Gone Girl- Gillian Flynn

Meeting date- Friday 7th June 2013




The story focuses on Amy and Nick who have been married five years. Amy suddenly disappears. The story is told from two perspectives which works well.
This is a really difficult book to discuss without spoiling it, there are many twists & turns & some surprising developments. As well as an exciting thriller it explores the unconventional truths about love & marriage.
It's a thriller which most of book club enjoyed although most found the ending a disappointment.
A thriller we would recommend, once you pick it up you won't want to put it down and you will be desperate to talk to someone else who has read it!

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.

Double Cross- Ben Macintyre

D-Day, 6th June 1944, the turning point of the Second World War, was a victory of arms. But it was also triumph for a different kind of operation:one of deceit...At the heart of the deception was the 'Double Cross System', a team of double agents whose bravery, treachery, greed and inspiration succeeded in convincing the Nazis that Calais and Norway, not Normandy, were the targets of the 150,000-strong Allied invasion force. These were not conventional warriors, but their masterpiece of deceit saved thousands of lives.
A book that split the group; it was loved or hated. The author told the story of the double agents beautifully but it was 'heavy going' in places. Many of the group read on a Kindle so didn't really access the reading notes at the back (which have helped in places!).
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Look Again- Lisa Scottoline

Thursday 11th October 2012




I chose this book & really enjoyed it & thought "yes, I've chosen a good one!'
Philadelphia single mother features reporter Ellen Gleeson gets a "Have you seen this child?" flyer in the mail & almost throws it away. Then she looks again, and realises that the age-progressed child in the photo looks like her adopted son, Will who she had adopted after doing a series on paediatric cardiac care. Although a legal adoption she can't let the thought go- what if Will rightfully belongs to someone else? Should she pursue her journalistic instinct? But what could that mean for her & Will if he is the boy on the flyer?
Turns out I enjoyed the book the most, I found it had a good pace, was interesting and a book I couldn't put down! However, everyone else found it predictable and unrealistic, some had read similar books that were better reads. So although I would definitely recommend it whole heartily I maybe the only one from the club to do so. (Give it a go...)
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Perfect People- Peter James

-This is the story of John and Naomi, a couple whose son died aged 4 of a rare genetic disorder. They want another child but obviously do not want to have a child that will have this disorder. They find a geneticist who can help them have a healthy child or that's what they think.
The book raises a lot of questions, how far would you go to have a healthy child? Is science good or bad?

If you do read this book for a book club be warned there are no discussion points at the back of this book! I did contact the author via twitter, I asked him what question would he ask? He tweeted back, ask your book club if they had a choice, would they like to select the genes of their child or leave it to chance? Well what would you do?

I have to say this book is not what I expected, the initial idea is a good one but the author does get a little carried away with some aspects of the story.

In the news this week a Professor has announced a public consultation on three parent IVF if the findings are positive this technology could be legalised within five years and could prevent children being born with muscular dystrophy, so is it good or bad?