Savidge Reads discussion

I like her style too, but I haven’t read anything of hers that since matches that wow factor but certainly worth your time. Property, her collection of short stories, is very good.

I want to know what your reservations are about reading this, Simon.

I still think this is one of the best books I have ever read. I reread it recently for a book group at work, and despite knowing exactly what was coming, it was still incredibly powerful and shocking. One of the comments at our group was it was slow to get going. I found that this means the tension builds without the reader even being aware it was building. Great writing.

An EXCELLENT novel. It's open to debate, can be interpreted in different ways. Characters are fantastic and a great psychological study. The adaptation complements the book nicely.

Thought this was brilliant - looking forward to reading it again and hoping it lives up to my memory.

I need to reread this one properly as I didn't give it the true attention I have since discovered it deserves. I had very young babies at the time of reading so looking back think it was perhaps not the best time to read it.

I've read this a long time ago, so I can't remember the whole of it, but certainly some details. And it was definitely a story like I have never read before. For me it wasn't that much the story about the son and the terrible things he did, but the story of the mother, the woman, who tried to figure out her role in this, how society looks at her, how she sees herself and all her doubts about how she wants to react and how she is expected to do.

I've had reservations about reading this one for a long time. Friends of mine have said it is brilliant but the subject matter has put me off, considering it's about a serial killer and my impression is the mother always had trouble connecting with the boy.
I've only just learnt that the story is told in a series of letters from Eva to her husband. Funnily enough, that actually attracts me to it more rather than less.
Maybe I'll pick it up at some stage but it's hard to imagine when.

I hated this book and haven’t read anything else by Shriver since! I heard her talking about it, seemingly endlessly, and I couldn’t stand her attitude either. So I am not going to be rereading this book.
All the other members of that particular book club either loved or loathed it. So it had one merit at least in that we had loads to discuss and argue about.

I led a discussion on this book when it first came out...the nature vs nurture discussion topic was really interesting.