“Happiness” by Aminatta Forna (UK – London) Synopsis Waterloo Bridge, London. Two strangers collide. Attila, a Ghanaian psychiatrist, and Jean, an American studying the habits of urban foxes. From this chance encounter in the midst of the rush of a great city, numerous moments of connections span out and interweave, bringing disparate lives together. In this delicate yet powerful novel of loves lost and new, … Continue reading Happiness
“Small Things Like These” by Claire Keegan (Ireland) Synopsis It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him — and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the Church. Review “Small Things … Continue reading Small Things Like These
Review “We Trade Our Night for Someone Else’s Day” is a compelling novel that weaves a story around a female protagonist navigating a landscape marred by corruption and post-war trauma in Croatia. The book begins at a slower pace, which some readers found challenging initially, but it gradually draws you in with its intriguing plot and well-developed characters. The narrative follows Nora, a journalist whose … Continue reading “We Trade Our Night For Someone Else’s Day” by Ivana Bodrožić (Croatia)
Review “Midnight Blue” takes readers on a journey through 17th-century Holland, blending historical elements with a modern twist. The novel sparked mixed reactions among our book club members, resulting in a range of comments that highlight both the strengths and weaknesses of the book. Readers felt that it was an easy, light read that didn’t demand much intellectual engagement. Described by one reader as a … Continue reading “Midnight Blue” by Simone van der Vlugt (Netherlands)
“The Island” by Ana María Matute (Spain) Review Once they had gotten used to the style of writing and dated language, most readers liked this coming-of-age story. They felt that the long passages and the frequent use of parenthesis as commentary demanded that they pay attention. They loved the descriptions of the people and places, and thought the imagery used was highly evocative of both … Continue reading The Island
“Summer Light, and Then Comes the Night” by Jon Kalman Stefánsson (Iceland) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Book Club Favourite of Season 22 Review Readers loved this book, describing it as light, uplifting, gentle and philosophical. They loved the small world of the village with its little details, its simmering sexual undertones, the delicate balance between life and … Continue reading Summer Light, and Then Comes the Night
“How to Stop Time” by Matt Haig (U.K.) Synopsis Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old history teacher, but he’s been alive for centuries. From Elizabethan England to Jazz-Age Paris, from New York to the South Seas, Tom has seen it all. As long as he keeps changing his identity, he can stay one step ahead of his past … Continue reading How to Stop Time
“It’s Fine By Me” by Per Petterson (Norway) Synopsis Audun is the only one of his family who remains with his mother in working-class Oslo. He delivers newspapers when he is not in school and talks for hours about Jack London and Ernest Hemingway with his best friend – but there are some things Audun won’t talk about. Stories about his family, the weeks he … Continue reading It’s Fine By Me
Nicola's Book Club 