February book club meeting.

 The book group met for Sunday lunch today to discuss 'Klara and the Sun' by Kazuo Ishiguro a dystopian novel  that imagines a future involving the use of artificial friends, AFs and on the advantages or otherwise of genetic engineering.

The novel met with a mixed response, the majority of our group of eleven people (none of whom have been genetically engineered to be in any way superior!) liked the book. I was not of their number, having found the first half of the book very slow and rather dull. I doubt that I would have finished it if it had not been up for discussion. The latter part of the novel became more interesting and the subject matter really gave us plenty to consider and discuss. The presenter handed round images of  artificial humans already in production and these certainly added to our unease. 

 

 

 

This is a worrying and unhappy book and we are now experiencing extremely worrying and distressing times,  a country acting in a way that I thought could never again be contemplated. In spite of this we had a lovely day. The company of good, kind friends, lively conversation and tasty food is the happiest of combinations. The hosts provide the main course of the meal and the rest of us bring side dishes, puddings and wine. It is always a feast!

My heart goes out to the people of Ukraine, I wish them every success in their fight for freedom.

January reading

 The New Year started well with a book by a favourite author, a beautifully constructed hardback with a fabric spine that was a pleasure to hold in the hand.

Elizabeth Strout is a gentle storyteller, which is not to say that she isn't quietly devastating. She writes about the everyday, about unspectacular people and the complexities of human emotions.

The story is told by Lucy and the William of the title is her first husband with whom she lived for twenty years and had two daughters. The book starts after Lucy's second, happy marriage has ended with her husband's recent death and she looks back at her earlier life. Her relationship with William continues, giving many opportunities to say, Oh, William!

'This is the way of life' Lucy says. 'The many things we do not know until it is too late.

 

After the joy of the Elizabeth Strout book I had a struggle getting through 'Detransition Baby' by Torrey Peters. I ordered it from the mobile  library as it is up for discussion in our book club. I was immediately  plunged into an alien world, with terminology that I didn't at first understand. Most of the book I found irritating, uncomfortable with the written style and feeling that the story took a long time to say little. The timeline jumped back and forth  in an unnecessary way and hindered plot development. Only a few parts of the book gave me any insight into the  problems and griefs that the trans community has to endure in present society. I finished the book thinking that a far better one deserves to be written on this subject.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a pleasure to turn to a detective story by the Irish writer, John Banville knowing that I was in a safe pair of hands. He is an elegant writer, beautifully descriptive, both of landscape and people. And when a book starts 'The body is in the library,' Colonel Osborne said you know that you are in for some fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edna O'Brien is another well-known stylistically elegant Irish writer, but 'Girl' is a subject far from home. It is the story of a girl abducted and married into Boko Haram. It is a powerful read.