“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
“Matigari” by Ngugi wa Thiong’o (Kenya) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Synopsis Who is Matigari? Is he young or old? Dead or living… or even Jesus Christ? These are the questions asked by the people when a man who has survived a war for independence emerges from the mountains. Matigari is in search of his family, the rebuilding of … Continue reading Matigari
“Sleepwalking Land” by Mia Couto (Mozambique) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Extract and Comment It isn’t the story which fascinates him, but the spirit within it. And listening to Tuahir’s dreams, with the noises of war in the background, he begins to think: they should invent a gentle, more affable gunpowder, capable of exploding men without killing them. … Continue reading Sleepwalking Land
“The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov (Russia) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Book Club Favourite of Season 6 Review Members of the Book Club were unanimous in their appreciation of this novel. They found it funny and philosophical. They loved the descriptions of the many incidents that happen and they liked the different characters, though most found … Continue reading The Master and Margarita
“Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury (U.S.) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Book Club Favourite of Season 5 Synopsis and Review “Fahrenheit 451”: the temperature at which book-paper catches fire and burns In a time in which books are forbidden, Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are the source of all discord and … Continue reading Fahrenheit 451
“Tsotsi” by Athol Fugard (South Africa) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Book Club Favourite of Season 4 Synopsis and Review “Tsotsi”: a compelling story of redemption Tsotsi is an angry young gang leader in the South African township of Sophiatown. A man without a past, he exists only to kill and steal. But one night, in a moonlit … Continue reading Tsotsi
“The Hummingbird’s Daughter” by Luis Alberto Urrea (Mexico) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Review This book was one of the four selected titles for our Summer Reading Group 2006 Nicola was the only one to have read “The Hummingbird’s Daughter” by Luis Alberto Urrea (Mexico)! She has chosen it as her Coup de Cœur Summer 2006, since she feels that … Continue reading The Hummingbird’s Daughter
“Island” by Aldous Huxley (U.K.) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Synopsis and Review “Island”: pregnant with novel ideas! For over a hundred years the Pacific island of Pala has been the scene of a unique experiment in civilisation. Its inhabitants live in a society where western science has been brought together with eastern philosophy to create a paradise … Continue reading Island
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