Book Group listing
Book Group meetings
Each month we have an open meeting in a hall close to the bookshop. Read more about it here. We usually focus on modern fiction and the discussion regularly attracts around 20 people, men and women, of all ages.
A well attended meeting where it was agreed the book was difficult but brilliant: an odd structure, unlikeable characters and some self-indulgent rants, but an outstanding description of life in the trenches.
A lively discussion as some thought this a stunning account of a rare way of life beautifully and imaginatively written. Others found the use of dialect, odd sentence structure and 'lack of story' jarring.
Almost everyone agreed this was 'a good book'. Through humour, great characterisation and a very engaging central character, the author tackled difficult political and cultural issues. The reader came away with a heart for Nigerian people and a better perspective on life in that country.
Beautifully written with so many layers to unpack, it was standing room only for this discussion. A few people found they couldn't relate to the characters, but most found the presentation of a long relationship and the things left unsaid to be fascinating and moving.
Warm, charming characters in a slice of life from the 1980s. Humour and tragedy, told from the perspective of a nine-year-old boy. Most loved this book though a couple of people thought it too slow and couldn't engage with the narrator.
A page-turner which most enjoyed for its humour and engaging characters. Others thought the author was trying to do too much, with too many themes and 'issues', and that the book didn't deliver in how it had been marketed and praised.