The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
Category: Classic literature
The Scarecrow – Hugh Morrieson
READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Rachel Neddy Poindexter worries about his pretty sister Prudence when it’s discovered there’s a killer on the loose. Part adventure, part small-town comedy and part horrifying thriller, The Scarecrow is classic Kiwi Lit noir. The same week our fowls… Continue Reading “The Scarecrow – Hugh Morrieson”
Owls Do Cry – Janet Frame
READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Jo Owls Do Cry is semi-autobiographical, recounting a character’s – and Frame’s own – time in a mental hospital in provincial, pre-1940s New Zealand. Protagonist Daphne Withers is mute, surrounded by uncaring carers, and begins receiving shock treatment. With… Continue Reading “Owls Do Cry – Janet Frame”
The Age Of Innocence – Edith Wharton
READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Jo An upper-class couple’s marriage is threatened by the arrival of the bride’s cousin. The Age Of Innocence won the Pulitzer Prize in 1921 making Edith Wharton the first woman to receive the prize. ❍ “The Age Of Innocence… Continue Reading “The Age Of Innocence – Edith Wharton”
The Train – Georges Simenon
READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Becks On May 10, 1940, as Nazi tanks approach, Marcel Feron abandons his home and, separated from his wife, joins a freight car of refugees hurtling southward ahead of the pursuing invaders. ❍”Marcel, a timid, happy man must abandon his home… Continue Reading “The Train – Georges Simenon”
Ethan Frome – Edith Wharton
READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Jo Through the eyes of a visitor, the reader observes Ethan Frome falling in love with his wife’s niece while stuck on a desolate farm in a harsh setting. The niece is Mattie Silver. She arrives in the mountain… Continue Reading “Ethan Frome – Edith Wharton”
The Picture Of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Rachel There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about and that is not being talked about. This 1891 novel focuses on Dorian Gray, a young man of great beauty. An artist friend paints his portrait… Continue Reading “The Picture Of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde”
The Turn Of The Screw – Henry James
READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Rachel The Turn Of The Screw is a gothic ghost story from 1898 set in an old English house on a sprawling estate. The novella is a first person account of a governess who, caring for two children at a… Continue Reading “The Turn Of The Screw – Henry James”
To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee
READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Jo The classic which saw the creation of lawyer Atticus Finch, his precocious daughter Scout, protective son Jem, and neighbourhood “monster” Boo Radley. This 1960 novel details Atticus’ defence of a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman.… Continue Reading “To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee”
Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Rachel Set toward the end of World War II in 1944, on an island off the coast of Italy, Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 is a satirical anti-war novel. It features extensive use of black humour, a non-linear structure, surrealism and an… Continue Reading “Catch-22 – Joseph Heller”
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