Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

This novel concerns a family who migrates from America to the former Belgian Congo, in 1959.
The head of the family is the father, who is a fanatical Christian missionary, and the other members consist of his long-suffering wife, and his four daughters, ranging in ages from 5 to 18.
The story is narrated by all the female members in turn, and the writer allows their personalities and characters to be revealed by the clever use of language, turn of phrase, and even spelling. We thus see events through several different eyes, as they all come to terms with their unseeing father’s zealotry, the harsh reality of a life of poverty in the jungle and the daily grind to feed themselves - all set against a backdrop of the fight for independence of the country which eventually becomes Zaire. Towards the end, we see the lasting effects their experiences have on them, as they write as adults.
- We all enjoyed the writer’s ability to create word pictures of life in a village in the Congo, and the ability to transmit a picture of a person’s character through the use of language.
Even though the subject matter of this book could have been rather depressing, it does not leave the reader feeling this way. This was one of our longest novels so far, close to 600 pages, but it is very readable.

As our last book for the year, we gave it a score on average of 4/5. ♣

November 2011:

The Poisonwood Bible

by Barbara Kingsolver

Julie

October 2011:

The Secret Life
of Bees

by Sue Monk Kidd

Tina

Sue Monk Kidd’s “The Secret Life of Bees” is set in the American South in 1964, the year of the Civil Rights Act which was followed by intensifying racial unrest.

Fourteen year old Lily Owen, a white girl, runs away from her harsh and neglectful father T Ray with her African-American nanny Rosaleen, whom she helps escape from gaol. The two set out across South Carolina in search of a new life. Their destination is Tiburon, South Carolina – a town they know little about except that in a box which contains belongings left by Lily’s dead mother, there is a cryptic picture of a black Virgin Mary with the words “Tiburon, South Carolina” written on the back.
When they get to the little town, they are taken in by three black beekeeping sisters and their circle of colourful friends. Lily starts a journey that not only changes her understanding of life but also brings her closer to the truth about her own mother.

Despite the serious subject matter, this is a heart warming and life-affirming tale.

As a group we all found this an easy and enjoyable read and rated it 4 out of 5. ♣

Denise Scott is a well known comedian who has won numerous awards for live performances and has also appeared on TV shows like Spick & Specs, Rove and Tonight Live.  This is Scott’s first foray into comedy for publication in a book.
The story tells of Denise and husband John’s life in their home at No. 26: The birth of two children with the day to day happenings of a young struggling couple who has little money and unreliable work. The book is divided into 23 chapters each dealing with a different part of Scotts life.

The book didn’t create a lot of discussion within our group, but most agreed it was an easy read with some funny laugh-out-loud moments. Some felt it was more like a script for a show, but it was generally well received and ended up on a score of 3 out of 5. ♣

September 2011:

All That Happened at Number 26

by Denise Scott

Shirley

August 2011:

Breath

by Tim Winton

Elin

This story is set on the South coast of Western Australia in the 1970s, telling the story of a young man's coming of age. The novel raises questions about addiction and its costs, about risk-taking, particularly the risk of youth and about their long-term consequences.
Pikelet and Loonie - friends and outsiders if for different reasons - discover surfing, drawn to its intoxicating thrill in a way that is new to them. As teenagers they surf wild and often lonely breaks, but gradually they get to know some of the others who visit these surfs, including the enigmatic Sando, a lone wolf, wild-man surfer. Through Sando, Pikelet and Loonie meet Eva, Sando's wife, a former champion freestyle skier crippled by a ruined knee.

The book is very well written, often lyrical in its descriptions of the ocean and the WA South coast, a beauty contrasted with the debth of the darkness of the young men's risk taking. The connections Tim Winton draws between various sorts of risk-taking and addiction are persuasive, within the context of this novel as well as more broadly.

Our book group rated Breath a very strong 3 out of 5. ♣

Review coming ... ♣

July 2011:

The Grapes of Wrath

by John Steinbeck

N

June 2011:

Year of Wonders

by Geraldine Brooks

Jane

This gripping historical novel is based on the true story of Eyam, a small village in England during the Plague in 1666. The story is chronicled through the eyes of eighteen-year-old Anna Frith, as she confronts the loss of her family and aids the Vicar, Michael Mompellion, in his mission to help contain the disease.
Under the persuasion of the Vicar the town is quarantined from the wider world to prevent the disease from spreading any further. Anna forms a very strong friendship with the Vicar’s wife, Elinor, and together they learn about the use of herbs to comfort and alleviate the pain of others.
The story takes us through the disintegration of a community and the suffering that is endured by those as they succumb to the loss of family and friends in the village. It is a tale of suffering, fear, love, religion, superstition, witchcraft, friendship, violence and loss, all these themes brought together to unfold such a moment in history. It is a wonderful read and the writing is beautiful and sensitive. Through the use of authentic language and Brooks’ thorough research she has been able to portray the gritty reality of the plague and its effects on the life of a small village.
After discussion, the most negative aspect of the story was the ending. It just didn’t seem to fit the story line at all. It seemed hastily written and even at times far-fetched. All in all it is a great story of endurance in a truly terrible time in history, and it is a book that is worth a read. Members rated the book 4 out of 5.
Geraldine Brooks is an Australian writer and lives in the United States. Year of Wonders was her first book written in 2001. Further novels include March, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 2006 and her third novel People of the Book. Her latest novel Caleb’s Crossing was launched this year. All her works are historical fiction. ♣

Last month's book left some readers yearning for a mystery story with greater complexity and plot. Kate Atkinson certainly delivered in this month’s book, One Good Turn, aptly subtitled, “A jolly murder mystery”.
One Good Turn begins with a minor traffic accident at the International Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland which turns into an act of road rage in front of a long queue of people waiting to enter one of the festival's events. A tossed laptop computer clips the assailant and causes him to leave. This "one good turn" of saving a stranger's life swings the novel's events into play.
The laptop was thrown by Martin Canning, a successful but lonely mystery writer, while also in the queue and witnessing the altercation are other strangers whose lives and secrets connect to create the intriguing and compelling mystery. Here, in a novel dealing with serious issues, we have a wonderful labyrinth of multiple intersecting stories with fascinating, robust characters.
One of the themes that run throughout the novel involves Russian matryoshka dolls, where successively smaller dolls are hidden inside one another. Kate Atkinson uses the metaphor to slowly uncover the stories and secrets of her characters as well as her plot. Each opening of a doll reveals some new insight until the story threads are pulled together and all the characters collide in a farcical but satisfying conclusion.
This book was well received, rating a solid 4 out of 5 and nominated by several readers as one of their favourites in the Book Group selection with Kate Atkinson certainly a writer to explore further. ♣

May 2011:

One Good Turn

by Kate Atkinson

Noël

April 2011:

The No.1 Ladies'
Detective Agency

by Alexander McCall Smith

Kristen

Our book for March was the first book in the series of The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency with several others following. Mma Precious Ramotswe is the central character in all of these books. She is a woman full of determination, common sense and wit, and you can’t help but wonder if her physical appearance matches her exuberant personality.
Mma Romtswe has established a private detective agency in her home town of Gaborone, Botswana. She opens her agency with pride and a sense of professionalism. Within a short time she finds her services in considerable demand with cases ranging from missing husbands, bad business ventures to dealing with jealous wives and girlfiriends. There is also some on-going romance with Precious and the local garage owner, Mr J. L. B. Matekoni.
This book has been written so clearly and simply that I found myself imagining standing in the red sandy villages, sweeping dusty floors and looking at the “Speedy Motors” sign. Precious always leaves a message to the victim and accused when she solves her cases. It seems that everyone leaves satisfied.
Consequently, I purchased the series as I found I was wanting to read more adventures of Mma Ramotswe. Other book club members felt the same with further novels and DVD Series being bought. It was a great book and well worth the read. Members rated this novel 4 (and a 1/2!) out of 5. ♣

This novel has little to do with tractors! The opening paragraph is worth quoting as it sets the scene well. "Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blonde Ukrainian divorcee. He was eighty-four and she was thirty-six. She exploded into our lives like a fluffy pink grenade, churning up the murky water, bringing to the surface a sludge of sloughed-off memories, giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside."
Sisters Vera and Nadezhda have not spoken to each other since their mother’s death two years prior. The arrival of the money-grabbing Valentina forces them to put aside their differences so that they can protect their aging father. Their father views their ‘help’ as interference and he stubbornly goes about living his life as he sees fit! He begins writing his tractor book and escapes into this activity whenever the dramas around him become overwhelming. He is determined to live his life as fully as he can, without letting his age limit him.
As we delve further into the story, some of the ‘family ghosts’ emerge, including tales of survival from famine and labour camps. At times this does not sit comfortably with the comical nature of the rest of the book.
This book drew a range of responses from our group. Some found it quirky and very amusing while others thought that it ‘fell flat’. Some readers found it painfully funny or a little ‘too close to home’, especially those who have cared for aging parents or patients. Overall, we rated the book three out of five. ♣

March 2011:

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

by Marina Lewycka

Fleur

November 2010:

One Thousand
Chestnut Trees

by Mira Stout

This is a book about a young artist, Anna, who lives in New York and feels at a loss with her life - based loosely on the author herself. Some of our readers found the story, initially, a little benign and tedious.
Anna knows little about her Boston Irish father and even less about her Korean mother so she decides to journey back to Korea to try and help make sense of the random jigsaw pieces of her background.
The book evolves to convey the reader on a wonderful journey through the turbulent history of Korea through the eyes of Anna and her family. Stout grapples with the deep conundrum that is mixed-race identity and shares her family’s survival in an immensely authentic way.

Overall our readers rated this book a 3 out of 5, with the majority stating that they have gained a significant insight into twenty century Korean history. ♣

Anne

The Woman in White was first published in serial form in 1859 - a true classic.
Although long and overwritten in parts, it is a remarkably well paced melodrama. As a thriller of the Victorian era, it tells the story of a young heiress (the heroine) and a young drawing teacher (the hero) who loves her!
The story is told as first-hand reports by a succession of different narrators. Each narrator moves the plot forward uncovering some twist that the prior narrator was not privy to. The language and descriptions give a vivid picture of the class distinction dealing with poor and rich, but not really middle class, reflecting the time in which it was written.
As one of our group remarked “A rollicking good read!”

We rated Woman in White 4/5. ♣

Tina

October 2010:

The Woman in White

by Wilkie Collins

September 2010:

Travels with my Aunt

by Graham Greene

Noël

This book, about life and second chances, is not a typical Graham Greene novel and gained a mixed reception from our group. Some who remembered it from their school days struggled to complete it, while others termed it “fun”, “zany” and “delightful”. It is a quick and easy read.
When recently retired Bank Teller, Henry Pulling, meets his flamboyant and unconventional Aunt Augusta on the day of his mother’s funeral, his life changes. Augusta persuades Henry to abandon his prize dahlias and staid, suburban, bachelor life and join her travels through Europe and beyond. Here he mixes with hippies, war criminals, CIA operatives and military dictators, smoking pot and smuggling currency. Sharing Aunt Augusta’s view of the world is to ignore security and legality and to embrace adventure and surprises.
This light-hearted novel contains many stories within a story - some comic, some bizarre, some touching - coming thick and fast throughout a changing landscape. They are all told eloquently and with considerable humour to produce a light and entertaining novel full of fascinating characters and memorable “laugh out loud” moments.
Yet in the midst of all this froth there is a clear message for readers. Greene uses Henry and Augusta to remind us of the need to live life to the fullest before it is too late. Life is a journey; we travel towards death and that only by choosing to share Augusta’s lust for life (if not her ethics) can we truly live and not merely exist.
Group members who read the book rated it - 4 out of 5. ♣

A beautifully written book, The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, is a love story about waiting, longing and loss. The book incorporates the concept of time travel, explaining it as a genetic disorder, to be discovered into the future. The idea of time travel and its necessity in the novel, was the cause of quite divergent responses to the book, by the book group members.
Some members were frustrated by the author’s decision to integrate time travel into an already lovely storyline. Others adored the book and were unconcerned about the fantasy element, considering that it added another dimension to the main characters’ (Clare and Henry) relationship.
Those that did not enjoy the book clearly expressed that it was the subject and not the writing style that put them off. It was considered by some of these readers that a more realistic integration of the past and future elements of a relationship, could have worked just as well.
Members discussed the purpose of including time travel in the storyline. It was agreed that it added some substance to Clare’s life story of longing and waiting.
The story described the extraordinary compromise Clare had made in her life for the sake of her relationship with Henry. The flip side of this compromise was the excitement and unpredictability that she clearly enjoyed at some level.
Characters were depicted delightfully, showing their connection to one another and their acceptance of their fate. The author tells of Henry and Clare’s absolute love for one another and the inseparability of their lives.
All agreed that although the book covered a challenging topic to write about, the author effectively pulled the story together. For most this was a very enjoyable reading experience, for some the time travelling left them cold - the novel was still rated 4 out of 5. ♣

August 2010:

The Time Traveler's Wife

by Audrey Neffenegger

Elita

July 2010:

Reading in Bed

by Sue Gee

This novel brought a mixed reaction from the group, but the majority enjoyed Reading in Bed by Sue Gee.
Readers felt it gave a great insight into life and literature, love and friendship, families and bereavement, working and retirement, children and old age. A touch of humour throughout balanced the bigger questions of loss, illness and grieving.
With realistic character description, Gee invited us to enter a world of relationships between her characters, giving us the understanding that each person was defined by what they read. She captured feelings and emotions succinctly within the family dynamics as the narrative moved from one character to another.
We recommend the book as a good holiday read, particularly for females who may identify with pleasure of turning to a well-loved book or a good friend.

The group rated it 4/5. ♣

Faye

Robert Drewe moved with his family from Melbourne to Perth when he was six years old. The Shark Net is a semi- autobiographical/semi-fictional account of Drewe's childhood and adolescence - best described as a memoir structured as a novel. In this memoir he describes growing up among the sand dunes and beaches of Western Australia and it delves deep into the relationships that he develops with his family, and then with his friends as adolescence kicks in.
Throughout this period of time a number of murders had been committed around Perth. This true-crime material is perhaps the oddest element of the book. Drewe wrote about the crimes in a very subtle way, but at the same time was able to show the impact it had on the community. When reading the book you were anticipating a bigger reaction to the crimes from Drewe, but in fact, the book is more of an account of his memoirs of a suburban childhood.
Most members found the book to be an easy read with many descriptive passages bringing back childhood memories of that time - the late fifties and the sixties. There were mixed impressions about the book, but overall it was enjoyed by most, giving it a rating of 4 out of 5.

In 2003 The Shark Net was made into a three part TV series by the ABC, starring William McInness as the father. ♣

Jane

June 2010:

The Shark Net

by Robert Drewe

May 2010:

On Chesil Beach

by Ian McEwan

The Glenrowan Book group recently read this novel by Ian McEwan. It was set in England in the early 1960’s involving two middle-class young adults.
Members felt the relationship between the two main characters, Edward and Florence, was doomed from the start as Florence’s paranoia of sex and Edward’s desire to become a committed husband to her would never allow the marriage to develop. There appeared to be a lack of education as well as communication between the two, which only cemented the doomed marriage. Many members questioned the relationship between Florence and her father.
“..Boring..”, ”.. inability to engage the reader..” and “..lack of desire to finish reading the book ..” were just some opinions passed by the readers. However, the descriptive passages by McEwan and his intense use of language revolving around Florence and Edward’s relationship did allow most members to complete the book.

On Chesil Beach was rated 3 out of 5.
Other novels by Ian McEwan include Atonement, which went on to become a popular movie. ♣

Kristen

There are nine short stories in this collection, all based on small-town Canadian life. These stories deal with a variety of topics: senile dementia, suicide, funerals, cancer, nursing homes, the past - life’s twists and turns.

Alice Munro as an award winning short story writer, develops her characters, scene and time settings in a descriptive manner and amongst the stories in this collection there are a few pearls! 

Our book group had varying opinions, from "savouring each story as a treat" as one member said, to "predictable, tedious". Some members liked the short story format as each story was easy to complete in one sitting so to speak.
Short stories are governed very much by personal taste!

Our overall rating was 3 out of 5. ♣

Tina

April 2010:

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage

by Alice Munro

March 2010:

We Need to Talk
about Kevin

by Lionel Shriver

This novel is not a light read by any stretch of the imagination. It follows the letters of a mother, Eva, to her estranged husband, Franklin. The letters revisit and describe with brutal honesty their lives before and after children.
Within these letters, Eva tries to come to terms with the fact that their son, Kevin, has committed a terrible, deliberate and premeditated act – killing several people at his secondary school. Throughout the novel Eva is trying to understand why her son did it and as she grapples with this she explores many possibilities. The author leaves it up to the reader to come to their own conclusions.
This novel is written entirely through Eva’s letters and at times members of our group found this tedious. However, towards the end, the novel is a real ‘page turner’ and readers are rewarded for their efforts.
There was no shortage of topics covered during our discussion. We discussed, amongst other things, the reasons why Kevin committed the crime, America’s gun culture, the need for parents to present a 'united front' to their children and how our own lives had changed once we had children.
This has been a most successful novel for Lionel Shriver, with it outselling many of her other novels and winning the 2005 Orange Prize. The author explains in an article titled, ‘Why ruin your life?’ in the Guardian in 2005 that she thinks that ‘Kevin’ hit a nerve because the novel expresses views that ‘mothers are not supposed to say’.
Our group gave the novel an average score of 4 out of 5. ♣

Fleur

The Road is a post-apocalyptic tale of a journey taken by a father and his young son over a period of several months, across a landscape blasted by an un-named cataclysm that destroyed all civilisation as well as, apparently, almost all life on earth. The novel was awarded the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction in 2006.
The Road is not science fiction although it is set in the future, but more a horror adventure story. The language is quite lyrical which sounds paradoxical in an horror story: It is like a modern, narrative epic. Reading the book is emotionally taxing and brings up a lot of questions about survival and the choices one might have to make in extreme situations.

A film adaptation of the novel was released in November 2009. The film stars Viggo Mortensen and Australian Kodi Smit-McPhee as the man and the boy. Some book group members would like to see the movie, but will get the dvd so that it will be possible to stop it at times - a good idea to watch it with somebody as well.

Those who finished the book - about half the group - rated The Road 4 out of 5. ♣

Elin

December 2009:

The Road

by Cormac McCarthy

November 2009:

A Fence around
the Cuckoo

by Ruth Park

A Fence around the Cuckoo is set almost entirely in New Zealand in those areas where Ruth Park lived with her family and cultivated her long life desire and drive to write. It is a moving, passionate and often funny account of the people and places that influenced her life.
Many fellow readers enjoyed her descriptions of her life in the forest, the Depression years in New Zealand and her sympathy for women of the times. However, it is not just the exquisite language and the colourful vernacular that made the book attractive. The book left us all with a glimpse of another era, historical knowledge, thoughts and images at the turn of each page. To quote one member, “People who yearn for an earlier age should take off their rose coloured lenses and their rubber gloves!”

We voted this book a strong 4 out of 5.

Faye

This book is an account of factual events which took place in Canberra several years ago.  These events concern the circumstances surrounding the death of Joe Cinque, and the subsequent trials of the persons involved in his death. 

Joe Cinque is administered illegal drugs over a period of a weekend, and dies a horrific death. His current girlfriend and her friend are both tried for his manslaughter, one receiving a short prison term, and one being acquitted.  The author interviews many of the parties involved, and becomes closely involved with the various trials. Despite the fact that the author has been a journalist, this is not unbiased reporting. 
The author forms a close relationship with the family of Joe Cinque, and is able to transmit to the reader some of the appalling pain and grief felt by the family.  She considers many of the ethical and legal issues raised by the court cases in a very thought-provoking manner. In the end, this book is a passionate lament for the life of Joe Cinque.

The group had widely varying opinions about this book.  Some were unable to finish the book due to the intensity of the emotions raised, and others became very interested in the legal aspects surrounding duty of care issues. Others were disappointed at the biased view of events.
The range of scores out of 5 was from 1 to 4 ½, with an average of about 4. ♣

Julie

October 2009:

Joe Cinque's Consolation

by Helen Garner

September 2009:

A Thousand
Splendid Suns

by Khaled Hosseini

This book had a marked affect on all who read it; many members of the group spoke of the deep emotions that they felt as they went on the journey with the two dominant women characters.
Set in Afghanistan both pre and during the Taliban rule, Hosseini tells the story of many different relationships against a brutal and violent background, and this theme sparked some spirited discussion amongst the group. At times the book is quite confronting as there is a strong theme of Domestic Violence. However, for those that were able to continue to the end, the theme becomes one of strength, hope and new beginnings.
Hosseini is also the author of The Kite Runner, which most members of the group had also read. It was interesting to note that more than one person said that if they had read The Kite Runner first, then they may not have gone on to read this book, feeling that this was better written and more "Real".

The overall rating for this book was 4 out of a possible 5. ♣

Noeleen

Our July book proved to be a good read for most people. It is the true story of Li, who was born in rural China in the 1950s. His boyhood is spent in an environment totally foreign to most of us in Australia, with ongoing hunger and poverty for the family of seven boys, and unremitting drudgery for their parents. Despite this, the boys are provided with a loving and nurturing family environment, and a strong sense of community.
Li is selected almost at random from his school at age 11 to attend Madam Mao’s dance school in the large city, where he is to be trained in classical ballet. He has never seen a dancer before, or indeed a city. The rigours of the Chinese method and the teachers are severe, and Li hates his new school for two years, as he struggles with his home-sickness. He comes to realise at quite a young age, though, that dance is his ticket out of the poverty cycle, and a way of making his parents and country proud of him.
The story of his teens continues with hard work to the exclusion of all else in his desire to become the best dancer his country has produced. Winning competitions, and being invited to the USA prove to be a starting point for an international career. He is forced to seek political asylum in America in order to remain in a country which allows him to dance in the way he wishes, and it is many years before he sees his beloved parents again.
A happy marriage to an Australian dancer, the birth of two children, and adjustment to a life outside of dancing in his mid 30s complete his fortunate life.
All of us enjoyed this book, being easy to read, and with a rating of 3-4/5. ♣

Julie

August 2009:

Mao's Last Dancer

by Li Cunxin

Terry Kay has recently read three Australian books on WW2 in Australia which he highly recommends:

An Awkward Truth by Peter Grose

This is a compelling and very human story of the first foreign assault on Australian soil since settlement - the attack on Darwin by the Japanese in February, 1942. Yet the story has remained in the shadows.
Drawing on long-hidden documents and first-person accounts, Peter Grose tells what really happened and takes us into the lives of the people who were there.
Absorbing, spirited and fast-paced, An Awkward Truth is a compelling and revealing story of the day war really came to Australia, and the motley bunch of soldiers and civilians who were left to defend the nation.

The Katakana Man by A. Jack Brown

This book is about a top secret RAAF wireless unit which worked to intercept radio transmissions sent in the Japanese Katakana code. They were so good the Amerians requested they be assigned to them.
The Katakana Man is a frank account of a remarkable facet of Australia's contribution to the war effort in the Pacific, based from the author's personal knowledge as well as with a perspective of events and activities that were not widely known or recorded at the time - a situation which was to cause Jack Brown considerable personal hardship after the war.

The first two books are available at the Wangaratta Library.
The third can be more difficult to obtain, but keep asking for it and the library might get it in for you. ♣ July 2009

Girl with a Pearl Earring is set in the 17th century Delft in the Netherlands. Tracy Chevalier creates an historical novel with a vivid insight into everyday life at that time.
The story tells of the painter Jan Vermeer and of Griet, a 16 year old girl who comes to live in his large household as a maid. One of Griet's jobs is to clean his Studio. She must not move anything whilst still cleaning well and devises a clever way to do this.
Griet is fascinated with colour and the way Vermeer's paintings develop. The painter recognises her eye for detail. Griet becomes involved with assisting Vermeer to mix his paints, a task she was not hired to do but which she really enjoys. She must do this in secret from the rest of the family.
Vermeer uses Griet as a model for one of his paintings, and the story evolves around Griet's place as a maid and her responsibilities to the mistress and children of the house. Griet is attracted to Vermeer, and the reader gains the impression that Vermeer finds her attractive as well. He also knows he has power over her because of her status.

All club members really enjoyed this book as our score of 4/5 indicates. ♣

Shirley

July 2009:

Girl with a Pearl Earring

by Tracy Chevalier

June 2009:

Henri de
Toulouse-Lautrec

by Matthias Arnold

This was a different book for our bookgroup, somewhat like a text book. Although it is a brief biography, we felt that it gave some good insight to the artist’s life and work.
We also enjoyed the notes and accompanying slide show by the Australian printmaker, Deborah Klein. The slides helped jog a few memories for those of the group who have spent time in Montmartre and Paris.
Born in Albi in South-West France in 1864, Toulouse-Lautrec was the son of first cousins from a wealthy and powerful family from that region. His future illness, pyknodysostosis, was the unfortunate consequence of their intermarriage. Toulouse-Lautrec did not grow past the height of five feet.
While studying art, Toulouse-Lautrec became familiar with the cafes, cabarets and brothels of Paris, particularly those around Montmartre. The poster designs that he made for venues such as Moulin Rouge brought him notoriety as a poster designer. Appreciation for his poster designs continues to this day. Toulouse-Lautrec’s portraits of Cabaret performers and prostitutes he befriended are at times skillful charicatures and at other times incredibly sympathetic portrayals of humanity.

Our overall vote: Three out of five. ♣

Fleur

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri is a book about Indian immigrants living in the United States. Their son Gogol, so named after his father’s favorite Russian author Nickolai Gogol, grows up hating his awkward name.
Gogol has to try and deal with the classic case of divided identity which is especially so for those who are culturally displaced as immigrants are. Gogol develops a sense of exile from his parents even though in many ways he is more American than they are.
This raised several questions in the group such as the importance of ‘finding your place in the world’ plus the significance of your name and the impact it has on your lives.
The group varied in their response to reading this book from boring, bland, moments of enlightment and one reader felt it could have been a collection of short stories which is how Jhumpa Lahiri has written in the past.

It was rated from 1 – 4.5 with
an overall rating of 2 out of 5. ♣

Anne

May 2009:

The Namesake

by Jhumpa Lahiri

April 2009:

The God of
Small Things

by Arundhati Roy

Twenty-three years after leaving her native Kerala (India) in 1969, Rahel goes home to confront the wreckage of her family. Her return brings alive all the events that led to the ruination of her mother, her twin brother and the family fortunes - and to the death of a young cousin as well as a beloved friend.
The story is peopled with a gallery of colourful and eccentric characters and is told in a style that uses language often playfully - as children may do.
Many readers find it difficult to get into this story, most in our Book Group gave up, but those few who finished it, want to read it again!
The world of seven year old Rahel and her twin brother is beautifully described, with their special bond as twins and their happy, secure life as children ignorant and innocent of the bigotted envy and corruption in the adult world around them.

The novel won the Booker Prize in 1998, polarising judges, reviewers and commentators then as well.

The few members in the group who had read the story to the end, gave it top rating (5 out of 5 even!) whereas those who could not get into it - "tedious, all over the place, could not connect"- rated it 1 or 2 out of 5. ♣

Elin

The Book Group once again fulfilled the role of pushing the boundaries as to what one would usually choose for holiday reading:

The joy of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night–Time written by Mark Haddon was that it appealed to everyone in our group and every member finished reading the book!
The complexity of daily life told through the eyes of a fifteen year old autistic boy, made for compelling reading. Christopher is tracking down the killer of his neighbour’s dog and writing about in the style of a murder mystery. In his detective work he happens to unveil other mysteries - some too close to home for comfort.

We were all impressed that our secondary school students get to read such an enlightening book.

The overall score was 3/5. ♣

Faye

March 2009:

The Curious Incident of
the Dog in
the Night-Time

by Mark Haddon

February 2009:

The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak

Set in southern Germany during the second world war, this story is told from an unexpected point of view - which I will not reveal ... It is a story about living under the rule of nazism and the hardship of war, having to cope with poverty and shortages while still maintaining one's own dignity and values.
I found it very interesting to read about life in Germany during World War II, particularly getting to know families of the lower classes - ordinary Germans.

But first of all, this is a story about a girl and her connections to people around her, young and old, and how she gets to know the community in the little village not far from Munich where she is taken to live in a foster family. By chance, she finds a book on a very dark day in her young life, - and so begins a love affair with books and words, a passion which sustains her in these confusing and dangerous times.

The author, Markus Zusak, is an Australian who was born in 1975 and now lives in Sydney. I believe he must come from a family of great story tellers!

I got this book for Christmas and read it a few days later. My first thought when I finished reading it, was "I want to read this book again". Now it is like a treasure I know about and can choose to enjoy again - anytime! ♣

Elin

Morrison’s Glenrowan Winery was the venue for our last Book Group night for 2008: Surrounded by lovely bushland, wonderful views, a warmish night, delectable nibbles and the tasting of local wine we discussed our last book for the year The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.

A best selling novel, The Lovely Bones is the story of a 14-year-old-girl, Susie Salmon, from suburban Pennsylvania who is murdered by her neighbour. It is not written as a thriller, as from chapter one you know who the murderer is, but the author tells it from Susie’s perspective: Susie narrates her own story from Heaven.
Susie’s death distorts her family as they each try to cope with the tragedy in their own way. Her mother leaves her father for eight years and her father tries to catch Susie’s murderer. The novel evokes in detail just how much was taken from this young girl and how much she missed out on as she watches her friends and siblings grow up, fall in love and do all the things she never had the chance to do herself.
It is a story about loss, grief, vengeance, forgiveness, memory, forgetting and finding the love that was never gone. The interaction between Heaven and Earth stimulated a lot of good discussion.
The book was rated 4 out 5. ♣

December 2008:

The Lovely Bones

by Alice Sebold

Jane

November 2008:

Divine Secrets
of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

by Rebecca Wells

This book provoked a mixed response from our book group. A few lost interest and didn’t finish the book, those who perservered found it an emotional journey which was at times ‘theatrical’ and ‘overly dramatic.’ Some were really moved by this book.

The primary focus of the story involved tensions between a mother and a daughter, and then expands to explore relationships of a group of women in the deep south of America between the 1930’s and 1990’s. These relationships were explored both functional and dysfunctional.

Friendships, trials and tribulations experienced by these women and the gradual developing of maturity and insight provoked many avenues for discussion.

Overall score by book group readers: 3/5.

Yvonne

Initially the blurb of Kate Holden's memoir In my Skin sparked our group's curiosity. A talented, middle class girl from a supportive home falls into a life of heroin addiction and prostitution on the streets of St Kilda in order to feed her habit. Members of our book group had read Kate Holden's writing in the 'Age' newspaper and wanted to know how she pulled herself up out of that life to become an active and published writer.

However we were disappointed that the book did not live up to its potential. We felt that it read like a list, a description of her life without much reflection. Why did she take the decisions she took and how did she manage to overcome her addiction? Holden does little to help her reader understand these decisions. We felt that she sanitized and even glamourized prostitution to an extent.

We did enjoy some of the descriptions of the characters who worked in and visited the brothels, a definite 'fly on the wall' feel to the writing.

rating 3 out of 5 - Fleur

October 2008:

In My Skin

by Kate Holden

September 2008:

My Sister's Keeper

by Jodi Picoult

My Sister’s Keeper, by acclaimed author Jodie Picoult, is a powerful tearjerker which grabs and holds the reader’s interest and involvement from the first page until the unexpected plot twist at the book’s conclusion.
It looks at the difficult choices a family must face when a child is diagnosed with a serious disease and explores issues raised by the continued advance of medical technology. 
Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate. This is a role that in adolescence Anna begins to question as she searches for her identity. As medical procedures now become even more invasive, Anna’s decisions and choices may tear her family apart and have tragic consequences for her sister.
Told through alternating perspectives, the novel allows the reader to share the pressures a desperately sick child places on a family and acknowledge how confusing the reality of such a situation must be. Sara, the mother, is a complex, driven character;  one minute we criticise her, the next we empathise, recognising that in motherhood there are few easy answers.
Jodie Picoult forces us to confront complex questions about individual autonomy and moral dilemmas in a controversial and gripping read.

rated 4 out of 5 - Noël

The scene is set for a most extraordinary adventure, an improbable story of Piscine Molitor Patel, Pi for short. His childhood spent in Pondicherry, India at his parent’s private zoo, where he gained knowledge of animals, their habits and ability to adapt to their surroundings.  Then the sea journey that was to take the family and some of the animals to Toronto, Canada.

After the tragic sinking of the cargo ship, one solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the Pacific Ocean. The  survivors from the wreck are sixteen-year-old Pi, a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg) an orang- utan......and a Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker!

The sea, confinement in a life boat for some 220 days,  wild nature, belief in “God”, himself and reason, these are the elements of the novel.  Purely a “good read” - we rated it 4 out of 5.

Tina

August 2008:

Life of Pi

by Yann Martel

July 2008:

Journey from Venice

by Ruth Cracknell

When we think of Venice we might imagine gondolas and watery streets that lap against ancient, beautiful buildings. Certainly Ruth Cracknell and her husband, Eric, viewed Venice as a particularly special holiday destination.

This month our book group read Ruth Cracknell’s memoir of their trip to Venice and all the drama that unfolded there when her husband became seriously ill. Suddenly their well planned rest in Venice became a nightmare, complete with a gondola ambulance experience and a hospital where they could not communicate easily. Much of the memoir involves descriptions of the lengths that they went to in order to return home to Australia.

Our group gave the book an overall rating of three out of five. Those of us who have lost family or friends were able to make their own connections to this book. Others were able to reflect on their own trips to Venice, bringing along the photo album for ‘show and tell.’

Fleur

This book, by an Australian, Anna Funder, focuses on the stories of people who lived in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Anna Funder is working as a journalist in Berlin, and a chance encounter stimulates her interest in the lives of ordinary people who lived under an extraordinary system. She interviews both victims of the system, and more alarmingly, those who were in power in that system.

Her material is factual, but is presented almost as a novel. Most of us as readers were surprised at how little we had known about the police state that was East Germany, and found this book increased our knowledge in a very readable form.

Overall enjoyment was rated as 4/5.

Julie

June 2008:

Stasiland

by Anna Funder

May 2008:

The Dressmaker

by Rosalie Ham

The Dressmaker is a wonderful tale of a small country town and its inhabitants.

Set in the 1950's, possibly in the Western Districts of Victoria, the story is just as relevant and believable as if it was today, giving us a portrait of a rural community without judgement, but with lots of black humour. It is a tale about mother and daughter: Tilly, the daughter, returns to her old home town to look after her ailing mother. The townsfolk have regarded her mother as mad for a long time. The many members of the community have a story to tell and a reason for their bizarre activities which can be hard to follow in the beginning. But all the loose threads are gathered by the end and each character receives their just dues. Through all this, the excellent descriptions of materials and dress designs are vivid: Tilly is a first class dressmaker. When the locals discover Tilly’s skills, they take advantage of her as they try to outdo each other and eventually the neighbouring town.

This book reminded us of two other books our group has read: Chocolat by Joanne Harris and Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville, both published in 1999. The Dressmaker (published in 2000) was rated 5 out of 5.

Dawn

As we were giving our rating, one member gave us her criterion for top rating of any book: If she wanted to read it again, it should have 5 out of 5. So many of us want to read The Dressmaker again! E

The Glenrowan Bookgroup recently read "A Foreign Wife" by Gillian Bouras. It was the story of Gillian and her life in a small Greek village, post marrying a local man.

The book highlighted the ups and downs of her existence in the village. Dealing with her babies being born there, mother-in-law issues and a completely different culture to what she was used to in Melbourne.It was set from the late sixties to late eighties. The plot not only addressed the issues of the time but how Gillian was ever going to blend in with the locals.It was an amusing and compelling book and posed questions such as, how much hospitality do we show towards immigrants to Australia?

"A Foreign wife" was well worth reading and the the Bookclub readers voted it 3 out of 5. Gillian has written other novels, "Aphrodite and the others" and " A Fair Exchange". These books deal with other characters in "A Foreign Wife".

Kristen

April 2008:

A Foreign Wife

by Gillian Bouras