“In the United States of Africa” by Abdourahman A. Waberi (Djibouti) Review Readers all agreed that the idea of turning the world upside down was a clever and original one. They liked the beginning of the book, but became disenchanted as they read on finding the story more and more difficult to follow. Although they thought there was some very fine writing, they felt that … Continue reading In the United States of Africa
“Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood (Canada) Review Although readers found the story bleak and a bit too close to current reality, they really enjoyed it thanks to the wonderful language and superb writing. They found the story fluid and well paced, with a good plot that kept their interest going. Everyone sympathised with Jimmy who they described as a likeable albeit flawed character. On … Continue reading Oryx and Crake
“The Brothers’ Lot” by Kevin Holohan (Ireland) Book Club Favourite of Season 14 Review Readers’ enjoyment of this story was strongly influenced by how close they felt to the subject matter. Some found it a difficult book to read, especially since many of the abuses within church-run institutions in Ireland are still coming to light today. Readers who had the benefit of distance from the … Continue reading The Brothers’ Lot
“Death as a Side Effect” by Ana Maria Shua (Argentina) Review Readers had varying opinions on this book with some of them loving it while others found it unrelentingly bleak. One thing they all agreed upon was that it was extremely well written and that the translator, Andrea G. Labinger, had done an excellent job rendering this. Most readers found the depiction of the dystopian … Continue reading Death as a Side Effect
“A Case of Exploding Mangoes” by Mohammed Hanif (Pakistan) Review Readers enjoyed this book describing it as well written and witty. It had many of them laughing aloud all the way through it! They all agreed that the author pokes fun at those in power in a very clever way. They liked the description of the military and the portrayal of how it runs the … Continue reading A Case of Exploding Mangoes
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
“The God of Small Things” by Arundhati Roy (India) Review For those who were reading this book for the first time, they said it took them a while to get into the story as they found the timeline unnecessarily confusing at the beginning. Readers, for whom it was the second or third read, said they enjoyed it more each time describing it as an amazingly … Continue reading The God of Small Things
“Zorba the Greek” by Nikos Kazantzakis (Greece) Synopsis This moving fable sees a young Greek writer set out to Crete to claim a small inheritance. But when he arrives, he meets Alexis Zorba, a middle-aged Greek man with a zest for life. Zorba has had a family and many lovers, has fought in the Balkan wars, has lived and loved – he is a simple … Continue reading Zorba the Greek
Nicola's Book Club 