10 Sept 2009

The Reading Group.

The Reading Group By Elizabeth Noble.

A group of friends, a few bottles of wine and a good book.

What could be better? The women who form the Reading Group are as varied as the books they choose to read.

Designer clad Nicole has the perfect domestic set-up - apart from a serially unfaithful husband. Her best friend Harriet's husband is perfect; but Harriet just doesn't love him any more.

Clare is desperate for a baby - and is wrecking her marriage in the process, while Cressida is terrified she's pregnant.

Susan is watching her mother's sad, slow decline, comforted by her family; Polly wants to marry again, but will Jack cope with hers?

Can they find the answers in the pages of a good book?

First Sentence: Clare watched as the young woman passed her in the corridor.

What a warm, touching and humorous book THE READING GROUP turned out to be. Well written, it is full of believable, memorable characters who you will love and loathe.

The five main characters are a varied group of women (Polly, Susan Clare, Harriet and Nicole) who get together one Wednesday evening every month to discuss a book as well as their lives. As a reader, I felt like I was the sixth member of the group - sharing in their loves, losses, trials and tribulations.

Interestingly written, each section of the book starts with the women discussing the book they have just read which always, no matter how loosely, somehow or other ties in with an event that has taken place over the previous month. A thoroughly enjoyable read, I would recommend this book to all and wouldn't be too surprised if people found themselves longing to be a member of a reading group.

MY RATING: 5 out of a possible 5.

So, just what were the books read by The Reading Group.

January - Heartburn By Nora Ephron (1983).
February - I Capture The Castle By Dodie Smith ( 1949).
March - Atonement By Ian McEwan (2001).
April - The Woman Who Walked Into Doors By Roddy Doyle (1996).
May - Guppies For Tea By Marika Cobbold (1993).
June - My Antonia By Willa Cather (1918).
July - The Memory Box By Margaret Forster (1999).
August - Eden Close By Anita Shreve (1989).
September - An Instance Of The Fingerpost By Iain Pears (1997).
October - Rebecca By Daphne Du Maurier (1938).
November - The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho (1988).
December - Girl With A Pearl Earring By Tracy Chavalier (1999).

6 comments:

Unknown said...

The world of writing can be very full of co-incidences - following my Writing Circle meeting this week, I was considering writing a story based loosely around our charismatic members but maybe I am too late! Would love to read this book...have you reviewed for Book Army ? PS Hi to the pussy cat...

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Just about to review this for Book Army though it tends to be an edited version of whats already on my blog. Are you involved with Book Blogs at all? If not, it may be worth a look.
Greetings to Carlos from Maukie.

Kelly said...

This looks like a book I would enjoy.

I have loved reading my entire life and have often thought it would be fun to belong to a book club or reading group. However, I never know what I'm going to read next until I finish a book and see what my mood is. Not sure I would like being told what to read.

The list from this book looks good. I'm familiar with most of the authors and have read a couple of them.

Hoping to read the C.J. Sansom books in the near future. I had never heard of them 'til I saw them on your blog. They look great!

serendipity_viv said...

Now if I had read this post first I would have known the list of books.

I have read a couple on the list. I loved I Capture the Castle. I also read The Alchemist, but I really didn't get all the hype about that one.

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Kelly, you must read the C.J Sansom books - he's one of my favourite authors, a simply wonderful storyteller.

(M)ary said...

I Capture the Castle is wonderful!!

The Reading Group has excellent taste in reading material.