When the Rain Comes – Jonathan Coe

Bath Big Read – optional extra book for March 2009

Most had read it and four of us (Neil, Mark, Chris and Rob) had gone to hear Jonathan Coe talk about it in the festival - being almost the only men in a room full of several hundred women book club members. The majority view (interestingly those who had read it and been to the talk) of it was very positive, with the device of using the pictures as chapters to describe the story as working and creating a nice, readable framework (but with a contrary view from Mark and Steve). Similarly, the use of the picture as a tool to describe the scene worked for most, but not all (Steve thinking the words became a bit predictable). The only bit that really grated with people was the fate of Imogen - repeating an earlier scene in the book. The ratings put the book around the top quarter.

7.01