General Chat

Please add your reviews for August books. The Island, The Highest Tide and Lady Chatterley's Lover. Ann Glos

Review The Island by Victoria Hislop. Did I enjoy it? Not at first, found it very slow at the beginning and couldn’t see where it was going. Then I found it depressing, with all the description of leprosy. But when I goy into it it got better. I learnt a lot about leprosy that I didn’t know and I hadn’t realised there was so much of it on Crete and mainland Greece in the 30s and 40s. if I am honest I had not realised either the extent to which Crete was affected by the war, so that was informative too. But, about halfway through I suddenly realised that I was enjoying the book for its story and the interaction of the relationships. It was very well researched, she knew Crete very well and had obviously researched the leprosy angle, what a horrific disease it was and still could be. A well written book and I will certainly look out for more of hers. Ann Glos

*panics* Morning Ann Got to go out and find an outfit for a christening today, but I promise I'll have my reviews on by the end of the day. I also have a list of books for next month somewhere, but I've been going through my old family history notes and it's got buried on the desk somewhere! lol Jeanette x

Review The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch If I had picked up this book in a book shop I would have glanced at it and put it back, it definitely doesn’t look the sort of book I normally read. I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised, I actually enjoyed it. I love the sea and found his description of sea life fascinating. For a first novel it is very good, his descriptive writing is excellent, and he draws his characters very well. I loved the human touch of Miles being small for his age and the trauma every month when hid Dad measured him and he hadn’t grown, thus disappointing his dad who himself was small. I also liked the way he used the book by Rachel Carson as Mile’s reference book (and I guess his too) in the story, a good advert for her book I would think. There were a lot of facts in this book that I hope I have retained (memory is not always what it should be these days). Who knows what lies in the deepest ocean. And, did he and Angie get carried out to sea in the end? Lovely ending, a cliff hanger, and we will probably never know, unless he writes a sequel! Yes I liked it and would probably read another of his books if he writes any. Ann Glos

Review Lady Chatterley’s Lover D H Lawrence Well, much to my amazement I finished it. And also to my amazement, in the end I quite enjoyed it. I found the start very slow and wordy but once I got used to the style it began to ‘flow’ better. At first I found I had to keep re- reading to make sense. Lawrence was certainly a master of descriptive writing. I can’t say I enjoyed the passages where the men were talking, I don’t enjoy that sort of ‘clever’ conversation but it was always well written. I suppose the last time I read the book was in the late fifties and I wasn’t looking for literary content then so all I remembered (in company with most other people of my generation) were the notorious passages, in particular forget-me-nots and John Thomas, and that passage did bring a smile to my face this time, although more because of remembering when I first read it. It is amazing that Lawrence got away with writing the book in 1927, and I note his intension was to liberate the generations who regarded sex merely as an embarrassment or a mechanical act. I found the story very romantic, and the love scenes were just that, not gratuitous sex but beautifully written acts of love. So, yes I enjoyed it. I would love to have had a completely happy ending with Mellors and Connie actually living together, but no doubt we re meant to be left wondering if it would have ever worked out. Amazing to us nowadays that an affair could be so frowned upon and that they had to live apart for 6 months to enable him to achieve his divorce. How times have changed. (For the better?) One phrase I loved and chuckled at. When Mellors was discussing making love and women and he was disparaging about some women saying they ‘had to grind their own coffee’. A real euphemism if ever there was one. I was also a little surprised that Lesbians were so freely mentioned in 1928. Ann Glos

Lady Chatterley’s Lover – D H Lawrence What a disappointment. I felt sure I had read this before, and I have certainly read other books by Lawrence. When I was younger perhaps I just read the ‘naughty’ bits, as I didn’t remember much of the plot!! I found his writing style irritating, and not at all captivating. I can’t honestly believe that a certain class of people spoke in that affected way back in the early part of last century. The relationship between Clifford and Mrs Bolton was bizarre, left over from the archaic times when children were raised by Nannies and seemed to have an unhealthy relationship with them. Talk of quivering wombs and so called ‘romantic’ figures of speech!!!! To be honest I found them neither erotic or titillating, they just conjured up images of some guy’s rather odd imagination of what an affair would be like. The final letter from Mellors to Connie was just indescribably boring. I am not sure why Lawrence found it necessary to bring in all the stuff about the class divide and the closure of the pits in those final pages; it did nothing for the story as far as I was concerned All in all a disappointing read.

The Highest Tide – Jim Lynch What an odd book. I never realised I could have found out so much about marine life in a novel The story in itself was not one I would have considered reading if it had not been selected this month It game me a few serious points to ponder. One being the one about ‘ People being respected for just being tall’ and one about ‘people feeling a connection with the sea’ – both of which inspired me to post threads on here. The other point was that ‘Life is something you do alone’ which pointed out you can only help and be helped so much. That is so true A fascinating insight into the life of an American teenage boy, and I am glad I read it. His relationship with the elderly Florence was interesting, showing that not all teenagers are thoughtless morons.

The Island – Victoria Hislop Brilliant. An unusual setting for a story, a leper colony, but a fascinating insight into a totally different life style. Not only the lives of the lepers but also those of the people in the nearby village, and the differences in the classes, were all portrayed well. Some strong, and very believable characters. I am not totally sure why the author wanted to bring in the murder, and I felt the last few chapters seemed to be in too much of a hurry. The first part of the book was far better that the later chapters. Guess we will be inundated with books on lepers now, the modern way seems to flood the market with books on very similar subjects The Divinci Code spawned a plethora of similar tales, as did the lives of the various Geisha girls and Chinese peasant girls. Guess there are very few ‘new’ topics to write about when it comes to the bottom line

Hi All, Am new to this and so I’ll keep it short and sweet! The Highest Tide - Jim Lynch Having heard and read all of the hype about this book I have to confess I started to read it with a cynical eye. No book ticks all the boxes for all readers and so I was expecting to be disappointed. However, I thankfully wasn’t disappointed, and although not a book I will read again nor put on my list of favourites or must reads I will give it a 7/10. The blurb at the front states “If you reach the last page without having laughed out loud or felt tears well up ….then you may, quite simply, be inhuman” Mmmm, that makes me inhuman then but if you like a quick enjoyable read without the tears or the laughter then this book will do just fine! The story of 13 year old Miles and his eventful summer spent amongst friends in the bay surrounding his home made me think wistfully about the summer days I spent with fishing net and jar in hand and the freedom of only having to be back for tea. Happy days, although I never found a giant squid nor was I complicit in the unexplained death of any local grannies either! I’m going to recommend this to my 14 yr old and see if he enjoys it too. The Island – Victoria Hislop I haven’t got this book in front of me as I write this as I’ve lent it to my sister. This is all part of the learning curve of joining you all – next time I’ll write short reviews on Word after I’ve read each book, and then lend them out! I’ll give this 4/10 only I’m afraid. Although I did finish the book without it feeling like a chore, I honestly can’t remember any of the characters or felt any sympathy for, or even liked them. Except maybe the present day boyfriend who was left behind – you escaped in the nick of time son, or for the father/boatman surrounded by all these uninspiring women! I felt a bit cheated as here I am trying to dig up my own family history and yet I felt neither sympathy nor interest in the story of the Island characters or their family history. Very disappointing. Lady C Lover – D H Lawrence. Oh dear – I did try, honest! Many moons ago I had to “do” Lawrence for an English Lit project in school and I can say that put me off Lawrence and almost all reading, for the remainder of my school days. I shiver when I think of his writings and dreaded picking this book up. So I left it ‘til last and even spent £8.99 on it in the book shop as I knew I’d never get around to it otherwise. Well guess what? The nightmare of UV1 1977 rose its ugly head again!!! Sorry all, I managed to get to P39 before throwing in the towel. I had hoped that as I matured I would “get” what he was writing about, but no such luck. Nothing in those first few pages engaged me and I found myself reading and rereading the same passages in order to fully understand them. Therefore I can’t give it a mark out of ten. I hope there is one of you out there who can tell me how to “read” Lawrence, otherwise that’s £8.99 down the drain :0)) mmm maybe not so short & sweet Jen x

I think this needs a nudge before we disappear. Ann Glos

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D H Lawrence Well I started out thinking I wouldn’t like it, but by the end I did, but the actual ending I found a bit of a disappointment! The worst parts for me were the bits where the ‘cronies’ and others were talking about ‘the mental life’ and all that stuff – I’m afraid it was a bit too deep for me! He really conveyed well the claustrophobic feelings that a woman such as Connie must have felt – trapped with a man who made no effort to be loving, but who would not let her go. I must say that I expected a bit more passion in the love scenes – all the fuss that was made at the time, just imagine if they could read some of the books available now! Yes there were f’s and c’s, but its really quite tame compared to even Mills and Boon (or so I’m told lol). I think Lawrence had an excellent understanding of a woman’s mind, I could really empathise with Connie and her confusion over what to do with her life. Favourite quote would be “Sex and a cocktail; they both lasted about as long, had the same effect, and amounted to about the same thing.” Hmmmm – wonder if Lawrence ever met my ex lol ;-)) Overall I quite liked it, but I’ve found it really difficult to write about – and I’m not sure why! I’ve ordered the DVD (special request for Sean Bean version lol) from the library, hopefully that will be less of a let down in the passion department!! Maz. XX ps - still waiting for the flippin' DVD - will let you know when I've seen it !!

The Island – Victoria Hislop This is the first book that I have nominated that has actually got chosen, so I’m pleased to see that most of you have enjoyed it! I was slightly surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did too as I’m always a bit suspicious of the quality of Richard and Judy book club choices! lol Before reading this book I knew nothing about leprosy or that a cure had only been found in the last century. But although the leper colony was at the centre of the story, I didn’t feel that the author did justice to what a serious disease this is. Perhaps she thought we wouldn’t want to read too much about the pain and suffering……..she could be right! The book was more about the characters and the story of a family through several generations. The emotions felt by the characters as they faced each new trial were well described. I felt particularly sorry for Georgiou and wanted to give him a big hug! lol. But what really tugged at my heart strings was the part when Eleni had to go to the colony, leaving her two daughters behind, knowing she would never be able to see them again. As a mother of two girls myself, I was in tears imagining what she must be going through. I did want to quote an extract from the book at this point, but my eldest daughter is reading it at the moment and she is out with it in her handbag! She is thoroughly enjoying it too. The Highest Tide – Jim Lynch You know when you’re really looking forward to something, but it doesn’t turn out to be as good as you were expecting? That’s what this book was for me. I didn’t take to any of the characters, not even Miles…….although I did feel slightly sorry for him having the parents he had! It seemed to me that most of the people around him were either drugged up or barking mad…….or both! I don’t know whether it’s because I’m not particularly interested in the sea and sea life, or because I’m not a teenage boy, or because I’m not American, but this book just didn’t do it for me. Lady Chatterley’s Lover – D H Lawrence Sorry but I didn’t get very far with this one. Read the first few chapters, but then another book I had ordered from the library came in, so it got dumped I’m afraid! I also found myself re-reading bits to try and understand them, and I am a woman of little patience! Jeanette x

The Highest Tide Didnt want to read it that much - just didnt fancy it and i found it hard to get into at first. I found it similar in some ways to Adrian Moles diaries - the awkward nature of the boy and his relationships and his struggle to find his place in the world. Managed to plough through it and towards the end was actually enjoying it lol. Infact i was intrigued to find out what would happen next. Was slighty disappointed by the ending - but suppose there could be a sequel waiting to be written. Lady Chats Lover Well - again not one i was looking forward to despite everything i knew about it lol. Found the begining very hard in fact im sure i reread some bits at least 2 or 3 times - but once i got past the mental circle stuff with the men then i got into it and to be honest couldnt put it down. I expected it to be a bit racier but then i suppose im a product of the 60s lol. I would recommend it and i think that books like this should still be part of the school cucirlum (sp). The Island This is the one i really wanted to read and even went out and bought a copy. But as of yet i just havent found the time - between kids, here and msn im such a busy lady lol - promise i will fit it in somewhere lol

Maz, have I just read that we both enjoyed lady C? Surely not, we don't ever like the same books!!! Ann Glos

There are a lot of good reviews here this month, thanks, I think just Kaz to come, or have I missed somebody? Not sure if Kaz is back from holiday yet anyway. Ann Glos

Kaz was around last night Ann

lol Ann - I noticed that too !! Having seen all these reviews, I must make sure I read the Island sometime soon. Maz. XX

Maz Don't forget to review it if you do. Ann Glos

Nudge this up for Kaz and anyone I have missed. Ann Glos

ok Boss lol :-)) Maz. XX ps I think my DVD has arrived at the library at last ;-))