Always the Outsider

For Anne's book club round, she chose something we had not done before - an autobiography. Always the Outsider was written by Colin Amery, someone who Marnie knows, and who later agreed to come to our book club night with his wife Yvonne. Held at Anne's home, book club members who were able to make it were Marnie, Nicole, Greg, Chez, and of course Anne. Colin and Yvonne both provided great insight into the creation of the book. It was an enjoyable night, with Anne welcoming both book club members and guests with a beautiful spread. We plan to further discuss the book at a future book club meet as several of our members who have read the book were not able to make book club on this evening.

Norwegian Wood

Andy chose Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, translated from the original in Japanese. This is Andy's "favourite book in the whole world...ever". This evening was held at 87 with Andy providing a nice spread.

Present were: Andy, Nicole, Paul, Marnie, Chez, Greg, Priya, Georgia, Anne and John. This book was received well by most members. Priya gave it the lowest score - a 6. She found the story quite deep for a male author but commented there was "too much death". John and Nicole finally arrived on 7 as their scores. John found it very readable, though sad in parts. Nicole found it an enjoyable read but at times found some of the language florid (...perhaps something more to do with the translation from Japanese to English). Paul most enjoyed its quirky aspects, especially the narrative, and said he was more satisfied at the end of the book than he thought he would be at the start. Paul gave it a 7. Georgia and Marnie gave it an 8, both commenting on how they particularly enjoyed the strong character portrayals. Marnie seemed to demonstrate a personal connection to the zany Midori. Anne, Greg and Andy all rated the book with a 9. Anne enjoyed characters, the strong emotions evoked (for example the melancholia and love of music) and the strong "rites of passage theme". Greg thought it was an amazing book...a gripping read - simple and poetic. Chez gave the book a 10, being unable to cite any weaknesses.

Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises

Daniel was the host of our Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises (by Ernest Hemingway) evening, which was held on 14 April.  It was held at 87.  The book is a classic, recognised as one of the greatest in American literature.  It is often chosen as a text for university literature studies...part of the reason why Daniel chose it. It's set in 1920s post WWI Europe and is a commentary on ex-pats living there at the time.  Present were: Anne, John, Marnie, Paul, Andy, Jonathan, Greg, Nicole, Chez, Rebekah, Daniel and Priya - our new member.

Most people gave the book a fairly good rating; Anne, John, Chez and Rebekah being the exceptions. (Rebekah had not finished the book and so her rating was provisional.) Anne and John each gave the book a 5, both commenting it was dull. Chez and Rebekah rated it 5.5. Chez thought much of it was mundane. Priya awarded a moderate 6.5. Greg rated the book 7; both Marnie and Jonathan gave it a 7.5. Jonathan considered it of great style - restrained, complex - and portrayed beautiful scenes. Marnie thought it was well written and found book II, when the protagonists went to the bull fights in Spain, enthralling. Daniel and Andy both awarded the book an 8, Daniel enjoying Hemingway's skillful juggling between the various scenes and themes. Andy considered it beguiling. Nicole...the perfect score, loving especially the stilted dialogue.