The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
Crossing To Safety – Wallace Stegner
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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
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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
2013 – End Of Year Thoughts
2013:
In which New Zealander Eleanor Catton becomes the youngest person to win the Man Booker prize with her book The Luminaries, and the literary world of little old Down Under is immensely proud of her, and hopeful for a resurgence in the sales of Kiwi Lit.
In which Penguin and Random House merge to create the “world’s first truly global book trade”, with supporters celebrating increased potential in sales and marketability and critics worry about the demise of the paperback.
In which The Freerange Bookclub members chose to re-read their favourite novels of all time, and found it unsurprising that their own choices won their Book of The Year choice, but agreed on what an epic year of book reading it was.
Favourite character:
Rachel: May Kasahara from The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Jo: Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird
Suzy: Holden Caulfield from The Catcher In The Rye
Sophia: Atticus Finch (Mockingbird) & Frankie Addams (Member of the Wedding)
Nicole: Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird
Least liked character:
Rachel: The mother in Flowers In The Attic
Jo: The mother in Flowers In The Attic
Suzy: The mother in Flowers In The Attic
Sophia: The mother in Flowers In The Attic
Nicole: The mother in Flowers In The Attic
Most memorable scene:
Rachel: Boris the man skinner in The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Suzy: Toru contemplating life at the bottom of a well in The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee
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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. The children observe the case and the day-to-day societal prejudices of the time, and Scout narrates to us life as she sees it.
A tomboy clad in overalls, Scout maintains an innocence and an innate sense of right and wrong that makes her a perfect observer of events, particularly because she doesn’t always understand them and therefore ruminates on ideas or events, encouraging the reader to do the same.
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.
I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.
The book raised many important topics at the time, which still remain important today. Prejudice vs tolerance, and guilt vs innocence are clear themes but deeper still is the discussion about lawfulness vs justice, ie does a decision of the law mean justice has been served? And whose responsibility it is to determine the difference between the two or to encourage change in mindsets?
It was a re-read for all the freerangers and it was apparent that the themes and morals of the book not only remain valid all this time later but seem to evolve in relation to what is happening in real life. Whatever decade you read it in, there is a new set of circumstances, prejudices and human rights have both progressed in some areas and fallen back in others, and the way in which you consider the book’s morals alongside the current issues makes it like reading a new version of the book each time.
Clearly it has earned its title as one of, if not the most important book ever written. Interesting that Harper Lee never wrote another book.
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Published 1960
Grand Central Publishing
384 pages
2013 Bookerthon
Novels of note are often a response to societal influences. Either what happens in the world and how humanity responds to it, or bringing light to events of years past to reveal hidden truths. Readers respond to societal and cultural references they recognise, and placing a barometer upon them to understand the level of importance others place upon them is an important exercise in awareness.
This year we responded to the Man Booker shortlist with such cognisance and felt we understood a little more about the world at large.
The Lowland has an engaging composition about life in Calcutta and the riots that swept the nation when US tanks rolled in. We learn about the tracks two Indian brothers take, with some shocking outcomes. A Tale For The Time Being is an epic story about a shared humanity between a woman who finds a diary washed up on the beach and its author, after the 2011 tsunami. Harvest is an historically important consideration about effects of modernisation on the agricultural sector. We Need New Names is a tear-jerker, about a young girl trying to escape the violence of Zimbabwe to start a new life in the US. The Luminaries is a mystery set in the goldfields of Hokitika and portrays an accurate portrayal of the mid-nineteenth-century gold rush in New Zealand. The Testament Of Mary is a unique take on one of the oldest stories in history – the mother-son relationship between Jesus Christ and his mother Mary.
Confession, neither of us have yet finished The Luminaries – it is 800-odd pages and quite indepth in a number of ways, so not something to rush. Despite this we are both overwhelmingly in the belief this will win this year.
All the other shortlisters have commendable attributes and we were really pleased to have discovered them, but The Luminaries has epic scope that the Booker judges seem to love.
So, in the end, we just have to say: Go Kiwi!
Best book 1st-6th: Suzy:
The Luminaries
Harvest
We Need New Names
The Lowland
A Tale For The Time Being
The Testament of Mary
Best book 1st-6th: Rachel:
The Luminaries
The Lowland
A Tale For The Time Being
Harvest
We Need New Names
The Testament Of Mary
The Luminaries – Eleanor Catton
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❖ “The Luminaries is a ghost story and murder mystery set in Hokitika, New Zealand. It is 832 pages and won the Booker Prize.
“Its protagonist Walter Moody comes across 12 men having a secret meeting in the lounge of his hotel in the opening pages. The men take him into their confidence and advise of a string of strange occurrences, including the death of a local man, the attempted suicide of a prostitute and the disappearance of a wealthy gold miner.
“Since all of these events happened on the same night, the group is under the impression they are linked. They turn to Moody for help and he is soon drawn into the mystery, and into a complex network of fates and fortunes.
“While the main plot of the novel is simple, the subplots are complicated as the characters become entangled in one another’s lives. Each of the 12 chapters has links to astrology and the astrological links of the characters according to their birth. All the loose ends are not tied up by the end and the reader must decide for themselves what must have happened.
We spend our entire lives thinking about death. Without that project to divert us, I expect we would all be dreadfully bored. We would have nothing to evade, and nothing to forestall, and nothing to wonder about. Time would have no consequence.
❖ “Where to start! The structure of this epic story is sometimes so simple yet sometimes so complex, it does require a focused and dedicated read. I can’t begin to imagine the intellectual prowess it must have taken to put together. But I know from Catton’s The Rehearsal that she is a writer who doesn’t waste a word, so The Luminaries‘ multi-layered complexity/simplicity over 832 pages was not a surprise. It’s fair to say I finished this knowing I had missed a lot of detail and in no way understood the true scope of this work. It’s clear this is going to enter the history books as a NZ classic. Hopefully one day I will have the patience and understanding to re-read it and truely appreciate it.” – Rachel
❖ “To my eternal shame I have attempted this book 3 times and it remains unfinished. This is a reflection on ME and my distractibility NOT the author. Don’t judge me ok! I have always enjoyed it as far as I’ve read it! Watching Eleanor Catton speak in Nelson in 2014 was just so good. One of my heroes, literary and otherwise.” – Suzy
❖ Rachel: As an aside, Suzy and I attended an afternoon with Eleanor Catton some months after this and we were amazed to learn how deep the layers of this book actually go. She spoke passionately about astrology and music having an in-sync rhythm as well as the development of her characters in true Victorian style. We left even more impressed with her ability but more confused about what actually happened in this book!
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Published 2013
Victoria University Press
832 pages
The Testament of Mary – Colm Toibin
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Mary, mother of Jesus, is in her old age and does not believe her son was the son of God
❖ “The Testament of Mary is the story of Mary, mother of Jesus. She is elderly and being visited by ‘the Beloved Disciple’ who has returned to her home to question her again about the life of her son. He is writing an account of the time, which Mary says will be the founding of the new religion.
While being evasive to her guests, Mary instead tells the reader her account of things. How she felt for her son’s followers, whom she calls misfits, how she felt disconnected with him when he matured into a man. Her account culminates with the crucifixion, which Mary describes in detail.
The premise of the book is to give a voice to someone who was, in history, merely a vessel. She tells how the Evangelists weren’t interested in what really happened, rather what they could market or present the son of God to everyday people.
I told him before he departed that all my life when I have seen more than two men together I have seen foolishness and I have seen cruelty, but it is foolishness I have noticed first.
❖ This book could have gone a number a ways and to be honest I wasn’t desperate to read it, but actually Mary’s complexity was revealed with a kind of cutting humour that opened the story up to many interpretations. I liked this more than I thought I would – it was the mother-son bond that held it together.” – Rachel
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Published 2013
Scribner’s
96 pages
A Tale For The Time Being – Ruth Ozeki
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A Canadian novelist finds a diary of a 16-year-old girl from Tokyo washed up on shore after the 2011 Japanese tsunami
❖ “A Tale For the Time Being is a multi-era, multi-genre, multi-themed, multi-culture, multi-plot book. In it you will find World War II, origami, fetish cafes, the Japanese tsunami, quantum physics, Hello Kitty and ecological collapse. The story is told of nuns, Buddhist priests, writers and readers, teenagers, anarachists and people of various race. They talk about memories, death, philosophy, what it means to be female, depression and writing.
Phew!
This sounds suffocating but actually what it’s about is a 16 year old Japanese girl called Nao who wishes to end her life but decides to write the story of her ancestor first. Years later the diary, inside a Hello Kitty lunchbox, washes up on the shores of Canada where it is discovered by a writer named Ruth. The writer is intrigued to know what happened to the girl and begins a search, as she reads the diary, investigating and developing the relationship between reader and writer.
Ruth’s quiet sensible life on the Canadian shores contrasts with Nao’s more philosophical nature, questioning existence and time. In her diary she details her life with her unemployed, depressed father and emotionally absent mother. Nao is cruelly bullied at school and finally breaks free by moving to live with her great-grandmother, Jiko, an elderly feminist nun living in a mountain temple observing Zen qualities of life.
I helped Jiko to her feet and we walked back to the bus stop together, holding hands again. I was still thinking about what she said about waves, and it made me sad because I knew that her little wave was not going to last and soon she would join the sea again, and even though I know you can’t hold on to water , still I gripped her fingers a little more tightly to keep her from leaking away.
The scope of the story is like the giant flotsam that washed the lunch box ashore, so very vast and made up of a milieu of things and ideas. Somehow all that stuff resulted in one simple item being carefully deposited upon land to be discovered.
Or you could say that this is simply the story of a writer reading the diary of a girl who has captured her great-grandmother’s life. How much of that flotsam you gather up and take on board is up to the individual reader, but be aware, the content has the potential to sail you along on the tide or drag you under.
In our cases it was close. Suzy gave it 4 stars, Rachel 4.5.
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Published 2013
Viking
432 pages
The Lowland – Jhumpa Lahiri
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The story of two brothers living in 1960s Calcutta. One becomes an oceanographer, the other a political activist
❖ The Lowland features two Bengali brothers Subhash and Udayan who follow different paths as they grow up in Calcutta during the 50s and 60s. Subhash is the older sibling and is drawn to the natural world, choosing to become an oceanographer and moving to the States to do so. Udayan is an energised activist who joins the Naxalite movement and opposes anyone and any thing that seems a threat to what he sees as his right.
Udayan gets involved in several illegal activities in pursuit of his moral and ethical standards, and marries a woman whose political beliefs match his own, to the distain of his family.
Bit of spoiler alert, but has to be said: soon after this Udayan is killed in a skirmish. His new wife Gauri is pregnant and lost. Her brother in-law, the sensible Subhash takes her as his own wife in order to provide a life for her and the child and heads back to the States, wife in tow. It’s unsurprising to learn Gauri is unhappy with her new life, and how she copes is the subject matter of the rest of the book.
He felt his presence on earth being denied, even as he stood there. He was forbidden access; the past refused to admit him. It only reminded him that this arbitrary place, where he’d landed and made his life, was not his.
The characters are exceptionally well drawn and what kept us both glued to the pages. The setting and plot and therefore the pace, drastically change once Subhash and Gauri head back to the United States to live. This is a bit of a shock after the energy and fervour of the opening chapters but the strength of the characters keeps the story interesting.
From Bengali culture and politics to oceanography to philosophy, this is a book that covers a range of topics and themes in a personable way. Both Suzy and Rachel said they would recommend it.
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Published 2013
Alfred A Knopf
340 pages
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