The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
Book Book – Fiona Farrell
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Sonya
As war is waged in the Middle East, a woman in New Zealand has her nose in a book – part fiction, part autobiography, Farrell documents her life’s history with reading
➤ “I really enjoyed Fiona Farrell’s writing style. So clever, rhythmic yet readable. The anecdotes within her memoir were beautifully crafted. You tell that the words were those of a literary pro. Yet, overall I was vaguely bored. I suppose in simple terms, I like a good made-up story, with a great plot and larger than life characters. This was not that kind of story. Although I didn’t dislike it, I had to make myself read it.” – Sonya
➤ “Book Book was a concept that appealed to me, a self-confessed book nerd: a life (so far) explained through books; and a New Zealand life which might rekindle my own childhood memories, and mention books and writers with whom I’m familiar.*swoon*. And ultimately the book did deliver all that. (Even if an early mention of Farrell’s hometown of Oamaru did not turn into a Frame commentary until page 293.) However, while I did enjoy the individual moments, ultimately the book ended up as a collection of interesting stories without any of the usual climax associated with fiction. A nice read, but not exciting.” – Rachel
➤ “Book Book is a nice, easy-to-read book with lovely nostalgic New Zealand references peppered throughout. There are frequent references with excerpts to various books and authors and I struggled at times to see the relevance of these – perhaps a failing on my part. Although pleasant to read there weren’t any great highs or lows and I was left feeling underwhelmed at the end. A tad ho hum for me I’m afraid.” – Jo
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Published 2004
Vintage Books
364 pages
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