GF Book Club - Book 5

[L19red]

Time for a new book I think and as all the other regular contributors have already had a go I'm passing the baton to Razor. Over to you.

[razor]

Can I first just say that I am absolutely thrilled to have this honour bestowed upon me, the honour of being selected, by my peers, to announce Book 5 of the TLW Book Club. It is an honour that so many of our throng covet, and can I take this opportunity to thank L19 for his kind nomination. When my English teacher finally threw me out of his class for "perpetual, high level insolence" I would bet a fine sum that neither he nor I would ever envisage that the day would pass when I would be nominated to announce Book 5 of the prestigious TLW Book Club. As I sat between my summoned parents in the dark, cavernous rooms of the headteacher, enveloped in humiliation, who would have guessed that not 20 years would pass before I would rise, like a phoenix from the dying flames of academia, to heed the call of my literary colleagues, my scholastic brothers of erudition to announce to the waiting world the title of the fifth tome of the TLW Book Club.

 

So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, let me get back to you with a couple of suggestions asap. Ta.

[L19red]

I suggest this

Milking it: Amazon.co.uk: Georgina Wroe: Books

[razor]

Could do.

 

On advice, I was looking at these:

 

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

Empire Falls by Richard Russo

 

They're each about 500 pages.

 

These are shorter:

 

Borstal Boy by Brendan Behan

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

 

I'll go with the majority decision!

[L19red]

I have no preference from that lot.

[Guido]

Just PMed you razor, but i'll repeat! Think Behan at nearly 400 pages and being non-fiction might have a slow uptake and the club maybe needs a little kickstart after a sluggish winter - still a chapter to go with Book 4 myself! Would plump for McEwan, but should be your choice really. Welcome to the club anyways!

[razor]

Right. Thanks for Guid-ance.

 

As the others are too long, I'll go for On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. All reviews say it's excellent. Short, but not sweet.

 

It's about a man and woman having sex. McEwan can get a full book out of that?

 

On Chesil Beach: Amazon.co.uk: Ian McEwan: Books

 

Any takers?

[Guido]

Nice one Razor, we'll be on it. Just purchased. Yet to read any of his stuff so looking forward to it. Will finish Book 4 (finally) this week, then crack on with this next week.

[piscinin]

A collection of short stories might make it easier for people to dip in and out Borges, Kafka, Nabokov, etc.

[Guido]

The book has been chosen, piscinin. It has been chosen and we shall follow Razor's lead.

 

(Sure it'll be your turn next month though)

[RedinSweden]

I'm on it.

[piscinin]

The book has been chosen, piscinin. It has been chosen and we shall follow Razor's lead.

 

(Sure it'll be your turn next month though)

 

Alas, I've not the time. Just an idea to make it easier for stragglers to get involved.

[Guest davelfc]

Any Kindle owners here? It's just kindle owners can loan out their books to other kindle owners, so you could have a fairly decent kindle book club.

 

Downside is nobody else can read the book while one person has it on loan.

[L19red]

I've read a few of his and here are my brief reviews

 

The Comfort of Strangers - Meh

Enduring love - Memorable hot-air ballon and stalker madness

Amsterdam - Amazing book great final plot twist involving mutual revenge

 

2 out of 3 corkers so I have high hopes for this one.

[L19red]

Any Kindle owners here? It's just kindle owners can loan out their books to other kindle owners, so you could have a fairly decent kindle book club.

 

Downside is nobody else can read the book while one person has it on loan.

 

not me. I won't own a kindle or any other e-reader while I have a hole in my arse. I'd much rather own a paper book than content on a hard disk.

[Guido]

Alas, I've not the time. Just an idea to make it easier for stragglers to get involved.

 

Shame that mate, you've been a great contributor. Hope you get the chance to join in later in the year maybe.

[Guido]

not me. I won't own a kindle or any other e-reader while I have a hole in my arse. I'd much rather own a paper book than content on a hard disk.

 

Yeh, not yet convinced myself. Reckon it'll be a long long time before i dump the papery versions, if ever. Could encourage more people to read though i guess, but unlikely to make much of an impact really.

[Guest davelfc]

not me. I won't own a kindle or any other e-reader while I have a hole in my arse. I'd much rather own a paper book than content on a hard disk.

 

I've bought a few books on mine, Kenny's new book for example. But I've also downloaded a fair few and converted them.

 

Us older readers find the adjustable text size handy.

[L19red]

I've got the book but it will be a few days before I get started on it. I'm currently working my way through the latest Bateman offering Dr Yes.

[Guido]

Read the first 75 pages (nearly half!) last night. No rollercoaster ride here. Enjoying the attention to detail and build up though. Surprised by the rave reviews so guess it will grow on me chapter by chapter. Might finish it tonight.

[razor]

Who's still aboard?

 

How we getting on?

[Guido]

Finished it last night. To be honest i wasn't grabbed by the first 2 or 3 chapters other than by an appreciation for the effortless craftmanship. So easy to read and the ending snook up on me somewhat. Loved the evokative scene on the beach, but more striking was the aftermath. The final chapter, summarising their subsequent lives and the pondering of what might have been was where the story struck a chord with me. At the age of 30, i can relate to a lot of the what-could-have-been sentiment in a way i wouldn't have been able to 10 years ago. I will have to re-read the last chapter at some point soon as it seemed he said so much in the space of just a few pages. Associations of place and memory will always keep me reading too.

 

I struggled to identify with the trepidation and fear they had about sex, and also with ideas of the place of sex in early 60's culture as i have no real frame of reference. I also reckon it probably was't as clear cut as is being made out or that there was really a generalised public anxiety about individuals' sex lives. Could be wrong though, and it's that ambiguity that created a bit of distance between me as the reader and the narrative. I'd temper that again by noting how McEwan likely didn't want to spend half his time detailing the 'British sexual identity of 1962' either, so we can let that pass!

 

Very impressed overall, and the emotions triggered by the final few pages of prose have stayed with me throughout today, which is a good sign. Will be reading one of his longer efforts in the near future so if anyone has a must-read recommendation from his back catalogue it would be appreciated.

[razor]

I thought it was outstanding.

 

The age of innocence and a yearning for maturity. But not being able to articulate it.

 

Its setting, 1962, is what makes it. They're the last generation for whom sex is a taboo, and is treated with cold, distant British politeness. Their lack of communication and especially Florence's absolute dread of the vile act is dealt with brilliantly. She is too refined, genteel, "intelligent" to resort to such base acts. Edward is so desperate. The bedroom scene is incredible. I just couldn't believe what I was reading.

 

I loved the radio playing in the background, with boring men from the BBC and parliament grounding the novel in that age of unspoken conservatism.

 

The cover gave a quotation from somewhere about it being "devastating", and that sums it up perfectly. The ending is just that.

 

i found the final part, with the string performance, deeply upsetting.

 

It reminds me of Remains of the Day. Man, just say it!!! Speak to eachother!!!! But that would impropriety of the most uncouth kind. Refinement, conservatism and reservation: the British middle class of 1962.

 

An outstanding read. I absolutely loved it!

[L19red]

I'm about half way in and after a rather indifferent start its improving. My initial impressions of the protagonists were not good and I had little empathy with either of them. He's randy, she's frigid so what? Its getting better because in subsequent chapters you start to get an insight into how they have grown up and why they have become these people.

 

Its not destined to be my favourite McEwan as it has neither the immediacy of Enduring Love or the skulduggery of Amsterdam but his track record is strong and the previous reviews suggest its going to continue to improve so who knows maybe I'll have a different view of the early chapters once I've completed the book.

 

Guido - you wont go wrong with either of those two, and I'm told Black Dogs is excellent as well.

[neko]

nice light for reading...