The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
J – Howard Jacobson
READ FOR BOOKERTHON
A love story set in a dystopian future
Decades in the future Kevern lives in a cottage on sea cliffs near Port Reuben and makes art with wood. He meets Ailinn and falls in love. The two begin a passionate romance, and move in together. Yet neither knows where they have come from or what their plans are because speaking of the past, of historical brutalities is not an accepted thing any longer.
There has been an historical catastrophe but this is referred to only as “what happened, if it happened”. (The catastrophe is presumably the Holocaust and the J word which no one can say any longer: Jew.) This inability to remember or to speak freely shrouds everyone in suspicion, denial and apology.
One day a detective comes to Port Reuben to investigate a triple murder. He and others suspect that the passions of people, long repressed by the government which strives for harmony, are resurfacing in violent ways as a result of being bottled up for so long.
Kevern recalls an interaction with one of the murdered women, causing him and Ailinn to question their love. They aren’t even sure if they have fallen in love of their own accord or if there is some greater force at play that requires them to be in one another’s lives.
He didn’t want to feel better. He owed it to what he’d been told to feel worse. That was what living a serious life meant, wasn’t it, honoring the gravity of things by not pretending they were light? Rozenwyn Feigenblat had told him he was an ethicist, not an artist. He agreed with her. An artist owed a duty to nothing except his own irresponsibility. It was OK for an artist to frolic in the water, no matter how bloody the waves or how high the tide rose. An ethicist had an obligation to drown.
✎ “Murky, confusing, weird, interesting, oddly funny. I enjoyed J but I wish I had read it without the Man Booker pressure, I would’ve enjoyed taking my time a bit more with this one. It felt 1984-ish for me.” – Suzy
✎ “I always admire authors who can create a dystopian future but sometimes I get lost in the details. Which is what happened here. The unnamed catastrophe could have been any of our history’s tragedies and I think Jacobson made many poignant references to them, making this an important story.” – Rachel
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Published 2014
Jonathan Cape
426 pages
The Lives Of Others – Neel Mukherjee
READ FOR BOOKERTHON
Set in 1966 Calcutta, the Ghosh family represents the nation as it battles an imploding business and family battles
✎ The Lives of Others is a big book in every sense of the word. It has many pages, many characters and many plot lines. There are a lot of events, and much historical and social complexities covered.
It is set in Calcutta in the 1960s and focuses on the large and wealthy Ghosh family all of whom live together. Each set of family members occupies a floor of the home, in accordance to their standing within the family. The head of the family is Prafullanath who has made his money via several paper mills. One of the main plot lines involves the eldest grandson, Supratik who has joined the community party and is working secretly to mobilise peasants against landlords.
Entwined with this are the poisonous rivalries and secrets of other family members, a risk to the family business and the unrest of Indian society.
You take away economic security and the whole pack of cards collapses. Everyone is at each other’s throats. All these vaunted bourgeois values that prop up society – love, duty, honour, respect – all rest on power-relations lubricated by economics. They are the gloss people put on the naked truth: self-interest.
✎ “The harrowing opening pages provide the perfect juxtaposition to the petty woes of the Ghosh family whom we are soon introduced to. It is this contrast reiterated throughout which drew me into the story. There is a huge cast of characters, all of whom are well-developed, and sometimes the sheer amount of people and events and detail was overwhelming and difficult to track. Those who love a family saga will love it, but I did start to struggle as the pages went on.” – Rachel
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Published 2014
Chatto & Windus
528 pages
The Shadow Of The Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Jo
In 1940s Barcelona a boy named Daniel lives with his father who owns a bookshop. One day, the father takes his son to the Cemetery of Forgotten books – a secret labyrinthine library that houses rare and banned books.
Daniel is drawn to one called The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax and takes it home with him. He reads and falls in love with the story only to discover that Carax has gone missing along with every other copy of the book. He then commits to discovering the mystery behind the missing author and books.
His travels bring him into contact with many interesting characters, including booksellers, beautiful women, an evil, disfigured man and a French spy, some of whom bear uncanny resemblance to characters in the book. It seems Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest will blow open the truth of one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets.
Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.
✎ “This book started with a bang with the main character Daniel visiting a place of pure fantasy. I can still see the place where Julian Carax’s book was hidden: the cemetery of forgotten books. This novel is densely plot driven, the characters are likeable and the prose is beautiful if a little melodramatic at times. I loved this exciting gothic tale, it has everything: mystery, love, death, skullduggery, curses, evil policeman … the list goes on. It has its faults, e.g. revealing the mystery in a letter all in one go, but I didn’t want to put it down and I loved it anyway.” – Jo
✎ “The imagery of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books in the opening setting is a book lover’s dream and a sure bet you’ll want to read on. Tick. Plus, the main character Daniel Sempere is quite spellbinding and the support cost surprising and eerie. Tick, tick. However, for me, the plot quickly became contrived and overdone and I ended up being underwhelmed by this book.” – Rachel
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Published 2001
Planeta (Spain)
525 pages
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 remote estate, becomes convinced that the grounds are haunted.
She has been hired by a young man to take care of his niece Flora and nephew Miles. The governess is told she must never trouble the man, even with concerns about the children, and so she attempts to care for the children on the eerie estate without support.
There are other staff and personalities but the ghostly nature of the story provides ambiguity about each character’s true existence. Unsurprisingly there are many mysterious events in the plot, set amongst the dark passageways of the home and the tall, spindly trees of the woods. Several directly involve the children.
Though originally considered simply a ghost story, critics have over the decades, discovered hidden depth to the story and there are now several opinions as to what genre the story actually represents.
Of course I was under the spell, and the wonderful part is that, even at the time, I perfectly knew I was. But I gave myself up to it; it was an antidote to any pain, and I had more pains than one.
✎ “Spine-chilling and riveting from the outset. There were so many possible outcomes and I liked that a couple still remained after the last page. The characters are either ethereal or arresting, or sometimes both just to confuse you, but whatever the case, they are so perfectly written they evoke a real sense of the ghost story. A wonderful book to discuss. I want to read it again immediately!” – Rachel*
✎ “I love the mysterious ambiguity of this novel – is there an evil presence getting closer and closer (figure in the tower, face at the window, ghosts by the lake)? Or is our lovely governess losing her mind? The characters are distinct and the story is eerie and disturbing … although I needed to read this slowly and carefully I want to read it again. An impressive piece of literature.” – Jo
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Published 1898
William Heinemann
78 pages
*In May 2015 Jo and I went to see A Turn Of The Screw on stage and it was just as fabulous as the book, invoking a few more discussions about the whys and hows of the plot. What’s more it was held in the (apparently) haunted Theatre Royal in Nelson. I was on the lookout for an additional cast member on stage but thankfully did not see one!! – Rachel
Holy Days – Joy Cowley
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Suzy
A motherless boy seeks solace in an old convent and the three nuns who reside there.
✎ “Joy Cowley is one of New Zealand’s best known authors, her children’s books widely published for use in our primary schools. But as Holy Days demonstrates, she can also turn her hand to adult fiction.
“Brian’s mother has died and he misses her terribly. He finds refuge at the local convent and forms an unlikely friendship with the remaining three nuns. They enjoy the relationship of a young person in their lives and seek to make his deepest wish come true.
✎ “A novel built with skill and grounded with goodness, tinged with sadness and hard family realities. Paired with Navigator, Joy Cowley’s memoir, Holy Days is an even more beautiful.” – Suzy
✎ “The imagery is well developed in this book and I found myself able to see the village and the convent straight away. A heartwarming story of a young boy’s deepening relationship with three nuns and the adventure they plan for him. This book is beautifully written and filled with the warmth of love and affection. A feel good story that leaves you smiling.” – Jo
✎ “This adult novel has the same accomplished style of Cowley’s children’s books. With a wonderful plot and the gorgeous Brian, I couldn’t help but fall in love with it.” – Rachel
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Published 2001
Penguin Books
184 pages
Howards End – E M Forster
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Sophia
The disregard of a dying woman’s bequest, an impulsive girl’s attempt to help an impoverished clerk, and the marriage between an idealist and a materialist all intersect at an English country estate called Howard’s End. Here, many interactions and controversies between the characters occur.
The main characters come from three families: the wealthy Wilcoxes, half-German Schlegel siblings (Margaret, Helen and Tibby), and the Basts, a poor, young couple from a lower-class background.
The alternating classes among the characters create interesting story lines, as do their varying view points, prejudices and social understandings, which are representative of the time and well captured.
To trust people is a luxury in which only the wealthy can indulge; the poor cannot afford it.
Set during the Edwardian era when industrialisation was on the rise, the book has a focus on homes and architecture, which are well detailed, as are the fashions and traditions of the time. At the various settings characters engage in deceptions, affairs, conversations and friendships that propel the reading experience.
Each of the free rangers had a lot to say about the characters, all with attributes and flaws, all a product of their class and upbringing though many striving to understand life outside their own experiences. From them we learnt more about this time and place, and considered what we could take from their learnings into our own realities.
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Published 1910
Edward Arnold
343 pages
A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hossieni
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Jo
Written from the perspective of two Afghan women trapped within their country’s strict regime, this book focuses on the friendship between Mariam and Laila who are wives of the same man.
Mariam is an illegitimate child to a wealthy man and at 15 years old is given away in disgrace to Rasheed, an old shoemaker. She disappoints him by failing to produce a child, and so he takes on another wife, an orphaned 14 year old from within the neighbourhood who is already pregnant.
Set over a 30 year period, from the 1960s to the 1990s, the narrative covers the Soviet occupation to the Taliban control – a country always in turmoil. Rasheed mimics the violence and uncertainty of Afghanistan in his home and the reader is embroiled in stories of domestic abuse, the brutally of war and the oppression of women. However, redemption, hope and friendship are also strong themes which give the reader optimism for the people who have survived these conflicts.
That summer, Titanic fever gripped Kabul. People smuggled pirated copies of the film from Pakistan- sometimes in their underwear. After curfew, everyone locked their doors, turned out the lights, turned down the volume, and reaped tears for Jack and Rose and the passengers of the doomed ship. If there was electrical power … the children watched it too. A dozen times or more, they unearthed the TV from behind the tool-shed, late at night, with the lights out and quilts pinned over the windows.
✎ “Harrowing but addictive. You need to be ready for a book like this – the abuse, oppression and violence will cause a few tears to be shed. But at the heart of the story are two feisty, inspirational women who evoke a sense of hope and heroism. If you do decide to proceed, you won’t regret it.” – Rachel
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Published 2007
Riverhead Books
284 pages
Crossing To Safety – Wallace Stegner
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Rachel
Crossing to Safety is a 1987 novel about the friendship between two couples and their entwined journeys through the pleasures and cruelty of life.
Sally and Larry Morgan are ambitious, hard-working and poor. Sid and Charity Lang are Harvard graduates, social and full of excesses, with the money to provide all they need. The Langs take the former couple under their wings in friendship, and their money and ability to provide luxuries the Morgan’s couldn’t afford otherwise puts the Langs in a position of power and control over the friendship.
The men are professors and colleagues, vying for some of the same opportunities, the women fall pregnant together. The couples party together, holiday together and share in the same successes and tragedies. The book is a detailed study of the characters and all the life events they share together.
Control vs interdependence is a strong theme, as is being rescued. But this power struggle over who needs rescuing and who has the power is something that changes often, as in real life.
What ever happened to the passion we all had to improve ourselves, live up to our potential, leave a mark on the world? Our hottest arguments were always about how we could contribute. We did not care about the rewards. We were young and earnest.
✎ “For me, there is no description that does this book justice. Ultimately it is a character study of two couples who are so expertly written it’s as if they exist. I know some of the other freerangers were stifled by how suffocating and maddening Charity could be, but for me the characters being either endearing and selfless or opinionated and maddening, just shows how carefully they were crafted. What’s more they reflect the reality of real life situations and friendships. Stegner has a flawless, enchanting writing style and I knew from the first page I was going to fall in love with this story.” – Rachel
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Published 1987
Penguin Books
Under The Mountain – Maurice Gee
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Suzy
Rachel and Theo Matheson travel beneath Auckland’s extinct volcanoes to prevent the destruction of the world
✎ “While vacationing with relatives in Auckland, red-head twins Theo and Rachel discover that they are endowed with special powers to oppose mysterious giant creatures that live beneath the city’s volcanoes and are determined to destroy the world.
“But to do so the twins must follow through with some decisions that are against their nature. Rachel is particular is disturbed by her role and hopes to find an alternative to eliminating the evil shape-shifting Wilberforces, such as reasoning with them But their ability to change from humans into giant slugs overwhelms them.
“Written in 1979, the story was made into a televised series in 1981 and as such many New Zealanders of this age bracket cannot look at Auckland’s prominent extinct volcanoes without thinking about world-destroying slugs!”
✎ “One of the best children’s books ever. The joy of such recognisable landmarks when I read this as a child was just as strong when I read this as an adult. Lake Pupuke was never the same to me after this book. Wonderfully paced with just the right amount of terror. A must read for all red-heads, you are powerful beings you know!” – Suzy
✎ “There are many moralistic considerations to glean from this story, one of the reasons why it is a fantastic book choice for readers of all ages. And of course the adventurous, humanity saving story line is another!” – Rachel
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Published 1987
Oxford University Press, USA
164 pages
2014 – The Plot Thickens
There are many variances which denote a thickening of the plot. A dense and detailed history add substance, solidifying friendships and character relationships bring emotion, and unexpected reactions to outside influences add the element of surprise.
The Free Range Bookclub can tick off all these categories as we head into our seventh year. First of all there’s a history that incorporates more than 150 book titles and the continual element of surprise as we each turn the opening page on a book we may not have heard of, nor considered reading before.
But none of that would matter if it weren’t for the strong friendships we’ve formed, friendships that began as a shared loved of literature but which have grown into something bigger. So it was a shame that we lost Nicole to the hustle and bustle of life, but the remaining four of us are all long term bookclubbers and will press on!
We have decided against theming this year but our choices have still resulted in some big gun authors in the reading list. Here’s how it looks:
Under The Mountain – Maurice Gee
Crossing To Safety – Wallace Stegner
A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hossieni
Howards End – E M Forster
Holy Days – Joy Cowley
The Turn Of The Screw – Henry James
The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
On Beauty – Zadie Smith
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