misunderstandings and loneliness over a period of three decades.
It is very well written.  You can just imagine all the upsets she describes in the book.  I’m sure most women will recognise some aspects in their own lives and for that reason it will probably appeal especially to them. On August 25th 2013 Judy Fairbairns appeared at the Bridge of Lochay Hotel in front of an audience of the combined book clubs in Killin to discuss this book, which had just been published.  She talked openly
about all her trials and tribulations in the book and most of the audience were very surprised to see her husband  there as well! After so
many negative comments about him in the book it was brave of him to appear, especially because the audience was all female! It did prove, though, how the couple have overcome many of their difficulties and their communication has improved.
Both of them stayed on until well after Judy’s talk and enjoyed a glass of wine with the audience.  It was altogether a very enjoyable evening.
Judy’s book is highly recommended!

Anneke Mayo

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Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah

August 2013

Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah

About the author

Adeline Yen Mah was born in 1937. In August 1952 she left her family in Hong Kong and went to England to study. At University College in London, she studied medicine and became a doctor. She has written two other books: Chinese Cinderella and Watching the Tree. She lives with her husband in California and has two children. 

Summary

Falling Leaves is the true story of Adeline Yen Mah, who was born in north-east China in 1937 – her parents’ fifth child. Her mother died as a result of her birth, which left her father a sad man feeling in need of a new life. Adeline’s father seemed never to fully forgive her for his wife’s death. He married again soon after and Adeline’s new stepmother, a beautiful young woman they called Niang (a Chinese word meaning mother), strongly disliked her. Father and Niang had two other children together: Franklin (who Niang loved) and Susan (who Niang did 
not love). Adeline and her brothers and sisters suffered emotionally and physically from their cruel stepmother’s words and actions – but Adeline suffered more than the others. Her story is full of the pain and heartbreak of a young girl always hoping that her father will be proud of 
her. But it is also a story of hope. Adeline works very hard in school and wins prizes. When she wins a play-writing competition, her life changes. She goes to England and studies medicine and becomes a doctor. After a failed marriage, in which she has a child, she finds real happiness with her second husband. The lives of all the members of her family, as seen through the troubles of twentieth century China, make this an unforgettable and very interesting story, which begins and ends with the reading of Adeline’s father’s will. Niang has left him penniless. 
She has taken all of his money and property. When Niang dies, she leaves nothing to Adeline. The relationship between Adeline and Niang is painful and shocking, but the Chinese tradition of obedience makes it impossible for Adeline to be anything other than dutiful towards this 
woman. 

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Broke Through Britain - Peter Mortimer

Broke Through Britain - One Man's Penniless Odyssey by Peter Mortimer

Published by Mainstream Publishing (1999)

ISBN-10: 1-84018-163-X

Price: £7.99

During the summer of 1998, Peter Mortimer set off on the 500-mile journey from Plymouth to Edinburgh, accompanied only by his King Charles spaniel. He had no money and had no transport or pre-arranged accommodation. Bereft of the basics necessary for human existence, such as food and shelter, he was dependent for his survival on his own wits, the generosity of others and good fortune.

Broke through Britain is a record of both the physical and the mental demands such an undertaking placed on Mortimer, and it offers a humourous, poignant and oblique slant on our national characteristics at the dawn of a new millennium. Peter Mortimer gives a vivid account of life lived on the fringes of society in a country where there is an ever-increasing gulf between the rich and the poor. It is a genuine adventure into the unknown - not in some remote, hostile land, but here on our own doorstep. He may even have landed on yours.

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Peter's Site

I picked this up at the local library and dipped into it.  I just had to borrow it.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and could certainly sympathise with Peter's foot problems!  His writing is so fluid and keeps dragging you in to his world.  I recommend this highly.

The Man Who Forgot His Wife by John O'Farrell

The Man Who Forgot His Wife by John O'Farrell

I saw this title in a second hand book shop and just had to buy it!

Lots of husbands forget things: they forget that their wife had an important meeting that morning; they forget to pick up the dry cleaning; some of them even forget their wedding anniversary.

But Vaughan has forgotten he even has a wife. Her name, her face, their history together, everything she has ever told him, everything he has said to her - it has all gone, mysteriously wiped in one catastrophic moment of memory loss. And now he has rediscovered her - only to find out that they are getting divorced.

The Man Who Forgot His Wife is the funny, moving and poignant story of a man who has done just that. And who will try anything to turn back the clock and have one last chance to reclaim his life.

From page one this book had grabbed me.  Vaughn is now seeing his life through different eyes - will he be able to change the inevitable outcome, or has his old self ruined that?  

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Damage by Josephone Hart and Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

May 2013

Damage by Josephine Hart

Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive.'

Damage is the gripping story of a man’s desperate obsession and scandalous love affair. He is a man who appears to have everything: wealth, a beautiful wife and children, and a prestigious political career in Parliament. But his life lacks passion, and his aching emptiness drives him to an all-consuming, and ultimately catastrophic, relationship with his son’s fiancée.

We chose this book partly because it was Amanda's book that she distributed for World Book Night 2013

Liz's opinion - not overly impressed.  I felt that there were several holes in the whole scenario.  Why did Martyn break the door down? Surely he would have knocked?  I am not sure that anyone would accept this way of living without question?  Did Anna have to let her other life end before she could settle down?  Was Martyn a replacement for Aston?

Overall Opinion:

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Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old Jewish girl, is arrested by the French police in the middle of the night, along with her mother and father. Desperate to protect her younger brother, she locks him in a cupboard and promises to come back for him as soon as she can.
Paris, May 2002: Julia Jarmond, an American journalist, is asked to write about the 60th anniversary of the Vel' d'Hiv'--the infamous day in 1942 when French police rounded up thousands of Jewish men, women and children, in order to send them to concentration camps. Sarah's Key is the poignant story of two families, forever linked and haunted by one of the darkest days in France's past. In this emotionally intense, page-turning novel, Tatiana de Rosnay reveals the guilt brought on by long-buried secrets and the damage that the truth can inflict when they finally come unravelled.

Liz's opinion - Fantastic!  I read this book mainly in 2 sessions!  I could not put it down.  It is very well written and the short chapters at the beginning make it easy to relate the past with the present.  The story itself is heartbreaking but beautifully written.  I will now seek out the film to see if justice is done to this wonderful book.

Overall Opinion: Everyone loved this book

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Two Brothers by Ben Elton and A Special Relationship by Douglas Kennedy

April 2013

Two Brothers by Ben Elton

Berlin 1920

Two babies are born.

Two brothers. United and indivisible, sharing everything. Twins in all but blood.

As Germany marches into its Nazi Armageddon, the ties of family, friendship and love are tested to the very limits of endurance. And the brothers are faced with an unimaginable choice....Which one of them will survive?

Only a couple of people had found time to read this book, but others were still wanting to read it.  A brilliant piece of writing by Ben Elton.

Overall Opinion:
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A Special Relationship by Douglas Kennedy

Sally Goodchild is everything you'd expect of a thirty-seven year old American journalist - independent, strong-willed and ambitious. That is until she meets Tony Hobbs, an English foreign correspondent, on assignment in Cairo. After a passionate but uneasy romance, Sally's life is turned upside down when she unexpectedly finds herself married, pregnant and living in London. Married life in a foreign place is a far bigger adjustment than Sally and Tony could ever have imagined - and as their lives shift from freedom and adventure to responsibility and hard work, everyday problems soon spiral into nightmares. After the birth of their son, Sally finds herself trapped in a downward spiral over which she has little control, whilst Tony's life returns to relative normality. Filled with resentment and unable to cope with the cards life has dealt her, Sally is shocked when the man she trusted above all others turns against her. As her world begins to fall down around her, Sally quickly realises she must fight before she loses everything. In this authentic and compelling novel, Kennedy explores the misunderstandings that can occur when two people speak the same language but miss all the vital signs.

It is hard to believe that this book is not written by a woman.  The description of the feelings Sally goes through with her post natal depression is so vivid.  This certainly was a compelling read!  I certainly had not expected the twist in the tale and kept having to turn another page to find out what happened next.  I would not class it as a heavy read, nor chic-lit.  It is a good read  well written and makes me want to read more by this author.

Most people read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it.  

Overall Opinion:  fantastic book


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Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel and The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

March 2013

Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2012

With this historic win for BRING UP THE BODIES, Hilary Mantel becomes the first British author and the first woman to be awarded two Man Booker Prizes, as well as being the first to win with two consecutive novels. Continuing what began in the Man Booker Prize-winning WOLF HALL, we return to the court of Henry VIII, to witness the irresistible rise of Thomas Cromwell as he contrives the destruction of Anne Boleyn.

By 1535 Cromwell is Chief Minister to Henry, his fortunes having risen with those of Anne Boleyn. But the split from the Catholic Church has left England dangerously isolated, and Anne has failed to give the king an heir. Cromwell watches as Henry falls for plain Jane Seymour. Negotiating the politics of the court, Cromwell must find a solution that will satisfy Henry, safeguard the nation and secure his own career. But neither minister nor king will emerge unscathed from the bloody theatre of Anne’s final days.

Nobody had managed to read this - very slow to start and didnt hold my attention.  I believe that we should have read Wolf Hall first which would have made this more understandable.

Overall Opinion: 

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The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

It all starts on the one-hundredth birthday of Allan Karlsson. Sitting quietly in his room in an old people's home, he is waiting for the party he-never-wanted-anyway to begin. The mayor is going to be there. The press is going to be there. But, as it turns out, Allan is not...Slowly but surely Allan climbs out of his bedroom window, into the flowerbed (in his slippers) and makes his getaway. And so begins his picaresque and unlikely journey involving criminals, several murders, a suitcase full of cash, and incompetent police. As his escapades unfold, we learn something of Allan's earlier life in which - remarkably - he helped to make the atom bomb, became friends with American presidents, Russian tyrants, and Chinese leaders, and was a participant behind the scenes in many key events of the twentieth century. Already a huge bestseller across Europe, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared is a fun, feel-good book for all ages.

Everyone had read this and thoroughly enjoyed it. The book basically takes you through all Allan's life.  His mother always said from an early age "what will be will be" and this is the attitude Allan had through his life.  It was amazing how all the key characters came together from all walks of life and had that "happy ever after".

Overall Opinion: Brilliant book.  Must read.

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Maps for Lost Lovers by Nadeem Aslam and No It's Us Too by Miranda Hart

February 2013

Maps for Lost Lovers by Nadeem Aslam

In an unnamed town Jugnu and his lover Chanda have disappeared. Rumours abound in the close-knit Pakistani community, and then on a snow-covered January morning Chanda's brothers are arrested for murder. Telling the story of the next twelve months, Maps for Lost Lovers opens the heart of a family at the crossroads of culture, community, nationality and religion, and expresses their pain in a language that is arrestingly poetic.

'This is a deeply pastoral novel, tied to the seasons and resonating with birdsong . . . Like Aslam, I was heartbroken when the dense, dark tapestry was finished.' Independent on Sunday

'Despite the violence that lies at the heart of the novel, it is a celebration of love and life. Sights and sounds, smells and colours are not so much vivid backdrops for the narrative as structural, mood- and texture-enhancing parts of it . . . This is that rare sort of book that gives a voice to those voices that are seldom heard.' Observer.

Those that were at the meeting all agreed that the author was extremely good at describing in fine detail even the most mundane thing.  The book is slow to read because of the descriptions, and the story is harrowing - it is unbelievable how there can be so much hostility between people of different religions and how they can accept that their actions are acceptable - even murder!  I felt that Shamas was the bridge between these religions - he cares about the people not the religion, and he would not take a 2nd wife even though his religion allowed it.  Are Jugnu and Chanda dead?  

Overall verdict:  Slow, but beautiful prose, an intriguing insight into another culture.  Not a book for those liking a fast paced light read.

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No Its Us Too by Miranda Hart

September 2012: No, It’s Us Too! became the most pre-ordered - non-erotic!- ebook of the season yesterday, with over 52,000 copies released on publication. The ebook sits at number two in the Amazon Top 100 Free chart only one day after release, and is also available from the iBooks, Kobo and Google Play stores.

Miranda invited fans to contribute tales of their most awkward moments in life to No, It’s Us Too!, a digital prelude to her first book, Is It Just Me?

Fans were asked to share their own cringe-inducing tales of embarrassment to mirror Miranda’s collection of awkward moments – and advice on how to deal with them – catalogued in Is It Just Me?, which is to be published by Hodder and Stoughton in October and is expected to be one of the biggest books this Christmas.

Is It Just Me? will be a rallying cry against the unexpected pitfalls and horrors of growing up. Drawing on her life experiences, Miranda will offer her younger self some much needed advice on how to cope with life’s rocky paths, whether it’s resisting unforgivable fashion choices, knowing what not to do when on a date, or lamenting the fact that getting past midnight at a social event has become distressing at 38. All of life’s lessons are here for young Miranda to mull over, and largely ignore.

This book was originally available as a free download for Kindle, but now seems unavailable.  I skimmed through it and was disappointed as it was really just a log of tweets to Miranda responding to her "Is it Just Me".  

Two Brothers by Ben Elton

This was just on the list of suggested books, so I borrowed it from Killin Library and was not sorry that I did.

Berlin 1920

Two babies are born.
Two brothers. United and indivisible, sharing everything. Twins in all but blood.

As Germany marches into its Nazi Armageddon, the ties of family, friendship and love are tested to the very limits of endurance. And the brothers are faced with an unimaginable choice....Which one of them will survive?

This is a deeply moving book.  It shows how awful living in Nazi Germany was for Jews.  How can people be friends one day then enemies the next? It also shows how people can use their friends and the consequences of doing so. The dedication of friendships formed between children regardless of race.   The ending was very surprising too - not what I expected.
This book is very well written and keeps the reader turning the pages to find out what happened next.
I am so glad that I decided to read this book, and would definately recommend it.

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100 Names by Cecelia Ahern and Labyrinth by Kate Mosse

January 2013.

Our main title is 100 Names by Cecelia Ahern.
I read this as soon as I could get it from the library - the first person to check it out - the thrill of it!!
It was a bit slow to start, but as I turned the pages the story grew and the pages turned over faster and faster!  And when I reached the final page I realised how much more there was to be told.
A great story of people.  Everyone has a story to be told no matter how innocuous they look, scratch the surface and you will see what is really there - forget about yourself and find the perfect gift!
Overall Opinion: Liz loved it! But others were not so positive
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Our second book for the fast readers was Labyrinth by Kate Mosse.
"When Dr Alice Tanner discovers two skeletons during an archaeological dig in southern France, she unearths a link with a horrific and brutal past. But it's not just the sight of the shattered bones that makes her uneasy; there's an overwhelming sense of evil in the tomb that Alice finds hard to shake off, even in the bright French sunshine. Puzzled by the words carved inside the chamber, Alice has an uneasy feeling that she has disturbed something which was meant to remain hidden... Eight hundred years ago, on the night before a brutal civil war ripped apart Languedoc, a book was entrusted to Alais, a young herbalist and healer. Although she cannot understand the symbols and diagrams the book contains, Alais knows her destiny lies in protecting their secret, at all costs. Skilfully blending the lives of two women divided by centuries but united by a common destiny, LABYRINTH is a powerful story steeped in the atmosphere and history of southern France."
An exciting book, it switches from Alais's story to that of Alice.  The description of the Languedoc  area makes you want to go and visit the places mentioned.

Overall Opinion:  Loved it

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Findings by Kathleen Jamie and The Lewis Man by Peter May

December 2012

"It's surprising what you can find by simply stepping out to look. Kathleen Jamie, award winning poet, has an eye and an ease with the nature and landscapes of Scotland as well as an incisive sense of our domestic realities. In Findings she draws together these themes to describe travels like no other contemporary writer. Whether she is following the call of a peregrine in the hills above her home in Fife, sailing into a dark winter solstice on the Orkney islands, or pacing around the carcass of a whale on a rain-swept Hebridean beach, she creates a subtle and modern narrative, peculiarly alive to her connections and surroundings."
I was the odd one out in our group on this book.  I couldnt really connect to it.  After discussion though we realised that it was a book to  pick up from time to time and read a chapter - it isnt a book to be read as a whole.  Her writing is very detailed, and you can see her love of nature through it.
Overall Opinion: Fair... a bedside or coffee table book.
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Our second book for the fast readers was Peter May's The Lewis Man.
"An unidentified corpse is recovered from a Lewis peat bog; the only clue to its identity being a DNA sibling match to a local farmer. But this islander, Tormod Macdonald - now an elderly man suffering from dementia - has always claimed to be an only child. When Tormod's family approach Fin Macleod for help, Fin feels duty-bound to solve the mystery."
The main thread does continue from where The Black House left off, going further into Fin's past and present.
Overall Opinion: Great
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The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling and American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield

November 2012

"When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.
Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war.
Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils... Pagford is not what it first seems.
And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?"
This is her first book for adults after the successful Harry Potter books, and you can see the talent she has for telling a good story.  We read this book so that we could form our own opinion of it after a lot of bad press she had about it.  The book, although not our favourite, certainly gave us more to discuss, each of us getting different things from it.  Overall Opinion.  Fair.... worth a read.
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The second book for fast readers was American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield
"In the year 2000, in the closest election in American history, Alice Blackwell's husband becomes president of the United States. Their time in the White House proves to be heady, tumultuous, and controversial.

But it is Alice's own story - that of a kind, bookish, only child born in the 1940s Midwest who comes to inhabit a life of dizzying wealth and power - that is itself remarkable. Alice candidly describes her small-town upbringing, and the tragedy that shaped her identity; she recalls her early adulthood as a librarian, and her surprising courtship with the man who swept her off her feet; she tells of the crisis that almost ended their marriage; and she confides the privileges and difficulties of being first lady, a role that is uniquely cloistered and public, secretive and exposed.
In Alice Blackwell, Curtis Sittenfeld has created her most dynamic and complex heroine yet. American Wife is not a novel about politics. It is a gorgeously written novel that weaves race, class, fate and wealth into a brilliant tapestry. It is a novel in which the unexpected becomes inevitable, and the pleasures and pain of intimacy and love are laid bare."
"A powerful, utterly compelling and strangely moving fictional account of a First Lady who bears more than a passing resemblance to Laura Bush" (Daily Mirror )
I loved this book - although I felt that the last section was rushed in comparison the depth in the earlier sections - maybe the author felt the book was getting too big?

Overall Opinion: Good
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The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown and The Black House by Peter May

October 2012

For the second meeting we decided that we would have a second book for those who read fast.
The main book was The Weird Sisters.
"Rosalind. Bianca. Cordelia. The Weird Sisters.
Rose always first, Bean never first, Cordy always last. The history of our trinity is fractious – a constantly shifting dividing line, never equal, never equitable. Two against one, or three opposed, but never all together.
Our estrangement is not drama-laden – we have not betrayed one another’s trust, we have not stolen lovers or fought over money or property or any of the things that irreparably break families apart. The answer, for us, is much simpler.
See, we love each other. We just don’t happen to like each other very much."
I personally loved this book.  I could not put it down and it left me wanting to hear more about these wonderful girls and their family.
Overall Opinion: Good Buy from Amazon

Our second book was The Black House by Peter May.

"A brutal killing takes place on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland: a land of harsh beauty and inhabitants of deep-rooted faith. A MURDER. Detective Inspector Fin Macleod is sent from Edinburgh to investigate. For Lewis-born Macleod, the case represents a journey both home and into his past. A SECRET. Something lurks within the close-knit island community. Something sinister. A TRAP. As Fin investigates, old skeletons begin to surface, and soon he, the hunter, becomes the hunted."
Gripping from page 1 another book that I could not put down.  A great insight into island life.

Overall Opinion: Brilliant

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Wait for Me by Deborah Devonshire

September 2012

This was the first book on our list.  It was chosen by myself as I had bought it for my Mother before she died.
We all agreed that it was not the sort of book that we would normally all pick.
Deborah was the youngest of the Mitford sisters, and the book gives a great insight into the way of life of such a family over the years. She talks candidly about her family, politcs and including her sister's dalliance with Hitler.  She is extremely candid about her husband's alcohol addiction, and the matter of fact way she deals with the death of 3 of her children brings tears to the eye.  She also describes the challenges in restoring and overseeing the day-to-day running of Chatsworth.
The book doesnt exactly flow and is very matter-of-fact, it is supplemented by photographs which are interesting.
Overall opinion.  Fair.  We are glad we read it.
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