Book Recommendations

“Silence of the Girls” by Pat Barker. An eminently readable fictional story of the women of Troy after the battle. Not stuffy, or highbrow, but definitely unputdownable. The characters spring to life on the page. It had me in tears.

Anything by Stephanie Austin, whom I know as she’s a member of our local theatre company. Her books are light, detective novels.

www.stephanieaustin.co.uk/about

Two books both by Lesley Pearse come to mind. It's a while since I read them but I think they are both based on true stories. 'Trust Me' and 'Remember Me'.

"The Followers" by Rebecca Wait - our book group loved it, and plenty to discuss.

I read this novel last week dragonfly.
I’d recommend it but you may want to check the story out to see if it’s suitable for your group.
I found it highly engaging as I enjoy books about family dynamics.

This:
“Anne’s diagnosis of terminal cancer shines a spotlight onto fractured relationships with her daughter and granddaughter, with surprising, heartwarming results. A moving, elegant and warmly funny novel by the Norwegian Anne Tyler.‘Helga Flatland writes with such astuteness .”

Do come back to tell us which book you chose in the end!

The photo wouldn’t send with my recommendation!
Here it is now (hopefully).

Might be a bit close to home for some of them Urms but thanks for the recommendation.

My book group is reading Other Times by Leslie Thomas.
It is very well written and descriptive of that other time, 1939 to early 1940’s in wartime Hampshire in England. Fiction, but true happenings when talking of the war.I learned many interesting things and it is an easy read.

I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Lissa Evans, including her children’s books.
Our book group recently read ‘The Pull of the Stars’ by Emma Donoghue, author of ‘Room’. It’s set in a Dublin maternity hospital in 1918 (I think), when the flu epidemic is raging. All our group found it an absorbing read though the obstetric procedures may make you squirm!
I also enjoyed ‘Duckling’ by Eve Ainsworth, who has written a number of books for young adults - this is her first adult one.
‘The Vanishing of Esme Lennox’ by Maggie O’Farrell, is another good read, though written a while back so some of your group may have read it.

Sorry, last title is ‘The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox’

Yes, fair enough dragonfly I understand.

Our last book club read was a novella (much appreciated in itself at times!) and was Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea”. A classic that many of us hadn’t read. Written in 1952 it was Hemingway’s last major work of fiction.

“The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's most enduring works. Told in language of great simplicity and power, it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal -- a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream.”

We were surprised at how much discussion it generated!

‘Daughters of War’ by Dinah Jefferies is an historical fiction novel set in France in WW2.
‘Still Life’ by Sarah Winman., set in Italy in 1944.

Both very good reads.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrel is a cracking read using a fictionalised account of Shakespeare’s family life to explore grief. The historical setting gives the reader the distance needed to be able to consider the subject comfortably and it should provoke plenty of discussion.

The Old Man and the Sea was one of my mother’s favourite books - thanks for the reminder Urmstongran.

You may have read it already as it's not new but:
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes was enjoyable as far as I remember.
It's set in WW1 in France.

It ends with us by Colleen Hoover would make for a good discussion about intense relationships.

Across the Wide Wide Sea by Michael Morpurgo. It’s a teenage book but we read it recently in our book group and we all thought it wonderful. We are an evenly split male/female group. Our book this month is Notes from an Exhibition by Patrick Gale - such a beautiful writer and should prove to be a good discussion.

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I would echo the Patrick Gale. In fact, any of his books are really good. The last I read by him was “a place called winter”.
I also agree on Pat Barker - again, anything by her.

Classics like “.to kill a Mockingbird”, “the old man and the sea”,
“Of mice and men”…

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Another vote for Lissa Evans. I am reading Old Baggage at the moment and it is fabulous!

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