Apologies: All
The decision was taken to combine this one with the next meeting for Jane's book.
We were mostly Donna Tartt "fans" in as much as that's possible for an author with such a small output and so we'd been eagerly awaiting this book.
In the end though, Jane "liked" this, Gill loved the sense of obsession with an object and we all found the ending a little dissonant. None of us really like the lead character. Jen, like me, was confused about what was happening when. The novel appeared to be post-9/11 yet the narrator, now in his late 20s had an iPod when we was 13 - which means the novel was being written in the near-future, yet without other futuristic elements.
Unfortunately, the general consensus seems to be that The Secret History is so outstanding a novel that it is very hard not to compare subsequent novels unfavourably. Had I read The Little Friend first, I would have thought it fantastic and then The Secret History even better - the other way around though, The Little Friend became a disappointment. Had I read this first, I may not have bothered with the others, which would have been a tragedy.
Showing posts with label Gill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gill. Show all posts
Monday, 30 June 2014
Sunday, 10 November 2013
#79 - Dracula - Bram Stoker (Choice: Gill)(Venue: Citrus, The Park Lane Hotel)
November 7, 2013
Present: Nic, Gill, Jen, Doris
A small gathering, at a Piccadilly address that may have been mere metres from Dracula's London residence, enjoyed some surprisingly fine fayre at surprisingly reasonable prices thanks to Gill's eye for a Top Table 50% off your food offer.
The book was generally enjoyed. We were all pleased to tick this classic off our lists and to be able to say "Done that". Others enjoyed it more than I did, though, those who have sampled more modern vampire delights found it lacking in romance / sex. I found the opening tale of Harker's travels to Transylvania and initial time on the Castle a little dull but agreed that things improved when Van Helsing joined the party (see December Review of the Year). We all felt some characters were a little slow on the up take and removing the garlic wreath was a particular annoyance. Over all, though, thumbs up.
Present: Nic, Gill, Jen, Doris
A small gathering, at a Piccadilly address that may have been mere metres from Dracula's London residence, enjoyed some surprisingly fine fayre at surprisingly reasonable prices thanks to Gill's eye for a Top Table 50% off your food offer.
The book was generally enjoyed. We were all pleased to tick this classic off our lists and to be able to say "Done that". Others enjoyed it more than I did, though, those who have sampled more modern vampire delights found it lacking in romance / sex. I found the opening tale of Harker's travels to Transylvania and initial time on the Castle a little dull but agreed that things improved when Van Helsing joined the party (see December Review of the Year). We all felt some characters were a little slow on the up take and removing the garlic wreath was a particular annoyance. Over all, though, thumbs up.
Thursday, 28 February 2013
#71 - Bring Up The Bodies - Hilary Mantel (Choice: Gill)(Venue: The Perkin Reveller, The Tower of London)
18th February 2013
Present: Mark, Jen, Gill, Nic.
Well, good wife Gill has, uncharacteristically for a woman of Henry's reign, thrown down the gauntlet and what a challenge it is. This has to be a firm favourite for most apt venue of the year. We dined at the Wharf of the Tower of London, through which Ann probably passed, where Thomas had been so often, on ground that probably had shaken beneath Henry's feet and, returning to earth, we drank beer out of jugs and goblets, bathed in candle light!
So I had to send my food back. So we'd probably never return. So what, I ask you? I was looking at Tower Bridge as I waited for my replacement meal to arrive!
Mark, Gill and I had finished and loved this book. Jen was enjoying it but was preoccupied by the number of characters and compelled to keep flicking to the frightening list of dramatis personae and selection of maps at the opening of the book, unhelped by the fact that she had not read the Woolf Hall, the first in this series. Ignore it, was our advice. The main players are so clearly written and so well-formed that, over the course of the book, you get to know and identify them and build up a full picture of them without this and, if a character is so minor that you cannot place them, their story little matters. Relax, enjoy.
This is a huge novel but is only physically weighty: the writing is adept and flowing and the plot marches along with a reassuring rhythm - slow enough that one can take everything in, pacy enough that you keep on turning the page. We could (and did) find faults but they were nit-picky and in no way marred the experience of this tremendous read. We liked Mantel's way of referencing Cromwell as He - she did it in the first book and it worked. We disliked the fact that she seemed to lose faith this time, using "He, Cromwell," too often - the context always indicated who it was and it felt heavy-handed. A small gripe indeed.
Thomas is more majestic that Henry: calm, deliberate, hard, mean, determined, loving, romantic, giving and gentle in turn; always in control. As Kipling could have written about Thomas: "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you ...". Many did and it was often his fault. As to Thomas keeping his head ... well, that is book three and we cannot wait to read it albeit the anticipation is marred by the knowledge that there cannot be a fourth.
Present: Mark, Jen, Gill, Nic.
Well, good wife Gill has, uncharacteristically for a woman of Henry's reign, thrown down the gauntlet and what a challenge it is. This has to be a firm favourite for most apt venue of the year. We dined at the Wharf of the Tower of London, through which Ann probably passed, where Thomas had been so often, on ground that probably had shaken beneath Henry's feet and, returning to earth, we drank beer out of jugs and goblets, bathed in candle light!
So I had to send my food back. So we'd probably never return. So what, I ask you? I was looking at Tower Bridge as I waited for my replacement meal to arrive!
Mark, Gill and I had finished and loved this book. Jen was enjoying it but was preoccupied by the number of characters and compelled to keep flicking to the frightening list of dramatis personae and selection of maps at the opening of the book, unhelped by the fact that she had not read the Woolf Hall, the first in this series. Ignore it, was our advice. The main players are so clearly written and so well-formed that, over the course of the book, you get to know and identify them and build up a full picture of them without this and, if a character is so minor that you cannot place them, their story little matters. Relax, enjoy.
This is a huge novel but is only physically weighty: the writing is adept and flowing and the plot marches along with a reassuring rhythm - slow enough that one can take everything in, pacy enough that you keep on turning the page. We could (and did) find faults but they were nit-picky and in no way marred the experience of this tremendous read. We liked Mantel's way of referencing Cromwell as He - she did it in the first book and it worked. We disliked the fact that she seemed to lose faith this time, using "He, Cromwell," too often - the context always indicated who it was and it felt heavy-handed. A small gripe indeed.
Thomas is more majestic that Henry: calm, deliberate, hard, mean, determined, loving, romantic, giving and gentle in turn; always in control. As Kipling could have written about Thomas: "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you ...". Many did and it was often his fault. As to Thomas keeping his head ... well, that is book three and we cannot wait to read it albeit the anticipation is marred by the knowledge that there cannot be a fourth.
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
#61 - Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (Choice: Gill's)(Venue: Indigo, The Aldwych)
Present: Gill, Nic, Carl and, sparing us an hour from his off-West End success in Pippin, special guest star Ben Bunce!
So, in terms of official members, we had a 50% uplift in attendance this month, which sounds awesome ... and was. Undeterred by the fact that there were only 3 of us (official-types and drinkers, that is), with a special offer of unlimited Prosecco for £12 when brunching, we drank enough of the bubbly stuff to make up for the rest of you and then some! Whilst Indigo stretch the definition of brunch somewhat by (i) serving from 12.30 onwards, meaning at least two of us had breakfasted before coming out, and (ii) serving such "unbruchie" items as seared Tuna with avocado, rocket and pickled ginger (delicious!), this was a fab venue. Attentive staff refilled our Prosecco glasses constantly from 12.30 until about 15.45, when we decided to move down to the bar and have cocktails, leaving Prosecco in our glasses, which is something I never thought I'd do. We draw a close over proceedings there, to save Mr Barnes' blushes but not in time to save his boots. Oh no, I've said too much.
Anyway, in between tales of family Christmases, new years and other activities, we also discussed the book, at surprising length, considering only Gill had finished it at that time (although I announce with some pride that I too have finished subsequently). Luckily, Gill and I had watched the BBC adaptation and Carl had read the book previously in the distant but only slightly dim past.
We all agreed it was a good story. We all agreed that Mr Wemmick was a firm favourite along with Biddy and that Pip wasn't really very nice, though he eventually redeemed himself. We all agreed that Dickens makes for a great TV adaptation (!) though we also felt that some of the changes the Beeb made for this last adaptation went far beyond abridging and actually changed the impact of the tale: the absence of Biddy was a great loss and manipulating the story so that, for example, Pip declines to stay the night after his sister's funeral (boo hiss, bad, bad Pip) whereas in the book he stays seemed to interfere unnecessarily with the reader/watcher's interpretation of the characters. We also thought Gillian Anderson needed to be more wrinkly to carry off being so white haired and that we liked her nervous hand-scratching and pinching but hated her strange delivery.
Ah yes, this is BOOK group isn't it? So, on the book: for my part, Dickens is too verbose to be readable (I KNOW others will disagree - so let's see some discussion) and his characters are too exaggerated and caricatured to encourage empathy and real connection. I was unmoved through all the adventures and traumas and didn't care whether Pip was eventually happy or not. Also, Dickens and I do not share a sense of humour and I find his jokes, such as they are, repetitive (Mrs Joe Gargery's refrain about not being out of her apron, about Pip being brought-up by hand, Mr Pumblechook's constant "May I" refrain) - yawn. Ya-a-a-a-a-wn. Where was I? Oh yes. I finished it. I am unlikely to be starting another but, thanks to Gill, I have now read a complete Dickens, enhancing my classical education and that, again, is a mark of what book group is meant to achieve.
That and dinner with friends. Not necessarily in that order.
So, in terms of official members, we had a 50% uplift in attendance this month, which sounds awesome ... and was. Undeterred by the fact that there were only 3 of us (official-types and drinkers, that is), with a special offer of unlimited Prosecco for £12 when brunching, we drank enough of the bubbly stuff to make up for the rest of you and then some! Whilst Indigo stretch the definition of brunch somewhat by (i) serving from 12.30 onwards, meaning at least two of us had breakfasted before coming out, and (ii) serving such "unbruchie" items as seared Tuna with avocado, rocket and pickled ginger (delicious!), this was a fab venue. Attentive staff refilled our Prosecco glasses constantly from 12.30 until about 15.45, when we decided to move down to the bar and have cocktails, leaving Prosecco in our glasses, which is something I never thought I'd do. We draw a close over proceedings there, to save Mr Barnes' blushes but not in time to save his boots. Oh no, I've said too much.
We all agreed it was a good story. We all agreed that Mr Wemmick was a firm favourite along with Biddy and that Pip wasn't really very nice, though he eventually redeemed himself. We all agreed that Dickens makes for a great TV adaptation (!) though we also felt that some of the changes the Beeb made for this last adaptation went far beyond abridging and actually changed the impact of the tale: the absence of Biddy was a great loss and manipulating the story so that, for example, Pip declines to stay the night after his sister's funeral (boo hiss, bad, bad Pip) whereas in the book he stays seemed to interfere unnecessarily with the reader/watcher's interpretation of the characters. We also thought Gillian Anderson needed to be more wrinkly to carry off being so white haired and that we liked her nervous hand-scratching and pinching but hated her strange delivery.
Ah yes, this is BOOK group isn't it? So, on the book: for my part, Dickens is too verbose to be readable (I KNOW others will disagree - so let's see some discussion) and his characters are too exaggerated and caricatured to encourage empathy and real connection. I was unmoved through all the adventures and traumas and didn't care whether Pip was eventually happy or not. Also, Dickens and I do not share a sense of humour and I find his jokes, such as they are, repetitive (Mrs Joe Gargery's refrain about not being out of her apron, about Pip being brought-up by hand, Mr Pumblechook's constant "May I" refrain) - yawn. Ya-a-a-a-a-wn. Where was I? Oh yes. I finished it. I am unlikely to be starting another but, thanks to Gill, I have now read a complete Dickens, enhancing my classical education and that, again, is a mark of what book group is meant to achieve.
That and dinner with friends. Not necessarily in that order.
Tuesday, 30 November 2010
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