July book - The Road

July book: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

chosen by Alana

Book Description:

"A father and his young son walk alone through burned America, heading slowly for the coast. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind.

They have nothing but a pistol to defend themselves against the men who stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food - and each other."

What we discussed about the book:

Everyone agreed it was pretty bleak, but not as gruesome as we had expected it to be.

Most of us thought the language was better than the story itself, but others found the language difficult.

We found the dialogue quite hard to follow, with many of the group commenting that often we had to trawl back up through the comments to figure out if it was the boy or the man talking.

The question of 'who was leading who' was raised...with many of us feeling the balance shifted at a point within the novel, from the man leading the boy, to the boy taking more responsibility.

The 'travelling' and trying to get to the coast gave them purpose, and we discussed that even though it was unlikely much would change if they eventually got there, if they had stayed where there were it was almost an acceptance that this was what life was, and there was nothing to look forward to.

We talked about how old we had pictured the boy - and it ranged between 6 and about 9 years.

Alana asked if we could imagine this happening easily - and a number of us said we could.

And then we were sidetracked into:

• The book brought up feelings and memories of September 11 - and we all talked about where we were when it happened, and how we felt.
  
• What would we do if we were in the same situation as in the book. Would you choose to go on, or would you give up? We discussed this, and most agreed it would depend on whether you had children or not, but even so, making the decision for the whole family to 'give up' would be incredibly difficult.
  
• Divorcing friends - when to do it, how to do it, and how to get over the guilt!
  

And in other news

Nothing much - it was a small bookclub (5 of us) and while we missed the others, we had a lovely time, and Alana put on some great food.

Ratings

Ratings average: 7

Ratings range: 6-8. 1xDNR

June book: The Post-Birthday World

June book: The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver

chosen by Bridget

Book Description:

"One night in London, Irina McGovern's destiny hinges on a single kiss.

Whether she leans into one alluring pair of lips will determine whether she stays with her long-term partner Lawrence, or runs off with Ramsey, a hard-living snooker player."

What we discussed about the book:

Not everybody finished the book.

Most people thought the writing was pretty heavy, and difficult to get into.

I didn't take many notes because I forgot I had to do it, so unfortunately I couldn't tell you what else was discussed!!

And then we were sidetracked into:

• Have any of us had our life changed based on a single event or moment - most people had at least one thing that shaped their lives!
  
• Do we think you end up at the same 'end-point' regardless of the decisions you make (ie, is it all 'predestined.'?
• Birth control options for some of the mums!
  
• Exes - most of us admit we think about our exes from time to time,and that Facebook has made checking out what they're up to MUCH easier!

And in other news:

• We checked out Bridge's new house, which was lovely :-)
• I (Pip) told people that I bought my wedding dress from Collette Dinnigan!

Ratings

Ratings average: 6.375

Ratings range: 5-7.5. 3xDNR

May book: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

chosen by Bree

Book Description:

"It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery."

What we discussed about the book:

Everyone who finished the book really loved it.

We talked about the unique narrative style, but that it just seemed to work really well. Most of us enjoyed the way 'death' narrated the novel, with Sharon particularly enjoying it and finding him/it (!!) funny at times. We agreed the unique style made a horrifying topic much easier to read, and it ended up being an absolutely beautiful story.

We pretty much all agreed that we cried at the end, and most found it an easy read, although a few of us found it took a little while to get into.

A few other points we enjoyed included:

• We were all interested in the characters, and wanted to know what was going to happen to them.
  
• The language was really well used, beautiful at times, and conveyed the story and feeling of the time so well.
  
• It had a satisfying ending - sufficiently 'wrapped up', but not with a sickly sweet ending!
  
• The little 'pull out' explanations: like '3 small but important facts...' were excellent.
  

One of the questions asked was 'why did the novel foreshadow a number of the deaths?' The general consensus was that it helped reduce the shock and horror of the deaths themselves, as by being aware of it you could enjoy the last moments of the characters.

To sum up, the book made a lot of us think about the theme of words, and language, and how enriching books and words can be.

The final line was perfect..."I'm haunted by humans"'

Who we would cast in the movie version of the book:

• Death- Nicolas Cage
  
• Papa- an older Sam Neill. We thought he had to have kind eyes
  
• Mama- Kathy Bates
  
• Rudy- Sean Astin (from the 80s, and the Lord of the Rings)
  
• None of us had any suggestions for Liesel or Max.
  

And then we were sidetracked into:

• That Sharon kissed the little boy from Kramer vs Kramer (when she was in Europe in her 20s). We looked him up and remembered how cute he was!
  
• Apparently Alana has a thing for Cuba Gooding Jnr!
  
• Quiz nights - how much we love them and that we should go to one together soon!
  
• Pen was nervous about what to say when she spoke to Sophie's class about her job!
  
• Moral vs illegal actions - what is a problem for role models, and are there different expectations for politicians vs sportspeople. What is a 'sackable' offence, and what should we expect from people in the public eye.
  

And in other news:

• Bree ordered pizza which was VERY popular, and Shaz made a lovely chocolate cake.
  

Ratings

Ratings average: 8

Ratings range: 6-9. 1DNR

April book: Fear of Flying, by Erica Jong

chosen by Jacqui

Book Description:

"Compulsive daydreamer Isadora Wing doesn't want much - just to be free and to find the perfect, guiltless, zipless sexual encounter. Pursuing this ideal across two continents, she discovers just how hard it can be to make one's dreams come true.

Though Isadora fears flying, she forces herself to keep travelling, risking her marriage and even her life for her own special brand of liberation. This intensely witty and exuberant novel is about how Isadora gains her freedom and loses her fear."

What we discussed about the book:

Overall, everyone who read the book seemed to enjoy it, but just didn't rate it that highly. Isadora seemed to most of us to be quite self-involved, although we questioned whether that is necessarily a bad thing. There were quite a few a-ha moments. For example, Isadora wondering "where the women were who were really free, who didn't spend their lives bouncing from man to man, who felt complete with or without a man", and her questions about marriage p87 " Would most women get married if they knew what it meant?..." For all Isadora's talk of independence she didn't make a liberated decision in the end.

Things we didn't like:

No-one really liked Adrian. The book just seemed to amble along and had no real climax. We all disliked the dirty places she stayed while with Adrian, and her being totally unprepared for her period. Jack, who loved it when she first read it as a teenager, didn't find it as good this time around.

Who we would cast in the movie version of the book:

• Isadora - Renee Zellweger
  
• Bennett -
• Adrian - John Corbett
• Charlie - Adrian Brody
• Brian -

And then we were sidetracked into:

• Sharon's 40th
• Pip's wedding at Caves House
• Getting married young vs getting married when you are older
• Fear of getting older
• Toilet training children
• Funny sayings, most of which are too rude to repeat here.

And in other news:

• Jack assumed the role of hostess with the mostess with her delicious home-made ice cream and rocky road!
  

Ratings

Ratings average: 5.9

Ratings range: 5 - 6.5 (4 DNRs)

March book: Revolutionary Road, by Richard Yates

chosen by Sharon

Book Description:

Revolutionary Road is a novel about Frank and April, a 20-something, suburban couple in the 1950s. They seem to be a 'model couple', but both had loftier hopes for their lives, and feel a sense of failure with where they ended up.

What we discussed about the book:

Overall, everyone really liked the book - and felt it provided interesting insights into life 'under the surface' in the 1950s.

We talked about passions, and whether we thought the book was making the comment that you can always follow your dreams, or if it's inevitable that you won't reach them. We also talked about the concept of 'the grass is always greener' and wondered if Frank and April would have been happy regardless of their situation.

Most of us agreed that both Frank and April were selfish and self-absorbed, and that they thought they were 'so much better' than everyone else. Everything began to fall apart when they realised that they weren't!

We all agreed that the book itself wasn't actually about the era of the 50s...that the basis of the story could have been picked up and placed in almost any era, with similar themes always relevant.

Who we would cast in the movie version of the book:

• April - Kate Winslet
  
• Frank - Leo Di Caprio

It was a little too hard to get past the actors who appeared in the recent movie!

And then we were sidetracked into:

• A book called '30 something and over it' that Bree and Rachael recommended
• Pip shared her engagement story (short though it was!)
• Looking for fulfillment - how do we seek it, and what are some of the sorts of things that can help
• Apparently Ruby's patisserie is excellent!

The conversation then degenerated and I didn't take any notes of that!

And in other news:

• Sharon's 40th is on Friday, 7 May at The Brisbane. Email invites on the way
• Given all the $$ we have been collecting, we decided to go to Balthazar for our Christmas Dinner. Sharon to book.
• Sharon was the 1950s hostess with the mostess!

Ratings

Ratings average: 7.6

Ratings range: 7 - 9 (3 DNRs)

Jacqui's trifle (with homemade custard) got a 9/10!