General Chat

Classic Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert Synopsis The central character of this story is the bored wife of a provincial doctor whose desires and illusions are shattered. The author vents his profound contempt for the bourgeois mentality, but betrays a certain sympathy for the human frailty of Emma Bovary. Purple Hibiscus – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichee Fifteen-year-old Kambili lives in fear of her father, a charismatic yet violent Catholic patriarch who, although generous and well respected in the community, is repressive and fanatically religious at home. Escape and discovery of a new, liberated way of life come when Nigeria is shaken by a military coup, forcing Kambili and her brother to live at their aunt’s home, a noisy place full of laughter. The visit will lift the silence from her world and, in time, unlock a terrible, bruising secret at the heart of her family life. Gentlemen and Players – Joanna Harris At St Oswald’s, an old and long established boys’ grammar school in the north of England, a new year has just begun. For the staff and boys at the school, a wind of unwelcome change is blowing. Suits, paperwork and Information Technology rule the world; and Roy Straitley, Latin master, eccentric, and veteran of St Oswald’s, is finally – reluctantly – contemplating retirement. But beneath the little rivalries, petty disputes and everyday crises of the school, a darker undercurrent stirs. And a bitter grudge, hidden and carefully nurtured for thirteen years, is about to erupt

My suggestions are: The Bells of Burracombe by Lilian Harry When Stella Simmons arrives in the Devon village of Burracombe to start her teaching career, she is alone in the world. Orphaned as a child during the war, she was separated from her sister and brought up in a children’s home. Stella is soon caught up in village life, especially the plans for celebrating the Festival of Britain, which keep the headmistress and vicar busy trying to preserve the peace between villagers who all have their own ideas about what should be done. But stella still finds time to try to trace her sister, with the help of artist Luke ferris. Luke is happy to help Stella, not least because it provides a distraction from his own problems, involving a long-past relationship which has come back to haunt him. The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier The compelling story of two women born centuries apart and the ancestral legacy that binds them. Ella Turner tries hard to fit in to the small, close-knit community of the French town she has moved to. She even changes her name back to Tournier, and knocks the rust off her high school French. isolated and lonely, she is drawn to investigate her Tournier ancestry with heart wrenching results. Isabella du Moulin, known as La Rousse because of her red hair is tormented and shunned in her village - suspected of witchcraft and reviled for her association with the Virgin Mary. When she becomes pregnant she has no choice but to marry into the arrogant Tournier family. tormentor becomes husband and a shocking fate awaits her - as Ella discovers four hundred years later. Classic The Parasites Daphne Du Maurier Maria, Niall and Celia have grown up in the shadow of their famous parents – their father a flamboyant singer and their mother a talented dancer. Now puruing their own creative dreams, all 3 siblings feel an undeniable bond but it is Maria and Niall who share the secret of their parents’ pasts. Ann Glos

Please suggest two ordinary plus one classic. The vote will be Thursday evening unless all suggestions are in by Wednesday evening. Books will be reviewed 16th March. (I am away from 14th Feb to 15th March.).................................. FOR INFORMATION OF NEW READERS........................................... Some of the books we have read since 2005...................................................... The Crimson Petal and The White -- Michael Faber Cloud Atlas -- David Mitchell Small Island – Andrea Levy Fingersmith by Sarah Waters The Other Boleyn Girl - Philipa Gregory The Highest Tide Jim Lynch The Island Victoria Hislop The Pact Jodi Piccoult Memoirs of a Geisha Arthur Goolden A Pocket full of silver Anne Baker A Walk in the Woods Bill Bryson Empress Orchid Anchee Min Vanishing Acts Jodi Piccoult Labrynth Kate Moss Moonshine Wilkie Collins 44 Scotland Street Alexander McCall Smith CLASSICS Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier Brave new World Aldous Huxley Cider With Rosie Laurie Lee My Cousin Rachel Daphne Du Maurier Rebecca Daphne Du Maurier Ann Glos