Presenting the Bath Blokes’ Bookclub Senescent Seventy-Five
(the average of scores out of 10 from each BBBC reader)
1 Queen's Gambit Walter Tevis 7.86
2 Kafka on the Shore Murakami 7.66
3 As I Walked Out Laurie Lee 7.65
4 Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Steig Larsson 7.63
5 One Day David Nichols 7.62
6 Engleby Sebastien Faulks 7.61
7 Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini 7.57
8 Siege of Krishnapur JG Farrell 7.51
9 Equal Music Vikram Seth 7.47
10 Quiet Yank Graham Greene 7.46
11 For Whom the Bell Tolls Ernest Hemmingway 7.46
12 Small Island Andrea Levy 7.43
13 Sacred Games Vikram Chandra 7.34
14 In Cold Blood Truman Capote 7.30
15 Pretty Horses Cormac McCarthy 7.29
16 Chesil Beach Ian McEwan 7.28
17 Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro 7.23
18 Secret River Kate Grenville 7.18
19 Endurance Albert Lansing 7.15
20 Cloud Atlas David Mitchell 7.12
21 Waxwings Jonathan Raban 7.11
22 The Reader Bernhard Schluk 7.04
23 Saturday Ian McEwan 7.03
24 When the Rain Jonathan Coe 7.01
25 Coming Up for Air George Orwell 6.96
26 Yacoubian Building Alaa Al Aswany 6.96
27 City of Thieves David Beniof 6.88
28 Human Traces Sebastien Faulks 6.86
29 Inheritance of Loss Kiran Dasai 6.74
30 Glasshopper Isabel Ashdown 6.68
31 1000 Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini 6.66
32 Snowman Jo Nesbo 6.53
33 Case Histories Kate Atkinson 6.50
34 Suite Francais Irene Nemirovsky 6.46
35 Illuminated Jonathan Safran Foer 6.39
36 Year of Wonders Geraldine Brookes 6.33
37 Salmon Fishing Paul Torday 6.33
38 Plot vs USA Philip Roth 6.27
39 Jesus Christ Jose Saramago 6.23
40 Last City Colin Thubron 6.20
41 The Road Cormac McCarthy 6.19
42 Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel 6.15
43 Fascination William Boyd 6.14
44 Line of Beauty Alan Hollingsworth 6.07
45 Parrot and Olivier Peter Carey 6.06
46 First Casualty Ben Elton 6.03
47 Cellist of Sarajevo Steven Galloway 6.03
48 Elephant Keeper Christopher Nicholson 6.01
49 Shadow of The Wind Carlos Ruiz Zafon 6.01
50 Sisters Rosamund Lupton 6.00
51 Closed Circle Jonathan Coe 5.93
52 Devil May Care Sebastien Faulks 5.87
53 Ebony Tower John Fowles 5.85
54 Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens 5.79
55 Tractors Marina Lewycka 5.71
56 Silk Road Colin Thubron 5.67
57 Huck Finn Mark Twain 5.64
58 Don't Move Margaret Mazzantini 5.64
59 Master and Commander Patrick O'Brien 5.60
60 The Ask Sam Lipsyte 5.58
61 Nocturnes Kazuo Ishiguro 5.53
62 Mother's Milk Edward St Aubyn 5.36
63 Margrave of the Marshes John Peel 5.29
64 Wanted Man John Le Carre 5.26
65 Queen Loana Umberto Eco 4.89
66 Apothecary Patricia Schonstein 4.76
67 Contortionist Craig Clevenger 4.67
68 Absence of Hope Ben Jelloun 4.59
69 Damned Utd David Peace 4.41
70 Third Policeman Flann O'Brien 4.29
71 Ten Days in the Hills Jane Smiley 4.21
72 Queeney Beryl Bainbridge 3.94
73 Never Never David Gaffney 3.73
74 Flying Pigs Patrick Gale 3.34
75 Lights Out DBC Pierre 3.17
76 Cry of the Halidon Robert Ludlum 2.56
2 comments:
Hi People
Thank you for letting me join the BBBC. I look forward to seeing you all in September.
Chris
Dreams of Rivers and Seas by Tim Parks The Ram 26 April 2012
This story of dysfunctional family relationships set mainly in India produced a 50:50 split of opinion in the group, like no other. Some people liked the constantly changing narrators, some found this odd. Most liked the plot revolving around the young man discovering his parents and his madness on the death of his father. Some found the end unsatisfactory despite it's unexpected twist (not twisted enough for some). Some liked the portrayal of the characters. We really felt got to know them, except perhaps the father. We all liked different characters with votes for Paul, the visiting academic biographer and the mother Helen. Some thought the son John, an accurate portrayal of a son unable to find his own way in life with distant and professionally obsessed parents. Others thought him not only completely pathetic (where did the empathy and care of our professionals go?) but unconvincing too: too stupid for a Ph D (some of us know otherwise) and not recognising his father's worldwide reputation.
There was also a mixed reception to the portrayal of India with some recognising the experience of Indian streets and a foreigner's shock at the intensity of it all, others critical that, for example, a cheap hotel had air conditioning (and why not?).
Many liked the philosophical themes, often based on opposites e.g. loyalty/betrayal that were brought up but felt they were not explored or explained enough. Some liked the style despite some hiccoughs, others found it slow and unengaging.
Did we like the frequent allusions to sexual and sensual attraction (and the occasional encounter)? On balance, yes. This added to the engagement with the book and the observations e.g. awareness of someone's skin tone and heat were appreciated. Some rather liked the sexy actor girlfriend but couldn't believe she'd go for an older man!
Chris B has been reading Tim Parks' autobiographical book, Teach Me to Sit Still. This explores Tim's journey though his prostate related pain (or is it?) via traditional medicine and absolute scepticism for any alternatives though meditation, shiatsu and Buddhist practice. In the book, he reflects that many of his novels are about people who want to be or are set apart from the world, event to be point of Alberta’s death wish. He notes that this reflects his tendency to become withdrawn, lose interest in intimacy and be accused of beings aloof as a result of his pain. He also observes that these stories "didn't quite satisfy," "didn't really say it". And that reflects our experience of his book too!
CB
13 May 2012
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