#143 - The Envoy - Edward Wilson (Choice: Nic)(No meeting)

Sometime in October 2021 

No meeting for this one and, possibly, not many readers. 

Sabine really liked it and rolled swiftly on to the next one. I also really enjoyed it - a good, old fashioned spy story. However, Gill C gave up on it and Gill F never started, speaking for many of us when she wrote "I have to confess to falling out of the habit of reading. But I plan a comeback tour in the very near future.".

#103 - The Three Evangelists - Fred Vargas (Choice: Doris) (No meeting)

Date: March 2016
Present: None

A last minute cancellation in no way reflected the enthusiasm for this book, which had charming characters and an interesting plot:
"Brilliant" - Nic
"Great - read all her other books as a result" - Sabine
"Great" - Gill
"Fab!" - Jen

Doris takes an early lead for this year's awards.

#97 - An Officer and a Spy - Robert Harris (Choice: Jen) (No Meeting)

Date: July 2015
Present: None

Not our finest year for meetings but, perhaps, Jen's finest year for book choice - as witness the comments below:

"Excellent" - Nic
"Love it. Interesting historical 'faction'." - Jen
"Great" - Sabine
"Very Interesting story" - Gill C

#96 Enormity of the Tragedy - Quim Monzo (Choice: Jane) (No meeting)

Date: June
Present: None

Another meeting fail, this time for a book fail (though we never let a bad book, alone, come between us and dinner and drinks!).

Comments:
"Ugh" - Nic
"Weird" - Sabine
"Dreadful" - Jen

It seems Gill C couldn't even find words!

#94 - Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Choice: Sabine) (No meeting)

Date: May 2015
Present: None

One of many meeting fails this year but that in no way reflected the reception for the book.

"Good" Nic
"Good" Gill C
"Thought provoking. V interesting observations on difference" Jen

#90 - Northern Lights: His Dark Materials - Philip Pulman (No meeting)

Date: November, 13, 1024

Apologies: All

In what became the tradition for this year, we failed to meet.  So, we finally discussed this book during the annual Booker Voting (the results will be with you soon, courtesy of Mark) at our Christmas meeting and it was good to have this in reserve as we couldn't really discuss Shantaram because we hadn't finished it or, in some cases, remembered to start it.  (But we never name and shame here, do we Jen?!).  Or, in some cases, bothered to try it. (Ahem, I hate to criticise someone who travels 5,500 miles to come to an LGAG meeting!)

In consensus, Northern Lights was a bit of a romp, a classic "goodies versus baddies" but with some subtlety that many adult books can miss - Lord Asriel's good / bad status, for example, being a bit of an enigma for a long time.  We felt the characters were vibrant and well-drawn - which will be backed up by the voting results - and sometimes cartoon like.  We likened Mrs Coulter to Cruella de Vil, for example.

Generally, well enjoyed.  We'll let Clem come back next year!

#86 - The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt (Choice: Gill) (No Meeting)

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.

#85 - Life After Life - Kate Atkinson (Choice: Sabine) (No meeting)

Apologies: All

And so the run of poor attendance continues for the year.

The book however was almost universally liked (by those who've subsequently had chance to comment).

Jen found it very Kate Atkinson and did not enjoy the vehicle, whilst appreciating it was clever.  However, this was the closest we have got to criticism.  The said, I loved, loved, loved it so, it is likely that, had Shubha read it, she would have been a very vocal critic!  Given my review, I don't believe she's rushing off to buy it.

Unless something spectacular comes along in the next couple of months, this one will get my vote for book of the year!

#83 - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou (Choice: Shubha) (No meeting)

Apologies: All

The now familiar book group polarity: Shubha "loved, loved, loved it"; I sound it "dreadfully dull".

When we, finally, gathered and discussed this, it became clear that I was alone in finding this a rather pedestrian telling (and then this ... and then that ... and then ...)  of a tragic but too common childhood of a certain time.  However, to coin and bastardise a phrase, I am clearly on the wrong side of literature here because Clinton and Obama as well as Farrell, Crew, Banerjee, Mason and Buckley all disagree with me.

#81 - Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch (Choice: Mark) (No meeting)

Present: No one

Apologies: All

In an ominous glimpse into the book group year, our meeting for this one failed to get off the ground.  

However, we have subsequently gathered that the book was well received by all as a simple but enjoyable read.  It is not a work of great literary merit but it was wacky, fun and locally-inspired and the "Met bits" were endorsed by our resident expert, Jen, as feeling very true (which is only a little bit worrying).