#49 - The Tango Singer - Tomas Eloy Martinez (Choice: Gill's)(Venue: Casa Malevo)

Present: Mark, Gill, Jen, Nic and Alex

Fabulous food and wine, which conjured up Buenos Aires, for me, much better than this book was able to do.

For me this was the most disappointing book of the year - it held great promise, with wonderful reviews on the cover (which I later noticed were for one of the author's other books!). I was expecting the poetical literacy of The Shadow of the Wind instead, when I began, I thought I was reading the foreword and only, with growing disappointment, realised this was the book after several dull and un-engaging pages.

Gill, although disappointed, was able to reap some enjoyment from the descriptions of tango. I don't think I read far enough to encounter one.

Gill:

I am the first to admit that I chose this book because (a) it had something to do with tango; (b) it sounded good on the cover; and (c) it had a nice photo on the front. So, yes never judge a book by the cover! I would, however, disagree that it was such a bad book. It perhaps lost something in the translation but I am glad that I finished it. It reminded me of a literary version of an art gallery - each of the venues the tango singer sang at had a story and was a different picture of buenos aires. I agree that the narrator character was highly annoying! All in all, the idea behind the book was interesting but it just didn't live up to its promise. Will go back to dancing tango and not reading books on it!

#48 - Vinnie Got Blown Away - Jeremy Cameron (Choice: Shubha's)(Venue: Alfie's, Bermondsey Square Hotel)

Present: Carl, Jane, Nic, Shubha, Jen, Doris

Awful, awful, awful (except Jen thought it was ok).

I can almost guarantee you would rather saw off your own plates of meat than read this book.

#47 - The Valley of the Dolls - Jacqueline Susann (Choice: Alex's)(Venue: Maison Touaregue)

Present: Alex, Nathalie, Gill, Nic

All present thoroughly enjoyed this book. thinking it, perhaps a forerunner of modern chicklit but well-written with well crafted main characters and some interesting side-characters too. The men were, on the whole, weak or unpleasant or both and the women were weak and / or manipulative but, both were, in some ways, the product of their time and the roles and expectations of their sexes. Who's to say any of us would have been strong enough to fight the tide if we grew up in a different time?

Jennifer North was my favourite character ultimately, although she must have been more than a little dim not to realise her husband had the mental age of a pre-pubescent boy; and his sister was revealed to have more depth and compassion that at first sight. And so it was with many characters - you thought you knew them and then you learned something a little new or unexpected. Quite a page turner and a colourful portrait of another time, not so distant from our own but almost unrecognisable.

I happen to know Jen hated this.

#46 - For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemmingway (Choice: Jane's)(Venue: Cigala, Lamb's Conduit Street)

Present: Jen, Jane, Nic, Alex, Gill, Mark, Carl

This is a slowly unfolding tale; an almost real-time recounting of events in the couple of days leading up to the blowing of a bridge during the Spanish civil war. I'd like to say more but ... unprintable ... yawn ...

Mark and Jane loved this. I can't remember what everyone else thought but the cava, the food and the red wine were marvellous.

#45 - The Road - Cormac McCarthy (Choice: Eamonn's)(Venue: Automat, Mayfair),

Present: Nic, Eamonn, Jane, Alex, Nathalie and Gill (if memory serves)

A controversial choice and a divided table: Eamonn loved this book; Nathalie appreciated it; Gill and Nic loathed it passionately; as I recall Jane disliked it.

Possibly the stark, deconstructed writing - "sentences" weren't sentences but phrases or words separated by inappropriate full stops; lacking cohesion and structure and having, usually, either subject or predicate but rarely both - reflected the apocalyptic breakdown of society but mostly it smacked of illiteracy.

There were occasional, breath-taking portraits of degradation and desperation - the farm of humans in the cellar, kept alive to provide meat being an obvious example - but mostly the characters were unappealing and so slightly sketched that it was hard to know them and, therefore, to empathise.

We knew the mother had committed suicide and the father hadn't and had undertaken the care and upbringing of his child alone but throughout the whole novel we learned nothing more of him than that he loved his child and had taken that decision. (Except that he had an uncanny ability to find barely hidden cellars full of food that had gone undiscovered by the other desperate survivors who had passed by previously. Perhaps he had a great sense of smell?)

We have no reason to think the mother didn't love her child but she reached a different decision. Presumably this made the father morally more commendable but, really, to what purpose and why? What was the value in the life he and the boy led while we followed and, if the devastation was so wide spread as it appeared and danger so omnipresent, what value would there ever be?

I'm not sure the mother was wrong.


Carl's Comments:

#44 - The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters (Choice: Jen's)(Venue: Jen's Country Pile)

• Alex:
• Present: Jen, Alex, Mark, Eamonn (and Jen's more-than-welcome family)
  A thin on the ground, but beautifully catered book group...
  
  I tried to read as little about The Little Stranger as possible before starting it. I had heard it was a ghost story, which already freaked me out - being equally compelled and appalled by these things. I don't think we ever grow out of our childhood fears, and the possibilty of ghouls and spectres, and unexplained happenings, chills me as much now as it did then. And infact the book succeeded in keeping me awake a good couple of nights - watching the bedroom door, listening for unexplained creaks and knocks, as I flew through Waters's rollicking story of the doomed Ayres family desperately trying to maintain their disintigrating family home, their reputation and sanity.
  
  I do not believe in spirits, though, much like the 1st person narrator - the village doctor, Faraday (who we follow from boy to man, and who becomes indelibly intertwined in the family's misfortunes), erring more to the subconscional explanations of his colleague, Professor Selby, that we make our own ghosts, and indeed, to my mind, the mishaps that befall the various members of the Ayres family do seem to be manifestations of their own fears.
  
  The book conveys a changing post-war Britian effortlessly, making the history as much a character as any of the named protagonists. The book details the anxiety for change felt by the populace and the social-leveling that the war brought about. It weaves in the expectations of a new labour government, of social housing and the onset of the National Helath service. These things are vital to the story-telling, and makes the Ayres's plight as they cling on to their crumbling home and decaying class poignant and quite moving.
  
  The book never forgets about the reader, and up to the the final paragraph remains thought provoking and chilling.
Nic:

I found this beautifully and well written. The changes in British society and politics that Alex refers to above are subtly drawn and deftly woven into, indeed are a vital part of, the plot: they propel the action and decline of the house and family. In this respect, Waters has a delicacy of touch that is in stark contrast to Byatt's clumsy history lecturing. I'd definitely try more of Waters work. I was disappointed not to be able to attend this book group but we've discussed this book a sessions subsequently and everyone seems to have been in agreement with Alex about the haunting tone of the work - especially with regard to the intriguing, undefined role played by the doctor in the fall of the family through his deep, personal connection with the house.

#43 - The Children's Book - AS Byatt (Choice: Mark's)(Venue: Katzenjammers, London bridge)

Tuesday 25th May 2010
Present: Mark, Jen, Nic, Shubha, Gill, Alex

Literary Marmite. The only thing we all agreed on was the beer (even that's poetic licence, actually as Shubha had wine).

Mark and Jane loved, loved, loved this book. Jen, Shubha, and Alex hated it. Gill pulled extraordinary faces of disapproval during Mark's protestations of love (for the book, not Gill - it goes without saying that we all love Gill).

The male characters were odious and the female characters, on the most part, were lame. There were some notable exceptions (esp Karl/Charles, Phillip and Elsie), which probably sums up the era rather well. The book was dense with historical facts and, whether you loved this or hated it, this was just one of the factors dividing our opinions.

For my part, I wondered where the editor was. It seems Byatt did laudable amounts of research for this book but, instead of using that information to drop in subtle hints as to the nature of the time, she formed the facts into a sledge hammer which she used to ram home her superior knowledge driving, at the same time, a sledgehammer through my enjoyment of the compelling 300-page tale that, instead, covered 615 pages.

I did, however, find that the strength of the story telling and the power of the ultimate story, eventually, permeated the dense text. For me, the Bird-Song-style ending redeemed everything that went before and gave it new perspective: to see that so many of these children, of whose lives we knew such intimate detail, whose trials and tribulations had seemed so important, could be wiped out by WW1 and to know that that happened not just to these few but to so many, to a generation, was heart breaking. Despite my early difficulties with the novel, I ended in tears not of frustration but of wonder, some for the characters and some for the end of a marvellous book.

Carl's Review:

#42 - One Day - David Nicholls (Choice: Nathalie's)(Venue: LE Pain Quotidien, South Bank)

Present: Shubha, Nic, Mark, Gill, Jenny, Alex, Nathalie

Ok, so I should have typed this one up earlier as I am struggling to remember the discussion although, for some reason, I recall that Mark, Shubha and I ended up at the new hotel at the south end of Westminster Bridge! Connected? Surely not!

Jen, I know, hadn't finished the book but was enjoying it so she left the table while we discussed the dramatic turn of events just before the conclusion. Mark didn't like it. The rest of us, so far as my hazy memory permits generally enjoyed the read. It fulfilled Nathalie's reasons for choosing it, being a straightforward, easy to read tale with a little more humour than the previous novel - something a little lighter. The main characters, Em and Dex, felt real, which is to say they were defined, suitably flawed and not always likeable. Post university days, menial jobs, career angst and family frustrations were all well sketched and jogged memories amongst our table of readers. One does wonder why Em put up with Dexter for so long, although it is clear that he loved her and made efforts to change in order that the relationship would work. Many of us felt that [spoiler alert] their relationship would not have survived and Dexter would have returned to his previous ways, probably having an affair with Maddy, had Emma not died so abruptly. We all felt that the simple way her death was written was shocking and moving and Dexter's reaction painful. But, sadly, I recall we mostly felt that a leopard doesn't change its spots. The ending, returning to the beginning was controversial; not universally liked. And we even discussed the title - One Day. The events of years are told through snap shots of a single day from each - the 15th July but I read the title as a romantic hope, harboured long and secretly ... one day, may be One Day.

#41 - If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things - Jon McGregor (Choice: Nic's)(Venue: Waterloo Bar and Grill)

Jen:
Present Nic, Jen, Mark, Alex, Natalie. Please forgive me if you were there and I haven't mentioned you; I'm not as good as Nic at this!
An interesting choice, and one that most people liked. However, Jane did say that it was like watching paint dry and I wasn't so sure. My problem was that I read it sproradically, on the train home. If I had been able to read it all in one, or maybe two sittings, perhaps I would have enjoyed it more. But as it was, I loved it whilst I was reading it, but it was a struggle to pick up because I found it very difficult to know who was who and what was going on.

It was beautifully written and poetic and I did finish it following the comments from the group. So all in all, a well received choice.

Carl (from Afghanistan):

#40 - The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (Choice: Gill's)(Venue: Christopher's, Covent Garden)

Present: Gill, Carl "Gin Martini" Barnes, Shubha, Jennie, Nic and, a little later than billed, Eamonn.

With a wonderfully grand and aged staircase up to the main restaurant, this was a great venue to discuss a book which vibrantly brought to life the decadence and opulence of America in the 1920s. Carl brought a little more of that to life as he arrived for brunch hung-over and called immediately for a gin martini with Tanqueray and a twist. Style.

Superficially, this was the story of a man's obsession with a failed love affair and his prolonged and impassioned attempt to recapture a lost moment but, in an unusually high-brow discussion, we discussed this as a metaphor for the corruption of the American dream: the narrator and Gatsby illustrating the ability for anyone of any background to 'make it big' in postwar America whilst Daisy and Tom represent the established, monied but morally bankrupt classes judging the new comers and finding them wanting.

We felt that, in keeping with the superficiality of the lifestyles portrayed, we didn't really get to know the characters. However, from what we knew, we found Daisy spoiled and selfish, ready to betray the man she loved (or had, perhaps, loved) to save her own position in society, whilst Gatsby, the nouveau riche criminal, had real heart and paid the ultimate price for loving and protecting her.

The book was well-received by those present (though Shubha had some way to go still). I, having a very strong recollection of loving Tender is the Night and, without recalling that novel in real detail, felt this did not live up to the huge expectations I placed upon it. Meanwhile, conversely, Jennie, who loved this book, recalled hating Tender is the Night.

Further comments, particularly from those who were absent, welcomed.

Jen:
Not much to add to that I think!

#39 - She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb (Choice: Alex's)(Venue: Pizza Express, Thayer Street)

Present: Alex, Nic, Shubha, Jane, Gill

Alex can explain most eloquently why he enjoyed this book so much and why he chose it for book group and, of those present, most found it easy to read, a pacey, reasonably enjoyable page turner. Only Shubha hadn't finished it and was struggling a little but, as she was getting to the bit with the beach and the whales, it was about to pick up, so it will be interesting to see how she ended up feeling.

For my part, I thought Wally Lamb's obvious writing talent, good use of language and pace, were wasted on this misery tome. He captured the feminine voice of the narrator and main protagonist subtly and convincingly. However, I am at a loss to know what he, as writer, or I, as reader, got out of him writing this book (well, I take that back, he, presumably, got a heap of cash). He crammed in a lot of events but I felt they were dealt with shallowly: I did not receive any great insights into mental health issues; childhood development; the after effects of rape, abandonment, or bereavement; analysis, whales, or any other topic he into which ventured. There are plenty of real life tales of woe (see Mark's photos of bookshelves in Smiths and Waterstones!) so I need something more from a fictional account than a relating of facts (um ... ficts?). I need an analysis and an understanding of cause and effect, something that moves our knowledge forward ... just something ...

So, for my money, a harmless yarn but one feels Wally Lamb is capable of more. I'm just not sure I'd risk trying it.

Alex:
Ach. Lawyer, empath thyself...

Jen:
I on the other hand thought this was amazing and loved it. I thought he dealt beautifully with a damaged girl growing up with what happened to her and the consequent impact of the events on her psyche and personality. Of course it wasn't spelt out; she didn't understand it, it was just something she was liviing through.

I thought it was fab and Dolores and the othyer characters breathed on the page. Great choice!