Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham

Warning! This is a long review as we all had a lot to say about the book!

Much to all our surprise, this book met with almost universal acclaim, even love, despite its length and age. Those who missed the discussion or who had not finished the book are even suggesting a further conversation on it at a future meeting. Unheard of in the Club! Mark T: “It was one of the best books I have read for a long time and I was picking it up to snatch a page or two every spare moment.” Chris W: “I really enjoyed reading this book which is one of the best I feel that the club has read in the last few years”. Richard: “unlike the last perfectly nice, very readable, book we read, this WAS a book which addressed (very strongly) matters which are central to the human condition; and which had a number of well-drawn characters, with many of them drawn in some depth. I enjoyed the book a lot. Very occasionally, some passages did not hold my attention, but overall, the book held my full attention throughout – it was strong on both plot and character, and of course huge amount of historical detail; plus major discussions about philosophy, art, and ‘the human condition’.” Rob, however “found the book profoundly irritating in many ways and it was vastly too long a book for any substantive content that it did possess.”

This is a largely autobiographical book that finishes when Philip, the main character in the book reaches the same age (about 30) as the writer was (thanks, Mark W for this and many other biographical nuggets).

We get to know Philip as a character, warts and all. He is very ready to be open about his weaknesses and prejudices whilst avoiding any tendency to make us feel sorry for him facing really difficult experiences in his life, as an orphan, a disabled schoolchild, an anxious adolescent and a not very good artist and scholar. We all felt engaged and interested in his life journey even if we did not necessarily “like” the character.

The book takes us from the death of his mother, though living with his childless uncle and aunt, school, including the thinly disguised Kings School Canterbury, through various career moves as a clerk, an artist in Paris, a medical student and a down and out. At Kings, Somerset Maugham is celebrated as a famous old boy, even though he hated his time there (as implied in the novel). Mark W and Steve loved the ending [spoiler alert]: he lowers his ambitions for a spell in Spain when he decides it is time to marry his friends and settle down, despite not being in love.

And the bondage? A lot of the book describes his close relationships with women, the older woman, the “unsuitable” but captivating (to Philip at least) waitress, the stalwart friend and the sensible young daughter of his friend. He is for much of the novel, enslaved to his desire and obsession with Mildred, the waitress. But the bondage is also reflected in his frequent musings on life’s purpose and meaning (or lack of it). We all live our lives with energy and emotion, fully bound to the business of living: to what end?

Another take on this from Chris W: the recurrent theme throughout the whole book and presumably the principal "bondage" that Maugham was talking about is wealth or lack of it. What are the different "bondages" that Maugham was referring to at the beginning of the book? I thought he was referring simply to his physical disability but it was clear by the end that the whole social system at the time in Britain was intended. Philip and his friends are constantly considering how they can survive for the next few years, months, days and there are numerous references in the book demonstrating how difficult it was in those times to change career or to finds new employment at all and how there was a hierarchy for everything. Predicting the longevity of one's parents and any possible inheritance seemed to be a frequent consideration. The most terrible example of this is depicted in the downfall of Mildred who ultimately ends up in prostitution.

The mixture of the development of a life and lives of an individual, personal relationships, character development, story telling, creation of place and time with the many musings on life and morals is what makes this book so engaging. As Richard says, “I do not think I have bookmarked or highlighted so many quotes in any other book”.

Chris W: I understand that this was partially an autobiography so it was very evident how Maugham's early childhood being brought up by his uncle and aunt in a very austere and unloving relationship had affected him (and Philip) severely throughout the story and it was this lack of love Philip explains that gives him the ability to see things in a different way. His experiences of being sent away to a boarding school and then bullied because of his leg are very sad. (I have to say that my experience of being sent away to a prep school at age 8 I had several similar experiences as the new boy had to be bullied as of norm and it was the right of the older boys to do so).

Richard: in so many ways, Maugham nailed this character so well – how as a naïve youth he gets taken in:

“"Of course the man's a pedant. He has no real feeling for beauty. Accuracy is the virtue of clerks. It's the spirit of the Greeks that we aim at. Weeks is like that fellow who went to hear Rubenstein and complained that he played false notes. False notes! What did they matter when he played divinely?" Philip, not knowing how many incompetent people have found solace in these false notes, was much impressed.”

How embarrassed he is, so easily:

“He pictured himself looking out for Miss Wilkinson, the embarrassment of going up to her and asking if it were she (and he might so easily address the wrong person and be snubbed), and then the difficulty of knowing whether in the train he ought to talk to her or whether he could ignore her and read his book.”

How difficult it is to go through with potentially embarrassing things:

“He would willingly have bolted, but he was afraid of the remorse which he knew would seize him. It was like getting on the highest diving-board in a swimming-bath; it looked nothing from below, but when you got up there and stared down at the water your heart sank; and the only thing that forced you to dive was the shame of coming down meekly by the steps you had climbed up.”

Rob found the character of Philip irritating: “he needed a really good slap around the face. He was the most pathetic and insipid character I can ever recall reading about as the central person in a novel. For me, no historical 'of its time' explanation can forgive his self indulgent destruction of his own life - and no, having a club foot or being an orphan doesn't excuse or explain it either. (Or to put it another way, if those things were the explanation, then the author should have tried communicating that in a more than simplistic way).”

Chris W: I enjoyed the contrast of Phillips liberating experiences in Paris and all the different people he met and the result being that he no longer believe in Christianity and could look upon life in a different unprejudiced way. There is a really good bit where Philip comments that the masses follow the rules and regulations of the state being rewarded with medals pensions and honours if they comply whilst the individual is able to travel freely observing things for themselves avoiding already in existence package holidays arranged by (Thomas) Cooks!

Mark said: I really enjoyed the Paris section and it reminded me of my younger days in Bath when I used to go to art classes in Sydney place - it was great with the smell of oils and all these young artists discussing art. I was rubbish of course but like the book there was a girl like fanny who took an interest in me and helped me with my strokes. Unlike Fanny she was very beautiful and was called Becky. I got to know her quite well. Anyway the interesting bit was that 30 years later I find that she is a near neighbour of mine living the other side of my road!

The book is easy to read but never loses interest (though sometimes you could kick Philip for being caught yet again by his attraction to Mildred). It manages to mix description, reflection and dialogue in a thoroughly enjoyable mix. Neil felt it slowed down rather when Philip comes back to London from Paris and some of the expressions Maugham uses now seem curious and stilted. Some things that happen appear nonsensical. There were extremes of relationships with some people being walked all over and others not.

Mark T: the poverty bit was very gripping and interesting and I really felt for him.

Chris W: Philip's coming of age story and his progressive disillusionment, pain and disappointment in life over the next 10 years show how much has now changed. It is amazing that in the 100 years since the book was written society has changed to what it is now with the freedoms and flexibilities and welfare support that are available to our adults and children. I think therefore this is an excellent book that should be read by every teenager when considering life's options (Particularly if considering taking up a career in accountancy).

Some of the themes that resonated with members the club were the full immersion in religious belief (including the belief that faith can heal his club foot) and the subsequent rejection of it, class relationships (for example, when Philip is a gentleman amongst the clerks), how you can fall in love and then suddenly fall out of it (e.g. when Philip sees how old Mrs Wilkinson looks), how you can become infatuated and repeat your mistakes. It certainly showed how the class system increased or decreased your access to professional roles (doctor, accountant). Is this still the case if to a lesser degree?

Rob was dissatisfied with the book’s portrayal of society: the book had the potential to be an important social commentary - but failed to be that. It dipped its toe into important issues around class division, the place of work, healthcare and housing - but gave little more in response beyond platitudes that were driven by the author's own middle class perspectives. It could have provided interesting debate on any of these topics but instead left us with little more than homilies about the stoicism of the working class, a side swipe at the thuggery of early trade unions and an assertion that honest work solves all problems of poverty (George Osborne rules, OK?). 

Chris W: interestingly throughout the book there are many many instances where individuals do not succeed with their aims for one reason or another. It seems that the common view was that anyone not achieving their initially stated career e.g. becoming an artist in Paris, an accountant in London would likely fall into abject failure, alcoholism and ultimately death. Keeping one's life on a career path was therefore much more precarious and alcoholism was always just round the corner if one failed.

Richard: so many observations are so acute:

“She looked at him quickly and flushed. When she reddened her pasty skin acquired a curiously mottled look, like strawberries and cream that had gone bad.”

“It was very curious. Away from her he thought her beautiful, remembering only her magnificent eyes and the creamy pallor of her face; but when he was with her he saw only that she was flat-chested and that her teeth were slightly decayed; he could not forget the corns on her toes. He could not understand himself. Would he always love only in absence and be prevented from enjoying anything when he had the chance by that deformity of vision which seemed to exaggerate the revolting?”

“Sometimes great philosophers seemed to have nothing to say to him, but at others he recognised a mind with which he felt himself at home. He was like the explorer in Central Africa who comes suddenly upon wide uplands, with great trees in them and stretches of meadow, so that he might fancy himself in an English park. He delighted in the robust common sense of Thomas Hobbes; Spinoza filled him with awe, he had never before come in contact with a mind so noble, so unapproachable and austere; it reminded him of that statue by Rodin, L'Age d'Airain, which he passionately admired; and then there was Hume: the scepticism of that charming … the thought of each philosopher was inseparably connected with the man he was. When you knew that you could guess to a great extent the philosophy he wrote. It looked as though you did not act in a certain way because you thought in a certain way, but rather that you thought in a certain way because you were made in a certain way. Truth had nothing to do with it. There was no such thing as truth.”

“The thing then was to discover what one was and one's system of philosophy would devise itself. It seemed to Philip that there were three things to find out: man's relation to the world he lives in, man's relation with the men among whom he lives, and finally man's relation to himself. He made an elaborate plan of study.”

“The advantage of living abroad is that, coming in contact with the manners and customs of the people among whom you live, you observe them from the outside and see that they have not the necessity which those who practise them believe. You cannot fail to discover that the beliefs which to you are self-evident to the foreigner are absurd.”

The health service in those days was really interesting: “"If you can afford to wear jewellery you can afford a doctor. A hospital is a charitable institution," said Dr Tyrell. …. "I don't care a hang about your letter; you get out. You've got no business to come and steal the time which is wanted by the really poor."

His account of addiction: “Why don't you give up drinking?" "Because I don't choose. It doesn't matter what a man does if he's ready to take the consequences. Well, I'm ready to take the consequences. You talk glibly of giving up drinking, but it's the only thing I've got left now. What do you think life would be to me without it? Can you understand the happiness I get out of my absinthe? I yearn for it; and when I drink it I savour every drop, and afterwards I feel my soul swimming in ineffable happiness.”

“Philip thought of the countless millions to whom life is no more than unending labour, neither beautiful nor ugly, but just to be accepted in the same spirit as one accepts the changes of the seasons. Fury seized him because it all seemed useless. He could not reconcile himself to the belief that life had no meaning and yet everything he saw, all his thoughts, added to the force of his conviction.”

There were some poignant moments too e.g. being alone on Christmas day

We discussed Maugham’s attitude and description of women. Mark W pointed out his physical and psychological portraits of even the women he is smitten by is not at all flattering, quite the reverse. They are not rounded characters (Neil). Whereas he describes many of the male characters much more positively. Does this reflect the challenge he faced in being homosexual (who was married for 12 years)? Is this misogyny a reflection of the times Maugham lived in?

Rob felt all the main characters were lacking: I felt every substantive (certainly male) character was highly self-centred. Their definition of the meaning of life and fulfilment was all about themselves. Whether that is about blatant self-interest or slightly more subtle narcissistic behaviour, the men in this book were only interested in themselves and their own self-gratification. If this book was trying to explore what drives human behaviour, then looking buying self-interest might have been a factor to consider. The concept of deriving meaning in life through contributing to the wellbeing of others rarely got a glimpse in any character development. There were one or two (female) exceptions to this such as Norah and Sally, but the female characterisation was so (of its time?) simpering - other than the somewhat psychopathological (is there such a word?) Mildred - that this compounded the sin of not making people more rounded characters. 

Rob, in trying to find positives, quite liked a couple of characters (Cronshaw and Athelney), the descriptions of the early health system were interesting and every now and then a social vignette (e.g. the hop picking) worked well. Beyond that, whilst I started out thinking that there were some perceptive commentaries on the human condition, I ended up feeling they were so driven by the authors own need to self-justify a belief that the only satisfactory outcome in life is to reject creative passion, as it leads to squalor and degradation, and instead accept that the only true course in life is mediocrity and 2.2 kids (or 7.2 in late Victorian times) that I found myself increasingly rejecting those potential pearls of wisdom.

Mark T again: The Mildred section was very sad and gripping in that someone who does not want you seems very desirable. But when she finally almost wanted him he does not want her. Nearly caused the ruin of him. Of course the other woman who wanted him - Nora, he did not want. Very interesting. The friendship with Sally was interesting and the way it slowly matured. A woman whom he likes but not passionately might be more secure for him which might be true. I did not notice that he had [had sex with] Sally - must have been in the hop fields. I thought the bit at he end where he thinks she is pregnant and therefore has to give up his travels and then when she is not, he is sad he does not have an excuse - classic I thought. A lovely ending.

Chris W: I'm afraid I didn't quite understand the relationship with Mildred. As the story progresses I was irritated when she keeps reappearing and Philip is unable to avoid getting involved with her again. I didn't quite understand this "love" that brought him to continually seek to remain in a masochistic relationship with her. I didn't also understand Philip's lack of sexual interest in anyone he ever met even though they might be unattainable. One would've thought that with his time in Paris he would've become more liberated sexually but instead he continues in London to have a most complicated and repressed relationship with a woman who he admits later no longer attracts him. Clearly he is very sensitive about his leg however as the book goes on he seems to be freed from concern about this and yet even when working in the department store he seems completely disinterested in anyone he works with. I was beginning to assume that the book was leading towards Phillip's discovery of homosexuality but it is only at the very end that he finds love with Sally which is then not described but left for one's imagination. (Did anyone else think of Darling buds of May and Catherine Zeta Jones)?

Rob had a similar issue with the romance: I know interaction between the sexes was different 70 years before we were starting to do it, but this concept that people fell hopelessly in love with someone within two hours of meeting them, to the extent that they then compromise their entire future life by behaving in unhinged ways, just isn't real. Speaking personally, when I've fallen in love it's because a woman has given a good and positive reason for me to react that way - even if in hindsight I exaggerated or misunderstood it. No plausible reason was ever given for Mildred causing Philip's reaction - to say nothing of other occasions when one person declared profound love of another at the drop of a hat. If that's how the Victorians behaved then they deserved every negative thing that ever happened to them in their personal lives.  

Intriguing questions include whether Philip consummated his love with Mrs W (making love did not necessarily mean what it does today). We had a interesting discussion on this: everyone apart from Mark T thought that Philip had had sex with her when he locked the door - Mark thought they only kissed and caressed each other. Mark came across a section later on in the Paris section when he was drawing a naked women - he was embarrassed as this was the first time he had seen a naked women. Maybe Mark was right or maybe you do not need to be naked to consummate a relationship?

Richard: I could go on, but I won’t!!  A really good, interesting, valuable and generally gripping book. I can’t say that I liked, Philip, but somehow that didn’t matter here – I certainly felt sorry for him, and I’d have been happy if the book had been twice as long, as I’d like to follow his life on for the next 30 years.

Chris W: in conclusion this was an amazingly clear representation of English life at the turn of the 19th century and the complex customs, class, morals and prejudices that prevailed in an environment where without social support of any sort everybody was so much more aware of their financial position and the inevitable "drunkenness” or "prostitution” that would result if their money dried up. A very interesting book well worth finishing as it was so abnormally thought provoking.

Scores

Mark T 8.6

Richard 8.5

Mark W 8

Neil 8.3

Steve 8.5

Chris B 8.5

Chris W 9

Rob 5.8

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Described at the time of the book being proposed to the bookclub as a mixture between Philip Pulman, Harry Potter and Kafka on the Shore - indeed those being the reasons it was proposed - Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern received a largely lukewarm reception from the BBBC’s reading public. The story of two ‘magicians’ using their youthful pupils to fight a battle over their respective approaches to how they use their powers, in the setting of a circus (which isn’t really a circus), and which is essentially a love story, failed to capture the imagination of all bar one of us. Indeed perhaps the most fundamental question (and reason for the 6 v 1 difference of opinion - with one judgement outstanding) was whether there was anything more to Night Circus than it being a love story with some clever imagery (and a bit of disconcerting child abuse). More of that later.

Most found the book difficult to get into, with it taking a substantial number of pages before anything really grabbed attention. Mark T (whose final opinion is still to come) was most extreme in this, having several failed attempts before finally cracking it and (at the time of the meeting) looking forward to finishing the book. Others though, continued to struggle somewhat. It was not that people were finding it a difficult read, but rather that it lacked depth for them. Steve, for example, described it as being as though the book had been started when Morgenstern was in the sixth form but the writing had never really grown up. Chris W. felt there was not enough story to keep him interested whilst Chris B. described it as a triumph of style of substance. 

Nonetheless, there was a consensus that the author had created some vivid images, with mystical descriptions and even Neil (possibly the person most critical of the book) said how “in a weird way it became believable, I became absorbed by the world it created - but the narrative didn’t work”. Few characters other than Bailey got positive reviews. There was the usual difference of opinion about the way the chapters jumped between dates. It irritated some (“It’s just trendy to do it”) but was fine with or even liked by others. Other concepts resonated with some, for example Chris B liked the descriptions of becoming a camp follower and also the gradually falling apart institution - both of which he felt were true to life. Overall, the general view was perhaps summed up by Richard’s damning with faint praise line of "a perfectly nice, very readable book, but certainly not an amazing one".

This takes us into the one dissenting voice from this analysis (i.e. Rob) who had read the book twice because of a suspicion that there was more going on in it than might appear on the surface.  Whilst accepting it may just be no more than a love story, he also suggested that Morgenstern was perhaps trying to make various societal or behavioural points: the two different ‘schools’ of magic representing a battle between the physical/material (Celia) and the psychological/spiritual (Marco); it could be an allegory about two powerful people (Prospero and A.H.) manipulating society and what happens when people try to break free; or a description about what happens when you allow an idea to take you over to the extent that it risks destroying not only you, but also others. He felt the short ‘interludes’ between chapters (set out in different type-set formats) also contained some important and interesting homilies - for example, the importance of story-telling to take knowledge and understanding through society and generations.

On the other hand, as Neil said, it could just be that he was “imbuing more meaning into it than it merits”.

 

The overall score was a middling 6.68.

Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson

The Forester and Flower , 3rd December 2015

Chris B opened up proceedings by saying that he found there to be lots of good things about the book.  An interesting family, although it was a shame about the parents’ relationship, but the author conveyed the truth behind many relationships of the time no doubt. Chris really got into the book when it described the Blitz which he found well described and relevant to his own family background.  He found the overall concept interesting, but occasionally confusing.  Ursula didn’t seem to truly develop as a person and never fully engaged in relationships.  A mixed experience for Chris but overall positive.

Chris W was also absorbed by the Blitz descriptions and how vividly they portrayed the impact of a bomb blast for example, and enjoyed the way in which certain key eras of English history were brought to life.  He found himself a little nostalgic for some of the rather old-fashioned turns of phrase that were given a new lease of life here but that you don’t hear any more. However, at the same time he didn’t always get the point of the book and occasionally found himself waiting for some profound revelation that never came.  Was the book challenging the question of “what if’s” in peoples lives, or just a collection of short stories?

Steve was more effusive and found the book “mostly brilliant” in the hands of a very skilled writer. He too thought the Blitz descriptions were very strong and powerful, and the passage where an apparently intact body came apart like a cracker when they tried to move it stuck in his mind. He wasn’t exactly sure about the way the different lives were addressed, but he did feel it gave a really different perspective on those lives that made them somehow almost three-dimensional.  In his opinion it was a great social /historical commentary; descriptions of Clarence and his tin face for example reminded one of how commonplace such sights must have been. He wasn’t convinced by the Hitler segment and felt it unnecessary and indeed it showed signs of the author trying to be over-ambitious perhaps, but overall enjoyable.

Mark T on the other hand didn’t find this a very good book.  For him it was tedious re-reading the night of Ursula’s birth multiple times.  He did find the  horrendous male relationships fascinating in their awfulness and was intrigued by the rape carried out by the American, with it’s almost unbelievable speed and location.  He too felt the German part didn’t work and overall simply wasn’t gripped by the book.

Rob felt similarly to Mark here to the extent that he hasn’t finished the book and still has some way to go with it.  His fundamental problem was that he had loved The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and so LAL was not comparing well in his eyes. In fact probably the most interesting thing for him was that two authors should come up with the same general concept and write novels about it within such a relatively short period of time when, to his knowledge, there were no other well known novels on this theme at any time before (Neil notes that they were published within 6 months of each other, with LAL coming out first). So Rob discovered that reading this on his iPad, the Sports news was regularly proving more of an attractive read than the novel.   And he did ask for it to be noted that he had enjoyed the music…the live music playing in the other bar of the pub.

Neil was more enthusiastic about the book having found the atmosphere and the characters very lifelike and easy to be drawn in to.  He liked the way that Atkinson explored the sliding doors idea of how much your life could change if you handled small and short-term incidents differently and for him the most powerful example was how in one version of Ursula’s life she allows herself to be kissed by the American boy on her 16^th birthday and this ends up with her being battered to death by her monster of a husband while by merely kicking the yank in the shins when he advances on her it completely changes the course of her life.  A salutary lesson for those who chose to deny the terrible impact that rape can have on women’s lives, especially in society’s like Ursula’s where the shame was deemed to be so terrible.  There were times when he questioned whether a normal person would have had quite so many opportunities to die, even without the Blitz to contend with, and he too found the Hitler element unnecessary, but overall he found the writing style and descriptive ability to be very absorbing.

Richard shared his view via email and concluded that on reflection the book had been good, but certainly not amazing.  In contrast to Rob he found it much better than FFLOHA which he thought somewhat trite and dull.  By comparison LAL unfolded lots of different possible futures, the Blitz was well handled, he felt he got to know Ursula and the family and sibling dynamics were fascinating.  He also liked the idea that Ursula was bearing witness to the 20th Century.  On the downside Ursula seemed a rather vague and un-developed character at times and that the author hadn’t been completely sure of what she was going to do with the re-birthing idea until the end of the book.

Mark W added via email that he found the book rather hard going. There were parts that he enjoyed, particularly the extended descriptions of London in the war which she brought alive very well. However, the book as an entirety didn't convince him and he found himself getting irritated by the rebirths. Yes, the concept was interesting but ultimately pointless and he found himself thinking what a better book it would have been if she had just made it a straightforward narrative; not as clever but probably more enjoyable. She could have then ditched the Hitler bit which he found rather silly and unconvincing

We enjoyed meeting in the Forester and Flower and although the live music playing next door was sometimes a little intrusive, it was quite good on the whole and added to the evening’s entertainment!

Under the Skin by Michael Faber

Mark W introduced the book by saying that he had recently seen the film and was left with a ‘what on earth was that all about’ feeling, and therefore hoped that  the book would fill in the gaps. He also did not expect that this book would have been the one of the four proposed that was the majority choice, being the first novel of a relatively unknown Scottish writer. Although not wanting to reveal his view of the book at this stage one point he wanted to make was that the book and film were significantly different in narrative and emphasis.

Steve opened the discussion by saying that he enjoyed the book from the beginning, that it was an easy read and well paced without being particularly challenging. It raised questions from the word go, and the gradual build up to the revelation was well handled. In the end he wasn't really sure what the book was actually about and wasn't sure that it actually reached a conclusion but was happy to be drawn wherever it took him. One minor frustration was the lack of background as to how and why the aliens got to Earth in the first place (a theme taken up by others to a greater or lesser extent).

Rob followed by saying that he wasn't sure what he though about the book. The elements were quite clear, the images were good and there was originality in the concept of the aliens being the humans. However he had two big problems. Firstly the credibility of the story: he felt that the continued disappearance of the hitch-hikers would have been followed up more and this caused him some irritation. Secondly, although the book introduced a lot of interesting ideas he felt the that lack of background on how the aliens got to Earth in the first place was a major negative and he was left wanting to know more about where they came from. Overall he just felt that there were too many gaps. Unlike Steve however, Rob liked the ending.

Chris B did enjoy reading the book. He suggested that there was a flavour of ‘Never Let me Go’ in the sense of the gradual build up to a realisation of what's actually going on. He did like the way in which the human and animal concept was turned on its head, and was happy to go along with the book’s own internal logic. However there were also some unsatisfactory loose ends. In particular, the whole issue of where she came from and why she had to go through this experience. He felt that he wanted to know more about her but he also though that the relationship with Amlis was handled well. It was also an interesting observation on the sexist nature of men.

Mark T was also frustrated by the lack of background, and had problems with particular detailed elements of the book, including why she had to live alone in the house and the over emphasis on her physical attributes during the meetings with the hitch-hikers.

Richard thought that the book was excellent. He thought it imaginative, coherent and, unlike some of the others didn't feel that there were any gaps. He was happy with the fact that the book did not go into too much detail about where the aliens came from and he felt that the information given was sufficient. The style was distinctive, original, lyrical and brilliant. He finished the book two weeks before the meeting but remembered every detail. He identified with and was able to understand  Isserley and was impressed with the depth of characterisation. He cared about her and understood  why she was embittered. He was amused at the shock that she felt at the idea of eating sheep.  An assured piece of work.

Neil, although he was prepared to accept the concept of the aliens, was less prepared to accept that no one missed the disappearing hitch-hikers. He thought that the aliens, with all of their technology, would have figured out a more efficient way of resolving their nutrition problem. He found Isserley dull as a central character, but found some of the interactions interesting. The concept of us being the animals was not very subtle. Like others he found the background story a bit unsatisfactory, and the character of Amlis a bit of a cliché. He felt that the ending was a cop out so overall, although he wanted to like it, he was left feeling disappointed.

Chris W was not disappointed. He felt that there were so many different ideas and enjoyed the whole concept and the frequent events that occurred. He thought that the underground imagery was powerful but was disappointed that the relationship with Amlis didn't go anywhere. Like Neil he felt that the ending was a cop out. Overall, although the book had its faults, he felt that his mind had been stimulated.

Mark W concluded the reviews by saying that he enjoyed the book, finding the concept original, and the characterisation of Isserley, upon which the book really depended, was convincing. He did not have a problem with the lack of detail of the alien world, and indeed, felt that the bits of information given were sufficient and appropriate, as more focus here would have detracted from the actual focus of the book. He found that the descriptions of Scotland were  evocative and powerful. The horror of some of the underground descriptions was not too explicit, i.e. it left much to the imagination although the some of the images remained in the mind. Yes, there were flaws, but overall he was drawn into the world created by the book. Finally, although very different from the film, some of the gaps and questions in the latter were explained by the book.

The Sunrise, by Victoria Hislop

The Hare and Hounds October 1st 2015

The fact that we avoided talking about the book for so long and even let Chris W riff about new developments in drone selfies tells you how high the level of eager anticipation was to re-live the pages of The Sunrise.

Neil kicked off by reminding everyone why he had chosen the book in the first place, and what a good book he had thought The Island had been when he read it several years ago.  He even tried to deflect some of the blame for choosing it by reminding everyone that he had not chosen the Louis de Berniere book because Chris W had already read it…but no one bought that excuse, particularly Chris.

Neil’s overriding feeling was one of tremendous disappointment that such a potentially interesting idea, that one town on Cyprus should have been divided and abandoned and maintained as a patrolled ghost town for 40 years, had then been mined so poorly with such poor characterisation, poor writing style and wooden plot lines.  Clichéd personae and descriptions seemed to draw on soap opera style dramas of the 80’s such as Dallas.  Only the fact that the pace picked up in the second half made it readable, but then it accelerated to annoying light speed for the last quarter.  The only redeeming feature he found was that he was slightly more enlightened about the history of what happened in Cyprus at this time, but only slightly, and he found the Epilogue perhaps the most interesting part of the book.

Chris  would have preferred a 30 page synopsis that could have saved him having to read the whole book and found the characters tedious and paper thin.  Somehow he finished it but was still left wondering why Neil didn’t choose the de Berniere instead.

Richard particularly agreed about the characters not even being 2 dimensional, but barely 1 dimensional.  The plot was transparent with the possible exception of the murder of Marcos.  He found it easy to read and reasonably well paced, but at the same time very stilted with the language lacking any precision.  A terribly mediocre book that only succeeded in teaching him a tiny bit about Cyprus.

Mark T had enjoyed visiting Cyrpus and was looking forward to the book until his wife warned him that he would hate it.  It reminded him of reading terribly written stories in Womans Weekly when he was an adolescent !(well…. didn’t we all…..????)

Steve meanwhile wondered how a book like this got past the editorial process and had concluded that it had been rushed to meet a deadline.  He managed to find some interest in the book when Aphroditi discovered another woman wearing her jewellery but was dissatisfied with the fact that this was not properly concluded, and found details entirely unconvincing, such as the fact that the old guys on look out on the roof were never spotted by a helicopter for instance. 

Mark W likened it to a Mills & Boon novel and wondered if it was really possible that the author could also be capable of having written a much better book.  And rather than being drawn into the book he found himself almost perpetually conscious of the author penning a poor work of fiction. Mark also pointed out the potential racist bias that painted the Turks as the villains of the piece in a rather one-sided portrayal of events, which he doubted was fair and accurate, something supported by reviews from Turkish readers that Steve had found online.  Mark found the hasty wrap up ridiculous and was also incredulous of certain plotlines and doubted very much that the Turkish soldiers would have ignored the potential riches on offer from looting a grand luxury hotel in place of poor housing just because of a some railings and heavy locks.

Chris B was not at the meeting but had submitted more positive comments, perhaps partly due to a personal connection to the events described as he had been prevented from going on holiday to Turkey at the time because of the problems in Cyprus.  This generated a little more interest than most others managed in reading this albeit fictional account, but he still struggled with the Janet and John writing style and poor characterisation.

Rob, who had wisely chosen to go and watch a rather more exciting game of rugby in Cardiff and therefore missed the meeting, echoed many of the other thoughts about the book and even drew comparisons with that other much-loved book by the group, Cry of the Halidon.

Neil concluded the discussion of the book with a heartfelt apology for having put everyone through such a poor experience and recommended David Mitchell’s Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet as a suitable antidote.

Average score : 3.4

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

A 5/8ths turn out for the review of the woman in White at the Fox and Badger in Wellow with comments received from others by email.

This was apparently the first example of what became known as a Victorian Gothic thriller penned by Wilkie Collins to be published on a weekly basis in a London Magazine. Hence everybody agreed that the writing style was designed to keep readers on the edge of their seat and was generally considered a "page turner" by the majority.

Collins rich  use of English was admired by all and the comparison made with succinct and thin descriptions used nowadays in an equivalent thriller. Interestingly it was pointed out that at the time there was no radio, television or even photography other than for the very few and therefore Collins as with many other authors of the time (Dickens) would use three pages to describe a character where this might be done nowadays in half a page. The reason being that the average reader had not had the experiences or visual stimuli that we all have today and that the author needed to describe everything in much greater detail to enable the reader to conjure up the scene in their imagination. This elaborate use of words was therefore admired by some who enjoyed  the detailed florid  descriptions and yet by others they became bored with the excess of descriptive phrases and just wanted the story to get to the point!

The were therefore two camps in the group: the minority who felt that the book was tedious, that it lacked depth and complexity and was at least 30% too long; with the majority enjoying the detailed use of English  and the depiction of social mores of the time.Everybody agreed that the story being told from the perspective of a number of different characters worked well in the book.

In particular the role of women in Victorian society and their treatment as the chattels of men was explored extensively - "a versatile and eloquent illumination of women's rights at the time"-and was the widest topic of discussion.The very fact that Laura considered that she was duty-bound to get married to Perceval because of an agreement that had been made by her father when she was a child is the basic premise to the story which nowadays appears laughable. Laura is consistently wet and really has no idea that she should even question the dastardly deeds that are going on around her and whilst her half sister-Marian  has much more backbone and in one sense is a modern woman who would not let this repression succeed but on the other when writing in her diary constantly refers to being of the weaker sex and needing Walter Hartright to come to the rescue.Most subservient in her role and also implausible is lady Fosco who is in fact the aunt of Laura but who allows her husband to pursue consistently evil stratagems against Laura simply because she has agreed to honour and obey her husband as his wife.

There was a consensus that that some of the characters such as Marion, Fosco and  to a lesser degree Perceval were vividly described and plausible whilst  Walter Hartright and the wet Laura lacked credibility and  depth. The love affair between Walter and Laura was not really plausible and based it appeared superficially on Laura's beautiful looks.(So what's changed?). Whilst amusing,Lord Fairlie was a rather overblown implausible character.
Most enjoyed the plot which for the time would've been extremely complicated with several unexpected twists to the tale.

This was a Victorian "page turner"  but the story never really built to the expected crescendo. The most that happened was that Perceval got burnt in the church after which the final third was a rather long debrief from each of the characters. Generally the feeling was that the book was too long but it was evident that this resulted from the fact tat the book was being published in instalments so the more words the more lucrative the book would become.

Other observations were just how reliant the characters had already become by 1850's not only on an efficient Postal Service between the Lake District and London overnight but also a highly efficient train service wherever they were in the country.

Note also how the whole basis of the story hinged around "The Secret" which at its most profound related to whether Perceval had been born inside or outside of marriage.His right to inherit the estate which he had claimed improperly from his cousin had to be concealed by him to justify his inheritance.

In conclusion this was not a complex or deep book but more a lightweight Gothic yarn with some good twists that was memorable more for what it tells about the times than about the story itself.

Nora Webster, by Colm Toibin

7 of us met at The Pulteney Arms on Thursday July 2^nd to discuss this book about the life, thoughts and development of a recently widowed woman from County Wexford in southeast Ireland in the late 60’s / early 70s.

Everyone agreed it was a quiet book that didn’t immediately catch fire. However, for most of the group it drew us in and painted vivid and engrossing scenes that told a much more complex story than was initially apparent. A ‘sleeper’, one called it. Described by one of us as a ‘journey through bereavement’ there was appreciation for the clever way that Toibin managed to make this a very personal account of the awakening of the previously-suppressed independent personality of an intelligent Irish woman. There was no judgement in the narrative; that was left entirely for us to make. It dod seem though that in every situation she found herself in, Nora was the odd person out – which must have been exactly how she was feeling.

And make it we did, particularly with regard to her relationship with her boys. One of us in particular found her parenting skills shockingly bad and ended up disliking her for that and other reasons. Conversely more than one of us really bought into the development of Nora’s personality and story, and some felt that it was this gradual build-up of a character that was the book’s chief attraction. It didn’t shy away from describing strange episodes that might not have seemed entirely plausible – two young boys left with Josie… for two months! A visit where ‘something’ may have happened, but we never find out exactly what. For all of us to differing degrees, there was a subtle unstated suggestion of child abuse, and one of us said he appreciated that it didn’t come to anything concrete but stayed there in the background throughout – much more effective.

Nora’s discovery of music as a metaphor for her widening horizons was well drawn and provided the exclude to vivid and amusing scenes. Particularly with the ‘I don’t care what they think’ music teacher. The drunk drive home with the fierce woman who organised the pub quiz was also enjoyed, and both exemplified the way in which ‘small’ events were given due prominence in the narrative without feeling insignificant or overblown. The geographical settings were ‘brilliantly realised’ without resorting to florid descriptions – even for those who had not visited Ireland.

Juxtaposed with this homey parochial background was the emergence of the Troubles in the North, and the suggestion that Maurice would have been involved had he still been alive, as well as the temporary disappearance of the daughter as she herself got involved in Dublin, taking her own steps to independence along the way.

So we (most of us) enjoyed the journey, but views became a little more fragmented as the end of the book drew near, with its dream-like episode and strange half-lit revelations coming to Nora. It prompted the response ‘So what?’ from one of us – is it much more than simply an enjoyable read? What does it really tell us about life the universe and everything? Another found the sequence unbelievable (along with most of the rest of the book) and was unable to see what it added to the narrative.

Overall though a rewarding, slow burner of a book that proved that you don’t have to use dayglo colours to paint a vivid picture.

Average score out of 10 was 7.34.