UK Book Club discussion

Great idea for a challenge!!! I will start it with the book I'm currently reading:

A. Martin Amis - London Fields
B. William S. Burroughs - Junky
C. Albert Camus - The Plague
D. E.L. Doctorow - Ragtime
E. Dave Eggers - A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
F. Elena Ferrante - My Brilliant Friend
G. Romain Gary - The Life Before Us
H. Hemingway Ernest - The Sun Also Rises
I. Kazuo Ishiguro - The Remains of the Day
J. Jonas Jonasson - The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared
K. Franz Kafka - The Trial
L. Ben Lerner - Leaving the Atocha Station
M. Haruki Murakami - After the Quake|11299]
N. Celeste Ng - Everything I Never Told You.
O. George Orwell - Animal Farm
P. Richard Preston - The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus
Q. Raymond Queneau - Zazie in the Metro
R. Philip Roth - The Human Stain - American Pastoral
S. John Steinbeck - The Pearl
T. Jeet Thayil - Narcopolis
V. Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse-Five
W. Edmund White - The Flaneur: A Stroll through the Paradoxes of Paris
Y. Marguerite Yourcenar - Memorie di Adriano
Z. Markus Zusak - The Book Thief

Just finished Animal Farm. Short and allegoric novel of Russian revolution by George Orwell. A group of animals revolt against their farm-man and under the guidance of the pigs end up recreating an environment worst than when humans were in control.

I kind of like it, it is an easy read for everyone, but still carrying strong political contents.

Read The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Although I usually enjoy his writing this one let me down. The book is set mainly in Pamplona during the fiesta, the story is really slow and I didn’t find any of the characters particularly interesting. Some remarkable descriptions thou, but those, in my opinion, where the only good part of the book.

It's just occurred to me what a good way reading by author names is of being introduced to different genres and authors.

Enjoy!

Thank you Anna, it is a good way of reading indeed. It also help me in fighting against the tendency of devouring all the books of an author I like at once. Yet, I have to admit, sometimes I can’t resist!!! :)

Just finishes by Elena Ferrante.
Long story of the friendship between two girls set in Naples in 1950s, Elena and Lila. I had a lot of expectation towards the book, but I have to say it let me down. It seems like the author deliberately stretches the plot and sometimes it becomes boring. Yet the last 50 pages were quite catchy.

Read The Pearl by John Steinbeck, another author I didn’t know before and that I really liked. The pearl is a very short novel, based on a Mexican folk tale, explores the secrets of man’s nature, greed, the darkest depths of evil, and the luminous possibilities of love. Beautifully written with an unconventional mix of ‘music’ and breathless descriptions.

Read The Life Before Us by Romain Gary! Wonderful book!!!!

Gary's Paris goes way beyond the stereotyped romantic and bohemian idea of the city. This is the Paris of prostitutes, immigrants, addicts, often ignored and marginalized in our society. Yet the 'The life before us' is about the touching love between a child and an old woman, about hope and humanity. Little Momo’ and Madam Rosa are incredible characters, unforgettable. The unique and vivid writing style makes the Belleville micro world so alive and real that I felt lonely after turning the last page. Again great piece of work!

Finished The Flaneur: A Stroll through the Paradoxes of Paris by Edmund White. Supposedly an account of strolling around Paris discovering its paradoxes, yet I found it nothing like that. More an historical account of the city and the remarkable personalities that lived there.

Finished and really enjoyed E.L. Doctorow Ragtime. A fast and entertaining portrait of ‘900 New York, where imaginary and historic personalities interact, resulting in a colorful and significant portrait of the society at the beginning of last century.

Albert Camus The Plague is a masterpiece. The plague arrives in Oran, the inhabitants became exiled within the town walls and death is the new sovereign of the city, fattening hierarchies and transforming everyone life and soul. A complex and fine book that touches ideologies and metaphysical reflections making the reader thinking.

I read Camus' 'The Stranger' a couple of years ago, but didn't get on with it. Is 'The Plague' as deeply frustrating?

I found 'The Plague' quite different from 'The Stanger' Liz. If for frustrating you mean hopeless, so yes it is. Yet, unlike the other book, where Meursault is outside common sense and acceptable behavior, I guess everyone would find it disturbing, including myself, in The Plague you get really close to some of the protagonist and you live their pain and ideological changes. Surely not a positive book, it is about death after all, but I think definitely worth reading at least once.

Just finished Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil. Set in 1960-70 Bombay it tells tales of a group of people at the margins of the Indian society, drug addicts, criminals and sex workers. A book of strong contents and fluid narrative. I really enjoyed the way the stories are told, it reflects the whole atmosphere of the book.

Everything I Never Told You was a great novel. Beautifully written, Celeste Ng touches within the narration interesting and contemporary issues, such as integration, parents pressure on children and homosexuality. Really enjoyed it.

Haruki Murakami is one of my favorite writers, but this time he let me down a bit. I am not that passionate about short stories generally, I have to admit it, and After the Quake did not get me much.

The Book Thief was a great story. I enjoyed the way is a humanized Death to tell the young girl tale, sometimes the structure was a little bit annoying, but overall I really enjoyed the book!

The Remains of the Day was a wonderful book. It took me a little while to get into it at the start, but as I progressed with the reading, I found it one of the most delicate and elegant books I have read so far. I gave it 4 stars.

'The Remains of the Day' is one of my favourites.

Finished Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse-Five. I did not like the writing style too much, with many repetition, but I felt it was a really clever way to tell a story about the World War II and the effect on people involved in it. I gave it 3 stars.