Tinkers by Paul Harding

We met on 28 Feb to discuss Tinkers by Paul Harding.

Tinkers is the first novel of Paul Harding. First published in 2009 it tells the story of George Washington Crosby who thinks back on his life while on his deathbed - particularly that of his relationship with his father who suffered from epilepsy. The novel won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Set

Paul Harding was born in 1967 and while now considers himself as an author, also taught writing at Harvard and was the drummer for the band Cold Flat Water from 1990 - 1997.

What did we think?

Like The Slap we thought that the idea of the novel was better than the result. Like The Slap critical acclaim by the reviewers doesn't necessarily equal a book popular with readers. Not these readers anyway. Some comments from the group:

One member loved the cover (different to above) but the content was disconnected from the promise on the cover.

• There were little story gems eg. the story of the tooth being pulled, the epilepsy but found the descriptions a bit hard going.
• Enjoyed the little stories but not the flowery language and descriptions.
• Hard going. Skimmed all the clock imagery.
• Enjoyed the social commentary but skimmed a few bits.
• Too wordy.
• Not a great holiday read. Enjoyed it as it moved on but skimmed a lot.
• Often the winner of the Pulitzer isn't as good as the others on the shortlist.
• George's feeling of being trapped and running away was especially heartwrenching.
  
  Range of scores: 2-6 out of 10
  Average score: 4.5

Mr Rosenblum's List by Natasha Solomons

We discussed Mr Rosenblum's List by Natasha Solomons on Monday 7 February. It was almost a full house with 15 members present.

From the author's website:

"Jack is compiling a list: a comprehensive guide to the manners, customs and habits of England. He knows that marmalade must be bought from Fortnum & Mason, he’s memorised every British monarch back to 913 A.D. and the highlight of his day is the BBC weather forecast. And he never speaks German, apart from the occasional curse.

From the moment he disembarked at Harwich in 1937 he understood that assimilation was the key. But the war’s been over for eight years and despite his best efforts, his bid to blend in remains fraught with unexpected hurdles. Including his wife. "

This was the author's first book. Her grandfather received a pamphlet on how to assimillate to British society when he arrived from Germany before the war. This was the inspiration for a story of a man trying to assimilate. The author wasn't interested in writing a holocaust book, more interested in writing about the edges of history.

What did we think?

Score range: 7.5 - 8.5

Average: 8 out of 10

Ghost Child by Caroline Overington

On Monday 13 September 2010 we discussed Ghost Child by Caroline Overington.

In her own words Caroline is:

... a mother of twins; a reporter for The Australian newspaper; a resident of Bondi Beach; and the author of three books: one is about New York; the other about the UN oil-for-food scandal in Iraq. Her first novel, Ghost Child, has just been published by random House. Caroline was raised in Melton, on the outskirts of Melbourne

The book tells the story of child abuse and child protection in Melbourne. Of a child who died thirty years ago in mysterious circumstances. Told through flashbacks it examines the consequences of the death on all involved and unwinds the mystery.

Unfortunately I didn't write good notes on our discussion but from memory we felt that the story was harrowing, that it seemed like a work of non-fiction rather than fiction but that we were divided about the quality of the writing.

Score range: 5-7

Average: 6.2 out of 10

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

On 16 August 2010 we discussed In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

Truman Capote (1925-1984) was an American author who is particularly famous for writing Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood. He was a childhood friend of To Kill a Mockingbird author, Harper Lee - who was a researcher for In Cold Blood.

In Cold Blood took Capote four years to write. It is the story of the 1959 multiple murder of a farming family in Kansas. Hearing about the murder Capote decided to research the circumstances, prior even to the murders being captured. The novel details that search and the relationships he developed with the convicted murders. He claimed it to be the first True Crime novel or non-fiction novel. It was certainly ground-breaking for its time. Some claim, however there were fabricated elements.

Score range: 8.5 - 9
Average 8.5

Man Booker Prize 2010: Long List

OMG, how did The Slap get nominated? Is Christos Tsiolkos' mother on the judging panel?

• Peter Carey Parrot and Olivier in America (Faber and Faber)
• Emma Donoghue Room (Pan MacMillan - Picador)
• Helen Dunmore The Betrayal (Penguin - Fig Tree)
• Damon Galgut In a Strange Room (Grove Atlantic - Atlantic Books)
• Howard Jacobson The Finkler Question (Bloomsbury)
• Andrea Levy The Long Song (Headline Publishing Group - Headline Review)
• Tom McCarthy C (Random House - Jonathan Cape)
• David Mitchell The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (Hodder & Stoughton - Sceptre)
• Lisa Moore February (Random House - Chatto & Windus)
• Paul Murray Skippy Dies (Penguin - Hamish Hamilton)
• Rose Tremain Trespass (Random House - Chatto & Windus)
• Christos Tsiolkas The Slap (Grove Atlantic - Tuskar Rock)
• Alan Warner The Stars in the Bright Sky (Random House - Jonathan Cape)

Which ones are you planning to read?

July 2010 book: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

June book 2010: the Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson