This was an entertaining, light and humorous read. What was most impressive was how deeply Alexander McCall Smith could immerse himself into a foreign culture. His understanding of the spiritual, traditional and daily lives of the characters left me feeling almost as if I knew them personally. For anyone who has not lived in Africa … More The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Summary of the meeting During the month of June we have read Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. In this book we find the story of the preparation of a party, this evening, at the Dalloway’s. During her day she goes to the shop, mends a dress, writes letters and receives and talks to guests. But … More Newsletter 72: Mrs Dalloway
On the surface this could be read as a novel describing a day in the life of a High Society woman Clarissa Dalloway who saw her parties and the choice of influential guests as being very significant and important to life. I found it a highly complex, deeply insightful and thought provoking read. Each and … More Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
East of Eden is for me a totally absorbing and impressive read. Although I only managed to read three quarters of the book there is no doubt that it will remain a special, memorable read for me. I regard this novel as a classic. It has all the trials and tribulations of what it means … More Review of East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Although all three of these short novels are gems in their own right, reading them as a group wove a literary tapestry of intense emotions, sadness, well defined characters and an acknowledgement of the human condition. They were for me so powerful and captivating that at times I had to stop reading to absorb the … More Three Gems: Review of The Pearl, Address Unknown and The Snow Goose
New Year’s Resolutions List of things she is going to do and not do during the year. January 1: 9st3. She goes to Una and Geoffrey Alconbury’s New Year’s Day Turkey Curry Buffet. Her. Other had been talking about this, the suitcase she was going to buy her for Christmas and the fact that Mark … More Summary of Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
The most challenging part of reading these 15 short stories is my lack of Irish history and understanding of the different religious references. However that did not in anyway detract from my enjoyment of the beautiful and powerful prose in this work. His language and ability to take everyday ordinary events, places and lives and … More Review of Dubliners by James Joyce
I found this novel was a most tedious read. At times I asked myself why did I have such a fond memory D. H. Lawrence when I read him in my early twenties. I began to hop skip and jump through the chapters that felt a bit repetitive in their themes. In contrast to our … More Review of The Rainbow by DH Lawrence
As I finished reading the novel, my first thought was that I needed to read it again. As I don’t speak French I think I may have lost a lot of the meaning and I really did not understand all the nuances, word plays, anagrams and cross- references. So where to start describing my thoughts … More Review of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
A forbidden love. An unthinkable attraction. The ultimate price. … More Bookmark of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
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