Hi to Clare, Moy, Maggie and Liz who weren't able to be at Margaret's place for the meeting today. We used the round table technique again, revealing that only Margaret has read the book right through - and even she admitted to skimming some pages. Sue W and Ros performed very strategic scans focusing on 'The Golden Notebook' section. (I scanned too after dutifully reading 13% of the book.) They declared the book interesting - but that view wasn't generally shared by those who had tried to read right through from beginning to end. Repetitious, boring - those words were spoken round the table. We had lots to talk about though - the characters, the structure, the politics, the reception of the book in its day, the prefaces, Lessing's other work...
The discussion about the next book didn't take long as we agreed to read All the Birds, Singing, by Evie Wyld, which has been on our back burner for a little while. That will be at my place on the Anzac day long weekend.
Next time, March, we will be at Jane's place, reading Burial Rites by Hannah Kent.
Sue E will be an apology for March, April and May so I hope she will participate remotely! She has some good news by the way!
Thanks to Margaret for lovely lumberjack cake and chocolate brownie, served on a heritage cloth. Thanks also to Pat R for a contribution of nashi pears for all, picked in her mountains garden that very morning. There are some hard acts to follow in the bookgroup.
Cheers
Pat
