April 2025 - Death At The Sign Of The Rook by Kate Atkinson

Our book for April 2025 will be "Death At The Sign Of The Rook" by Kate Atkinson, an English writer who has achieved considerable success not only in the UK, particularly since her 2013 novel, "Life After Life". In her latest work, "Death at the Sign of the Rook" we are reintroduced to her favourite detective Jackson Brodie, in what sounds like Agatha Christie pastiche.  Etta's Bookshop already has copies.

Popular posts from this blog

July, August and September 2025 - The Heart In Winter, Caledonian Road

Wednesday 30 July  - " The Heart in Winter" by Kevin Barry.   Irish humour, doomed lovers, and bounty hunters, all set in 1890s Montana.  Variously described as "Exhilarating" and "a bad version of Dead Man." August - no meeting, to allow time to prepare for September's book (656 pp) Late September (date to be confirmed) - " Caledonia n Road" by Andrew O'Hagan.   A portrait of London society both dazzling and disgusting. The Guardian described it as "addictively enjoyable". Stay cool, and enjoy your reading.
Read more

Bookclub News June 2025

Dear Friends, in a first for the bookclub, the fourteen of us who met last night were serenaded from the garden by talented young musicians singing Mozart. Quite what Sadie Smith, the cynical unlikeable narrator of Rachel Kushner's latest novel  "  Creation   Lake "  would have made of it is hard to say. Another example of  ineffectual European dilettanti at play?  It certainly added  brio  to our discussion Our final average score of  7, 'Recommended ' masks a widely varied response. General appreciation of Kushner's  impressive research, fluid writing skill, powerful ideas and choice of subject matter,  but reservations about her scatter-gun approach. Were we really wiser in having quite so much information about Neanderthal society, mixed up with local ancient and modern French history, and did it add up to the "gripping philosophical thriller" promised by her publishers...
Read more

Bookclub News May 2025

Dear Friends, an admirably orderly discussion last night, given that there were 21 of us around the table, ready to dissect "Night Watch" by Jayne Anne Phillips.  Historical fiction, with maybe a dash of magic realism, the novel blends a series of inter-related stories of characters caught up in the aftermath of the US Civil War. Raw, often unsparing, and unafraid to reflect the racism, misogyny and violence of the times, it also offered a glimmer of hope in the empathy and enlightenment to be found in surprising places. While specific to a time and place, it was hard not to recognise the universal themes common to any conflict, especially among fellow citizens. "When the killing ends, the grief goes on." While the author's writing style had its detractors (overwritten?) the majority of the group were impressed by its overall quality. Many felt however a falling-off when the ending appeared to wrap up too many loose ends unconvincingly. Our overall average sco...
Read more