“A Long Petal of the Sea” by Isabel Allende (Chile) Synopsis Victor Dalmau is a young doctor when he is caught up in the Spanish Civil War, a tragedy that leaves his life – and the fate of his country – forever changed. Together with his sister-in-law, the pianist Roser, he is forced out of his beloved Barcelona and into exile. When opportunity to seek … Continue reading A Long Petal of the Sea
The four shortlisted books for this year’s Summer Reading Group were all first novels by authors under the age of 40. There was a lot of originality in the styles of writing and they had some common themes: from political cleavages to mental health issues. When it came time to vote for Best Summer Read, we had to base the choice on only 3 of … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2019 – Sadness is a White Bird
“Ripper” by Isabel Allende (Chile) Review From a first novel to a first attempt at a new genre by a well-known writer, this year’s Summer Reading selection of crime fiction covered a wide range of writing styles. “Ripper” is Allende’s first attempt at crime fiction and most readers agreed that she should stick with magic realism. Although they felt that the writing was superior to … Continue reading Ripper
The theme of our Summer Reading Group 2011 was Adventure & Mystery and our summer readers loved it! They also picked up on two other unexpected themes running through the four novels, namely father-son relationships and deception. “The Rest is Silence” by Carla Guelfenbein (Chile) was not only voted the Best Summer Read 2011, but was also chosen by Nicola as her Coup de Cœur … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2011 – The Rest is Silence
“Last Evenings on Earth” by Roberto Bolano (Chile) Review The first book of the new season was a difficult one for most readers, who used words such as depressing, melancholic, bitty and unusual to express their first impressions of it. They described the style of writing as distinctive, but flat and devoid of emotion. As a result, they found it extremely hard to warm to … Continue reading Last Evenings on Earth
“Inés of My Soul” by Isabel Allende (Chile) Favourite Quote It bothers them that instead of taking on the role of abandoned lover, I have become a happy wife. They relish seeing strong women like you and me humiliated. They cannot forgive us that we triumphed where so many others fail… Courage is a virtue appreciated in a male but considered a defect in our … Continue reading Inés of My Soul
“Eva Luna” by Isabel Allende (Chile) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Review Most readers really enjoyed the book. They loved the rich descriptions of the different places and people. They liked Allende’s style of writing, which they described as confident and captivating. Most of the discussion centred on the part of the story set in South America and … Continue reading Eva Luna
Members of the Summer Reading Group enjoyed the selection of books this year, though most did not manage to read all five (on average they read four)! They voted “The Harmony Silk Factory” by Tash Aw the Best Summer Read 2006. The story has three parts with three different narrators and members enjoyed the suspense the author manages to build up in the first two … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2006 – The Harmony Silk Factory
Nicola's Book Club 