April 2017 - The Dry by Jane Harper

The Dry by Jane Harper is one of those debut novels which came out of nowhere and generated a whole lot of hype. It is richly deserved. This book is easy to read and the plot line is fairly simple, but almost all of us were drawn into the story. For Anna this was a real departure from what she usually reads, but she surprised herself by how much she enjoyed it.

There are plenty of sites out there that provide a summary of the plot, so I won't rehash it here. Needless to say we could all visualize the township of Kiewarra and its inhabitants. The power of Harper's writing is in its descriptions. We discussed the fact that possibly only Australians would truly understand how big an impact the ongoing dry would have on this little country town, and how easy it would be for the residents to believe the worst of Luke Halder. This small town also has its share of secrets, current and past and explores the nature of trust.

Scores:
Alison    9
Anna     10
Annette  8
Carmel   7
Glenda   7
Kristy     8
Megan    5

Average: 7.7

October 2016 - This House of Grief by Helen Garner

.

Only 3 members met at Phil's house to discuss This House of Grief. We were all a bit bemused by the fact that Donald Trump had just been elected POTUS, and probably spent a fair chunk of time discussing the future of world affairs as well as the book

The book starts like a fairy-tale- "Once there was a hard-working bloke who lived in a small Victorian country town with his wife and their three young sons..."

Unfortunately this family's story has no fairy-tale ending. The three young sons end up dead and the hard-working bloke is put on trial for their murders. For a book with such tragic subject matter it was surprisingly easy to read and, in parts, quite gripping. The reader is right there in the court gallery with Garner as she vacillates between disbelief that a parent could deliberately drive his 3 sons into a dam, sympathy for the pathetic figure that Rob Farquharson cuts in the courtroom, and certainty that the evidence cannot be wrong.

This book is an interesting commentary on the judicial system and whether or not it is possible to ever discover 'the truth'. The personalities of those in the courtroom had a huge impact on Garner and what she believed; from the barristers, witnesses, Rob Farquharson, Cindy Gambino and her grieving family, as well as the corp of journalists covering the story from the gallery. Can a writer ever be an impartial observer and commentator, or do personal impressions, assumptions and prejudices always intrude? Can anyone ever assess the evidence before them and know without a doubt 'the truth'?

This House of Grief was thought provoking and enjoyed by all of us.

Scores:
Cheryl- 8
Kristy- 7
Phil- 7

Average: 7.3

May 2016- Island Home by Tim Winton

Our May read was Tim Winton's Island Home- a landscape memoir.

This was one of Anna's suggestions and was the first book to be picked out of the hat. This is a new system we are trialling- each member suggests 2 books, which are drawn out at random. We had a bit of a chuckle because Anna's daughter did the first draw and Anna's book was the one picked out.

Phil loved the book and Megan read it in one day. Anna loves pretty much all of Winton's work, particularly his affinity with water and the landscape, and his 'non-gushy' descriptions. Carmel is quite the opposite- she isn't a Winton fan at all! Kristy started out enjoying it immensely, particularly the description of growing up in a new housing development in suburban Perth. However, she thought it tended to drag on a bit too much towards the end of the book and needed an editor to tell him when to call time.

Here are the scores:

Anna- 9
Carmel- 5

Kristy- 7
Megan- 9

Phil- 8

Average score- 7.6

September 2014- Eugenia by Mark Tedeschi

Written by Mark Tedeschi QC is the story of the Eugenia Falleni and the criminal trail for the charge of murdering her wife, in Sydney 1920.

Eugenia lived her life as a man under the name of Harry Crawford, gave birth to a daughter, and married twice as a man. The story begins with the Italian migrant family in New Zealand and follows Eugenia to Australia now known as Harry, and the marriage to his first wife Annie. Harry remarries after her disappearance but the remains of her body are found two years later in bushland in Chatswood. Harry is arrested under suspicion of murder and his true sex is revealed. The trial at the time caused a sensation, with much interest as to how her true sexual identity was kept from both wives and ‘the article’ that was used to maintain the marriages. 

Mark Tedeschi traces the Falleni family, Eugenia’s contemporaries, the witnesses, the Crown prosecutors and defendants, the newspaper accounts and dissects the court proceedings with a critical view to the justice and prejudices of the time. This was a fascinating read, written for the uneducated in legal speak to understand.

Anna             8

Annette         6.5

Cheryl           8     

Genevieve    7       

Megan          7

Phil               7

Average 7.25

February 2014- The Light between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

This was a bit of dismal follow up to Wolf Hall. No hugely popular in the group as only three people managed to bother to meet up to discuss it.

Basically a childless couple find a baby washed up in a boat at the isolated light house they look after.  The woman so desperately wants a child she convinces herself and her husband that keeping the baby will do no harm. 

This book has charmed readers across the world but unfortunately not our group, who found the story and the actions implausible. 

The first time novel by Stedman has been snapped up by Dreamworks to made into a tear jerker.

The scores are:
Anna     5 (didn't finish)
Annette 5 
Cheryl   5
Phil       6

Average: 5.25

November 2013- The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

The Rosie project is a laugh out loud awkward romance with the adorable Don, the anal protagonist in search of a wife. Don, designs and distributes a questionnaire for potential partners to help sort the unsuitable from the suitable types, early on. They mustn't smoke or drink and must be punctual. Rosie who is none of these needs the help of a geneticist, Don, to find her real father. Don begins doing things out of character, learns to mix cocktails and to dance on this crazy ride. 


We mostly loved the book except for some kooky moments: the escape out of an apartment in New York and the revelation of Rosie's father, not as strongly written as the rest. Anyway here are the scores:

Alison             7

Anna              7.5         

Annette          10

Cheryl            9.5           

Deb                 8              

Genieveive    9

Megan            5   

Phil                 9

Average      8.12

March 2013- All that I am by Anna Funder- we came, we drank and we talked

A lot has been written (and read) about the Holocaust and Nazi Germany. The topic presented may have just been too much of the same for some, for others we found it provided a different view. Annette sought out more info on the topic that inspired the book. Cheryl had to push through parts of the book as did others, and Deb who scored a 2 only managed to read the first hundred or so pages.

The scores are:
Alison           6
Anna             7
Annette         7
Cheryl           5
Deb               3
Genevieve
Kristy            4
Megan           3
Phil                8

Total 43, average score 5.4

And I'm really sorry Genevieve I can't remember what score you gave the book so let me know and I'll add it.