“The Bad Girl” by Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru) Book Club Favourite of Season 8 Review Readers enjoyed the book, describing it as an easy read and one they couldn’t put down. They liked the sense of place and the detailed descriptions of the different cities the characters live in or visit. They enjoyed the background information on the political situation in Peru as it evolves … Continue reading The Bad Girl
“Swift as Desire” by Laura Esquivel (Mexico) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Synopsis Instead of entering the world crying, like other babies, Jubilo was born with a smile on his face. He had a gift for hearing what was in people’s hearts, for listening to sand dunes sing and insects whisper. Even as a young boy, acting as … Continue reading Swift as Desire
“Tracks” by Louise Erdrich (U.S.) Review Most readers had mixed feelings about the book having found it a difficult read. They liked the historical setting, though they felt the story was very bleak. The winter scenes gave them a sense of the coldness and hopelessness of the situation the characters found themselves in. Some readers found that the split narrative between Nanapush and Pauline broke … Continue reading Tracks
“American Desert” by Percival Everett (U.S.) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Favourite Extract … but now he knew, things were the way they were until, simply, they changed. Now, he was going to change something. In fact, he already had. First, death had changed his concept of life. Then, resurrection had changed him as a person, made him … Continue reading American Desert
“Ali and Nino” by Kurban Said (Azerbaijan) Review Readers enjoyed the book immensely. They liked the historical, political and cultural context of the story and the different perspectives of East and West, Muslim and Christian. One reader particularly felt how the protagonists were trapped by these contexts. They found the descriptions of the places colourful and vivid, bringing the different scenes very much alive for … Continue reading Ali and Nino
“A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers” by Xiaolu Guo (China) Review Readers enjoyed the book, with some preferring the first half to the second. They liked the humour and the clever use of language as it evolves from poor to better English during the course of the story. They found the point of view from a Chinese perspective of English and Western society interesting. They … Continue reading A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
Members of the Summer Reading Group really enjoyed the selection of books this year, pointing out the exceptional quality of the writing styles and also noting the common themes of war/dictatorship and the immigrants’ life in each one. When time came to voting for the Best Summer Read 2008, an unusual event occurred: 3 of the books tied for first place, confirming the overall high … Continue reading Best Summer Reads 2008
“The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood (Canada) Book Club Favourite of Season 7 Review Most of the members who attended the Book Club had read this book before. When it was first published in the 1980s, its feminist theme came across predominantly. Reading it now at the beginning of the 21st century, the themes of religious fanaticism, tyrannical societies and even fertility issues were strongly … Continue reading The Handmaid’s Tale
Nicola's Book Club 