November book club

Well, Monica McInerney - which one of the characters is most like you?
I loved the book, I've passed it on to my cousin with a recommendation for her book club. Nice and easy because there's reading group questions at the end of the story.
The descriptive details in Monica's writing are just amazing.
Personally, I wanted to slap all of the children- they are so needy. I guess that comes from an isolated existence in the outback and a total dependency on each other. As does the need to escape and a rather scary naivety. Has anyone got any experience of this closed unit? Perhaps it's similar in boarding school or on Forces bases maybe.

Thanks again Gransnet and Monica McInerney, I shall be looking out for more of your books.

Just received my copy- thank you. Started it last night so will press on- it is quite a long book & quite small print so will need lots of R&R time- whoopee!! Any excuse.

What a lovely surprise, my book arrived this morning, shall start reading as soon as possible. In the meantime, thank you so much!

Well done to who ever chose this title as the December book. This is just the right time of the year to be reading it and I am sure many of us can relate to some aspect of the story. It is quite a comfortable read so just right for when things get a bit stressful nearer Christmas Day. I am only half way through but am enjoying the story, probably more than I expected to when I first started reading. Looking forward to seeing how it all ends up.

Forgot to say, thank you for my copy that I received last week. Xxx

Thank you for Hello from The Gillespies. I loved it and read it in two days, staying up very late each night.
It is a great story and catches one in right away until the end.
Has Monica McInerney ever written such a Christmas letter I wonder?

I've just finished this book and absolutely loved it!
Have to admit that half way through I wondered where it was going, as the story seemed to be close to the end, then BAM, Angela goes to Adelaide and it's like a whole new story begins!
Have already passed it to a family member and will be recommending it to everyone.
The characters are believable and likeable, I love the concept as it's something many of us have experience of - those boasting round robin letters from family members, it really would be refreshing if someone told the truth for a change!
Thanks so much for this book.

I was so pleased and excited to receive my free copy of 'Hello from the Gillespies' as I have heard about the book from different sources including coverage on radio 4 woman's hour. I started reading as soon as book arrived in order to upload info prior to end of November.
I really enjoyed the description of life in outback Australia - I feel the book has provided a real insight into the mixture of beauty and isolation experienced by families living there. I am not sure that I was able to connect with the Angela because I found her escapism into a fantasy world slightly annoying and unbelievable. I fully understand children having imaginary friends - particularly when isolated but not adults. However this is probably just me - I would be very interested for the author to talk about her inspiration for the character. The concept for the book is brilliant - it would have been good to hear more about some of the people who received the letter and if it made them more honest in their future round Robbin letters.

Just started reading my free book and already can tell I'm going to like it.
I don't have any questions so far but hope to be able to post again in a day or two.

Thank you very much for my copy of 'Hello from the Gillespies'. I was away for a few days and the book was there, waiting for me! I shall get going straight away - read a few reviews and it looks like a very interesting read. I'm not a fast reader but I shall do my best to catch up. Again, a great big thank-you and I'll be back, as soon as possible.

Thank you so much for my copy of Hello From the Gillespie's.

It's a very unsociable book - I haven't become so lost in a book since I read the whole Harry Potter series in a week! Brilliant! Off now to finish it.

Good morning gransnetters! Bright and frosty here in East anglia! Finished reading "hello from the Gillespies" last night. An easy and undemanding read which I found predictable, but quite good. The majority of the characters are well drawn, although the twins, who are apparently in their 30s, needed a reality check! Certain passages , I thought, were overly long, and the ending was spotted by the middle of the book. Joan and aunt Celia were my favourite characters and would liked to have learnt more about them. But saying this, a pleasant uncomplicated read by an author I will be looking out for in the future.

I enjoyed this book, perfect for this time of year when I love to relax with a 'feel good' book.
As a mother of five children I enjoyed the dynamics between the characters in the book and I thought they were refreshingly real - all the traits you find in families but are not often written about.
I particularly enjoyed reading the acknowledgements and thought they were very informative.
I have already passed it on to fellow book club members! My question is a simple one - when is your next book due to be published and where is it located?

Finished it last night. It was a galloping good read. Undemanding and enough convolutions to hold my interest and not put it down. As GMA says the ending was fairly predictable but that only added to my enjoyment as I could relax and just enjoy it. The children, I thought, were a trifle immature. More like mid twenties in age than thirties, but otherwise the characters were well drawn.

A good book. One to be passed to a friend rather than put in the charity shop bag.

A great choice of book in the run up to Christmas and I enjoyed reading about the noisy opinionated and often immature members of this family. What an amazing friend Joan was ! Stepping into the breach on almost every occasion. My question for the author is how did she discover the medical condition experienced by Angela ?
Thank you gransnet for a seasonal read.

Thank you, I am loving the book. I have about 6 pages to finish it. I don't do round robins myself, not would I care to read them. They are all about showing off! Is the author Irish or Australian? I'm guessing Irish, but has lived in Australia. I found the book to be a real page turner and it's kept me reading late into the night.

Really enjoyed it & felt interested, involved, exasperated and irritated by the characters in turn. Angela's condition was new to me and made me think about the role of fantasy and daydreams in our lives - is it healthy or unhealthy, and to what degree should we'indulge'? Joan was brilliant. We'd all like to have a friend like her. I wonder how her own family would have felt though. I thought Ig was interesting too. Had he inherited his mother's rich fantasy life? Was it one of the down sides of growing up in such an isolated location? How would he cope with the transition at the end? This book was a real page-turner. I will look out for her books in future.

Thank you for my book, I have only just started it as I was already finishing off another book. Please tell Monica that I am loving everything about the book and I'm only not quite a third of the way in. What a brilliant concept for a novel as everyone knows someone who receives a dreadful round robin letter or who sends one ! I am looking forward to seeing how it develops. If there's time, I'll post again when I've finished, don't want to rush though..Am enjoying it too much !

Pleasant and easy read, I enjoyed The Gillespies, Have you ever been so brave Monica, as to drop the mask and say it as you see it?
The twins were a bit irritating at times, but will pass the book on and look out for your next work. Thank you.

I disagree with inishowen as I send a Christmas letter most years. I have lived in a great many places and made friendships along the way, plus I have relatives who like to keep track of my family's doings; I used to spend hours writing individual letters to put into Christmas cards until eventually the PC made it possible to write just one and duplicate it. I remember the first year I did it how glad I was not to have to write the same things over and over. Some years ago I was just too busy and exhausted to write my usual letter and I got so many phone calls and letters from people who were wanting to know what was happening with the family that I ended up sending one out in January and I've done the same a few times since when Decembers have been too hectic for me to find the time to write.
My question for Angela is, does she have a 'Joan' in her own life?

Really enjoyed this book, kept wondering what my fantasy life could be! Thought the characters were well thought out and they held my interest through the book. One of the best Gransnet books so far.

Many thanks for my copy of this book
I haven't had a chance to start it yet but will this week

Do YOU send Round Robin letters at Christmas Monica? If so is yours going to be a real run down of your year or a boast?

Thank you so much for sending me a copy of this book. As I have been away I have only just got it but have made a start. So far, and granted I'm not far into it yet, it has failed to grab me and I am struggling but it sounds as if I'm in a minority from comments above. Hopefully it will win me over but for now there is some way to go. Maybe my next posting will be more positive!