Thank you to Lucy for the following summary of the fabulous meeting held at her house. Good discussion, great puddings and a lot of fun. We are getting pretty good at this book club thing!
Lucy's review
I just love book club- everything about it. From receiving the
next book selections, the wine, the book discussion, the puddings, the voting –
I just love it all. It has really opened my mind to think and feel more about
my beloved books, which is exactly what this month’s book demonstrated for me –
because for the second time ever, a book made me cry. I’m even more impressed that I cried at the beginning
of the book (not just at the sad ending like “Me Before You”).
Hosting book club makes it all the more special - I was
really pleased that I liked my book choice (I’m sure we all secretly fear not
enjoying our own book choice) but the fear is always present that your puddings
will be a disaster. Despite worrying about them, I think they all turned out
ok. We had a slight 70’s throwback to the theme this week (just call me Brendan
from GBBO.)
For pudding we had:
-
Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake.
-
Summer fruit Jelly’s (with a little liqueur).
-
Chocolate Layer Trifle (with a little Kahlua).
The absence of the 2 Sally’s was mainly noticeable by the
lack of wine consumed during the evening. (Plus we missed Sally S’s infamous
book quotes and insights.)
Our book this month was “The Last Summer” by Judith
Kinghorn. The beginning was set just before the 1st world war
started with the main character Clarissa enjoying an idyllic summer at her
country house. During this time she fell in love with the servant’s son - who
was then sent to war alongside her brothers and family friends. The book then
follows the war and post war period, during which Clarissa tries, but fails, to
live happily ever after with her true love. I won’t say much more in case
anyone reading this has not read the book – no spoilers allowed!
Although this book is primarily a love story spanning
decades, it did bring home to us many aspects of life during and after the war
and also how it affected the upper classes (and especially the women who were
left behind) We discussed how it must have felt to be a young woman during and
after the war, especially when the men who were lucky enough to return from war
had suffered injuries and psychological issues. Many of these men wished they
had died with their fellow countrymen and suicides were not uncommon. Most of
us were shocked by the revelation that recreational drugs were a problem - just
a different kind of drug to those we get now.
The main criticism the book received from the group was that
some felt a little frustrated by Clarissa’s character and the choices she made.
However all agreed that these choices were just a reflection of how different
life was back then and the expectations put upon on a young lady. A few also
felt the ending was a little predictable – although the presence of some
encrypted letters at the beginning of each chapter led to a rather surprising
revelation at the end that none of us really saw coming.
Overall we enjoyed this book, many of us felt gripped by it
and couldn’t put it down (Susie finished it 7 days early!). We were left
thinking about the characters afterwards, we loved the descriptions- especially
of the spring time (we felt we were there!), and enjoyed the educational
setting of the 1st WW. A final score of 8/10 was awarded.
Our next book was voted in – The Vintage Teacup Club by Vanessa Greene. (Thanks Chantel for a great
choice of books) I’m hoping this one does not reduce me to tears – (there’s
only room for one blubber in our family.)
PS - This book was compared to the Twilight love story about
9.38 ish! It’s always got to have a mention. No book club night is complete
without it.
Lucy x
