| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Leader: |
Pam O'Neill
|
| Group email: | Book club group books@u3aoliva.org |
| When: | Fortnightly on Friday mornings 2nd & 4th Friday |
| Venue: | Somni's Cafe |
Do you love books? Are you often looking for people to discuss literature with? Lots of people love to read, but it can be hard to find someone to discuss the book you’re reading — especially if you love an uncommon genre.
The club focuses on a different book each month - here's the latest book we're reading.
Our book for November
Small Pleasures by Claire Chambers
Goodreads Choice AwardNominee for Readers' Favorite Historical Fiction (2021)
1957, south-east suburbs of London.
Jean Swinney is a feature writer on a local paper, disappointed in love and — on the brink of forty — living a limited existence with her truculent mother: a small life from which there is no likelihood of escape
When a young Swiss woman, Gretchen Tilbury, contacts the paper to claim that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth, it is down to Jean to discover whether she is a miracle or a fraud. But the more Jean investigates, the more her life becomes strangely (and not unpleasantly) intertwined with that of the Tilburys: Gretchen is now a friend, and her quirky and charming daughter Margaret a sort of surrogate child. And Jean doesn't mean to fall in love with Gretchen's husband, Howard, but Howard surprises her with his dry wit, his intelligence and his kindness — and when she does fall, she falls hard.
But he is married, and to her friend — who is also the subject of the story she is researching for the newspaper, a story that increasingly seems to be causing dark ripples across all their lives. And yet Jean cannot bring herself to discard the chance of finally having a taste of happiness...
But there will be a price to pay, and it will be unbearable.
About our book club
If you’re having a hard time finding people to talk with about your reading material, you might want to consider joining our book club. They’re also great opportunities to meet new people and make new friends with common interests.
Reading is a solitary activity but when a book has moved or stimulated you it's natural to want to discuss it with someone else. A reading group gives you that opportunity. Also, a group encourages you to think a bit more about the books you read - why you like some, hate others.