Wolfson Contemporary Reading Group: 2019

Tuesday 3 December 2019

Our Next Book

Image may be subject to copyright

The Shepherd's Hut, Tim Winton

The Wolfson Contemporary Reading Group will next meet on Wednesday, 22 January 2020 at the usual time of 7:30pm in Plommer B. We will be discussing The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton.

A boy on the run meets a disgraced priest as the big themes of faith and salvation are explored amid the visionary splendour of the burning saltflats.

A most enviable writer, both lauded and bestselling, Winton has a particular gift for making the vernacular lyrical.

______________________________________

We really hope that you will join us at this meeting. However, if you are unable to be with us, please email your comments and scores so that they can be shared with the group.

The book is available in local libraries, and in paperback and Kindle edition from Amazon* and other booksellers.

*If you choose to buy from Amazon, click here so that Wolfson College may benefit from the sale through the Amazon EU Associates Programme.

Thursday 24 October 2019

October Review: 'The Wall'

Image may be subject to copyright

Book: The Wall, John Lanchester

Publication date: 2019

WCRG Meeting: 16 October 2019

Rating: 6.6

Thank you for a lively debate last week when we discussed John Lancaster's The Wall; described in one media review “as a taut dystopian novel that blends the most compelling issues of our time—rising waters, rising fear, rising political division—into a suspenseful story of love, trust, and survival”.

The emotional impact of patrolling the Wall, the boredom and the difference between two types of cold were well developed and described. The structure of the writing indicated this well with the sporadic use of poems about the cold/sky/sea throughout the novel.

Characters were developed in a patchy manner; Kavanagh, the storyteller’s dialogue was considered dull in parts, but his need to survive the tedium for the next two years, was reflected in this introspection. His relationship with his team started well when he was nicked named ‘Chewy’ by his teammates, after his experience of the snack bars. There was an easy rapport within this small team. The reading group felt it was a missed opportunity that the female interest, Hifa, was not given a fuller supporting role until the end of the book.

The Captain was considered by several of the group to be the best developed, with his back-story being drip-fed through the book until the betrayal (which I was not expecting)!

Events after this were felt to be a little unbelievable, however, the strangeness of their final destination of the oil rig for Kavanagh and Hifa was well written. His fear of heights was very believable and his need to overcome this to survive. Some of the group saw meeting the hermit and learning to share his resources as a convenience. There were flaws that the group struggled with, ‘who were the Others’, where had they come from, were there other walls restricting the flow of human movement?

Many felt it was a book for our times, relevant and in some respects plausible. The current world theme of walls, barriers, restrictions and controlled movements were also seen as themes in this book. The comparisons of our current generational gap of the young ‘blaming’ the older generations for the planet’s impeding demise was reflected in the novel, with the youngsters remote and blaming their elders for the catastrophic event known as the Change.

To quote one of the group: “ Lanchester’s Wall is whatever the reader wants it to be, without limitations as to allegory, analogy or other interpretation”.

The group’s final score was 6.6.

Friday 18 October 2019

Our Next Book

Image may be subject to copyright

Noughts & Crosses, Malorie Blackman

The Wolfson Contemporary Reading Group will next meet on Wednesday, 27 November 2019 at the usual time of 7:30pm in Plommer B. We will be discussing Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman.

Sephy is a Cross: she lives a life of privilege and power. But she's lonely, and burns with injustice at the world she sees around her.

Callum is a nought: he's considered to be less than nothing - a blanker, there to serve Crosses - but he dreams of a better life.

They've been friends since they were children, and they both know that's as far as it can ever go. Noughts and Crosses are fated to be bitter enemies - love is out of the question.

Then - in spite of a world that is fiercely against them - these star-crossed lovers choose each other. But this is love story that will lead both of them into terrible danger . . . and which will have shocking repercussions for generations to come.

______________________________________

Our Next Book

Image may be subject to copyright

The Wall, John Lanchester

The Wolfson Contemporary Reading Group will next meet on Wednesday, 16 October 2019 at the usual time of 7:30pm in Plommer B. We will be discussing The Wall by John Lanchester.

Ravaged by the Change, an island nation in a time very like our own has built the Wall—an enormous concrete barrier around its entire border. Joseph Kavanagh, a new Defender, has one task: to protect his section of the Wall from the Others, the desperate souls who are trapped amid the rising seas outside and attack constantly. Failure will result in death or a fate perhaps worse: being put to sea and made an Other himself. Beset by cold, loneliness, and fear, Kavanagh tries to fulfill his duties to his demanding Captain and Sergeant, even as he grows closer to his fellow Defenders. And then the Others attack. . . .

Acclaimed British novelist John Lanchester, “a writer of rare intelligence” (Los Angeles Times), delivers a taut dystopian novel that blends the most compelling issues of our time—rising waters, rising fear, rising political division—into a suspenseful story of love, trust, and survival

______________________________________

August review: 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine'

Image may be subject to copyright

Book: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman

Publication date: 2017

WCRG Meeting: 28 August 2019

Rating: 7.5

Many people loved the book, and said it was wonderful and outstanding. It was an easy read and compelling in terms of what would happen next. However, for others it ‘did not click’.

The first part of the book seemed to be the most divisive, with some members sensing that something was not quite right but being curious and engaged to find out more. Others felt it was a painful read or felt embarrassed when reading about Eleanor, her disability, struggles and trauma in such a lighthearted manner. Did we laugh with her or at her?

The book explored the themes of loneliness, kindness and friendship. However, some questioned why a book which aims to explore the topic of loneliness needs to include such a traumatic childhood to do so.

The book had some profound takeaways: don’t judge people by their cover, be kind to each other, the importance of friends and a support network. However, it was a bit of an odd mix between serious and funny; very real descriptions of everyday struggles and hyperbole, literary devices.

Overall the booked seemed too lightweight for such a heavy topic. It was interesting however, that members who loved the book still could see it shortcomings, and most who did not like it could see why others might enjoy it. It seemed that the book tried to be too many things at once, and it very much depended on the reader on which parts they focused and therefore how they perceived the book.

The majority enjoyed the book, despite its flaws and the overall score the book achieved was 7.5 out of 10.

Tuesday 27 August 2019

July Review: 'Circe' by Madeline Miller

Image may be subject to copyright

Book: Circe, Madeline Miller

Publication date: 2018

WCRG Meeting: 17 July 2019

Rating: 6.1

Miller’s Circe is a retelling of the story of Circe, Witch of Aiaia from Greek mythology. Circe only appears as a minor character in these original stories - the best known is The Odyssey - which gives Miller the freedom to freely re-imagine Circe and her story.

The group was split on this book, many agreed that it was a fairy tale or fantasy book, however the split lines were along if people liked this or not. Another divide in the group was between readers finding the novel quite boring, whereas others really enjoyed the book. It was interesting to see that there wasn’t really a correlation on what members thought about The Song of Achilles, Miller's previous novel.

Many liked the character development of Circe throughout the book, but again, others did not see much development of the character.

A question asked was, where the myth stopped and Miller’s re-telling began. The book also inspired some members to go back to reading some classical myths again.

Many enjoyed the exploration on the theme of immortality; although it did put you off of wanting to be immortal! Another interesting theme was ‘divinity’ and what it means to be divine. Although unfortunately this was not much further explored in the book.

Many liked the use of language, although sometimes there was an overuse of new, odd words and also some very archaic sentences, which were trying to mirror the myths.

A discussion ensued on why the author picked Circe as a character. There are not many female main characters in the original Greek mythology, also the book used ‘motherhood’ as a main theme, something which is not much explored in classical mythology.

Two other important themes explored in the book was class and the different levels of gods, as well as ecological aspects, nature and the experience of nature/environment.

Below the review we got from one of our overseas members who, together with her friend, sums up the main issues discussed by our group in two paragraphs:

“I loved the book - I read it in two sittings over the course of just over 24 hours. It completely gripped me and I loved the fast pace, tripping from one event to the next.
I think that Miller did a very good job of drawing the disparate narrative strands of Greek myth and tragedy together into one cogent whole. I appreciated the jolts of familiarity as we encountered familiar figures from the myths through Circe.

A friend of mine criticised the book for a lack of depth and for its mere recitation of events, but I didn’t find this at all. I think there was character development and introspection and that any more interrogation of Circe’s mind and motivations would have been too much of a departure from the original stories. The myths are more like fairy tales in style and so prioritise story over character development.”

The book received a score of 6.1 with scores ranging from 3 to 10 (definitely a Marmite novel then!).

Wednesday 31 July 2019

Our Next Book

Image may be subject to copyright

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine

The Wolfson Contemporary Reading Group will next meet on Wednesday, 28 August 2019 at the usual time of 7:30pm in Plommer B. We will be discussing the runaway success and winner of the 2017 Costa Book Award, Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine, by Gail Honeyman.

Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend.

Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything. She has learned how to survive but not how to live.

One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she s avoided all her life.

Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than... fine?

_______________________________________

Tuesday 16 July 2019

Our Next Book

Image may be subject to copyright

Circe

The Wolfson Contemporary Reading Group will next meet on Wednesday, 17 July 2019 at the usual time of 7:30pm in Plommer B. We will be discussing Madeline Miller’s Circe.

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

_________________________________________

We really hope that you will join us at this meeting. However, if you are unable to be with us, please email your comments and scores so that they can be shared with the group.

The book is available in local libraries, and in paperback and Kindle edition from Amazon* and other booksellers.

*Please remember to use the link on the Wolfson Alumni & Development website if you choose to buy from Amazon, as College will benefit from the sale: http://www.wolfson.cam.ac.uk/alumni/amazon/

Reviews - Jan-May 2019

MAY 2019

Image may be subject to copyright

Book: Station Eleven, Emily St John Mandel

Publication date: 2014

WCRG meeting: 15 May 2019

Rating: 5.9

Station Eleven is a post-apocalypse novel in which most of the world was destroyed by a pandemic. “A virulent new strain of flu that "exploded like a neutron bomb over the surface of the earth", wiping out 99% of humanity; characters holed up in tower blocks while the world collapses around them; "unspeakable years" in which the unlucky survivors walk blasted roads in search of vestiges of civilisation; crazed prophets leading murderous cults and "ferals" leaping out from behind bushes.”.

The flu pandemic which was the catalyst for the story was viewed very differently across the group. For some this was felt to be very believable, whereas others felt that this was just a very easy and not very believable plot device and compared this to other dystopian novels, such as Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, which has a much more nuanced and worked out backstory to explain how we arrived at the world in which the book takes place. Other members again agreed that it was clearly a plot device, but still felt the use of the flu pandemic plot was needed and appropriate.

It was pointed out that some kind of dictator/prophet always comes forward in times where structures fall apart.

It was interesting to see the different ways people deal with extreme situations: from believe in something spiritual to people wanting to archive /preserve.

To many the book felt disconnected between the two stories (‘aftermath of the flu pandemic’ and ‘the actor and his three ex-wives’). Many members felt that the links between different people didn’t work, that it was difficult to keep track of characters and especially that some chapters giving background to main characters (for example Arthur) came too late in the book.

What people liked about the book was that it was an interesting and different way to approach the topic. It was not purely a dystopian novel but also covered many other topics, such as what really matters, memory, regret, literature, adult/modern life etc. It also had some good metaphors, e.g. connectedness (through phones/internet, air & sea travel). Some also liked the use of the genre of graphic novel in the book. There was hope running through the book, with towns being established and Shakespeare still being played.

One criticism which repeatedly came up during our discussion was that some things didn’t ring true. It was interesting to see that different readers picked up on different points on this one (electricity, survivors, flu pandemic), and let other points go or were not bothered by it. Many liked the motto of the Travelling Symphony ‘Survival is insufficient’.

Overall, many found the book a bit too simplistic, and thought it needed a lot more work; more than one member of the group said, that it felt like a first book and that the author seemed a bit self-indulgent. However, others just enjoyed the read, and the way it made them think. The group’s average score was 5.9.

MARCH 2019

Image may be subject to copyright

Book: The Shepherd's Life: A Tale of the Lake District, James Rebanks

Publication date: 2015

WCRG meeting: 13 March 2019

Rating:

REVIEW TO FOLLOW

JANUARY 2019

Image may be subject to copyright

Book: Milkman, Anna Burns

Publication date: 2018

WCRG meeting: 23 January 2019

Rating: 7.3

Thank you to all who meet, or submitted their observations, to our meeting last Wednesday, where we discussed Milkman by Anna Burns.

Even though this is a novel about the Troubles in Northern Ireland and takes fear and division as its subject, the group was able to discuss it amicably. We were lucky to have one member who had lived there and was able to say that from her first-hand knowledge this gives a very good image of the life there.

We began with a discussion of the way the book is written and consequently read. Everyone agreed that the way it is put down on the page makes it difficult at first as the paragraphs are long and not broken up. One of us had listened to it on Audible rather than reading it on the page and had very much enjoyed the discursive, stream of consciousness nature of the telling.

We also considered the narrator’s habit of using titles rather than names which had caused some dismay in reviews but which most of us found funny and also sobering as a reminder of the dangers that were always present in the society where a false move could get you shot and betraying a friend or a relative was easily done. The titles were sometimes descriptive as in ‘Maybe Boyfriend’ and sometimes dismissive as in ‘Third Brother in Law’ and yet reminded us of the complexity and inter-relatedness of the society being described.

We went on to discuss the language and the way in which the writer is fascinated by language and invites us to understand something of the sensitivity where there were prescribed and proscribed names that could be given to babies and you could easily indicate that you were from the wrong religion or the relationship and put yourself beyond the Pale. Even though we heard about Nuns and St Teresa of Avila, we were not made to take sides.

The writer takes a subject where great delicacy of touch was needed and manages to stay sufficiently impartial so that no reader will feel alienated. Our Irish colleague said that to her there were enough signs to indicate one religion more than the other but we could still admire the skill with which we were left to see the stories of the individuals especially the narrator or ‘Middle Sister’.

We thought about the description of poisoning and what place it had in the story. Was it just an indication of a mad, sick society or was it about the way in which people damaged each other? It gave a role to the neighbours considering that no-one could go to hospital in case they got involved with the police or were seen as an informer. The neighbours took on a role almost as a Greek chorus foreboding trouble unless their advice was taken.

The question of the ending was raised. One person in particular thought it was weak and that it lowered the success of the whole book. The first sentence does link to the ending and perhaps makes some kind of structural unity, needed more when the subject is totally about disunity and fear.

We were glad to have written input from some absent members of the group. They had the same division of views as the rest of us- hard to read the long paragraphs, there being no names was disorientating but the overall effect was powerful , rewarding and worth the effort.

The general conclusion was that most of us really liked and appreciated this book and the average score was 7.3. One person suggested that if we took the mode instead of the mean it would have been 9.

December Review: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Image may be subject to copyright

Book: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, Haruki Murakami

Publication date: 2013

WCRG meeting: 5 December 2018

Rating: 6.4

Thank you to all who meet, or submitted their observations, to our meeting last Wednesday, where we discussed Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami.

Initially, several readers found the start of the book to be sterile; ‘lost in translation’ was one observation, possibly because Murakami writes for an American audience, any translation is going to be challenging, and may compromise the integrity of the book or the message it conveys. Once we started to unpack the book, more subtle threads were uncovered. The use of colour has significant meaning in Japanese culture, and Tsukurs’s friends were identified as follows, white which means mourning (Shirane); black –mystery (Kurono); red-passion (Akamatsu) and blue fidelity (Oumi). Whereas his name had no colour in it. The air of melancholy running through the text reflected Tsukuru’s pilgrimage, through friendships as they came and went in his life. This was noted as being a theme of other books Murakami has written, but he does do ‘melancholy’ well. The use of elaborate similes for Tsukuru’s mental state pepper the novel.

The curious phrase in the title: “Years of Pilgrimage,” is a reference, to Franz Liszt’s celebrated piano works about his travels around Europe: his Années de pèlerinage (S.160, S.161, S.163). The specific part of the Années de pèlerinage, Tsukuru Tazaki, refers to throughout the novel is number 8 of the first year of pilgrimage: Le Mal de Pays (Homesickness), or as another character in the book, Haida (name means gray), translates it “a groundless sadness called forth in a person’s heart by a pastoral landscape.”

(Another book by Murkami is Norwegian Wood which begins with Toru Watanabe, a middle-aged man who feels overwhelmed by a sense of nostalgia as he listens to the song 'Norwegian Wood' by the Beatles. Hearing this song sends Toru tumbling eighteen years into the past to a time when he was still a college kid - sound familiar?!)

Generally, the group felt the book never reached it is potential, several story lines started but the themes drifted off and were never revisited. The storyline of a young man seeking answers to his abandonment by his friends as teenagers, with his subsequent visits to see them ‘back home’ sixteen years later, (why did he wait so long), led to some interesting but mainly unsatisfactory stories. Many in the group enjoyed the descriptions of Tsukuru’s trip to Finland, a complete adventure, the images of the silver birches was evocative. His relationship with Sara, the catalyst, to his pilgrimage was felt to be shallow and manipulative, what were her motives?

The group awarded the book a score of 6.4 out of a potential 10.