Rebecca- Daphne Du Maurier

Meeting date- Friday 19th April 2013




Some of us had read Rebecca 'several' years ago (possibly as a late teen), but none of us could really remember the story. I chose the book as I did remember enjoying the story. However reading it again (a lot older), we found that our modern world had infiltrated us so that we found the characters frustrating, irritating and very annoying. Some of us started the book and never finished it; it failed to hook the reader in early (perhaps another modern expectation...). Although most of us were disappointed by the book, none of us who had previously read it, remembered the ending and we did talk for hours about this book, so ultimately the author did make us care enough to discuss the characters, plot and relevance to today at length!

Would we recommend?
Probably, but with caution!

Pillars of the Earth- Ken Follett

The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Phillip, prior of Kingbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known....of Tom the mason who becomes his architect- a man divided in his soul... Of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame.... And of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother. A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett's historical masterpiece.

The Pillars of the earth is set in the 1200s, during a time of unrest in England, the fictional world of Kingsbridge is cleverly interwoven with historical events of the time. It is a story of power and greed, struggles to overcome adversities (and adversaries).

I picked this book after watching the tv series a couple of years ago. I enjoyed the series, and I have enjoyed the book, despite its length. I found the story to be very compelling; will the good guys win? Will the bad guys get their comeuppance? There was a bit too much emphasis on architecture for my personal liking, but all in all, a thoroughly good read, if a bit long.

Turn of mind- Linda laplant

Jennifer White is devastated when she is told that her best friend Amanda has been murdered, four fingers from her right hand neatly removed. As the police pursue their investigation and Jennifer searches her own mind for fractured clues to Amanda's death, a portrait emerges of a complex relationship between two uncompromising, unsentimental women, lifelong friends who were at times each others most formidable adversaries.

Narrated by Jennifer, a 64 year old retired hand surgeon who has Alzheimers, the story details the slow deterioration of her mind and gradually providing us with an insight into Amanda's murder. Through out the story Jennifer jumps in and out of past and present giving us insight into this awful condition.

The murder mystery element lost its way and the twist was surprising.

I stumbled across this book from an article in a magazine- I was intrigued and thought it would be an interesting (if different) read for our book club. Had I thumbed through it at a bookshop and not brought it on the kindle I would probably have put it back- it was written in short passages, and when someone else was narrating the story the typeface changed, not a style I care for.

This book was met with tepid enthusiasm and although there was encouraging comments from our group our discussion focused more on our personal experiences.